Search - Articles

of rubbish before starting bonfires to ensure a hedgehog hasn't set up residenceMow lawns on dry days with the blades on a high settingWrap outside taps with insulation material to prevent them freezing Spread compost from old growing bags on to outdoor beds

the remainsTransplant shrubs that have outgrown their positionLift and store dahlia tubers once their leaves are blackened by frostPrune rambling roses after floweringRake autumn leaves from lawns and pick them out of borders for compostingPile bark mulch over

Save time by investing in a garden vac to scoop up fallen leaves, for leaf-mouldPlant bare-root trees, bare-root shrubs and hedgingRegularly wash and disinfect bird baths and feedersAvoid walking on lawns covered with frostEmpty the contents of well

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

years seems to have produced a bumper crop of them. Right now they look stunning in my grass (no, I don't call it a lawn) and the central strip of my drive. They're well loved by many insects and adored by the local rabbits (I wonder if this is a good

My daughter has just wandered into my office to ask "what is all that stuff growing in the lawn?". While not exactly a perfectly worded horticultural query it is a very interesting point. At the moment the grass is spattered with silver

Dulwich, pictured left, makes of the wild plants turning up in the rough lawn; they are pyramidal orchids, Anacamptis pyramidalis.I was entranced to find them growing here. They are usually chalk downland plants, and they take me back to my childhood

topiary. In the winter they provide structure and add tone; in the summer they seem like benevolent aunts standing stiffly, but attentively, above a gambolling chaos of flower and lawn.You don't need a huge stately garden to use topiary. In my garden I

much universally agreed that worms are good news. The only objections come from those who strive for the completely perfect lawn — worm casts can cause a bit of trouble, especially to a perfect putt. In my late-1970s copy of The Lawn Expert, the great