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Dahlias come in a fascinating variety of shapes and sizes, and the pom-pom types, with their rows of incurved petals, resemble old-fashioned bathing caps. Dahlia 'Franz Kafka' lends itself - ironically, given its name - to a relaxed cottage-garden

jam) and watched the ladybirds stumbling around like the bride's uncle at a wedding reception. I also wandered off to the vegetable garden and sneered at the caterpillars on the kale leaves.And now, as I sit here in my office there is a large and noisy

around your garden grazing on aphids and slugs. If you let full-sized hens into your borders then they will kick soil all over the shop and peck large holes in the emerging shoots of your most precious plants. Bantams are less destructive, but if the main

it is not too heavy). Often much better than a wheelbarrow (especially if your garden has any steps). In the same parcel I would accept some large plastic buckets for collecting weeds and other, non-compostable, stuff.Almost anything from the catalogue of Crug

them in large drifts to dance, drunkenly around my borders. I've given up on the crocus, they like the sun too much. I'll plant them in a sunny patch of grass in my flat's communal gardens instead.Spring bulbs don't just provide us with a burst

. After two or more extremely dry years, many areas had drought orders imposed on them last April, with hosepipe bans for millions of gardeners. Then the heavens opened and it’s been deluge after deluge ever since.I woke on Sunday morning to find a large

overfed garden spiders, Araneus diadematus, are sitting in stately plumpness in the centres.Several of the webs already have dead wasps stored in them, all spun around with silk. I am always slightly amazed that spiders are able to subdue such large

seedlings, which are vulnerable to slugs and late frosts. Wait until plants are hardened off and a good 30cm high before potting up in large containers somewhere sheltered and sunny.How to grow annual climbers from seedsow in February, pot on in April, plant

Sweet peas are the classic annual climber and look just as lovely in pots as they do in a border. 'Spencer Mix' has large flowers and long stems, good for cutting, but 'Cupani' and 'Painted Lady' are particularly good as their short stems give good

on as they grow, keeping them watered so that the compost doesn't dry out. Give them a liquid feed once a week.Once they are large enough to handle, transfer individual seedlings to smaller pots. Handle by a leaf to avoid crushing the stem.Pinching out the tip