Prizewinning members!

New title on sale this month

Judging from the responses, some of you are reluctant to leave the garden and swan off on holiday, believing that spending time in the garden is as relaxing as a holiday itself. No airport delays, no queues…and all that money saved. It's certainly food for thought.

Trudi has this to say about herself and her gardening: 'I am 38 years old and have only been into gardening for the last six years. We moved to this house in November 2001 and have about an acre of garden. A third of the garden was landscaped when we moved in, but the top third was just rough grass.

'I wanted to garden to encourage wildlife, so the first thing we did was build a 15m (46ft) wildlife pond planted with just native plants. The pond has gone from strength to strength; we have got newts, frogs (I have never seen as many tadpoles as we have this year), water scopians, dragon and damsel flies, water boatmen – the list just goes on.

'I have planted around 20 trees where I would like to make a woodland garden in a few years. We have put up three greenhouses, where I grow a lot of my own plants, as well as bird boxes, bat boxes, insect boxes and a hedgehog nesting box.

'I never get bored of watching the wildlife – we have ducks, phesants and hosts of garden birds. I have seen a weasel, rabbits, shrews, mice and a grass snake. Some creatures do nibble on my plants and make a mess, but at the end of the day the original plan was to encourage these creatures and to try and create somewhere where they feel safe and welcome, and I am pleased we have achieved this.

I have a smaller pond in the patio where I have goldfish. They must be really happy as, for the last two years they have had a number of babies. This year I have got about 26 to re-home.

'My neighbour's daughter is a graphic designer and she is so impressed with the garden she regulaly uses it for photo shoots to display gardening equipment for catalogues etc. I am really proud of this, as it shows someone else appreciates the garden nearly as much as we do.

'I spend every spare minute in the garden and really enjoy myself, regardless of the weather. I have been known to be out in gale-force winds planting 100 native hedgerow plants, and if it is raining, I just put a hat on, or stay in the greenhouse – much to the amusement of my neighbours.

'If you would like to know anything else about my garden, please do not hesitate to contact me. It is my passion and I love to share it with others.'

Bob's garden is pictured above. He says: 'We have lived here for 10 years and I have had an interest in gardening for a few years now, initially having a lawn and borders garden whilst learning. Then, a few years ago, I decided to be more adventurous. As I have always liked the style of sub-tropical foliage planting, I adapted my methods to allow this style, lifting my lawn, laying a gravel garden and changing to containers. Through cuttings from family and friends, seeds, and plants rescued from skips, I have managed to grow about 80% of my stock, which I'm quite pleased with.

'Luckily, I have found that, when asked, most gardeners are only too pleased to give a snippet of a plant, or seed heads, and was surprised to see the seeds you can now buy (I use Chilterns Seeds in Cumbria).

'I have now adopted a 'try it and see' approach. If it grows and survives the North Yorks climate it stays; if not, I'll try something else – although I am pleased at what can survive with a little protection and forethought.

'When converting my garden I installed two small ponds and was very surprised how speedily these were occupied by wildlife. On seeing this, my interest in photography was rekindled and most nights find me wandering around snapping away. The greatest benefit coming from the attraction of wildlife is the pest control. I rarely have any need to use slug pellets (as I believe my Frog Feast and Garden Cafe albums show).

'I will shortly be retiring from my employment as a police officer and am looking forward to spending a lot more time in my little oasis, with my camera at hand. For your information, I use a Fuji Finepix A330 for quick-opportunity pictures, and a Fuji S5600 for more deliberate snapping. I find both give excellant results.'

I'd like to also give Sue Appleton a mention for some delightful Gallery photos, including Snowdrop, Crocus, Hellebore, Honey Bee and Comma Butterfly, capturing the season nicely.

Find out more about Bazza and join the online discussion via the threads: At Last…

Frog spawn

Big problems with my lawn

Compostable bags

The small, 10-litre bags, and larger 90-litre drawstring bags fit most household and refuse bins. The smaller bags are good for collecting vegetable and kitchen waste, while the larger ones are ideal for holding large amounts of biodegradable waste in wheelie bins.