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After the intense cold of winter, the bright and cheerful flowers of alpines and rock garden plants introduce much-needed colour into our gardens. There is a huge range to choose from and, being used to extreme conditions, they're extremely hardy

of soil. As the plants grow, cover them with more soil, aiming to eventually fill the trench.Keep newly planted crowns well watered until established and ensure the area is kept weed free to prevent competition for light and nutrients. Avoid harvesting

, the vacuum cleaner man, invented one with a plastic ball instead of a wheel but even that refinement is no longer available at we have gone back to basics. Dyson also made water go uphill in his 2003 Chelsea Flower Show Garden - the planting tried

Nettles, like midges, are one of those things for which it is difficult to feel much affection. Never welcome, they grow everywhere and, to the gardener at least, seem to have little purpose beyond stinging our children. The sting comes from

and their exuberance. By 'big' I mean something that dwarfs its neighbours and reaches at least 2m high. I have five such plants in my garden.The first is Inula magnifica. I can see the cheerful, shaggy yellow flowers from my office and they never cease to amuse me

- David's were all eaten by slugs, while Tamsin's disappeared overnight (probably also eaten by slugs). Despite all the attention I lavished on mine, including extra watering and a weekly nettle feed, just two of the six made it above 2m (2.24m and 2.35m

she hadn't dashed off into the depths. Today, though, when I nip out into the cold wilderness of my garden to have a little look around, I find there is a thin layer of ice on the pond.The rational part of me suspects that even though our pond is very

that one of the most satisfying things in gardening is a well built, well maintained compost heap, but it is a bit much when people get smug about what is really just a pile of rotting vegetation. I do not claim to be an expert but what we make ends up

if you have a family to feed.I don't have the luxury of a large allotment, so I'm keen to grow as much as I can in my garden. It's probably larger than average, but then gardening is my passion, and my job!Fruit trees and cane fruits grow around the edges

with all the nutrients they need, and as the waste breaks down they'll get a fair amount of water too (saving me a job).My garden is far too small to grow pumpkins really, but I won't let that deter me. I'll drape the long, winding stems up and over