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in urban areas where parking spaces are at a premium and there's a lack of availability of public transport. The popularity of low-maintenance gardens among the time-poor is also a factor. The RHS estimates around 12 square miles of London are lost

Today is a wet, windy, cold, miserable, dreary, murky, depressing, cheerless, uninspiring and downright dingy day. It has not stopped raining and it always seems as if darkness is about to fall. It is the sort of day when only the very dedicated

the small golfball-sized embryo nest with its 15-20 cells in a single paper comb. After she has laid her first 15-20 eggs in these, she must forage for caterpillars, flies, aphids and other insects to feed to the grubs that hatch.This is a vulnerable time

crops are loving it.Despite opening-up every vent in the greenhouse early, jamming the double doors wide open and damping down the floor with a hose, the temperature inside had already 31°C by 10am.At this time of year we need to be particularly

Fitting guttering and installing water butts to catch the rain is a great way to store this precious natural resource. Keeping crops going through the summer requires plenty of water, so it pays to have a good supply close by. Guttering is fairly

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

Apple and pear scab is most prevalent in mild, damp seasons. The fungus overwinters on fallen leaves in the form of spores, which can be splashed by rain or carried in the wind to infect newly emerged shoots in spring. Overwintering can also occur

conditions - is to lay a thick mulch around the plant. This helps lock moisture in the ground, and stops rain splashing the spores from the soil on to new growth. Spray with a fungicide containing myclobutanil. Begin spraying each fortnight from early spring

be affected. The spores are transmitted three ways: via insects, when infected fruit touches other fruits, and by wind and rain.Tree fruit becomes inedible and rather unsightly when a small brown spot gradually encompasses the whole apple, pear or plum

and dying grass can be easily pulled up to reveal little or no root growth. After heavy rain or having thoroughly watered any yellow patches in the lawn, cover them with black plastic sacks and leave overnight. The leatherjackets will come to the surface