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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

early maturing, extra tender variety with a high sugar content." They claim you can eat it raw, although I don't quite know why you'd want to!Despite relishing hot, sunny conditions I still believe sweetcorn mustn't go short of water, so this year I

. 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

-minutes a day to water a scorched plot, and then made to feel guilty for doing so by the water companies and national press! Warm, wet weather brings salad crops on a treat, but slugs love it, too. Damp weather is perfect for them, and they've been on a

copiously watering the area to try and dilute the lawn treatment and alleviate its affects, but to no avail - the damage was done.Oh well. Time for another photo shoot and feature - this time on lawn renovation techniques. At least September is an ideal time

-stop, producing these beautiful floral discs continually - new ones opening as quickly as faded ones are snipped away.Like most tender perennial summer bedding plants these osteospermums have three requirements. First they need regular water, and soon tell you

to be kept watered to avoid drying out. OK, its flowers don't last long. Like its relative the hippeastrum, flowers last for about three weeks from first colour to fall, but these are weeks of pure enjoyment. Once they fall I'll cut down the old flower spike

boxes. I just tear them up into small pieces and mix them in with other kitchen waste and lawn clippings. If the compost heap looks a bit dry then I soak the cardboard in water before adding to help it break down. It's surprising just how much plain

distraction. Last autumn I stopped watering my begonias and left the plants to die down on their own, thinking their tubers could safely overwinter in pots of dry compost. How wrong I was. I've just tipped some out to replant into fresh compost but discovered

down gradually by reducing watering in autumn, then overwinter their tubers to replant next spring.Calla lilies have a tongue-twister of a botanical name: Zantedeschia. They grow from dormant tubers (well I think that's what they are). They need a good