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I've never been much of a lawn buff. Mine is definitely more of a patch of grass than a lawn, but even I am worried by the state of it at the moment. The wet summer and autumn and cold, wet winter have caused a lot of damage. And our heavy clay soil

the shelter offered by our wooden window frames, until I disturbed them, prematurely waking them from their winter sleep. Having opened the windows, I didn't know whether I should immediately close them and risk crushing any insects, or leave them open to give

For a few years my bulbs have suffered attack from both rabbits and squirrels. I've seen rabbits sitting on pots, their rear ends squashing the winter-flowering pansies, their front ends crushing emerging bulb shoots, long before they have chance

Growing your own cut flowers is pure luxury, but it's also a great way to save money. I love to have flowers in the house and come late-winter I feel I almost need some spring cheer to help me ward off symptoms of SAD.Cut flowers also remind me

- varying between warm and wet - conditions should now be perfect for blight infection to occur. It looks as if I won't be able to bank on a continuous crop of home-grown potatoes this winter.I'm watching the weather with a degree of grim resignation

the greenhouse glazing in winter, inside and out. Not only will it look better, but, most importantly, more light will reach the seedlings and plants inside. At this time of year natural light levels tend to be fairly low, and days are still pretty short, so a

Doesn't this winter seem longer than usual? Conditions are unpleasantly cold and it's so wet that I can hardly stand upright on any sloping surface in the garden. The sky is grey, my toes are turning rigid in my boots and the rain is hammering down

I need clear signs of spring to help me to recover from a gloomy winter. This year, it seems spring is three whole weeks late. But it is, finally, in full swing: hundreds of daffodils planted alongside my drive are in glorious bloom.The daffodil

done, I forked a barrow load into the now-empty greenhouse bed and began seed sowing. First, I direct-sowed lamb's lettuce, then sowed 'Arctic King', 'Winter Gem' and the greenhouse lettuce 'Rosetta', which I've not tried before, into modules.Next, I

stones, though. In areas with no plants I’ll sprinkle a small amount of salt, which will help to keep surfaces clear.I know I shouldn’t have left the furniture out over winter, but I’ll tackle it with a scrubbing brush in a few weeks. As for the climbing