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, at one point in the evolution of man, some bright spark a couple of doors down had planted a Russian vine (aka mile-a-minute vine, Chinese fleecevine, Polygonum baldschuanicum or, latterly, Fallopia baldschuanica). This had grown all the way along

at this time of year. Ever wondered why it appears so early and what it is for? If you have no wish to know, or are easily offended by descriptions of sexual congress between plants, then this would be a good point to stop reading and mosey off somewhere else

for various clients. If you have not yet ordered then get your skates on as they are best bought at this time of year for winter planting. As were all plants until relatively recently - nurserymen dug up and split plants and then sent them out wrapped in paper

and so that there is something to catch the frost.However, some plants are looking pretty appalling and are best chopped down as soon as they're passed their best. This was brought home to me the other day, as there is a rodgersia by my front door that

and homeliness of a 'proper' garden, but that's the point, really. It's wonderful to see a fabulous tree or shrub and know that somewhere very close will be a neatly engraved label giving more information than you will ever need. Not just the plant name but also

.The story behind their arrival is as follows: a month or two ago I went to lecture at the excellent Garden Museum in London given by a clever and entertaining fellow called Professor James Hitchmough. James works at the University of Sheffield and, in brief

I love early September: the sun is still hot but the nights are not stifling. The majority of plants have flowered and faded away but there are still some, particularly the dahlias, that are flowering their little heads off. There was a time when

. Joseph Pemberton in the early 1900s. He was vicar of the splendidly named Havering-atte-Bower in Essex, where he lived with his sister and helper, Florence.Clergymen were responsible for much plant breeding and research around that time, as they were

that once planted, a bamboo will spread like a forest fire and forcibly colonise great chunks of garden. The truth is, as with all things in gardening, that if you choose the wrong plant for your situation then you are setting yourself up for tears

into groups and classifications) and Joseph Banks (who travelled with Captain James Cook and discovered many new plants). He was also one of the founders of the Royal Horticultural Society and, possibly, the only committee member of that august institution