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It pays not to be too neat and tidy in the garden or you'll miss out on so many unexpected delights. Agapanthus look stunning in full flower through summer, but if I'd been too hasty with the secateurs and trimmed away the flower spikes as soon

When it's cold outside, and none of the family offer to join me in the garden for a spot of tidying up, it's nice having the company of some feathered friends instead. During winter the birds are bolder and friendlier than ever, with robins

again very quickly. I really must tidy it up, throw away the clutter that really won’t be used, and create a practical storage space that is once again a pleasure to use.Throwing things away is one of the hardest things in the world. Those useful bits

the garden as an excuse for providing shelter and hibernation hotels for wildlife. Who can argue with that? It's true that many insects and creepy crawlies, frogs, toads and other wildlife do need a place to shelter, and a pristine, tidy garden provides few

, but the reward is instant - a neat, tidy display revealing the full beauty of the blooms without the distraction of dead flowers.Now I'm contemplating propagation, so need to delve down to try and find some healthy non-flowering shoots to use as cuttings

and open. Prune to an inward pointing bud and the shoot will grow inwards, crossing other stems to create a congested bush.I remember, about 15 years ago, the Royal National Rose Society in St Albans conducted a trial comparing roses pruned conventionally