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this tree will have two sorts of berries: blue-black sloes and deep red haws.It is an example of a 'husband and wife tree'. This is quite a well-documented phenomenon, which can occur when trees are planted as whips, very close together, and grow up entwined

expect your site is just the same. Yes, it's bean planting time and everyone is a-bustle on the site building all the wigwams, tunnels and trestles ready to support the massive growth of French and runner beans.Many people favour wigwams – I do

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

standard, in a large terracotta pot. I trained the main by tying it to a strong wooden stake, bending shoots round and weaving them together to create a domed head - rather like an umbrella on top of the main stem.Pruning has simply involved shortening

sweet peas that ended up in the border, but they're no giants.I've succeeded in my personal mission to beat Adam Pasco in the height stakes, as did our our colleague Ross, who managed to grow his sunflowers to a respectable 2m. Others weren't so lucky

Last year I wrote about autumn tidying and the effect this can have on wildlife. I left my garden untouched over winter, leaving hibernating creatures snuggled under a duvet of fallen leaves and rotting stems. None of my plants died or were ravaged

hedges and shrubs unseen, and when they touch the ground they cleverly root to produce new plants, staking their claim to new found territory. These need to be dug out by hand, but it's one devil of a battle actually reaching them. And when you do

). Mostly because I'm a bit short of space for any more plants but also because of laziness. I am beginning to see the error of my ways ... I want more. Not so much the petunias or busy Lizzies (even though white ones are a very effective way of making a

This year I'm determined to only grow one variety of tomato. This is because my garden was overrun with tomato plants last year and I couldn't get onto my patio for growing bags and poorly staked cordons. So 2011 will see a more streamlined effort

Captivating containersContainers offer the gardener great versatility, and are a fantastic way to experiment with planting and design.Container planting recipesGardening with containers is something I've always enjoyed. They provide some of the most