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onions than you need and string them up to see you through the winter. Leave your bulbs to dry out thoroughly before you string them, by laying them out and leaving them in the sun for a few days. If it's raining, lay them on trays in a warm, dry place

of plectranthus. Position the basket in a sunny spot and keep it looking good by regularly deadheading flowers and removing any faded begonia leaves. Pinch out the plectranthus from time to time to keep it bushy. May - JuneJune - August30 minutesBegonia 'Pink Wave

peas in pots, and pinch out shoot tipsCut old stems of mallow (Lavatera) to ground levelPlant hedging plantsFlowersCover rhubarb with an old bucket to exclude lightPrune gooseberry bushes to open up the centreChit seed potatoes in trays in a bright

when the plants are less likely to wilt, and pot them up as soon as you can, keeping them out of strong sunlight.PinksCuttings compostGardeners' knifeSecateursSmall potsJune20 minutesSnip 10cm lengths from the tops of healthy, non-flowering shoots

. Within a few weeks you should see white roots emerging from the stem.Once a good root system has developed, pot the cuttings in compost. Keep the compost moist and pinch out tips to encourage branching of plants.AdamYou can root many house plants in water

I thought it would be interesting to use this blog as an excuse to find out more about the many slightly eccentric people who have helped make gardening as popular and exciting as it is today so this is the first in an occasional series: if anybody

to see how frequently you should use it.AdamCheck plant ties regularly to ensure they're neither too loose nor are cutting into the stem. Keep adding canes for extra support as the plant grows.If your first attempt at pinching out sideshoots isn

? I have to crawl over it on my hands and knees a couple of times a year, digging out the worst offenders, then filling in holes with compost and a pinch of grass seed.The grass nearly wins this battle, but lawn weeds add colour and interest. It's all

of a sudden, without rhyme or reason, I feel I've had enough. Out come the bean poles, then goodbye sunflowers and good riddance courgettes.Then there's the question of what to do with the glut of tomatoes. This year I decided to invest in a passata

. Annual nemesias tend to flush with flowers, but they can be nudged back into bloom by cutting the flower stems back just above the foliage. Pinch out dead petunias and remove any blemished leaves from the helichrysum.May - JuneJune - August60 minutes