THE renowned Charlie Dimmock from the TV programme Ground Force was in East Lancashire at the beginning of the month.

The programme has probably inspired a huge number of first-time gardeners to take more of an active role in their outdoor retreats this summer.

When you watch gardening programmes, you usually only dream of your garden ever looking as good as it does when the professionals have added their touch of expertise.

I scanned through a few different gardening websites to try to influence my intentions to get out there, and I came across www.greenfingers.com.

The site incorporated some good advice on common problems and gardening tasks as well as product tests and reviews.

It also included an essential guide to health and safety in the garden, which is always handy to know when you are a virgin gardener like myself.

Take a look at the site...