The ground in winter can be saturated after many days and weeks of rain and most scientists predict that the extreme weather we tend to experience now in the UK will become ‘normal’. Call it climate change or just prolonged periods of ‘wet’, followed by extended times of ‘dry’, the results can be devastating for people living in low areas or around rivers. And, of course, for those using land for food production and other purposes.

But there are steps that can be taken to help alleviate the damage that results from flooding and even to prevent the events happening in the first place...

No doubt you’ve heard the term ‘mycorrhizal fungi’, but do you know why you need it in your garden? Especially during autumn, winter and early spring when you might be considering doing some bare root planting.

Fill it with flowers!

There’s no shortage of blooms at this time of year, and with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show looming (commencing 21 May), focus is firmly on flowers in the garden during this wonderful season. But there are many people who look wistfully from the side-lines, wondering why their own gardens aren’t showing such splendour. So let’s take a look at the best flowering shrubs and perennials for a marvellous May. If you set yourself a target to plant one specimen each month, choosing something that flowers in that particular month, your garden would gradually fill with flowering interest throughout the year.

How many people break their New Year's Resolutions?

Are we setting ourselves up for failure when we make those New Year’s Resolutions? It seems that around 88% of people fail to achieve their goals, and by the end of February a high proportion can’t even remember what they resolved to change in their lives.  Here are the reasons why we do it and five top tips for success:

Are there alternatives to box, the highly popular small-leaved evergreen, Buxus sempervirens? Not every case of so-called box blightis actually that. Did you know that Buxus sempervirens is also affected by another little demon called Box tree moth? It can defoliate the shrub quite quickly, and is often first noticed as fine, webbed strands within which the moth larvae feeds. They subsequently develop into hungry green caterpillars.

Well yes, and no... trees don't really eat bicycles but they look as if they might! They can grow around objects, the most common of which are metal fences.

The living tree has the most amazing capacity for self-repair and it will simply incorporate foreign objects into its structure. This act of edaphoecotropism, as it is called, is not harmful to the tree. The living tissue of the tree itself simply flows around an object and engulfs it. In so doing, the tree binds itself to the item and the connection actually becomes stronger as time passes. If you were to carve back the tree, you would find that the item inside will still be perfectly formed, not eaten but merely ‘consumed’!

Thinking of planting a fruit tree? No doubt you'll consider an apple, a plum or a pear tree.But how about something more exotic?  Did you know that you can expect full sized fruit from even tiny, patio-sized fruit trees such as peach, nectarine and apricot?  It’s all about the variety of tree and the rootstock. Here's a simple guide to get you started, it's a lot easier than you might think.  

April and May are the peak periods for tree blossom, during which time the majority of flowering, ornamental cherry trees will be covered in blousy blooms. But which is best? With so many to choose from, you might want to utilise the coveted Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Award of Garden Merit (AGM) to help you select. We’ve sorted ten of the best AGM ornamental cherries – one of which could come to a garden near you. Early spring is the perfect time to plant, but you can plant container-grown trees at any time of year, provided you are prepared to water them regularly.

Palm trees are good for the health, and boost the spirits too. But what is it about palm trees that give so much pleasure? Here is a selection of four hardy palms for UK gardens and three excellent palm varieties for indoors too. Just be aware that some palm trees are difficult to source due to plant passport requirements to help guard against pests and diseases.