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Easter always reminds me of my childhood. I attended a village school in Somerset and we used to pick bunches of primroses (Primula vulgaris), tie them up with coloured wool, place them in baskets and decorate the church.It is sad to think

: there seems little point in weeding much (the nights are too cold for most annual weeds to bother with seeding themselves), why bother to tie back a sprawling plant when you are going to cut them all down anyway soon? Even the grass stops growing quite

, for insurance, take a few photographs. It's then taken down and we tidy each selected plant. With some plants we have to tie up loose branches so that they are not damaged in transit. We also make sure that each plant is well watered before packing.This year I

, the downpours and hail storms damage the plants and split them apart, so we have to tie up the soft growth on each plant before placing it outside. French tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus, is a case in point. I love stories associated with tarragon. Dracunculus

Being a caring fellow, I will ease you gently into a new year of gardening by telling you the story of my pyracantha.Pyracantha - or firethorn - is a much undervalued plant. It's a big spiny shrub, originally from China, and is most usually seen

I think it is time for another deeply prejudiced personal rant about my least favourite plants. Spring is, if not exactly just around the corner, then definitely packed, dressed and on its way. With the spring comes the return to our gardens

's not go there.The brown tubers look so unpromising when they arrive in the post from mail-order suppliers, but planted with the slightly concave surface upwards you'll soon spot signs of growth as green shoots emerge. Trailing varieties are available

too much - or at all. Otherwise you end up trying to drag collapsed plants upright, which never works. We've all seen things tied to canes, looking very uncomfortable and more like tethered voodoo effigies than plants.

good had hoeing conditions this year, have we?Now it's high time for a good weed through the plot, which will also prepare the beds for my autumn plantings of garlic and onions. I usually hand weed - it's time consuming but very satisfying - alternating

of chicken wire is quite expensive.A good alternative is to save large compost bags during the year and fill these with moist autumn leaves. I then tie their tops to prevent the contents drying out, punch a few small holes in the sides, and stack them out