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well-anchored sweet peas have come adrift from their obelisks.I've left the water butt where it is for now, that way it won't have to risk further crashing and rolling, but I've had to do some emergency re-ties on climbers and the sweet peas

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

pockets around the rootballs.Place the willow support carefully over the top of the climbers. Push the legs firmly into the compost, ensuring the structure is even by checking the support's bands are horizontal.Encourage climbers onto the support by tying

whipped up. So I’ve been battling the elements again, trying to re-fix my cloches and pop-up covers to the ground. But the soil is so wet that the usually efficient pegs just don’t work. I’ve also had to tie in a large wild rose, whose flailing stems had

in half by wind and rain. In the end I had to tie each plant individually to a short cane.I'll use the same contingency plans during 2013, raising plants under cover in line with my Seed Sowing Masterplan. Do you have one? If not prepare it now, including

I have to admit, I do have some slightly unusual behavioural traits. I enjoy clattering down the pavement on my daughter’s old chrome microscooter, although only my 8-year-old son will be seen with me, and only if he is riding his bike. I like bow-ties

the level again, making sure that the corners are at right angles.Insert a metal tie into the mortar to join the inner wall to the longer wall, giving the finished structure added strength.Start laying the extra courses of bricks, starting at the corners

once it is 30-40cm tall, to encourage branching. Tie stems to canes. Encourage flowering by feeding weekly with a high potash tomato fertiliser.Encourage fruit to set by tapping the flowers to release the pollen or spraying lightly with tepid water

they grew in around 10-15cm (4-6in) apart, with the same distance between each row.Encourage the plants to grow up the supports by gently twining them around the sticks. You may even need to gently tie them to the supports initially so they don't flop over

.Growth is quite upright at first, but these are twining plants that love to scramble. The tip of every leaf has a hooked end that helps it catch hold and climb. Lend a hand by tying to canes in the pots. With this in mind, growth can get top-heavy, so plant