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are relatively simple to make and many people have their own twist to the classic recipe. This one for cordial is my wife's adaptation:• Pick 25 flower heads (they should always be picked while they are in full sun for the best taste)• Boil 2 litres of water

in clean water so probably still a bit risky!A great plant for the edge of a woodland or a large border although it does tend to seed itself in inappropriate places. The American Constitution was written in ink made from the berries of Pokeweed.

. bonica, which will almost certainly still be flowering at Christmas.It is very important to be quick off the mark when bare rooted stock arrives. Don't let them dry out - I tend to put them in the water butt for a couple of hours as soon as they arrive

to defend them if they are grown in pots (these are some particularly fine ones as grown by my mother) and always make sure that they're not at all stressed - well watered and out of direct sunshine (too much sun reduces the lustre of the leaves

, as with comfrey, is as a plant food. If you soak the crushed nettles in water for about a month, you'll end up with a liquid feed that should be diluted by one part in ten before application. If sprayed on plants it can also prevent fungal disease. Nettles also

in a pot, which will restrict the growth, but be very careful: if it doesn't get enough water the ends of the leaves turn crispy. The formerly delightful foliage will appear to have been dipped in broken biscuits.There are a series of miniaturised fruit

:Tulipa 'Ballerina': so many tulips, almost all of them gorgeous, but as I have to choose, I'll plump for this one. Water-ice-orange, a waist like Grace Kelly and the faintest scent of velvet glove.Bupleurum longifolia: the leaves have a slight blue tinge

garden - virtually via the internet - in aid of Water Aid. Well worth a visit and in aid of a very good cause.