Here are some excellent gardening tips sent in by Mr. Richards of Mackworth: * Leave a messy bit: a pile of logs, long grass and fallen leaves are an ideal habitat for wildlife. Encourage hedgehogs, ladybirds and beetles into your garden, and you’ll have an army of aphid, slug and snail-eaters permanently on call — which is far better than reaching for the bug gun. * Conserve water: Use water butts to collect run-off rainwater throughout the year and recycle household “grey” water from baths. You can double your brownie points for using biodegradable detergents and soap. Watering generously only when necessary is far better than little and often, as it encourages deep rooting rather than shallow surface roots, enabling plants to search more effectively for water in dry weather. Water only in the evening or early morning to minimise evaporation, and direct the water at the soil rather than the leaves. * Put the right plant in the right place: in the past we have been happy to coax thirsty plants to grow in thin soil with liberal watering. But if you choose your plants carefully, you should be able to have a beautiful garden without daily watering. Minimise the use of chemicals and don’t use peat: peat bogs are an essential part of the ecosystem and once they have been harvested, they are gone for ever. * Recycle garden waste and food waste by composting.  There’s nothing more satisfying than producing home-made compost and it’s far nicer than having the stinky brown recycling bin sat outside your front door. * Reuse non-biodegradable products: we all have towers of bought plastic plant pots in the shed. But there’s no need, plant pots exist in the guise of cut-off lemonade bottles and yoghurt pots for free! * Think twice before using hard landscaping: it is worth questioning where and how materials such as stone, timber and gravel have been sourced — concrete is particularly ecologically unsound. Before buying new materials, consider whether you could use something reclaimed or recycled.* Use lighting responsibly: light pollution is irritating for neighbours, confuses birds and is a waste of electricity. Use candles instead – far more romantic (so my wife keeps telling me!).