I have a confession to make. I am a coward when it comes to the dark. I like to know where I am and I feel safer if I can see the horrors that lurk behind every tree, dustbin and shadow-filled corner.

As children, my brother and I were the only ones who could see the slit-eyed monster in the cupboard. I never visited the bathroom in the night (good strong bladder) and I was always in from playing before dusk. My parents thought I was well behaved. I was just scared of the night.

I know it's an irrational fear, and one that you gradually grow out of when you get older. I am much better now, and moving into the countryside has helped immensely (which is odd as the nights are much darker than the constant red glow of the Middlesbrough night sky). I have even been out on my own, well into the small hours, armed with only a torch, scouring the local woodlands in search of a visiting friend's lost dog (the dog had made its own way back whilst we were out and was quite contentedly lazing by the fireside of the people who live over the road).

However, there is one challenge that I have to face on a daily basis. Like most old cottages there isn't much room in the kitchen for all the utilities, so the freezer lives in the garage. Between the back door and the garage is a ten-yard dash past the local cemetery wall. In summer, this is fine as I have taken out what I need, cooked it and done the washing up by the time the sun sets. In the winter, though, it is dark before dinner is planned.

The problem has been solved now though. For the past five years we have had a set of garden lights, still in their original packaging, stored away in the back of a cupboard. They are the type that run off a plug-in cable, and come in a series of four lights that can be stuck into the ground.

In order to accommodate the lights, I built a raised border along the church wall out of stone remnants found in the garden. It is roughly about 18 inches high and the same deep. I filled this with garden soil mixed with an all-purpose compost and planted it up with roses. At the back are a selection of old fashioned shrub roses, full of fragrance and big blousy heads. I went for Constance Spry, Boule de Neige and Roseraie de l'Hay.

In the front I have put ground covering and smaller, daintier, patio roses. In between the plants are the lights, neatly plunged into the ground. The surface has been mulched with soft slate paddles. As well as complementing the roses and tidying up the bed, this means that the weed growth will be negligible. Consequently, the cable that feeds the lights can be safely buried under the mulch, as it will have little need of weeding and being dug over.

The lights are on a timer switch so that in winter I can make my journey to the freezer without fear of bumping into night-time monsters and goblins. In summer, the lights will provide under lighting for the roses, and will filter through the dark glossy leaves, picking out the soft colours of the flowers. As so often in gardening, a solution to one problem has doubled the attraction of the garden.

I have had a letter from Mrs McManners of Bishop Auckland. She wants to know the best time for transplanting clematis. She has two, one a spring flowering plant and the other a late autumn performer.

There are always two camps when it comes to moving plants around the garden. Some people prefer spring, and other autumn/winter. I always advocate the latter, as most plants tend to be dormant at this time of year and will more than likely not notice the upheaval. Try and do it on a warmer day, and avoid days when the ground is frosty or covered with snow. I have found that plants moved in spring tend to suffer a short setback, or shock, before picking up. Both your varieties will move quite happily now. Make sure that you dig a hole that is deep enough to take the root plus at least one leaf joint. This is a failsafe in case the plant is accidentally cut down to the ground or suffers an illness. The node under the ground may well burst into life and re-grow.

Clematis like to have their roots in the shade. An easy way of achieving this is to cover the base with pebbles, broken tiles or a an attractive mulch.

However, when it comes to pruning you must treat them completely differently. The early flowering one (most likely a 'Montana') has to be trimmed just after the flowers are finished. If you leave it too late, you will miss out on a season of flowers. The other clematis can be cut back in February/March, and can be pruned down to 18 inches to two feet. It will not flower on old growth.

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK: Plant shrubs (especially evergreens), roses and hedges; Clean out bird boxes; Cut down canes of autumn fruiting raspberries; Sow hardy peas and broad beans in prepared ground outside; Pinch out the tips of Autumn sown sweet peas. You can contact Brigid by emailing her at brigidpress67.freeserve.co.uk or writing to her care of Nature's World, Ladgate Lane, Acklam, Middlesbrough.

Published: 23/11/2002