How to clean bird feeders

Feeding the birds is a British obsession. And quite right too – providing supplementary food for garden birds can make the difference between surviving winter and not, and can also help them raise more young each spring. Below we list the different types of food available to buy and grow, detailing which birds are attracted to them. The number one rule of feeding garden birds is to make sure the food you provide is fresh. Never leave out mouldy food or leave food for too long in your bird

Chrysanthemums are popular border plants, adding valuable colour in late summer and autumn. However, these vigorous and free-flowering plants tend to wear themselves out quite quickly. The oldest part of the plant, in the centre of the clump, becomes weaker and the stems flop, while the outer shoots remain thick and healthy. It’s easy to propagate chrysanthemums by taking basal cuttings every few years in spring. These will root easily in a cold frame, propagator or on a sunny windowsill. Mo

Watch Monty’s video guide to maintaining a mini-meadow, in which he explains how to show off spring bulbs and wildflowers to best effect. In need of a new mower? We’ve tried and tested the best cordless lawn mowers and have a range of in-depth, individual lawn mower reviews to help you select the best model for you, as well as the best garden shears if you’d prefer to cut your meadow by hand.

The easiest way to trim an established conifer hedge such as Thuja plicata is by using a powered hedge-trimmer to give a regular, even finish. Quick-growing conifers will need about three cuts per year during the growing season, at roughly eight week intervals. Inspect your hedge thoroughly before trimming it to ensure there are no birds nesting within. It’s an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built.