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In last week's Observer Magazine, Dan Pearson wrote about collecting berries from hedgerows near him, so he could grow plants with local provenance. This is a subject I've been thinking about a lot recently, so I read on with interest.Put simply, a

that we gave away with our April issue.Very dry spring weather made it quite a challenge getting sweet peas established this year, and regular watering has been essential. Dryness at the root through summer is one contributory factor to the powdery mildew

New plants at Chelsea 2008The plant marquee is packed with new, and often awe-inspiring cultivars. Here are some of our favourites from this year's show.Jarava ichu, or Peruvian feather grass, forms mounds of bright green foliage with showy, silver

the fruiting stems. New shoots will soon emerge, and next year's fruit will be produced on these one-year-old, ripened canes. Autumn varieties fruit on this year's new growth, so cut these back in winter, and they'll generate new wood in spring

poppies appears early in the year, forming neat rosettes. It is overtaken by spring performers such as tulips, anchusa and sweet rocket.But suddenly, without warning, the poppy thrusts up fat buds, wreathed in hairy cases until, one morning, the first case

-favourite feeding places for bees.It's vital you provide flowers throughout the bumblebee's life-cycle, from March to September. It's also a good idea to have at least two nectar- or pollen-rich plants in flower at any one time during this period. The nectar feeds

are inaccessible to insects, or have low amounts of nectar and pollen, sometimes even none at all.Although many insects are inactive in winter, some will still seek nectar late into the autumn, or on a warm spring day. Having a selection of plants flowering

the end of the 2012 growing season. The reason I’m flustered is that there’s so much still to do, and the most urgent job is to bring any tender plants that are still outside under cover before they’re damaged.I have a lovely selection of tender succulents

a firm, waxy texture and many have an intense, nutty flavour.For many years the most common salad potato was 'Jersey Royal' - revered by the greengrocer as the herald of spring. With today's interest in 'grow your own', many more varieties

’s certainly cheaper to grow your own from seed, but you’ll need to be skilled at germinating seeds, not to mention having the space and time. If you buy plug plants in spring, instead, you’ll find the growers have done the hard work – and there are still good