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, froghoppers, moths, butterflies and bees. (The frogs I rescued and brought in.) I’m determined to make sure my garden provides the perfect home for wildlife over winter, and if I have to compromise a little on aesthetics, so be it. I've already made

/allotments or go to a local tasting festival, like the one held at Brogdale each year. If you only have room for one tree, make sure it’s self-fertile, like 'Cox's Orange Pippin', or choose a suitable pollination partner (another variety that flowers at the same

towpaths. Guerrilla gardeners range from those who do not have gardens of their own, who want to improve the look of the local area, to those who want to make a political statement, such as the planting up of a protest camp in Parliament Square. Technically

food at the end of the day so there's nothing left for rats to hoover up at night. Some people think compost bins attract rats. My mum's did, but they'll use any warm, quiet shelter in winter. To make your compost bin as univiting to rats as possible

was harmonious until Christmas, when my partner and I left for a week to visit family (making sure there was plenty of food for the birds in our absence).When we returned, we saw that the blackbird had rather taken to the garden, and we soon noticed he had

instructions from the magazine.)Conveniently, there's a bucket of sludge sat in my garden at the moment, which I haven't got around to doing something with. Partially decomposed kitchen waste, I removed it from the overflowing compost bin to make space for a

, I'll be busy sowing fresh chives, coriander, flat-leaf parsely and cosmos seeds indoors, and encouraging the sole survivor of last year's overwintering chilli experiment to burst into leaf. There's also a theatre to make for the auriculas, which have

in the dark, so they're less likely to fly up and sting you (though they will if you shine a torch on them). You need to prepare a box lined with dry grass clippings and moss, and make an entrance hole, which you tape up for the 'move'. Then it's just a matter

they should be tolerated where possible, but there are three factors that make them undesirable residents of garden compost bins: •    they breed like the clappers and gather in large social groups•    they’re extremely clever and expert at tunnelling, so can

cent in the last 10 years alone. But if you have hedgehogs in your area, then it can really help them to make holes under your fence so they can travel between gardens. Put a large log or pile of rocks in your pond so they can exit safely if they fall