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in and around the logs, adding to the interest. You can even plant a climber or rambler to grow over the wood.The best location for a woodpile or stumpery is in partial shade, where the wood will remain moist and therefore support more life – including

lack of moisture.If you're worried about branches breaking or becoming disfigured on your shrubs and trees, shake excess snow from them. You can support branches too - you're probably not using your washing line prop this week, so place it under a laden

For me, the competition to grow a giant sunflower is over. My six sunflowers are either in flower or just about to bloom, which means they're not going to grow any taller. They look good, particularly the two that are providing support for the rogue

could upset the fine balance between local plants and the wildlife they support (which will also have evolved with their local environment).It's not just wildlife that benefits from locally grown plants. Many gardens will now be looking a little bare

and there was no sign of a nest (just the usual giant slugs, earwigs and some ant eggs). I'm not sure how I'll feel if it does start a family – my garden isn't big enough to support many – but for now I'm happy. Perhaps it's just a lone mouse scouting for a hibernation

.Ivy is blamed for crumbling walls, broken fences and unpaid insurance claims. My dad grows it up a column that supports the roof of his porch, but he won't let it touch his house. Friends removed it from their garden because it had 'punched holes through

, and the foliage could support a variety of moths. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that it would eventually be colonised by mistletoe. The native crab apple species is Malus sylvestris, but there are plenty of non-natives and cultivars available

when they are 60cm long. Eventually the pumpkins will need supporting. I hope to be able to balance mine on top of the compost bin. I'll harvest them when fully mature, when the stems connecting them to the plant start to wither, making sure I get them

.Some plants need moving, some need supporting, some need feeding, some need pruning. Many just need sowing.I need to cut the lawn (we don't have a mower so we do this on our hands and knees with shears.) Luckily it's full of dead patches so it shouldn't take