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Ever wondered what the ingredients of great compost are? Chris Beardshaw shows you what to put on your heap and what to leave off, to create black gold for your garden.all year roundMore tips on how to improve your soilBuild a compost binHow to make

Learn how to plant up a traditional hanging basket, with Sarah Raven's advice on choosing a basket and plants, as well as tips on retaining water. springMore advice on hanging basketsRachel de Thame demonstrates how to plant up a traditional hanging basket.Watering hanging baske...

Discover the theory behind crop rotation, with Monty's back-to-basics video advice to giving optimum growing conditions for vegetable groups such as potatoes, legumes (beans, peas etc), brassicas (cabbages, cauliflowers, radishes), root vegebles (carrots, parsnips). spring or aut...

Create your own 'cutting patch' with Sarah Raven's video guide. Learn how, by growing cut-and-come-again annuals and biennials in a separate bed, you can prevent your borders from looking bare. springMore advice on growing flowersGrowing lupins video project, with Sarah RavenWatc...

Lilies are bursting into elegant and colourful blooms at this time of year . It's a dramatic sight, and one you can prolong by simply removing the flowers as they fade.Lily plantsSecateursJuly - August10 minutesJuly - AugustTidy up the lily flowerheads once the petals have fallen...

Acers don't like to be baked by the sun so this pot is perfect for a sheltered spot. This particular Japanese maple has beautiful filigree leaves but it's just one of a fantastic range of leaf colours and shapes that are available. The colourful leaves of the low-growing bugle wi...

. Dahlia plantSticks or canesStringJune - August15 minutesJuly - SeptemberCheck dahlias each week; if they're starting to flop tie the main stem to a supporting cane or stick with garden string. Don't tie the string too loosely, but allow a little room

Thanks to their cheery flowers, which come in a wide range of colours, primulas are one of our most popular spring bedding plants. Once this display is over, plant everything out into a damp spot in the garden.September - early November

Plum trees can be prone to silver leaf disease if pruned in winter, so cut them back in summer to encourage the development of bushy growth, which stops them becoming too large and unmanageable. Plum treeSecateurs June - July 20 minutesUse secateurs to cut back this season's grow...