Search - Articles

Prune the tops of standard roses to reduce wind rockKeep off lawns in frosty weather or if very wetPrune wisteria, shortening sideshoots to 10-15cm from their baseCheck tree ties are secureOrder dahlias, gladioli and other summer-flowering bulbsTie in the stems

from the plant's roots. On the lawn or between the cracks in paving slabs, heaps of fine soil appear.Ants are persistent and it's almost impossible to eliminate them in the garden. You can flush them out from containers by giving the compost a thorough

Paving and gravel paths can quickly become colonised by garden weeds. Follow our tips on keeping your paths pristine and weed free, below. While some plants, such as thyme and alpines, look delightful growing in the gaps between patio slabs or path

anythingearly spring, summerMore common garden pestsLeatherjackets on lawns, brassicas, strawberries and ornamental plantsElephant hawk moth on fuschia plantsWhitefly on greenhouse plantsMullein moth - affecting verbascum, buddleja and figworts.

Dock, Rumex crispus, appears in the garden in large spreading groups, and is characterised by coarse, battered leaves. It spreads via seed produced by tiny brownish-green flowers, which appear in abundance in summer and are loved by seed

or ruining your display, it might not be worth fighting it. This grass can make itself at home all around the garden, particularly in beds, borders, the lawn and paving. It has fluffy flowerheads that disperse seed and keep the weed coming.Use a handfork

Vinca major or periwinkle is a pretty, low-growing plant often with pale blue flowers that is used as a ground cover plant because of its mat-forming properties. However, it can be very invasive, and will rapidly spread around the garden

Yellow sorrel, Oxalis corniculata, is a low, creeping weed that will happily grow anywhere - it's as happy in the bone-dry cracks in paving as it is in the damp garden and around the tops of containers. Although small, it's tricky to pull out

compost to dig in over winter, or pile onto the soil for the worms to drag underCut down marginal plants surrounding pondsSend off for mail-order seed and perennials cataloguesMow your lawn on a dry day with the blades set highWrap outside taps

.Plan your seed-sowing year Trim lawn edges to keep the area neat and tidy Apply residual path weedkillers Around the gardenPlant lilies in large patio pots for summer displaysPrune shrub roses to low new shootsCut overgrown honeysuckle stems close