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, let alone a tree - I know of herbaceous plants that achieve that height in a season. It's difficult to choose a tree that is guaranteed not to get any bigger than the height of a short giraffe, but here is a small selection that roughly fits the bill

I wonder how many of you out there grow mulberry trees? Probably not enough of you. I have vivid memories of the first mulberry tree I came across in the grounds of a big old house in Surrey.My recollection is not one of the great horticultural

I've been putting off serious work down on the plot due to the cold (I don't believe in suffering for my vegetables), but since these last few days have been warmer, I've been unstoppable. Apart from the corollary of a messy house, it's been a very

black mildew (which prevents the plants from photosynthesising and causes leaf fall). This was a disgusting job, made worse by the removal of the sticky blighters from my hair, clothes and fingernails after each session. The infestation was so bad

, following the excellent instructions on Jeremy Biggs's website (Jeremy Biggs is the Director of Pond Conservation). I dug it deliberately with the mating needs of frogs in mind - shallow and sunny, with plenty of plants for tadpoles to shelter in

brown Germans.In July the hillside above the beach had been completely consumed by fire. Many underdressed tourists had to be rescued and sturdy French firemen (or Pompiers) battled, successfully, to keep the flames away from nearby houses. Nothing

brown and crumbly and smelling of fertility without much effort.I am lucky enough to have a fair bit of space to use as a compostery (I am almost certain that is not a real word but I rather like the sound of it) and the way that my garden is planted

, commuters, joggers and roller bladers (even though there are signs saying not to, but hey - this is Paris). There's lots going on but I have to admit that there are not many signs of wildlife. The plants are fastidiously tended and the borders manicured

useful. In grand houses they've often been used to make elaborate patterns and knot gardens; this can work equally well in smaller gardens, especially front gardens. The front garden can be a bit troublesome as it's not somewhere you're ever going to sit

of wildlife down there. The Rye is a tad bigger than my back garden, so I can usually find something different.The first thing we see is a fox, loitering about the 'cat house'. As we reach the impenetrable front garden I can hear it walking about in the deep