UKTV Style Host: Welcome to the UKTV Style Surgery! The answer to all your homes and gardening dilemmas! Alan Titchmarsh and Ann Maurice are with us so let's get started! Don't forget to keep sending your questions in to us during the live chat. Here's the first question:

clot!: To Alan, I like gardening but I'm not very good at it! Can you tell me some plants that I can't kill off. PS. I'm 14
Alan: Try growing nasturtiums seeds in a sunny spot - don't sow them until April. If you want something to plant, you'll have great difficulty in killing Hypericum - also known as the Rose of Sharon.

Lisa: Ann, our house has been on the market nearly a year, every single viewer has said the rooms are too small, we have removed clutter, painted the walls pale colours on walls to make room larger and removed most of the furniture out and still we can't get a buyer - is there anything else we could do to encourage a buyer?
Ann: Perhaps you need to think about the scale of the furniture that exists. For example, you could have a sofa and two chairs in the room, and if the scale is wrong they're going to fill up the room. If the scale is right they'll make the room look inviting. I would also consider what's on your floor - a heavy or dark floor covering can make the room look a lot smaller. Also consider lighting as it plays an important part in space. I certainly wouldn't object to using a mirror wherever possible to reflect light and double the space.

Crops: Who is Alan's favourite celebrity gardener and why?
Alan: Christopher Lloyd, who gardens at Great Dixter in Sussex, because he is innovative in his gardening style. He's also a great plantsman and hugely good company. He's got a very good wine cellar!

Flowerpower: Ann, I love the look of the seagrass carpeting you often use, where can I get it and is it hardwearing?
Ann: The Original Seagrass Company and Crucial Trading are great suppliers. It's not terribly stain-resistant however, so I would think twice about using it somewhere where it might get spills. I would probably not install it on stairs or an entrance hall as it does tend to fray over time.

Dimmy: Working on a shoestring - what is the most effective way to change your garden and keep it reasonably maintenance free? I really love my garden but lack of funds restricts my options!!
Alan: Start by making some big, bold lines to define areas of planting. Then work out where you want to sit - usually the sunniest part. If you make the sitting area gravel or washed pea shingle it is quite cheap to construct and relatively easy and it also shows off plants to great effect. Plant relatively few species but in large blocks which creates a very sexy feel.

Mark Coxon: How can I tone down a bathroom with an orange suite in it? Is there any colour that I can paint the walls, tiles etc that will make it look not so bright?
Ann: I don't think I've seen an orange suite! You could stay with colours that are near the colour orange, like peach or yellow and make sure these colours are much paler and softer than the suite. Or a very neutral earth tone would be nice. For a more modern, punchy look try a periwinkle blue. It's important to continue the scheme with the accessories in the room - towels, plants, window shades - something that ties it all in.

Harry the Lad: Miss you on Ground Force, why did you quit?
Alan: I felt that having designed and built 67 gardens - all in two days - and on an individual budget of £1,500 each, I'd done just about everything I could do with the series. I remain very good friends with Charlie and Tommy and now am going on to do other things on the BBC. I'm doing a new natural history series, scheduled for transmission in autumn 2004, and a series on royal gardens which should be aired before that. I have to admit I haven't watched Ground Force since I left, but only because I'm scared of discovering that they might be doing quite well without me!

Bren: Ann, you have revolutionised our attitudes to selling our homes. Do people in the USA have the same approach as us -"take us as you find us"?
Ann: I don't live in the USA - I live in California! I think we're quite innovative there. In the Bay area, it's become run of the mill to stage your home and has been so for quite a few years now.