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The Victorians knew their plants, and the gorgeous hot water plant, achimene, was one of their favourites. Who can resist the charms of this little beauty, a relative of the African violet and Cape primrose. I'm a great fan of the gesneriad family

crops are loving it.Despite opening-up every vent in the greenhouse early, jamming the double doors wide open and damping down the floor with a hose, the temperature inside had already 31°C by 10am.At this time of year we need to be particularly

The danger of frozen water pipes is on my mind during this freezing weather, but I'm also concerned that garden birds are suffering, too.Water in my bird bath quickly turns into a solid sheet of ice on cold nights, and hasn't been thawing out during

.So, when the kettle boils I make the 20 metre dash down the garden to melt the ice. A whole floating sheet often comes away completely, but occasionally the stubbornly thick ice needs a return visit with another kettle of boiling water to finish the job

garden to look good, and for neighbouring plants to complement one another.Walking through my garden this week I was struck by its freshness following a shower. Doesn't rain transform the colour and vigour of plants in a way simply watering by hand never

changing from pink to blue...a clear illustration of the affect of pH on plants.My garden soil must have got more alkaline, possibly through watering with 'hard' tap water during hot weather last summer, hence the pink flowers this year. I'll need to change

to encourage good cross-pollination between plants, each plant needs space to grow. This year each plant is at least 30-45cm (12-18in) from its neighbours, which should be enough.I'm trying a few varieties this year, including 'Swift', which is described as "an

for the weather to work on over winter. I'm sure it helps to let the frost penetrate your soil where you can.I have been worrying about the birds. My bird bath was covered by a 15cm deep layer of snow when I woke up on Thursday morning, so it was important to get

, and not by the gardener. However, the cold has used the skeleton of my creation to produce something unique.Spend a few minutes enjoying the scene before temperatures rise, and it's gone!Don't forget to get out each morning with a kettle of boiling water to melt ice

Ask any seed company to name their Top 10 bestselling flowers and you'll regularly find sweet peas in first place.Sweet peas are the gardeners’ favourite for climbing colour and delicious fragrance, bringing a touch of cottage garden nostalgia