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When the weather is too vile to spend time outside, it's time to get creative. And a wet weekend is perfect for making some seriously funky grass- and cress-heads with the children. The results look great and entertain the kids for weeks to come

and three-year-old laughing in the wheelbarrow as we bumped down the site. Suddenly my eye was caught by a strange bouncing red thing moving away to the trees. It was an animated strawberry making its way down the path ... in the mouth of a squirrel. Pah

At last! A spell of dry weather - and it's even warm and sunny at times too! The site is buzzing with activity as everyone makes the most of the weather and gets on with all those jobs they couldn't face doing in the dismal weather of August

queen wasp making a nest in the shed. Much as I like wasps, and no matter how long I bang on about them being 'the gardener's friends' - helpful, interesting and attractive - I can't have a nest of 10 thousand of them guarding the rakes and spades

verbena back hard. Although this seems brutal it is necessary because otherwise the plant would only produce leaves at the branch tips, making it appear straggly and woody. Cutting the plant back hard, to just above a leaf node, encourages lots of lush new

and everything, and buckets of basil for pasta sauces. I always mean to get round to making my own pesto - it's so simple! - but time slips away and before I know it I'm grabbing what's left of the annuals to try to make the most of them before the frosts finish

and barbecues. It's supposed to be getting better in September; I'm quietly hopeful but not making any plans just yet.But back to my lovely, though largely untouched, lettuces. I started them all off in cells (this method makes it so much easier to protect them

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

Sometimes plants do the strangest things, and some of these could make you a small fortune. One of the first dahlia blooms to open in my garden has put on more of a show than expected by producing a flower head with two faces! It looks as if two

, so a gorgeous-looking plant that also produces fruit scores double points. Prunus spinosa is commonly known as blackthorn, and produces wonderful sloe berries in autumn that I use to make my sloe gin. I've still got a little left, but have made a