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in reducing air temperatures during summer and insulating them during winter.I've always been cautious about recommending planting climbers like ivy against buildings, although I enjoy the sight when others do it. Provided walls are sound and ivy is kept clear

in my shed. Those in use will benefit from an overcoat, so during the coldest periods I’ll keep them wrapped in bubble polythene to help provide insulation from cold.2. Store hose reels under coverHose cart, fittings and nozzles are easily damaged

degrees of frosty weather in between. I like to think a deep carpet of snow, although clearly at zero degrees or less, is actually insulating plants below from even colder air temperatures above. Hopefully no harm will come to the perennials and bulbs

warmth for early sowings. Of course I'll be keeping heat to a minimum, and insulating the greenhouse with bubble polythene to reduce heat loss, but my environmental conscience keeps asking me the same question.Looking at things another way, I wonder if it

just wrap their wormeries with insulation, such as bubble polythene, to keep out the cold.I've always added small quantities of newspaper to my worm bins, usually by wrapping peelings in a few pages before adding them to the bin. However, cardboard egg

, letting plants use up moisture until the compost has dried up and they die down. Then I leave the dormant tubers in their dry compost over winter, which I hope insulates them from cold.Memo to myself: Remember to start the gloriosa tubers into growth

’re dead, but just that their tops will have been knocked back. Hopefully roots in fairly dry compost, and insulated from cold, will survive and start growing next spring when conditions warm-up.My colleague Lucy on Gardeners' World magazine looked very fed

the top to provide additional insulation.I’m not dismissing summer bulbs with a shorter season of interest like lilies, galtonia and liatris. They all have a place to provide a real ‘hit’ of colour for a short period, but then need to be replaced

an occasional watering to keep them going.My gladioli produced lots of cut flowers during August, and I lifted their fat corms at the weekend. They should store well, nestled cosily in a box of dry, insulating vermiculite to keep them frost free. Hopefully they