CUTTINGS

The Reflecteur Jardin is a miniature, spiked low-voltage directional floodlight, which will throw light across paths or walls or create a halo round espaliered trees, topiary or other fancy shrubs. You can position it like a submarine conning-tower to throw light from the top of low hedges or walls. It is available in two sizes. The smaller one (250mm stem) costs pounds 128.11 and the larger one (500mm stem) pounds 133.46. Both are available from John Cullen Lighting, 585 King's Road, London SW6 2EH (0171-371 5400).

Dawyck Botanic Garden at Stobo, Tweeddale, Scotland, is a specialist outpost of the famous Royal Botanic Garden at Edinburgh and has a fine collection of rare trees, rhododendrons and other shrubs. The garden is dramatically terraced, with fine stonework constructed by Italian landscape gardeners in the 1820s. It is open daily (10am-6pm) until the end of October, admission pounds 2. At the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, today and tomorrow (10am-2pm), you can learn how to make paper using the natural resources of the garden. Tomorrow's assignment is to recreate a botanical scene, using paper pulp and dyes. The cost is pounds 9 a day. For further information call 0131-552 7171.

A specialist plant sale will be held tomorrow (11am-5pm) in the grounds of Calke Abbey, the National Trust's property at Ticknall, Derbyshire, where more than 50 specialist nurseries will have treasures to buy. The garden itself is worth visiting, too. Largely abandoned before the property came into the Trust's hands, it has now, in the hands of a dedicated head gardener, sprung back to life. The derelict orangery has been restored, and vegetables grow in the kitchen garden. There is a dahlia walk and a rare auricula theatre, once used to display fancy auriculas in clay pots ranged along the shelves. Entry to the sale costs pounds 1. Entry to the garden at Calke Abbey costs pounds 2.20.

The City of London is holding its own flower show this year at the Guildhall, Gresham Street, London EC2. There are competitive classes for fruit, vegetables, roses, and other flowers such as gladioli, sweet peas, snapdragons, dahlias and chrysanthemums, pot plants, flower arrangements, honey, and home-made wine or beer. Anyone who wants to enter produce in any of the classes should get in touch with the show secretary on 0181-472 3584. The show itself is open Tues 9 Sept (12pm-6.30pm) and Wed 10 Sept (9am-4pm). Admission pounds 2 (12pm-3pm, 9 Sept, 12-2pm on 10 Sept) and pounds 1.50 at other times.