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nibbled by caterpillars and I don't have any white foxgloves.The planting schemes in many of the gardens this year were superb. The Bradstone Biodiversity Garden was richly planted with cirsium, alliums, aquilegia and iris, and it seemed to be doing

into their many nectaries. I wondered what colour this parent plant would be, praying it would be white, or at least purple, but definitely not 'apricot'.I finally planted it out in January when the topsoil arrived. Normally I wouldn't recommend jolting a plant

, Epiphyllum anguliger, or rickrack cactus, which produces large yellow-white blooms at night, to attract bats. He describes the scent as a cross between lemon and bleach. He doesn't mind the smell, but his partner makes him put it outside whenever it flowers

pascuorum) and the garden bumblebee (Bombus hortorum), and white clover, lavender and the mountain cornflower (Centaurea montana) for smaller-tongued species like the buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris). Providing a wide variety of flowers with long

was prompted by Butterfly Conservation's Big Butterfly Count.From 16-31 July, Butterfly Conservation hopes thousands will spend just 15 minutes counting butterflies in their garden, local park, field, forest or school. This will help the charity monitor

, scented, white-flowered daffs with dark red, jagged centres. I planted them in a large terracotta pot, next to a few pots of 'Minnow' - a dwarf, creamy-flowered variety with contrasting yellow centres.Both varieties are quite late flowering in April

for up to six months.I spoke to David Morris from Bayer, which makes Provado Vine Weevil Killer 2. He said there was no evidence to suggest that thiacloprid killed bees. But I choose not to use pesticides in my small garden, so have opted for alternatives