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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

and Their Haunts by the Rev. C.A. Johns, was published in 1862 by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, on the back of his success with Flowers of the Field (1851). Both books were in print for over a century, and it's easy to see why.To start, Johns

. 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

stacked layers of old railway sleepers. It's not large, only 3.5 by 1.5 metres. And although it is over a metre deep in one corner, it shelves to nothing in another. Oh well, I'll just use the rest on the shed roof, where the roofing felt has ripped

. 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

to chalk up 15 of my 124 target actions. These are mostly by the simple expedient of not cutting the grass, not winter deadheading, clearing out the pond when I repaired it and by having more than my fair share of thickets.The thickets are obviously paying

'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