Use your computer to help you with gardening tasks and ideas

The PC and the garden might not seem like the most likely companions but, with a computer and an internet connection, you can get access to a veritable forest of information, advice and support.

Much of this is available free, from advice on when to plant what types of flora, to diagnosing plant diseases and lots more.

You can pick up some great garden-design tips and software that can help with the layout of the perfect outdoor space. Our easy-to-follow guide will point you in the direction of the best tools for everyone, from the budding gardener through to the seasoned horticulturalist.

Working out what's wrong with a plant isn't always easy. There are a variety of ailments, bugs and diseases that can hamper plant growth and even kill off whole swathes of much-loved perennials.

The internet is a great place to find in-depth guides to diagnose your plant problems. The BBC gardening website has a Pests and Diseases application that runs using Adobe Flash, a web-animation tool. For those without Flash, the site has a non-Flash version.

The application is really easy to use; choose from a list the part of the plant affected and then answer the questions to work out exactly what the problem is.

Once the ailment has been diagnosed, the application offers advice on how to cure it, from natural solutions, such as friendly bugs to introduce to a flower-bed, to chemicals that can be added to kill off unwanted pests. There are also videos and photographs along with plenty of extra information.

Root and branch discussions
If there's a gardening query that you can't find the answer to, there are plenty of places where green-fingered enthusiasts share hints, tips and advice online.

The BBC's gardening messageboard lets people ask questions and discuss gardening issues. This forum is moderated to prevent offensive or misleading content being posted.

Gardeners Corner is a lively and active discussion forum where people can share their ideas, ask questions and chat about horticultural issues.

The forums are split into sections discussing topics such as allotments and different types of gardening, such as vegetables and tropical.

We found there was always someone around to help with a gardening dilemma and thanks to the large number of previously posted topics there are loads of archived tips and hints.

Designing a garden can be a great project but also quite a daunting task with various issues to consider. The BBC gardening website has some handy guides to how to get started with a new garden design, border or planting arrangement.

There's an interactive garden designer, interviews and advice from gardening experts and downloadable PDFs featuring designs from recent Chelsea Flower Shows.