I have always had a great admiration for Taxus baccata both as a hedge and specimen tree. Unfortunately, even using large transplants. Many years must pass before we can sit in the shade of a yew planted by our own hands.

Contrary to popular belief the beech is tolerant of a wide range of soils including this heavy clay of mine. I do not clip for the first few years, with the possible exception of shortening back the longer side branches, but just let the hedge make height without discouragement. Plant at 12 to 18 in. apart. If coloured varieties are required 5 purple or copper to 3 green is about the right proportion. Some years ago, eleven to be precise, I was given three or four different ‘plum’ hedges to try. Prunus cerasifera atropurpurea, mixed in the proportion of 2 to 1 with East Malling Myrobalan B, was one.

Again the choice is bewildering, but I shall simplify the list, restricting my choice to only the outstandingly good, rather than the average. Berberis thunbergii and the red-foliaged form atropurpurea are so close growing they need hardly any trimming. The autumn colour is brilliant and a mixture of 5 red and 3 green, makes a garden feature of considerable merit. I plant at 18 in. apart but 24 in. is usually recommended.

I hesitate to introduce the thought that on occasions birds or animals can be a nuisance, and even then usually manufacture an excuse for their behaviour. Rabbits can be fenced out, although with enough dogs and cats about the garden only the most foolhardy rodent dare show its teeth. Moles will seek less aromatic pastures if moth balls or creosote are inserted into the runs at intervals.

Voles and woodmice can be evicted in a similar fashion but a resident kestrel employed full time is more effective I have discovered! Bullfinches are the worst pest in this garden, their depredations have killed several full grown cherries and we rarely get any flowers on the others. Short of shooting, the gardener must resort to foul-tasting sprays, or netting the trees.

Heathers, both erica and calluna, should be trimmed with a pair of garden shears immediately the flowers fade. This prevents the plants be, coming straggly and untidy. Sheep perform the same functional pruning in the wild, keeping the heather in hard compact mounds and the picture of health.

Brandy is my huge boxer, a wonderful dog but he does have his faults. One is trying to destroy my roses and other garden plants. I could not chain him because he was accustomed to freedom, so have attempted to overcome his very determined efforts to kill off the plants in some other way. The first year of growing roses (2005) I learned how much Brandy enjoys eating rose leaves.

The fact that when he bit off leaves, one or two canes were broken made no difference to him. He wouldnt stop. Practically all of the dog repellent products were tried with absolutely no result. The problem became worse and began to include more than rose leaves, zinnias were uprooted, petunias trampled, etc. Then in early winter a rose bush was completely torn apart.

Things reached a climax the next spring when I arrived home one day to find the tender green shoots of my tulips chopped off at ground level. It just had to stop! Punishment is most effective when dogs are caught at their misdeeds. So after that, each time Brandy went out I watched him from the back door, if he went near one of the rose bushes he was called a bad dog and had to come in the house.

Softwood cuttings are made from wood of current season’s growth, before it has time to harden. They root very quickly but need careful handling as they are liable to dry out or fall prey to fungus disease.

The base is made up of 12 in. of broken brick to provide drainage and over this I put coarse ash and then the fine rooting medium. There are three internal divisions, one made up with sharp lime-free sand only, another with peat and sand in equal parts and the third with pumice. In this wiry I have a rooting medium to suit even the most fastidious cutting.

For those who prefer them, the no-soil composts based on peat are very good value. Once the seedlings are large enough, prick them out into John Innes Potting Compost No. 1 . which is made up of 7 parts sterilised loam, 3 peat, 2 sand, plus 4 lb. of John Innes base fertiliser, and 4 oz. of chalk to each bushel of the mixture. John Innes base fertiliser is made up of 11 oz. of hoof and horn, 11 oz. of superphosphate and 4 oz. of sulphate of potash.

Chamaecyparis lawsonilina, Lawson’s Cypress, makes a tall tree and is useful as a windbreak or screen to hide some ugly part of the view beyond the garden. I would use a selected forth like Green Hedger for often seedlings show a wide variation in ultimate height. Selected forms include allumii which is often used in tubs or on terraced walks for the growth is upright and the colour glaucous blue, and ellwoodii which is very slow growing, with feathery graceful leaves and an ultimate height of between 8 and 10 ft.

The various forms of the species show the same adaptability. Compressa, a cone-shaped midget, makes an ideal plant for a trough or small rock garden, taking about 18 years to reach a height of 12 in. A wide-spreading, ground-hugging bush, depressa is excellent for clothing steep slopes in the rock garden. Prostrata is of a similar habit.

Picea breweriana is the loveliest of all conifers. The pendulous side branches several feet long change colour with each passing breeze, like a silken green curtain, first dark then light green. It is rather tall for the smaller garden for after about fifty years it will reach 40 ft.

I have never, in spite of over thirty-five years of concentrated effort, achieved my perfect garden and I hope I never will. Every empty plot becomes a challenge, a tapestry to be woven in plant patterns which, because of the wealth of different material available, are capable of a million permutations.

The demands on the limited amount of land available for housing developments continue to increase and inevitably gardens will become smaller, at least those the majority of amateur gardeners can afford. To achieve a balanced design which, with the passage of time, will blend into a composite whole requires a sympathetic understanding of both soil and plants. Once this knowledge has been attained it will give immense satisfaction.

One should always try to work with the land, utilising to the fullest extent any natural features. A stream is a great asset to the garden designer for water brings movement and extends the range of plantings. A gentle slope can become a rock or heather garden, while a steeper incline can be broken up with terraces; stone is beautiful if used discreetly in broad steps and gentle curving walls. There may be a superb view which can be drawn into the garden by a framework of muted plantings which lead the eye to the landscape beyond the boundary. There is the same initial excitement of anticipation when moving into a house with the garden already established.

The second group of shrubs which flower in spring and early summer on wood formed the previous season such as forsythia, ribes, and philadelphus are pruned immediately after flowering has finished.

One thing is absolutely certain, the seed or cutting is determined to grow whatever mistakes might be made by the propagator so at least there is a mutual interest straight away. There is no need to spend vast sums on greenhouses and frames, or to put down acres to nursery beds. Usually only one or two plants are needed, one for the garden, the other to give away to a friend.

As interest grows the urge to try growing the less common, rather specialist shrubs from seed will make the purchase of a heated frame or greenhouse essential. I have never regretted purchasing my own small greenhouse ; a pleasant retreat on cold or wet days with the initial price repaid in both plants and pleasure. A greenhouse will also be a valuable aid to rooting cuttings.

When suitable weather for planting at last arrives, collect the shrubs from the heeling-in ground, making certain the roots do not dry out by wrapping them in a wet piece of sacking. did a little experiment with some seedling rowan to find out just how much difference keeping the roots moist or letting them dry out made to a shrub’s chances of survival.

There are hazards, late frosts, drought, searing winds, but these can be mitigated by rough shelters of polythene. The ideal planting day is easily defined, but rarely do soil and weather see fit to combine and assist the gardener in this respect. Only in exceptional circumstances should work proceed when the soil is so wet that large clods adhere to the boots.

If the border has been well prepared, digging the planting hole will be a simple business. It should be large enough to take the roots of the tree or shrub well spread out. If a stake is necessary put in a cane to mark the place where it can be driven home without damaging the roots. This must, of course, be on the windward side, usually the west, so there is less chance of the stem being chafed by blowing on to the stake.

To those are already familiar with sunroom construction, they have probably heard about Champion sunroom. This is known as one of the founding members of the National Sunroom Association and boasts of producing only the top quality materials when it comes to sunroom construction. Aside from this, Champion has always put a big grin on their customers’ faces because of the excellent service they offer. Their many years of service in the market have given them enough experience to know the needs of their customers.

To perfectly deliver service to its long list of patrons, Champion has factory showrooms located in Cincinnati and Denver. However, their products reached other parts of the country. This can be only made possible through the reputation and credibility the company has developed. Patio rooms or porch enclosure is one of the products offered by Champion when it comes to building a sunroom. In the early days, Champion only offers patio rooms that are meant to be enjoyed during the three seasons and are not made for year round enjoyment. But as the years progress, the company can now provide homeowners with All Season Vinyl Room Patio. In other words, this allows them to take advantage of enjoying an outdoor atmosphere without compromising their comfort and security. Aside from this, other products offered by this reputable company includes awnings, sunroom furniture and porch enclosures. These products are not only made from high quality materials but they will surely help you achieve the level of enjoyment you truly desire in a sunroom.

A small prostrate yew, Taxus baccata horizontalis, performs a similar function under a solitary Field Maple on the lane border in this garden. Strange that it took a friendly visitor’s appreciation to draw my attention to the service the native Blaeberry, Vaccinium myrtillus, gives as sub-scrub in the woodland.

In spring the mahonia is magnificent with racemes of rich yellow, sweetly scented flowers, followed by black berries and though evergreen some of the leaves turn scarlet. I am not sure if it is the root shade or the protection the underplanting affords, but both the kalmia and the garden are better served by the insertion of the mahonia. The other ground hugging mahonia, M. repens rotundifolia, will thrive in most soils except where drainage is bad. In the winter garden it will soon smother the bare earth. I grow it under Viburnum x bodnantense.

Six years ago I was given a shrub from a vicarage garden which was new to me, but it had the habit of growth which indicated it would make suitable ground cover. It has made a perfect underplanting to forsythia, having grown only 18 in. high by about 6 ft. across, with bright green leaves and rather nondescript flowers which are followed by attractive purple berries.