Thorny problems: can I grow a bougainvillea outside? It is not a very old cultivar, being first registered in 1976, so its moment in the sun was relatively short. Interestingly, according to Chris Ireland-Jones, some of the older varieties ('Bleu Aimable', for example, from 1916) seem to have a stronger constitution. Cracked pots I have numerous flowerpots which were not resistant to the severe frosts we have had of late. Some have completely cracked in two, others have pieces broken away - in most cases they are repairable, that is if I could only find a strong adhesive suitable for the job. I have asked at garden centres and even at Wisley, but there appears to be nothing specifically produced for flowerpot repairs. Have you any suggestions? Michael Walton, via email First, apologies to faithful regulars who may have garnered the following information from this page less than a year ago (although I am sure some of you intended to keep the information for a rainy day, failed to do so and are therefore glad of the repeat). The product that garden centres "and even Wisley" failed to recommend to you is called Milliput, and is generally to be found in old-fashioned hardware stores or craft/hobby shops. It is an epoxy putty that consists of two products that you have to blend together by hand to make a claylike, terracotta-coloured plastic that can be modelled to repair chips or used as a glue to stick shards of broken pots together. Before it dries the putty can be shaped and smoothed and once dry it can even be sanded. The bright colour weathers over time, so that repairs eventually become almost invisible (and you can generally, in my experience at least, "arrange" your pots so that the repair doesn't show). I used Milliput to mend a rhubarb forcer some time ago and the repair is still holding up. I have also used the beige/grey stone-coloured version, and I understand it is now also available in black. An outside bougainvillea? I would love to grow a bougainvillea. Is it possible to grow it outside in the UK? I live in Surrey, and could offer it the comfort of a sunny wall. A Jones, via email This is a tricky one - for me and for you. For me, because I fully expect readers who somehow manage to grow this exotic thing outside against all the odds to come out of the (probably Cornish) woodwork and contradict me. For you, because if you try, you will probably be disappointed. Bougainvillea can do well in this country if grown in a frost-free, reasonably sunny conservatory or, at a pinch, in a big porch. The hardiest variety is 'Barbara Karst', with reddish/magenta flowers. The varieties with white and marmalade-coloured flowers are less vigorous, less hardy and tend to do less well. To thrive indoors here, bougainvillea needs a firm trellis or other support on to which its rigid framework of branches has to be tied, as well as plenty of root space in rich, slightly acid soil. Watering should be attended to with consideration of its natural habitat (the Mediterranean rim and even hotter). A good drench of pH-neutral room-temperature rainwater every two or three weeks (less frequently in winter) with nothing given whatsoever in between is better for it than keeping the roots constantly drip-fed with limy tap water. In these ideal circumstances, a bougainvillea will stay green all year. An occasional high-potash feed will keep it blooming on and off for most of the time. If the temperature dips seriously, or the roots are allowed to dry out for a prolonged period, the whole thing is likely to become deciduous and may take a long time to re-leaf. Those jammy so-and-sos in Cornwall (or possibly London) probably grow their outdoor plants under the shelter of house eaves on south-facing walls in sweltering courtyards. Mark my words. Autumn lawns: three birds, one stone If you are going to do so, now is probably the best time to get fussy about your lawn, and with a bit of clever planning this need not involve too much drudgery. Thanks to a summer with the best sun: rain ratio our gardens have ever had, the ground is reasonably damp and still warm - ideal for a gentle bit of aeration, top dressing, autumn feeding and reseeding. 1 Start by gently raking the lawn to "raise the pile" and tease out the weaker plantlets, general debris and some of the moss. 2 Then mow it quite short (because you don't want to mow it again for a while). Bin the collected mowings rather than composting them: moss doesn't rot down, and you will run the risk of spreading it around your borders via your compost. 3 Next, spike the lawn, or at least any compacted areas, with a garden fork, repeatedly sticking it in the turf as far as you can and wiggling it around before pulling it out again. Better still, beg or borrow a hollow-tine aerator, which takes out plugs of soil, which can then be swept up. 4 Follow this by putting some commercially bagged turf dressing (also referred to as top dressing) in a wheelbarrow. This is a 50-50 mixture of sand and peat, or now more often a fine peat substitute. You can mix your own of course: a sand-heavy mixture for soggy lawns, a peat-substitute-heavy mixture (try to avoid lumps) for dry lawns. 5 Into the barrow of turf dressing also mix a generous fistful of grass seed (try Green Velvet Lawn Seed with Rootgrow mycorrhizal fungi) per spadeful of dressing. Clever mathematicians might also be able to work out how much autumn lawn feed could be added to this, thus killing three birds with one stone. 6 Dump two spadefuls of the magic mixture per square metre on the lawn and, using a stiff broom, brush it evenly around to create an extremely thin layer. Some of it will hopefully drop down, or will eventually get naturally washed down, into the holes created by the aeration and so improve the quality of the turf. 7 Those who were not clever mathematicians can apply autumn lawn feed at this point. It is worth remembering that the application of an autumn feed (which benefits the roots, but does not make the grass grow) does not need to be as precise as the spring/summer ones. If we have a mild autumn and the grass continues to grow, hold off on the mowing for as long as possible, then keep the mower on a high setting. The considerable benefits of all this hard work may not be apparent until next summer.