I hesitate to introduce the thought that on occasions birds or animals can be a nuisance, and even then usually manufacture an excuse for their behaviour. Rabbits can be fenced out, although with enough dogs and cats about the garden only the most foolhardy rodent dare show its teeth. Moles will seek less aromatic pastures if moth balls or creosote are inserted into the runs at intervals.

Voles and woodmice can be evicted in a similar fashion but a resident kestrel employed full time is more effective I have discovered! Bullfinches are the worst pest in this garden, their depredations have killed several full grown cherries and we rarely get any flowers on the others. Short of shooting, the gardener must resort to foul-tasting sprays, or netting the trees.

A sharp saw, well-maintained pair of secateurs, and a razor-edged knife are prime essentials. I also include as supplementary equipment a tin of Stockholm tar and a brush for treating cut surfaces if any very large branches have to be cut away.

Do not try to reclaim worn out plants by hard pruning. Heathers should not be clipped back lower than the wood of the previous season. Deciduous shrubs offer a little more scope to the surgically minded. Pruning is carried out in accordance with the flowering season of the plant concerned which requires a certain basic interest in the individual inhabitants of the shrub border.

Removal of heavier branches must be done with a saw making the cut as close to the main stem as possible. I always round the rough edges afterwards with a knife before treating the exposed surface with a suitable protective covering. Above all make the cuts clean, not ragged, as they heal so much quicker leaving little or no scar.

Pruning can be phased out over two years so that the effects are not drastically obvious or the shock unbearable to the plants. By careful feeding, manuring and pruning, an apparently derelict border can be restored.

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