Search - Articles

Cover soil with polythene sheets to keep it dry so that winter digging can be completedKeep your Christmas tree outside in a bucket of water until you're ready to bring it indoors to decorateWash cloches and cold framesOrder manure or mushroom

Work off Christmas excesses by digging over bare areas of groundPlace cloches over tender plants to give them extra protection from frostSharpen blades on hoes, secateurs and other garden tools, and wipe with an oily rag before storing awayDo a

into decorative containers Put up bug boxes to provide places for beneficial insects Around the gardenPlant daffodil bulbs in pots and bordersCheck roses for suckers and cut off any you findTrim conifer hedgesFlowersKeep picking summer-sown saladsPlant garlic

weather sets in.Use a fork or hollow-tined aerator to spike lawnsDig up and pot up tender perennials to bring indoorsRaise the cutting height when mowing the lawnAround the gardenPlant crocuses, fritillaries and dwarf narcissus in lawnsPlant up patio pots

Make a Christmas wreath Welcome visitors by making a beautiful Christmas wreath with bundles of twigs and evergreen foliage from your own garden. Keep it simple so that it's easy to make and choose tough, resilient foliage so that it will last

Grow cactiTry something new by growing some fun, spiky cacti from seed. Their weird and wonderful shapes look great indoors or out (if our summers stay dry) and, as they don't need much attention, they're just the ticket if you don't have a lot

clumps and replant your new plants wherever you want.Fix nesting boxes for birds to suitable treesGet petrol mowers and power tools servicedKeep indoor azaleas well-watered with rainwaterAround the gardenPrune back shoots on hydrangeas Trim all foliage

, the best results come from growing plants on a windowsill indoors or in a greenhouse. Large fruited varieties such as 'Black Beauty' should yield three to six aubergines per plant. Smaller fruited varieties like 'Fairy Tale' will produce at least 10

Cuttings taken from new shoots will root easily in spring to provide new plants for flowerbeds or pots. Alternatively take cuttings of your favourite plants in late-summer to overwinter indoors ready for planting or potting in the following season

Growing sunflowers from seed indoorsAdvice on growing cyclamen from seedLearn how to raise cacti from seedGrowing exotic plants from seedBrowse poppy varietiesChoose flowers by colour