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the crown of the plant over winter. This is easily done by folding the dying leaves over the crown. In cold areas a bit of straw and fleece can be added for extra protection.At least if you insist on camping under a Gunnera in your garden, rather than

pretty display for the Christmas table. In colder situations it will flower prolifically until the first frosts, then bloom intermittently in warmer spells until the end of the year.Dig in plenty of organic matter before planting the bulbs and water them

and to bathe. Keeping their feathers clean is essential, especially in winter, as damp feathers are easier to preen. Preening spreads oil and waterproofs feathers, insulating them from the cold.BirdsDragonflies breed in water and need submerged plants

. With minimum care, they'll flower year after year, and many will bulk up into clumps after a few years.Like cultivars, species tulips prefer growing in free-draining soil in full sun. Plant them in drifts for swathes of colour, dot them around a rockery

Two years, I felt the need to grow a local, native plant in my garden. I gathered rosehips from a field rose at the edge of a nearby canal, soaked them in water and sowed the seed in coarse compost.The pots sat in a corner of my patio, doing nothing

, but the established ones, too. Feeding will help plants to recover after winter, since the cold and wet weather earlier in the year will have washed a lot of minerals and nutrients out of the soil, and may even have killed some roots. So go on, don't be mean - feed

Reliable, trouble-free plants are what we're all after, and Clematis 'Arabella' certainly fits the bill. I planted mine at the base of another really reliable plant, the evergreen Teucrium fruticans, placing it on the shaded north side so its roots

Shaping topiary is a fun and inexpensive way to create year-round interest in the garden. These plant sculptures contrast dramatically with flowers in summer, and bring structure, style and form to winter gardens.If you haven't tried topiary before

.Move the worm bin to a frost-free place during winter, as worms may die if left outside.More on home compostingHow to build a compost binFollow Chris Beardshaw's advice on making compostRead Adam Pasco's blog on worm composting all year round

, letting plants use up moisture until the compost has dried up and they die down. Then I leave the dormant tubers in their dry compost over winter, which I hope insulates them from cold.Memo to myself: Remember to start the gloriosa tubers into growth