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-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

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

when I was walking around the farm I found a huge clump of frogspawn in a fast-drying section of the pond, so we lifted it and moved it to a ditch near by which was partially shaded with a good supply of fresh water. This is important as it can take

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

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

, for insurance, take a few photographs. It's then taken down and we tidy each selected plant. With some plants we have to tie up loose branches so that they are not damaged in transit. We also make sure that each plant is well watered before packing.This year I

, while improving its structure and water-retaining ability.But this year there's a problem. The RHS Members' Advisory Service has received a high number of calls from gardeners reporting abnormal growth of various vegetable crops, including potatoes