In the garden this week: Avoid a Glasto lawn, plus keep plants snug

Avoid a Glasto lawn A compacted lawn may not seem one of life's more pressing concerns, but when serious wet weather comes, water puddles on the surface and the whole garden turns a bit West Country festival. Treat this before such problems occur, or in a dry patch between wet ones. Take your garden fork and push it into the ground at frequent intervals, wiggling it to make decent-sized deep holes, then brush in sharp sand to create a perforated lawn. Warm your soil A slick of compost, composted bark or mushroom compost will keep plants snug through winter. It protects delicate roots near the surface from freezing and prevents "frost heave" – the freezing and thawing that can lift roots out of the ground. Also mound it over the crowns of perennials and anything not entirely hardy.