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.Wrap the festive ribbon around the base of the tea light holders to give them a bit of extra colour and then load with tea lights.More inspiration for Christmas projectsMaking home-made Christmas decorations from poppy and teasel seed headsMaking home

Christmas wreath decorations can be made simply from bundles of twigs pruned from your garden and can be left undecorated if coloured stemmed willow or dogwood is used. For a more traditional look, cover the framework with sprigs of evergreen

the container and store it in a cool, dry place such as the fridge.AdamYou can also save seed of cerinthe, nigella and poppy, for sowing in spring.More on saving seedHow to collect and save seed.Sowing foxgloves from saved seed.Advice on saving tomato seed.

is not suitable for consumption.More advice on growing flowersRead Adam Pasco's blog on growing sunflowersGrow California poppies from seed sown outdoorsVideo advice on growing bluebells from seedRaise sweet peas from seedGrowing dahlias from seed

The colour combination of pink and yellow creates a refreshing display, blending pretty marguerites and pink begonias with the peachy pompoms of verbena. Play up the cottage-garden look with a rustic basket, and decorate the sides with a trail

Like Californian poppy, a tea can be brewed from the flowers and used to ease insomnia. An antispasmodic herb, chamomile is also good for nervous stomach upsets when used in moderation. You can read about Jekka's Herb Farm and her garden at the Chelsea Flower show

potPropagating oriental poppies by root cuttings

container display of poppies, osteospermum and lantana.Grow plants for late-summer colour.Follow Sarah Raven's video advice on creating a cutting patch.Learn how to grow lupins for both height and colour in your borders.

Free and easyFavouring a more laid-back approach to gardening, I love plants that self-seed with abandon. Here are a few of my favourites...Find out how to collect allium seedsSelf-seeders are the opportunists of the plant world. They may

that the only way to tackle a shady patch is to turn it into a foliage garden filled with box, ivies and ferns. But too many dark greens can make a shady area look gloomy. Instead, use them for background structure and texture, then bring the area alive