Biodiversity net gain (BNG) is an approach to land management and new developments that ensures the natural environment is left in a measurably better state than it was beforehand. Biodiversity refers to the variety of all wildlife - this includes the animals, insects, plants, bacteria and fungi.

Gardeners can understandably be hesitant about pruning their beloved apple trees, but carried out carefully and methodically it is a reasonably straightforward job. Here are instructions about when and how to prune an established apple tree.

Many gardeners struggle with knowing when and how to prune shrub roses. Here is a clear description of how to go about pruning shrub roses. Pruning should be carried out between the middle of February and end of March - in Scotland, we do this job in March. Garden designers, gardeners and landscape gardeners…

Many gardeners ponder the wisdom of laying mulch on their flowerbeds, or do not fully understand the reasons for doing it, or the many benefits of doing so. Here is a quick summary of the reasons why you should do it, and how to do it. The best kind of mulches to use are…

Log piles in gardens make fantastic additions that will support a wide range of wildlife, moss, fungi, insects and other invertebrates. Here is a quick summary of exactly how to create your log pile. You may have seen famous garden designers such as Nigel Dunnett include stretches of log walls to create both decorative impact as well as a home for biodiversity.

To make a homemade insect hotel, old pallets are a perfect choice. Ideally, have several old pallets, and find a shady, damp spot of your garden. Create an even flat base in the earth, and start building the hotel one storey (pallet!) at a time. Each pallet should be filled with the as many logs, twigs and old bit of wood as you can find; these make a great haven for wood-boring beetles and their larvae.