Innehållsförteckning för May 2017 från BBC Gardeners' World

• It’s showtime! Come and join the GW team, celebrating 50 years of Gardeners’ World, at this year’s Gardeners’ World Live. The magazine team will be on the Potting Shed stage, hosting talks with Monty, Alan, Carol and Joe and more – plus a guest appearance from Bake Off’s Nadiya on Friday 15 June! Use the code on page 22 to get discounted tickets. • Great company Join us for time away with favourite experts, on two exclusive autumn garden breaks with Alan and Adam: see p67 and p133. • Monty on herbs Follow Monty’s video project planting up Mediterranean herbs at Longmeadow, into an upcycled container, at bit.ly/herb-container • Time for toms With our weather warming up and days extending, it’s time to plant out outdoor toms – watch…

1 Berberis thunbergii atropurpurea and Lunaria annua Leaves are not always green and this berberis – though often regarded as a bit run-of-the-mill and only right for municipal car parks – has foliage that is the colour of stewed rhubarb when young. It looks good with this honesty – a plant that will self-seed happily for ever. Lunaria annua • Care Scented flowers from May-June and very distinct seedpods – silver, translucent discs – in autumn. Keep a self-seeding group going, with strong flowers when plants are in their second year. • H x S90cm x 30cm Berberis thunbergii atropurpurea • Care Good foliage, also orangey yellow flowers and berries in autumn. Spiny shoots. Best in full sun. Propagate from cuttings in summer. • H x S1.5m x 1.5m 2…

“I need to practise what I am pleaching. I need to clip and shape and tie and sculpt” I do not indulge much in regrets. I have, of course, made a ridiculous amount of mistakes in almost every aspect of my life, but they have almost invariably taught me something and, anyway, to err is human. But had I my time again, I would have been more of a topiarist. I am not entirely without form. Until very recently we had 67 large box balls, 38 box cones and 28 large yew cones to topiarise. Now, all but three of the box balls have been lost to blight, but the various cones remain. (As I write, I wonder if there is something in the shape of a cone that allows…

All creatures great and small I wanted to add my thoughts to Alan Titchmarsh’s feature Success with organic pest control (April issue). ‘Pests’ are a man-made phenomenon, so-called for their ability to annoy us and destroy our plants. Rather like an annoying sibling, there are times when we wish they would go away, but they have as much right to be there, so we learn to live together as best as we can. And so it should be with these ‘pests’. If you’ve got insects sucking on your sap, or larvae eating your roots, try introducing different plants that they are less interested in, or create a wildlife-friendly area that will encourage their natural predators. I think these ‘pests’ are fascinating and I love seeing what they get up to.…

New garden for hospital Horatio’s Garden, the charity that creates gardens in hospital spinal units for paralysed patients, has raised enough money to start building a new garden at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, designed by Joe Swift, this summer. They’ve also announced that Bunny Guinness will be designing the next Horatio’s Garden at the Midlands Centre for Spinal Injuries in Oswestry. For more details, visit horatiosgarden.org.uk Garden visits To celebrate its 90th anniversary, the National Garden Scheme is hosting a festival weekend, when more than 400 gardens will open their gates, on 27-29 May. Gardens across England and Wales will take part, including some that opened in the inaugural year, 1927. There will also be special events, exhibitions and fairs. To find gardens and events near you, go to ngs.org.uk Organic…

Lovage This hardy perennial forms a large clump, with leaves that have a strong celery kick. Chives Decorative and delicious, the leaves and flowers have a mild onion flavour. Parsley More than just a garnish, parsley leaves add a tasty tang to salads and pasta dishes. Mint Available in many delicious flavours, this perennial spreads readily so keep it contained. Coriander Grow from seed for its refreshing citrus-like leaves. The flowers and seeds are also edible. Dill This tall annual germinates readily from seed. The feathery leaves have a light, fresh flavour.…

Our front gardens play an important role, breathing life into our streets and helping us to feel good about where we live. They’re not only seen by the homeowner daily, but by passers-by too. A well-considered front garden can help the house to sit comfortably in its plot, both grounding and softening it. A practical approach has always been necessary with front gardens, but the added pressures of accommodating off-street parking, wheelie bins and the like means it’s even trickier to make them work well. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be beautiful spaces that benefit wildlife too. I believe planning and good design really make a difference in a front garden, with balance and proportion being particularly pertinent. And you don’t have to break the bank to make it…

We all like to know where our food comes from and just because you don’t have the space or time for your own vegetable patch you shouldn’t have to miss out on home-grown fruit and veg. That’s why Miracle-Gro’s unique range of plant food cones comes specially formulated for pots, containers and hanging baskets, so you can grow more plants in smaller spaces. These clever pots come in two varieties – all purpose and tomato – so whether you want to grow your own fruit and vegetables, simply decorate your garden with pots of vibrant flowers or freshen up your living space with plants, there’s a Pot Shot for you. The pre-measured doses are simple to apply and will feed your plants for up to six months, so you can…

Tidy up lawn edges Use edging shears after mowing to keep borders neat. If you allow lawn grasses to grow into the edges of borders, they root in and become another weeding problem operation. Push back the soil with a border spade if necessary and just snip the grass rather than the sward behind it. Pick up the clippings and compost them. Trim formal hedges If your hedge is a formal garden feature it will need trimming a couple of times in the summer to keep it looking neat. Electric shears make light work of it, but hand shears do a good job too. Check first for birds’ nests and don’t disturb them if you find any. Work from the bottom to the top; use a measure to keep the…

Broad beans Picked fresh, broad beans are delicious. You can sow a final row now for a harvest in August. 3 WAYS TO TRY • Toss with olive oil, chilli and lemon juice, and spoon over sliced mozzarella • Crush with garlic, mint and parmesan, then spread on hot toast • Add to a frittata, along with lots of soft herbs Broad beans Nutrition An excellent source of protein and fibre, with good levels of vitamins A and C, iron and magnesium. How to grow Improve soil with organic matter and general fertiliser to aid growth. Site in sun and either shelter from wind or stake securely, as mature plants become top heavy. Make several sowings over time to enjoy a long harvest and avoid gluts – sowing the next…

Get ahead with plug plants Plug plants are ready-to-go mini-plants that can be put straight into your raised bed. They are ideal for veg that’s slow to get going from seed such as beans, courgettes and chard. 1 Gently ease each plug from the tray with your fingers or a pencil, making sure the rootball stays intact. 2 Make a channel in the soil, then plant each plug at the same depth it was in the tray. 3 Firm the soil back around them, then water generously. Pick little and often Most of these crops will be ready to harvest in just a few weeks, and with regular sowings there should be a constant harvest throughout the summer. Sow quick-growing crops every two or three weeks, and don’t overharvest. Pick…

Gardeners have two rather lovely qualities in abundance – curiosity and generosity. Curiosity comes naturally, as ‘how’ and ‘why’ are surely two of the most frequently uttered words in gardening. And however much experience we have, there are always discoveries around every corner, as we see another new plant or way of growing. And generosity? In what other area of life do we so freely share our discoveries and problem-solving solutions? Many of you also share your own gardens, opening them to the public for good causes – and while we are a nation famous for our reticence, we know how much pleasure this act of sharing brings, as well as how much money it raises. In fact, thanks to the collective generosity of so many gardeners, £50m has been…

C. macropetala ‘Wesselton’ Soft-blue, slightly lavender-tinted sepals encase a blue-tinted white skirt made of many staminodes. H x S 2m x 1.5m C. ‘Helsingborg’ Purple-blue flowers with slightly paler skirts feature prettily twisted sepals in a long and generous spring display. H x S 2m x 1.5m C. ‘Jacqueline du Pré’ Large, broad-sepaled, mauve-tinted, rose-pink flowers feature a silvery pink margin and a blushed white skirt. Vigorous. H x S 2m x 1.5m C. ‘Amber’ Masses of double amber flowers, pink on the sepal backs, with more in autumn. Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year 2016. H x S 2m x 2m C. ‘Frances Rivis’ Prolific display of large blooms with broad, slightly twisted, rich-blue sepals around a white skirt. Silvery seedheads later. H x S 2m x 1.5m…

“A brief display in summer, then dried remains all winter” I’ve never really understood the idea of hanging baskets. You get a container with holes, line it to retain moisture, then hang it up to dry. You water it at least daily in summer, feed it to keep it blooming, and replant it twice a year to maintain the effect. Or you enjoy a brief display in summer, then leave it full of dried remains all winter until the next season. I understand the idea is to bring life to dull walls, and gain interest and colour at eye level, but the effect is limited by the size of the basket. How about a well-chosen climber or wall shrub? Choose a climber such as the evergreen trachelospermum, or an abutilon,…

Cast your vote to crown the winning plant of the Gardeners’ World Golden Jubilee Award. The special accolade, launched by the Gardeners’ World team to mark five decades of TV gardening, will be awarded to the plant that’s had the most impact on our gardens in the past 50 years. Monty and the other nine presenters are each championing a plant for the shortlist, and the winner will be revealed on TV, at Gardeners’ World Live on 16 June, and in our July issue. The vote is open from 9pm on 19 May to 9pm on 21 May – visit bbc.co.uk/ gardenersworld to cast your vote. Share your memories We’d love to hear about your memories of Gardeners’ World TV over the years, and we’ll publish a selection next month…

Every year I grow scores of basil plants from seed, and 99 per cent of them are used to make pesto, which we eat fresh with pasta, potatoes and good bread, or freeze for winter consumption. Every batch is slightly different, but to my mind any pesto made from basil picked fresh from the garden and grown well (which essentially means fast and without being checked by cold or lack of water, both of which make the leaves turn leathery and cause the plants to flower prematurely) is simply delicious. 85g fresh basil leaves 30g pine nuts 1 large garlic clove Pinch of sea salt 100ml olive oil 75g Parmesan cheese, grated Put the basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic and salt into a food processor and pulse for a few…

Mini plugs These measure 4-6cm from base to tip and are usually available early in the year, from mid-March. They need to be grown on for eight to ten weeks before they’re ready to plant outside. Standard plugs Also called medium plugs or simply plugs, they are 6-8cm from base to tip. They are on sale from April onwards and should be ready to go out after six to eight weeks. Jumbo plugs Also called garden-ready plugs, these are the largest, at 8-12cm from base to tip. Available in May, they can be planted straight into pots or hanging baskets outdoors once there’s no risk of frost.…

PERFECT FOR SHADE Shady character This collection of shade-lovers combines attractive foliage with plants that flower in shade. Thanks to the foliage, this basket will look good soon after planting and will continue to do so even when the flowers fade in autumn. The fern, hosta and tiarella can all be replanted in shady parts of the garden or into pots for next year. The pelargonium can be potted up, cut back and kept somewhere frost-free for next spring. Other plants to try • White petunias • Plectranthus • Alpine strawberries LOVES THE SUN Hot ticket This group of sun-loving plants with vibrant flowers is ideal for a sunny patio. The lemon-yellow argyranthemum adds both height to the centre of the basket and a contrasting colour, while the calibrachoa is…

• Do choose surfaces and plants that will tie in with the colour and tones of the house. • Do try to get some height into even a small space. A single small tree or large shrub will make all the difference and can be grown in a large container. • Do ensure your design works from indoors too. Look out of windows and think about what you want to see, what you’d prefer to hide, and where you’d like to create more privacy. • Do use surfaces that let water through, such as gravel, permeable setts or grass sown into heavy-duty plastic modules (that cars can be parked on). These allow rain to drain into the ground rather than run off, which will help to reduce flash flooding. •…

Breaking news – we may be a nation divided by Brexit, but in the gardening world, we’re about to be gripped by Lexit! Yes, much-loved lavender is being dumped by UK gardeners who reveal they can’t bear its smell – flying in the face of centuries of perfume making. On the other side of the debate, millions adore it precisely because of the scent. This revelation is one of many from our nationwide survey this spring*. We polled readers for their most loved and hated plants and flower colours. The results are fascinating, and for one important plant it seems tastes have changed since we last carried out this survey. The rose has shrugged off its Most Hated status of 2009, to rank now only at No.19 on the hate…

Using organic solutions to protect plants from slugs is a battle, but it can be won with vigilance and the use of several methods at once. Wet weather will always encourage legions of slugs to attack, but getting out into the garden to pick them off, together with these barriers and traps, should do the trick. 1 Put a beer trap near vulnerable plants – make sure there is at least a 1cm lip above the soil to protect other creatures from falling in. 2 Spray the leaves of plants with a protective calcium chloride solution, such as Grazers G2 Formula, and reapply after it rains for the best results. 3 Slugs will not move across copper, so place a copper ring barrier around the emerging shoots of treasured plants…

Direct sunlight coming through the greenhouse glass in the summer may scorch plant leaves, encourage heat loving pests to go on the rampage and cause misshapen and patchy ripening of greenhouse crops such as tomatoes and peppers. Shading makes the greenhouse a less extreme growing environment. Bespoke blinds are easy to use but if that’s not an option these are some alternatives: 1 Use a piece of plastic weave netting or hessian thrown over the roof on the outside of the greenhouse. Weight it down around the edges. 2 Standard clips that attach to the inside frame of most greenhouses can neatly secure plastic weave shading pulled taut on the inside of the greenhouse. 3 Greenhouse shading paint is shower resistant and very effective but remember that you’ll need to…

Planting a summer pot It’s a good few years ago now since I realised the tremendous effect that enormous, plant-filled containers can have. Larger plant pots retain moisture longer, remain upright in strong winds, thanks to their weight, and provide more sustainable nutrition to their inmates, giving far greater impact than a few smaller containers. Plant up your pots for a dramatic show – look for thrillers, fillers and spillers – the latter to cascade over the edge. Drainage is key, so don’t block the hole in the base of the pot. I use an equal-parts mix of multi-purpose compost and John Innes No.2, the former to prevent the compost becoming claggy, and the latter for weight and its ability to retain nutrients. Apply dilute liquid tomato feed every couple…

Time may be limited, but your vegetable growing doesn’t have to be! However busy you are, you just need to find a few spare hours here and there to get outdoors and grow some veg – then you’ll reap the tasty rewards non-stop through summer and beyond. You don’t need lots of space or time – with a little planning I sowed a selection of crops in a 2m x 1m raised bed last spring, and had fresh veg in just a few weeks. This isn’t about huge harvests but small amounts, sown and picked regularly, then eaten at their freshest, tastiest best for months to come. Quick tip Harvest just a little of each crop every couple of days, so your veg is always fresh, delicious and packed with…

Pick them young Harvesting veg when they’re young means they’re ready sooner and, if you’ve sown regularly, you’ll get bigger overall harvests, as you’ll fit more into a season. Pick beans at 8cm long, salad leaves when tiny and tender, and pull up baby carrots, radishes and beetroot. Keep them cropping Veg such as beans, courgettes and chard can be harvested all summer long – but only if you keep picking them regularly. Left alone, they’ll soon stop producing and start to run to seed. The younger you pick, the more they’ll produce, too. Double your harvests Crops that give repeated pickings are a must. Cut-and-come-again lettuce leaves do just that, but hearting and loose-leaf types can also give you an extra crop – when you harvest, leave a generous…

Ponds are among the most diverse ecosystems in our gardens. They teem with life, from the plants we introduce to fish, frogs and invertebrates. But left to their own devices, they can easily become overrun with triffid-like aquatic plants, algae, duckweed and a host of other ‘life’, which can turn a once beautiful feature into a silt-filled quagmire. I’ve rescued many ponds over the years and now is the ideal time to tackle yours if it has turned feral, is infested with duckweed, blanket weed or other algae, or is simply a smidgen wilder than first planned. Balancing act For a healthy pond, you need to decrease the amount of nitrogen in the water and increase the oxygen. The key to reducing nutrient levels is to remove any dead leaves,…

Christine Walkden Garden writer Christine appears on BBC1’s The One Show . She is also a lecturer and tour leader. Matthew Wilson Garden designer Matthew was curator of RHS Hyde Hall and Harlow Carr, and often appears on television. Pippa Greenwood Pippa is one of the foremost experts on pests and diseases. She gardens using organic methods. Q What can I plant in a spot infected by honey fungus? Wendy Saward, by email APIPPA SAYS Unfortunately, your infected malus and similar trees, including ornamental prunus, are very susceptible to honey fungus, which attack and kill the roots of many woody and perennial plants. With this in mind, avoid planting more of these in the infected spot. Depending on the conditions of your area and the space you have, you could…

Sweet taste of success I’ve just read your magazine for the first time. The article ‘Our pick of garden trugs’ (‘Clippings’, April issue) reminded me of a cake I made a couple of years ago. I used sugar paste left over from another cake I’d made – everything is edible. I entered it into a competition and was thrilled to win a gold medal! Megan Davis, by email READER MAKEOVER Turn a corner When we moved in, our garden was a very boring empty space. Now, after a lot of digging out of beds and adding lots of lovely planting, we have a beautiful cottage garden that I am really proud of. Gemma Anderson, Norfolk Still blooming I don’t know of any other 89-year olds who have as much love…

• Some people like to buy big, fully-grown plants, to create a ready-made garden. Some start with plugs. Others like taking seeds and nurturing them until they are full grown and produce seeds of their own. None of these methods is right or wrong, it is personal choice. punkdoc • It’s your garden, do what you want to do. I wouldn’t even give it a first, let alone a second thought. Doghouse Riley • It is no more cheating than growing from seed, and a lot easier – ditch the guilt! They are a wee bit more expensive though. Iamweedy • Buying plugs isn’t cheating. My husband and I don’t have much space to sow seeds so we buy some plug plants and sow some seeds. Plug plants still need…

Enjoy Chelsea from your sofa. We’ve picked out our highlights of the BBC TV coverage: The gardens Win a Chelsea Garden One lucky community will win Nigel Dunnett’s show garden, who’ll replant it after the show. The lucky winners will be revealed on the One Show, 7pm, Friday 26 May. The presenters Familiar faces Joining Monty and Joe, Mary Berry will present her show picks, and Chris Evans broadcasts live on Monday 22 May. The medals Triumph and tears Watch the medals being awarded on Tuesday 23 May and the People’s Choice Award on 26 May. The plants Marvellous marquee See the best of the displays and discover the plant of the year. Day-by-day viewing Sunday 21 May, one-hour preview show, time TBC, BBC1. Monday-Friday, 3.45-4.30pm, BBC1. Monday and Friday,…

One of the very British aspects of edible gardening is that we put the majority of our focus on growing veg. In most gardens and every one of around 250,000 allotment plots across the land, veg is proudly – and usually superbly – grown. Yet I bet that more people grow herbs than vegetables. Those that cook regularly will always have some fresh herbs growing, even if it is a pot of straggly parsley or basil on a kitchen windowsill. And a lot of gardens have a few herbs almost by default – a woody old rosemary bush, some sprawling lavender, or some sage and chives bravely coping in an unlikely corner. The truth is that herbs do not need the ritualistic attentions that most vegetables demand. Many are happiest…

• Watering is key – I know I keep going on about it, and I have no wish to encourage you to drown your plants, but as they grow their moisture requirements will increase. Feel the compost with your finger on a regular basis and give it a good soak whenever it feels slightly dry. There’s no need to keep it sopping wet, but an even supply of moisture will make for even growth. • Watch out for greenfly, and wash any off before they have a chance to multiply. • Keep the plants well ventilated, especially if you’re out all day, so they don’t cook in scorching sunshine. On really bright days, a sheet of newspaper or old net curtain draped over them will help to prevent them from…

The classic manicured green sward can take a lot of time and effort to keep at its best, so it’s not always an ideal option. It’s not particularly wildlife-friendly either. Luckily, there are lots of great alternatives – not just meadows, or even fake turf, but patchwork carpets of low-growing plants that look fantastic, are tough enough for light use, attract wildlife, and need much less mowing. They’re particularly suitable for small areas or extremes of sun or shade. Gentle footfall improves growth, stimulating the plants to spread and root from stems, although heavy wear or games is a no-no. We carried out a trial over an 18-month period, creating four different metre-square plots, and the results were impressive. While the initial cost is higher than traditional turf or grass…

Growth is well under way for a whole host of woody plants now that the days are longer than the nights and daytime temperatures regularly reach the low to mid teens in Celsius. The main aim of pruning is to channel growth into the younger, more vigorous buds and shoots, low down on the plant, to prevent shrubs and bushes getting too big while encouraging flowering. It pays to keep secateurs, loppers and a pruning saw close to hand this month, so that you can cut out the oldest wood and weak twiggy stems as soon as each of your spring-flowering shrubs start to fade. And it’s also time to cut back your tender, summer-flowering shrubs as soon as the fear of hard frosts has passed. Crucially, make sure that…

Plant sweet peas Make a great sweet pea display by planting young plants into a large pot that has been positioned to allow the greatest appreciation of scent and colour. First, fill the pot with potting compost, then create a strong support structure using canes or pea sticks. Plant the sweet peas in small groups around the edge of the pot where they can easily reach and grow into the support structure. Water well and add liquid feed through the summer. Pick the flowers regularly to keep the plants blooming. Prepare bedding for planting out Place pots and trays of bedding plants outside this month so that they can gradually acclimatise to the lower temperatures and air movement, but can still be protected if a late frost is forecast. Once…

Wipe down dusty leaves THE LEAVES OF houseplants readily gather dust, just like any other surface in the house, and this can affect their ability to grow. To clean them without damaging them, support the leaf or branch from underneath with the palm of your hand and gently wipe the dust off with a soft cloth. Special sprays or wipes can be used and will shine the surface too. Regular wiping will also disturb any pests that are looking to move in. Apply biocontrols Most houseplant pests, including red spider mites, aphids and mealy bugs, can be kept at bay using natural predators. These are known as biological controls, and there’s a different one for each pest. As they are living creatures, they have to be introduced when conditions are…

Growing tomatoes It couldn’t be easier to grow your own tasty tomatoes, on hand for easy picking. The plants are frost tender, so plant them out towards the end of this month or earlier if you plan to grow them in the greenhouse. There are several types: cherry tomatoes and tumbling basket cultivars are real sweeties, impressive beef tomatoes are sliced into salads, and vigorous Italian plum cultivars are perfect for cooking. If you can train the plant into a tall cordon there is a huge choice of cultivars. There are fewer of the really easy compact bush tomatoes, which need a bit of support but no training. Choose the sunniest spot in your garden and make sure you have a cane for each plant and some string. Buy a…

Making a veg pot If you have limited space or just want to grow more veg, planting crops in a container is the ideal solution. At this time of year, veg plants will grow rapidly so they’ll mature to harvest stage before the end of summer. This is also a great way to have a go at veg growing if you’ve never tried it before. Veg that are easy to grow in pots (often called patio varieties) include salad leaves, beetroots, bush tomatoes, French beans, round carrots, herbs, chillies, compact courgettes and cucumbers. Use the biggest container you can find as it will make watering and feeding the plants much easier. Ideally place it where it’ll get sunshine for part of the day. Keep the compost just damp, feed with…

Because gardeners remove dead wood from trees and shrubs, holes made by wood-boring beetles are less common than in the wild. This denies insects – such as some types of solitary bee – valuable nesting spots. In this project, holes drilled in wood mimick the natural process. YOU WILL NEED • Block of untreated wood • Drill and drill bits (1mm to 10mm in diameter) • Post to attach the block to • Sandpaper 1 Place the wood on a firm surface and drill using a variety of drill bits to create differently sized holes. 2 Roll sandpaper into a tube and use to sand each hole, making sure there are no snags on the inside. 3 Thoroughly sand the block’s surfaces so insects won’t catch their bodies or wings…

Choose your crops To save time and ensure the fastest and biggest harvests, choose crops that are quick and easy to grow. This means either veg that will be ready to pick soon after sowing, such as radishes and cut-and-come-again salad leaves, or those that may take a little longer to come to harvest but when they do, they keep pumping out the produce all summer long with little attention from you. This includes courgettes, beans and chard. Crops that don’t fit the bill are ones that are in the ground for a long time, such as cabbages and main-crop potatoes, or those that are high maintenance and demand a lot of your time, such as cordon tomatoes. Choose the speedier versions of crops, for example mangetouts rather than podding…

• Eutrophication is the technical term for excess nutrients in a pond. It usually leads to overly rampant plant and algal growth, which can disrupt the pond’s natural balance. • A pond is a great way to attract a wide diversity of wildlife into your garden, including birds, mammals, amphibians, such as frogs, newts and toads, and invertebrates, including water boatmen, pond skaters and dragonflies. • The following invasive non-native species of plant were banned from sale by Defra in 2014: Azolla filiculoides, Crassula helmsii, Hydrocotyle ranunculoides, Ludwigia grandiflora and L. uruguayensis, and Myriophyllum aquaticum. • Ponds are composed of and affected by what are known as abiotic and biotic factors. Abiotic factors include the chemical balance of the water, sunlight levels and soil chemistry, while biotic factors are the…

“I refrain from using power tools on Sundays... believing there should be at least one day in the week when the hills are not alive with the sound of two-stroke” here is a temptation, as one grows older, to become resistant to change; to think that the way we do certain tasks has suited us fine for umpteen years and therefore it will continue to keep us happy in the future, thank you very much. Sometimes it is wise to have reservations about new inventions that arrive with a fanfare. For when the novelty wears off and reality bites, they can disappear as quickly as they arrived, or else gather dust in the potting shed to prove that we didn’t really need them anyway. The simplicity of a spade and…