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There are wolf spiders all over my garden, so last week I had the Ivydale School Natural History Club semaphore signalling across the classroom. There is a connection … honest.These are great little spiders, very distinctive, unless you need to know

I've recently been working my way through 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People', a self-help book by Stephen Covey, and was immensely impressed that it has something to teach us gardeners.In the book, Covey describes how he got his son to look

, cleaning them off and spraying some oil around. There are certain tools without which I cannot cope and others which I hardly ever use. Among my favourites are:1. My small border fork and spade, which are perfect for planting and diddling around.2. A steel

I don’t think my garden could look any worse. The borders I left to rot into themselves have tumbled all over the lawn, the patio is covered in pigeon poo, and there’s now a temporary cardboard compost bin outside my back door because the real bin

with the April issue of Gardeners' World magazine have now been sown, and seedlings have germinated. This is one gardening activity that never fails to give me a thrill.There was a time when advice for sowing sweet peas did become quite demanding. It was claimed

Whether you’re looking for a bright bedding display, flowers for cutting or reliable border plants, it’s hard to beat the variety offered by dahlias. Dahlias come in many sizes, so there's one for every border, and small forms can also be grown

I've always wanted to take better pictures of my garden and allotment, not just for the sake of keeping a record, but for the pure artistic pleasure of it.Up till now I've been rather stupidly remiss: I took on an overgrown allotment, but I simply

the leaves like spinach and eat the braised stalks with cheese sauce. Seeds are cheap and it’s a foolproof crop that’s highly productive in a small space. Sow from spring until late summer. Summer-sown plants will give a second crop the following spring

. Today, having served their purpose, all of the small green triangular petals and half-shrivelled stamens are falling to the ground in a constant whispering cascade.Tuesday 10th Hummingbird hawkmoths pester the single small buddleja bush and a few

Nettles have a bad reputation among gardeners. Although they sting and are invasive if left unchecked, there are numerous ways they can be put to positive use in both your garden and kitchen. Learn more, below.Nettles are a magnet for beneficial