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Many years ago when I was a landscaper in London, I had a regular client who had a tiny garden in Wandsworth. It was literally one flower bed, a small shed and a wall topped by a chain link fence.The reason we had to keep returning was because

The woods around us consist mostly of ash trees (Fraxinus excelsior), and every autumn we have a few weekends of frantic leaf collecting (particularly frantic around the chicken run). The trees seem to shed leaves at random – one tree

. Keep bare-root plants in a frost-free shed until daytime temperatures are above freezing.More advice on growing rosesWatch Chris Beardshaw's video on planting a rambling roseMonty Don's video guide to planting a roseAdvice on pruning a rose bush

.When the icicles melted, the water landed on my hellebores and sarcococca and then froze again, coating the plants in thick layers of ice. Now the temperatures have increased and everything has defrosted, it's good to see that neither the hellebores nor

. The stems are at least 3m tall and they bear vast leaves. It needs a fair bit of water so I planted it just by a downpipe on the house so it gets lots of rain.My second star plant is Persicaria polymorpha. It is planted by the door to the chicken shed

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

.Bulbs need enough time in the cold and dark for the root system to develop and support flowering. Use a thermometer to ascertain that your shed or garden is cold enough (it should be around 10°C). Once inside, place the bulbs or corms in a cool, north

, such as clover. Many pesticides just kill them.Our gardens are fast becoming refuges for bees - especially some species of bumblebee, which are happy to nest in wild corners, bird boxes and under sheds. Many also come into our gardens to feed. Sadly some species

interest and an instant snack for birds.Install a bird bath, where birds can drink and clean their feathers - essential for insulationBirdsFrogs, toads and newts overwinter in log and leaf piles, or beneath stones and plant pots. Some rest in the mud