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early in winter before. I’m sure my friendly BBC weather forecaster will provide me with plenty more weather statistics when I next tune in.So, what does this mean for our plants and gardens? Firstly, take very great care walking out into your garden

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

.That’s the thing about gardening: it's important to always remain one step ahead. If you don’t sow it or plant it then you can’t pick it or enjoy its blooms.I’m always keen to find bulbs that deliver real value for money. Some varieties have a really short

For anyone who thought the cold winter might have been a bit harsh for wildlife, I hope the recent heatwave has been an eye-opener. I’ve certainly never seen so much insect life in April before. The garden has been awash with orange-tips, holly

When visiting large gardens during spring, I always admire the drifts of dwarf flowering bulbs growing up through wide expanses of grass. Catch them when flowers are at their best and they look magnificent. They could be snowdrops or crocus, dainty

Plant up pots in position as they'll be heavy to move later. Put a few bits of broken pot over the drainage hole to stop compost washing away while allowing excess water to drain.Fill your large pot up to about two-thirds full of compost. Use a half

coverage of the support and they're extremely fragrant.The cottage garden-style display is enhanced with trailing Sutera cordata 'Snowflake' and the variegated leaves of Felicia amelloides 'Variegata'.sow sweet peas in February, pot on in April, plant out

that have been providing interest around the garden, but this potted collection will suffer in the cold. I need to give the plants a sheltered home under cover.In past years I’ve sometimes risked keeping a few in my unheated greenhouse over winter

I’ve just come back from visiting my parents, who live in Newhaven, on the Sussex coast, between Brighton and Eastbourne; there were lots of gulls in their garden. As they live only about a mile from the pebble beaches of Seaford Bay, this is hardly

, but our committee permits dwarfing rootstock and asks that we plant trees in the centre of the plot so that we don't shade or deplete the soil for someone else. The dwarf rootstock for plums is known as 'Pixy', but if you're planting in a back garden