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Small lawns needn't be plain and uninspiring. An emerald green, healthy lawn will give any garden a lift, big or small, and there's a lot you can do to keep it looking good - from choosing the right grass seed, to aerating. You can even make a

of purple. So it was back into the propagator with them till things improve. If you don't have a heated propagator, just move them into the house at night. It's a faff, but makes a huge difference.My February sowings, on the other hand, are doing brilliantly

Filling your garden with colour can be an expensive business. Garden centres and nurseries are packed with attractive bedding plants in April and May, which are perfect to plant out for an almost instant show.This convenience comes at a price. It

. Also, I recommend warming areas of your plot with cloches or polythene for a few days before sowing - it makes an amazing difference to germination.Most of the plants in my garden will benefit from a good feed during spring. Not just young plants

, including gold- and light-centred alpines, green-edged fancies and a few selfs. We're not fussy about choosing particular named varieties, but we tend to steer clear of doubles. Auriculas, part of the primula family, make great hobby plants. There are so

hiding amongst piles of debris.Try making a slug deterrent by crushing two bulbs of garlic and boiling them in a litre of water for a few minutes. Add a tablespoonful of this to five litres of water and sprinkle on the leaves every couple of weeks