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underwear). It takes about 1500 cocoons to make a pound of silk.In the 19th century there was the equivalent of a gold rush over mulberries in the United States. There was massive speculation and excitement about growing mulberry trees and the long

in summer to produce more plants. The tricky bit is remembering to order them in August, so long after they've actually flowered.Make notes, Ladies and Gentlemen, always make notes (says the man who always forgets everything).

baskets, pipes, fences, chopsticks, bridges, charcoal, boats, plywood, brushes, hats, musical instruments, furniture and fishing rods. It can be woven into cloth, the shoots can be eaten and it is even possible to make beer from the stuff.However, the most

to cut everything to the ground and apply a generous mulch to feed the soil. Not being desperate to make extra work for myself (and being of an age when my back can be temperamental - unsurprising if you consider the amount of abuse it had to undergo when

requiring the excavation of about a cubic metre of soil - nearly a skipful in total. Enough to make a complete mess of the average garden.And finally the idea of finding this tucking into your brassicas is enough to make most gardeners greet the next passing

it makes me feel better. There are some exceptions to my love of tulips: some have got a bit above themselves and, instead of elegant bowls, look more like samba-dancing sea creatures. You may remember a lady called Gertrude Shilling who used to appear

-spring, covered in white flowers which, come the autumn, turn into deep red berries, or haws. They also make spectacular trees that reach about 5m in 10 years - although if left alone they can reach 18m. They're fantastically gnarly and twisted and every wild

to disregard nettles as a useless (and delinquent) weed, as they can be very useful. Nettles make strong rope and tough cloth; up until the First World War the Germans harvested tonnes of nettles and made them into military uniforms (the sting is neutralised

fruit but also for flowers and autumn leaf colour. They are pretty useless as a food crop, except that they do make the most delicious crab apple jelly that goes well with lamb, pork and poultry. However, they are really useful as a pollinator for many

Once upon a time, many years ago, there was a field hedge near my house. A hedge consisting of about 60% hawthorn, with other shrubs added to make up the difference. At one time it was laid, trimmed and maintained but today just two trees remain