Even if you live in the suburbs and your house is modern, it’s easy to create an authentic country-style cottage garden if you look to your granny’s garden for inspiration.…
Gardening
Plant irises and bring colour to your garden
Irises have been a favourite flower since the Chinese fell in love with them thousands of years ago. Their picture-perfect blooms have also been a source of inspiration for many…
Top tips for creating a dog-friendly garden
If you’re thinking about bringing a dog into your home, you must ensure your garden is safe and pet friendly. It’s vital you cover all escape routes to stop your…
Green grass tips from our gardening expert
1. Green Up Grass The most common reason for a lawn turning yellow is excess heat and drought, but over-fertilising with nitrogen is another. Feeding a hungry lawn with leaf-making…
Summer bulbs to brighten up your garden
Tall and dramatic Known as desert candles or foxtail lilies, the stately spikes of eremurus like it sunny and dry and, in order to induce flowering, a cold snap…
How to win the garden weed war
Stinging nettles Well-known for their painful sting, these weeds are widespread. They produce a dense mat of bright yellow roots and form thickets of erect stems more than a metre…
How to use alpine plants in your garden
The majority of alpine enthusiasts use rock gardens replicating their natural habitats to grow these mini mountain plants. Since the 1980s rockeries have been out of favour with less committed…
How to create a craft garden at home
Homegrown veg can be a real money-spinner, especially if they’re organic. Consider getting an allotment, as your plot could provide enough food to feed 20 people when in full production.…
Plant bulbs ready for spring
Plant bulbs now for a garden full of colourful surprises in spring. They’re easy to grow – simply dig a hole, pop them in and wait! Most spring-flowering bulbs prefer…
Prairie garden: What to plant
Naturalised ‘prairie’ planting remains very much in fashion after more than 30 years, mainly because it is trouble-free and is an attractive alternative to an English cottage border. It also…
In the pink: Dianthus plants
Resembling a mini florist carnation, easy-care dianthus – which we call ‘pinks’ because the serrated edges to the petals look as though they have been cut with pinking shears –…
Create memories with your garden scent
Scent connects with people in so many different ways. It switches on lights from your past, drawing forward precious memories. It’s a good idea therefore, to build a garden around…
Your garden: How to plant it
One of the toughest parts of planning your garden is figuring out how to plant it. For an instant, new-look garden, take a tip from the experts and reshape the…
Perfect perennials: Plant and flower ideas
Flower beds stuffed with plants is the key to creating a great garden and reliable, perennial favourites, like bee balm or Monarda which attract pollinators such as butterflies and bees,…
Gold plant inspiration for your garden
Plants that have yellow-gold leaves add a splash of instant sunshine to a shady corner, an effect that lasts longer than any flowers. They look fabulous beside perennials with red,…
Growing potatoes and top types to try
There are potato varieties for salads, roasting, boiling, baking and mash – and if you start planting after the danger of frost has passed, you could enjoy them from June…
Cactus tips: How to care for your cacti
It’s easy to get hooked on cacti as their spiked, ridged, tall, squat and hairy forms are very collectable – especially with children as they are often sold at pocket-money…
How to fight off garden bugs with plants
Even though the good weather means plants are growing fast and strong now, they can still be prone to pest attack by garden bugs. Keeping them healthy by regular watering,…
How to be weather-wise in the garden
Tropical air blowing in from the south-west along with a strong El Niño phenomenon have been given as reasons for this winter’s mild, wet and windy weather. Unseasonal temperatures have…
Grow your own drinks
If you grow your own fruit and vegetables you will no doubt have made jams and chutneys galore – and probably given a lot to friends and family. So what…