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little.There I go again. Excuses, excuses. There’s no time like the present, and with little else to do outside it makes sense to get the shed tidied up ready for the busy spring ahead, when I’ll be able to lay my hands instantly on every tool I need

more workable in spring. So, even though the cold weather has only tempted me out occasionally to admire its beautiful creations, at least I know it's been lending a hand with soil preparations.

to be irresistible. Those open boxes of loose bulbs just aren't the same. They may be a bit cheaper, but pictorial packs provide something to focus on while waiting for the bulbs to bloom.Last spring I bought a wonderful new variety of lily called 'Strawberry & Cream

in general. I know too that I can really get the plot and shed shipshape now before spring strikes with a surge in a month or so's time.But, the thing is, I'm having my bathroom 'done'. Not only is the suite being replaced, but we've knocked a couple of walls

of plants to the limit, and we'll have to wait until spring to see whether or not some have succumbed to the cold and died while others have shrugged it off. Last winter I manoeuvred a very large pot of oleander from the patio back into the greenhouse

are available from mail order fruit suppliers for immediate potting. Kept on greenhouse staging, they quickly grow during spring. It’s important to be vigilant for signs of greenfly or red spider mite, and to treat affected plants immediately. Warm greenhouse

The temperatures might have dropped a bit this week, but that doesn't seem to have slowed down the onset of spring. We have a pair of blue tits setting up home in one of our bird boxes in the garden and the frogs are having a high old time

and sunned it self on the glossy ivy leaves that cover our south-facing fence. This spring generation develops from caterpillars that fed on ivy, but probably not this clump, since they eat the developing flower buds and we don’t have any here yet. They

can spring up and choke them.I'm really thorough about preparing the bed before sowing, raking the soil to a fine tilth and drawing a drill with my hoe. It's not that straight admittedly as I can't find my line, but that's the trouble with tidying your

the colour of cherry stains. As they fade and dry out they turn, so the seedheads are facing upwards. Even when they have disintegrated they still retain a certain elegance way into autumn.Don't forget that this week is the Malvern Spring Show. The first