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In the news....

If you're about to stock up on wildlife-friendly goodies to help your local ladybirds, lacewings and hedgehogs get through the winter, just hold on a moment. Independent testers Ìýreported this week onÌýa year-long testÌýofÌýall those ladybird hotels, lacewing chambers, hedgehog boxes and bumblebee nests you buy in the hope of helping wildlife through winter.

They found . In fact home-made versions were more successful: log piles, compost heaps and nettle patches are far more popular with passing wildlife, and a lot cheaper, too.

Gardening clip of the week: you may be astonished to know that Top Gear presenter James May has been doing some gardening for his current series Man Lab. Perhaps his foray into the RHS Chelsea Flower Show last yearÌýwent to his head. As you might expect, it involves driving: but the vehicle in question is a picnic table. Watch and giggle.

Elsewhere on the web...

It's Bonfire Night weekend, and there's autumn in the air, inspiring garden bloggers everywhere to get out their cameras and take someÌýdazzling shots for the latest blogging meme from America, , mapping autumn arriving in gardens across the world.

Happy Mouffetard took things literally, ), VP has been , and Allan Jenkins overÌýat the Guardian is showing off . Meanwhile if you're getting fed up of all that orange, yellow and red, .

Incidentally, on the subject of bonfires: it may be worth reading wildlife gardener before you take a match to yours. Slumbering hedgehogs will thank you forever.

Out and about...

If you enjoyed Clive Nichols's post on garden photography last week, you'll love the early-morningÌý photography sessions held at throughout November. also holds a photography workshop on autumn colours on Tuesday (9 November).

A winter garden is something we all wish we'd planted at this time of year – and at, they've just created the UK's largest. Find out from the head gardener how they did it on Thursday (11 November).

And for an extra garden challenge this winter, go diamond-hunting at . They're celebrating their 60th anniversary this month by burying a £2,500 diamond somewhere in the grounds. You follow clues around the garden, work out where you think it is and mark the spot with an X. The closest entry to its actual location wins the gem. Incidentally, it's not worth taking a spade along: the real thing is locked up safely till 28th November, when the winner is announced. Good luck!

Sally Nex is a garden writer and blogger and part of the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Gardening team.