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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

of them. Bare-root rose plantSpadeForkBamboo caneGranular fertiliser, such as chicken manureDecember - mid-March 20 minutes for each rose June - AugustDig out a hole in the soil to the depth of a garden spade and the same width. Put the soil to one side

.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

and their exuberance. By 'big' I mean something that dwarfs its neighbours and reaches at least 2m high. I have five such plants in my garden.The first is Inula magnifica. I can see the cheerful, shaggy yellow flowers from my office and they never cease to amuse me

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

it facing upwards. Cover with compost. Position somewhere cold and dark and check regularly for watering and pests. Once leaves appear in 10-12 weeks, bring the bulbs into the house.AdamTry forcing other spring bulbs, such as Narcissus 'Hugh Town', 'Itzim

. Foxglove14. Heather15. Honeysuckle16. Lavender17. Poppy18. Pussy willow19. Raspberry20. Red Campion21. Rosemary22. Scabious23. Sea Holly24. Sunflower25. Teasel26. Thistles27. Viper's bugloss28. WisteriaI'm growing 21 of the above plants in my garden

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