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Looking at the bulb catalogue that is sitting on my desk as I write, I see that there are no fewer than one hundred and sixty one varieties of allium.These vary from the tall to the short, the deep purple to pale pink. Some have heads the size

as some but superb eaten cold.'Pink Duke of York' (first early)Distinctive long shape, nutty and creamy, suitable for roasting and boiling. Waxy, firm and easy to grow.'Ratte' (maincrop)Pink skin survives cooking. Less waxy than others, but holds together

There are several different viruses that affect tulips, each with slightly different symptoms. Tulip breaking virus causes streaking or marking of purple, pink and red tulips, usually on the late-flowering cultivars. White and yellow tulips aren

confection that really should have been immediately composted as soon as the first flower showed. The raspberry rippled pink and white collar would be almost acceptable as camouflage for plankton but when teamed with the urine yellow centre it ventures

, pinks and yellowy greens.The nondescript green or brown caterpillar feeds on a huge range of native and cultivated plants, but it's usually very secretive and never a pest. It was sitting in its distinctive pose: head down body slightly raised with its

nearly as long flowering it has spikes of flower where bonariensis and rigida have plates. It also comes in blue (hastata), pink (hastata rosea) and white (hastata alba). Even more hoorays all round (and perhaps the occasional whoopee.)

I love the delicate flowers of prunus, although I'm not so keen on the blowsier, pink varieties I sometimes see in other gardens. The smaller, more delicate spring blossom hits the spot for me.Like most gardeners, I also have a nose for a bargain

tree is under discussion again, with only one of us voting for the chainsaw option. Today I'm determined to make that voter change his fatherly mind. You see, the tree is now in blossom, covered from head to mis-shapen toe with gorgeous white, pink

, wavy, pale pink petals.I don't want to be accused of neglect, but nerine really does like to be left undisturbed in the same pot for many years to get really pot bound. The bulbs slowly divide and multiply, and as the new bulbs mature and flower your

to remove without damaging the other plant.Another prolific weed on the plot is bindweed. We've got both sorts - the large white flowered one and the pretty pink flowered field bindweed. I always hand weed the shoots out as soon as I see them but they keep