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Here's a thing. If a wild animal comes into a garden, it's wildlife. If a wild plant comes in, it's a weed. Now that seems just a bit unfair on our native flora.Admittedly, an animal can be considered a pest, but many are regarded as helpful

bit of gardening. I've just had another look at the RSPB Homes for Wildlife web pages and see that September is the best month for clearing some blanket weed off of the garden pond. How apposite, I'd noticed the pond was looking rather green and cloudy

I've commented before that I don't think 'wildlife' should refer to animals only. It should also include plants, even though most wild plants are referred to as weeds when they turn up in gardens. I wonder what the owner of the garden in East

are also on the rebound after the snow damage and I can see tight curled buds on the currant bushes. We're a bit pressed for time at the moment, and I just know the place will be a sea of weeds if we're not careful, and then we'll get a ticking off from

. Such is the persistence of this pernicious weed that I could never, however, feel safe from it. This triffid is widespread in southern London and despite Railtrack's best efforts, it still lines some of the railway embankments from Peckham towards Victoria. One of my

there is not much life in it. In summer the weed is alive with all sorts of wriggling larvae, nymphs and maggots, but now they have mostly descended into the ooze below.By Saturday it was all but empty when two frogs started splashing about in the murky dregs

. Not one weed sprouts anywhere. As I sit and watch all the passers-by, my ears gradually become accustomed to the general hubbub and I slowly realize that, in fact, there are plenty of rustlings and twitterings from the denser growths.There are sparrows

of miniaturized people, buildings and landscape, they seem overly large, but this is just an optical illusion.There is a stark contrast between the Model Village garden and my own. The former is intensively managed - weeded, clipped, tidied, mulched and tilled

't look too unruly or unkempt.The rhubarb is just about breaking the surface, and the beds I recently dug over are not overrun with weeds. So I can spend a gentle couple of hours doing a little bit of pottering, and afterwards feel smug that things