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mainly flies), but in the past I've seen wasps and tortoiseshell butterflies eagerly making the most of this final feed of nectar before hibernating.Fatsia japonica is an exotic looking evergreen shrub with large glossy, lobed leaves. Despite its tropical

on a frosty day is one of the greatest pleasures. The winter is when evergreens come into their own and the frost just makes yews look even better. Hedges seem to be draped with diamonds and the shiny leaves of box glisten. There is not a great deal

've been about. I usually look for muddy footprints on the slide of the kids' climbing frame, or across the roofs of cars parked in the street.I make sure the rabbit is securely covered up though. There was the time when we were looking after some friends

.The solution, I am reliably informed, is to to remove the fat balls from the net before putting them out. You could even make fat balls yourself. Both options mean messy fingers, and leave the question of how to suspend them. One solution is to cram them

, all of which make ideal pot plants for the home, greenhouse or conservatory.Victorian gardeners believed achimene must be watered with tepid rather than cold water, hence their common name of hot water plant. I'm not convinced this is actually

There is never enough time to get out in the garden, but I have to count myself lucky in making gardening my work. For the past 25 years I've been editing one gardening magazine or another, launching Gardeners' World Magazine back in 1991. And what

I have a confession to make. After raving about the arrival of the purple sprouting broccoli and extolling the virtues of winter veg in my blog last week I realised that I had forgotten to mention red cabbages. Not only are red cabbages easy to grow

to defend them if they are grown in pots (these are some particularly fine ones as grown by my mother) and always make sure that they're not at all stressed - well watered and out of direct sunshine (too much sun reduces the lustre of the leaves

to hear compliments about our stock.There are long lists of things to double-check as we make sure the right plants are going to the right gardens. Many hours will be spent deadheading flowers and removing any dead or damaged leaves from the plants. We

and climbers, making them appear more hedge-like. Maybe the gatekeeper caterpillars, which feed on grasses like other brown butterflies, prefer a more shaded aspect to feed in.Or it may simply be that gatekeepers spend more of their time perching up high