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- OctoberMarch20 minutesHair grass (Deschampsia)Thyme plants x2Small euonymus plants x2Pansy plants x2Curry plants x2Ivy plants x2Large window boxMulti-purpose compostCrocksPosition the window box where you want it, place a layer of crocks at the bottom

minutesTulip bulbs x4Primrose plants x2Sage plants x2Winter savoryIvy plants x2Thyme plants x2Honeysuckle plants x2Young pine plantLarge window box, compost and crocksPosition the window box in its final position, and place a layer of crocks at the bottom

was fluttering round the ivy leaves. It had probably just emerged from a chrysalis hidden somewhere inside the dense foliage, because this is the wrong foodplant for this time of year. This butterfly is unique in Britain in having two generations a year on two

have none of these, but we do have plenty of straggly bits of long grass, clematis and ivy thickets you could hide a giant panda in, and an unexplored jungle, alive with distant roars, behind the compost bins.I sometimes feel uneasy when I see a garden

-looking wreath, so foraged for holly and ivy stems in the park. I chose both mature (non-prickly) and juvenile (prickly) holly, to reduce the pain factor of making the wreath, and took a very small number of holly and ivy berries, leaving plenty for the birds

, as they can be difficult to reach with just a match.More creative projectsTin can lanternsIvy heartLead wall plantersBrowse deciduous climbersView plants with scented flowers

piles of flowerpots and debrisRaise patio containers on feet or bricksAvoid walking on lawns covered with heavy frostAround the gardenCut back ornamental miscanthus grassTrim back ivy and Virginia creeper Clear away dead foliage from perennials

and ceramic pots that aren't frost-proof Order farmyard manure or mushroom compost Around the gardenPlant heathers and trailing ivy in pots for winter colourCut down faded stems on rudbeckia and Shasta daisiesFinish planting tulips as soon as possible

It’s all looking rather still and damp in the garden now. Autumn, it seems, has come at last. Over the Guy Fawkes weekend, there were reports on iSpot and Flickr of red admirals and hoverflies visiting the sun-lit ivy, but, in my garden at least

and cherry laurel, but against one hoarding is a mass of ivy and it’s still in flower.Ivy is a very important late nectar source for all sorts. The bush is ablaze and abuzz with insects. Twenty or more red admirals and small tortoiseshells vie with countless