Our new columnist on the joys of untidy gardening in April and how she stops slugs in their tracks

Spring is in the air already for Joe Swift , who says go wild and have some fun in your garden

As the long nights shorten, Mounton House garden quietly emerges from winter with delicate sprinklings of white narcissi, Scilla siberica and crocuses through the lawns. Daphnes fill the air with frag

Position logs randomly around garden borders rather than in neat piles to recreate the way they fall naturally from trees in the wild. You could artfully arrange them around spring-flowering plants or

This is the month of horticultural happiness, and with everything looking fresh, green and lush, even the burgeoning weeds become – briefly – delightful additions to the garden. Selfheal sprouts gaily

Planting schemes should never stand still, so let’s reassess, reshape and reinvigorate