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, 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

that we gave away with our April issue.Very dry spring weather made it quite a challenge getting sweet peas established this year, and regular watering has been essential. Dryness at the root through summer is one contributory factor to the powdery mildew

and loganberries have been alive with bees helping to pollinate an abundance of bloom. Desperately dry conditions in my area of the East Midlands have forced me to water regularly to support new canes development, as these new canes will carry the crop next year

I can't be the only one looking for foolproof plants to brighten the patio during summer, but it's always nice to try something a little different too.Traditional summer bedding has its place, but it does demand regular attention.Daily watering

. The developing leaf canopy of the silver birch acts like an umbrella, preventing even the heaviest downpour from reaching the bed below, so this is one area I must carry a few cans of water to every month to ensure nothing dries out. Brunnera 'Jack Frost' copes

since then is to occasionally top up the reservoir of water beneath the gravel, just enough to get the bulbs growing and to sustain the display.These indoor paper-white narcissi (or daffodils if you prefer) are primed and ready to grow before you even

.Everything grown in pots needs watering, particularly moisture-loving plants such as hostas. I top them up every time I pass, and fill the birdbath with fresh water at the same time.My one worry is the weather, as a hail storm can be devastating to hostas

, soaking up the sun. What a life.When it comes to gardening, her first love is watering, as previously described in this blog. It's hard getting through an evening of watering over summer without Magic getting involved (and soaked during the process).But a

. Aeoniums are particular favourites of mine. Their origins in the baking conditions of the Canary Islands provide a clue to their care requirements: warm, bright conditions are key, and they need very little water to flourish. My aeoniums get an occasional swish of water

surround my beds with timber edges so the soil surface can be raised by the action of digging and adding organic matter. These raised beds drain more quickly after heavy rain and keep plant roots above the water-saturated ground below. Raised beds also warm