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the window at back gardens whizzing by at 70mph. It's also always interesting to see which plants flourish in the no-man's-land of railway embankments. At this time of year there's a dense covering, largely undisturbed by man (apart from the occasional

Evergreen trees and shrubs are tricky. They are a very important part of our gardens at this time of year, but they need to be used with great care and a light touch.I'm thinking about this at the moment because I'm planting a new woodland for a

In an idle moment this week (while sitting waiting for a temporary traffic light on the A5, if you really want to know) I found myself thinking about wheelbarrows: I own four: one that works, one with a puncture, one with a large hole in the bottom

splash of colour in February. The best ones are blue and share their names with Thomas the Tank Engine’s friends.  (Edward, George.)4. Six Nations Rugby. Leaves me completely cold but some people enjoy the sight of 30 large men tussling in cold mud.5

- hence the presence of the large steaming pile. Luckily I persuaded my elder son, Archie, to rally round and help with the barrowing. By 'persuaded' I mean, of course, bribed. Children, in my experience, don't really see the point of gardening unless

A few weeks ago I wrote about trees for small gardens. Among the comments (well, to be honest, 33% of the comments) was a request from Daphne for very, very small trees - "very small being up to three metres".Tricky. Three metres is barely a shrub

My garden - like yours - is looking fantastic at the moment. Plants that were just poking from cold ground a couple of months ago are now enormous and luxuriant. Bees buzz, roses overflow and lawns are lush.Rather than just brag, I thought I

and there are flurries of snow whipping off the roofs, and a rather disgruntled chicken is scuffling about like a well-wrapped babushka haggling in a street market in Minsk.Gardeners are obsessed with weather. It’s often too dry, too wet, too cold, too hot, not snowy

Some of you might remember that I wrote about geums a few weeks ago. Sometimes those of you out there are kind enough to respond to my ramblings with comments of your own. They are mostly charming and occasionally include various garden questions

the garden. Eager to ensure that there were no smoldering buildings, or even a child enjoying a crafty cigar, I went to investigate. It was pollen, great billowing clouds of the stuff blowing off a large yew. This tree was also taking advantage of the last