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If you like to cut flowers from your garden and bring them indoors you may have problems with these......

pollen beetles! This photo is of some on one of my Arum Lily flowers. If after you've cut them you put them in some water and stand them in a dark place (like a garage) for an hour or so and allow just a chink of light to come in...the beetles will all fly towards the light and leave your blooms pest free. ...then you can bring them into the house.

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Mick used to love these;
they are capped with these;they make lovely mini cloches for a single pot.

Great for single seeds or cuttings

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Coffee grounds can provide a valuable source of nutrition for your garden if used properly: The proper amount to be used depends on the condition of the soil and, more specifically, what you are growing in your garden. Here are a few general tips.
Applying coffee grounds directly in the garden Coffee grounds can be applied along with other materials as a side dressing for vegetables, roses, and other plants.

Coffee grounds are high in nitrogen, but are also acidic: Adding brown material such as leaves and dried grass to the mulch will help keep a balanced soil pH.

Mix coffee grounds in your compost: Coffee grounds act as a green material with a carbon-nitrogen (C-N) ratio of 20-1. They make an excellent addition to your compost. Combined with browns such as leaves and straw, coffee grounds generate heat and will speed up the composting process.

Using coffee grounds in a worm bin: Worms fed with coffee grounds combined with other materials will flourish.

And the best news yet.....Starbucks give it away free!

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Lids from coffee jars make great drip trays for small pots.....

Don't thow away all the caps off of sports drink bottles. They make great cane toppers and could save you losing an eye!

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In this age of over packaging.....when you buy something new remember to recycle!


plastic ties.....useful for tying plants to trellises and canes

the electric plug cover.........three small bamboo canes inserted into the holes and hey presto instant mini obelisk for small house plants!

polystyrene; great for standing overwintering on in a cold greenhouse and keeps their "feet" warm. Broken into pieces (or sometimes items are packed in chippings) and put into the base of large pots that are only going to house "annuals" means you use less compost and makes the pots lighter to carry.

The endless plastic bags....when germinating seeds or propagating from cuttings; place a stick in the pot, cover with plastic bag, put an elastic band round the bag and pot and you have an instant mini propagator.

And any cardboard can either be torn up and put on the compost heap (it will take some time to break down though) or many councils will take them if you have recycling dustbin collections.

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Compost in containers and hanging baskets that has been allowed to dry out completely can be difficult to re-wet, causing all the water poured on to it to run off before it's had a chance to soak in. You can overcome this by putting a drop of washing-up liquid into the watering can before you water. The detergent breaks the surface tension of the water which prevents it soaking in.

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Just cut out part of the side of an empty plastic milk carton



and you have a handy scoop for compost.

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Use lolly sticks as plant labels.

or as ALICE says Use ANY sticks as plant labels - just shave off a flat bit with a knife, and use a permanent marker or a pencil.

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Keep squirrels out of your bird feeder by crushing cayenne peppers and placing them in the feeder. Squirrels hate it but the birds love it!

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So many plants and flowers are edible. Why don't you give this recipe a try.

Nasturtium potato cakes Serves 4

1kg waxy potatoes

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp finely chopped chives

1 tbsp finely chopped shallots

1 tbsp grated lemon zest

1 garlic clove, crushed

3 tbsp chopped nasturtium leaves

Sea salt and pepper

Peel and cube the potatoes. Bring 2-litres (3.5 pints) of salted water to the boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender. Drain well. Mash the potatoes, then beat in the olive oil, chives, shallots, grated lemon zest, garlic and chopped nasturtium leaves. Season to taste.
Let the potato mixture cool, and then form into small round cakes. Heat a little extra olive oil in a pan and fry the cakes over medium heat until golden and crisp.

While I'm on the subject of recipes why don't you try this too......
Zucchini Bread

2 cups shredded raw zucchini

3 eggs

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup raisins (optional)
Put zucchini in strainer and press or squeeze with hands to get excess liquid out. Beat eggs, sugar and oil together. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, walnuts and raisins. Mix together. Add drained zucchini. Mix well. Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

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If you are building a pond, make sure that animals can get in and out easily; incorporate shallow, sloping sides and rocks for them to use.

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Split up clumps of snowdrops and winter flowering aconites once they have stopped flowering but still have their leaves. They establish themselves much better this way.

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Plant marigolds alongside your tomatoes to keep greenfly away. They attract the hover flies which in turn gobble up all the aphids.

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Scarecrow came up with this great tip that I had never heard before.

If you have problems with seedlings rotting (dampening off) then watering with Chamomile tea may help.

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Encourage biodiversity in your garden. A plastic drinks bottle with the bottom cut off, stuffed full of rolled-up corrugated cardboard and hung from a tree branch gives lacewings somewhere to shelter. A solid block of wood with lots of 1/4" holes drilled deep into it can help overwintering solitary bees. A few logs piled up somewhere can provide havens for ladybirds and all kinds of other beneficial insects. Feed the birds, too. The more kinds of living things in your garden, the healthier it will be. I still kill slugs, though. You've got to draw the line somewhere.

This tip kindly donated by Melanie, BEANSPROUTS

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If, like me, you hate wearing gardening gloves; scrape your nails down a bar of soap before you start getting your hands into the soil........you'll find your nails far easier to clean afterwards.

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Repot plants without making a mess; place the old pot inside the new pot and fill the gap with soil. Then remove the smaller pot and your plant will fit perfectly.

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The smaller the seeds, the shallower they should be sown.
When you store your own collected seed keep them cool and airtight. Wrap some milk powder in tissue, seal with a rubber band and pop it in your seed container; this will help prevent moisture ruining them.

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Save yourself money and recycle newspapers by making your own biodegradable pots. Libby on Woodlands World explains the process beautifully in pictures.

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When you clean out your coffee maker spread the grounds around your potted plants. hey will decompose into a slightly acid nutrient source and may even keep away the slugs!