Page 110 - News

Hands trimming a green leafy plant cutting on a wooden table with jars of water and plants in the background.

How to Prune Houseplants Without Killing Them

Harriet M. Ashford • August 20, 2026

One wrong snip and that trailing pothos you’ve tended for months can end up looking… butchered. Perhaps you’ve been eyeing...

Young man examining hydroponic plants inside a transparent dome greenhouse in a desert setting.

airfarm’s inflatable aeroponics farm aims to grow salads from sand

Harriet M. Ashford • August 20, 2026

A compact team is trying to raise salad greens directly from sand. A startup based in Jordan has introduced an...

Man kneeling on grass repairing an electric lawn mower with tools, paper, and spray can nearby.

Lawn Mower Tune-Up: How to Get a Cleaner Cut and Faster Mowing

Harriet M. Ashford • August 20, 2026

Uneven stripes, yellowing tips, and little heaps of clippings slumped by the fence. Each weekend you walk the lawn mower...

Person feeding a flock of sparrows and budgerigars on a bird feeder in a backyard garden.

Noisy Bird Invasion in Kent: How to Help Birds Without Driving Neighbours Crazy

Harriet M. Ashford • August 20, 2026

The first thing you register isn’t the birds. It’s the sound. A rolling, metallic chorus that carries over garden fences...

A senior person handing seed packets to a child seated at a wooden table in a garden.

Seed-saving and resilience: choosing the healthiest plants

Harriet M. Ashford • August 20, 2026

In the shed, the chatter of brittle pods sounded like rain striking a corrugated roof. She squatted between lines of...

Woman gently holding an agitated tabby cat near a table with plants and a phone in a living room.

Toxic Houseplants: What Vets Want Cat Owners to Know

Harriet M. Ashford • August 20, 2026

Some of the most Instagram-ready houseplants can do real harm to a curious cat. Vets say it isn’t only the...

Two men kneeling on a wooden deck reviewing plans beside wooden beams and a drawn circle.

Hot tub deck structural reinforcement: why 8 out of 10 decks need it

Harriet M. Ashford • August 20, 2026

On a biting-cold Saturday morning, Mark stood out on his worn timber deck with a mug of coffee, looking at...

Person pruning a budding tree branch in a snowy orchard at sunrise, with gardening tools nearby.

How February Fruiting Pruning and the Three-Bud Rule Shape Your Apple Harvest

Harriet M. Ashford • August 20, 2026

Cold, grey, and seemingly lifeless, the February garden can feel like somewhere you simply wait rather than do. That impression...

Person kneeling on a doorstep tending to various potted plants in the sunlight outside a house.

Build a Green Moat to Stop Spiders Getting Indoors

Harriet M. Ashford • August 20, 2026

The solution sits outside your house - not in an aerosol. Most people reach for a spray or a sticky...

Woman wearing a straw hat planting flower bulbs in a sunny garden bed with colourful flowers nearby.

Plant in March: Dahlias, Begonias, Lilies and Peonies to Keep Colour After Tulips

Harriet M. Ashford • August 19, 2026

If you associate spring solely with bright tulips, daffodils and hyacinths, May can bring an unpleasant surprise: the spring bulbs...

Person examining purple wildflowers in a garden with a botanical book and wicker basket nearby on grass.

Early Spring Flowers in the Lawn: Sweet Violet, Ground-Ivy and Persian Speedwell

Harriet M. Ashford • August 19, 2026

Between the first mild rays of sunshine and soil that is still weary from winter, they seem to appear overnight:...

Woman planting colourful flowers in a garden bed outside a house on a sunny day.

Lantana ‘Hot Blooded’: red shrub for driveway edges

Harriet M. Ashford • August 19, 2026

Many homeowners run into the same problem: how do you make the driveway or the route to the garage look...

Barefoot person picking lavender flowers in a sunlit garden beside a wooden deck with potted plants.

Thyme carpet instead of a lawn: Thymus serpyllum ‘Coccineus’ for fewer mosquitoes on the terrace

Harriet M. Ashford • August 19, 2026

A modest-looking scented plant can change all of that. Anyone who wants to enjoy summer in the garden often hits...

Man wearing a straw hat tending to soil in a vegetable garden with tomato plants and chickens nearby.

Chicken Coop Compost: How to Turn Chicken Manure into Premium Garden Fertiliser

Harriet M. Ashford • August 19, 2026

Anyone with a chicken coop in the garden is sitting on a genuine treasure-usually without realising it. Among the feathers,...

Person sitting on a wooden chair drinking tea, surrounded by vibrant flowers and gardening tools in a backyard garden.

Long-flowering perennials: reliable bloom all summer with minimal effort

Harriet M. Ashford • August 19, 2026

Long-flowering perennials can turn an ordinary border into a true ribbon of colour that runs right through the summer. Instead...

Woman in a beanie planting lettuce in a raised garden bed surrounded by flowers and plants on a sunny day.

Ice Saints: What You Can Plant Before Mid-May

Harriet M. Ashford • August 19, 2026

In many gardens, the famous Ice Saints are treated almost like the starting pistol for planting. Beds stay empty until...

Man sprinkling garden lime on mossy lawn in sunny backyard garden.

Baking Powder for Moss in the Lawn: the 0.75 Euro Trick

Harriet M. Ashford • August 19, 2026

Between the blades of grass sits a dense, sponge-like moss, as if someone has tipped green cotton wool into the...

Person wearing rolled-up jeans and green clogs walking through a garden bed with plants and a spade nearby.

11 Groundcovers for Wet and Muddy Garden Areas to Cut Drainage Work

Harriet M. Ashford • August 19, 2026

A lot of homeowners immediately assume they’ll need costly drainage work involving a digger, gravel and pipes. In many situations,...

Woman planting flower bulbs in garden bed surrounded by potted flowers under sunlight.

Plant Dahlias, Begonias, Lilies and Peonies in March: Four Bulbs and Tubers to Avoid the Bloom Gap

Harriet M. Ashford • August 19, 2026

With four smartly chosen bulbs and tubers, you can stop that from happening. When daffodils and tulips finish, many gardens...

Young girl in a cream dress gardening, planting flowers beside a wooden fence in a sunny backyard.

Lantana: the colour-changing long-flowering shrub for garden, balcony and patio

Harriet M. Ashford • August 19, 2026

Plenty of amateur gardeners accept that autumn means washed-out borders and bare balcony boxes. Yet there’s one plant that really...

Child sitting in a garden with clover flowers, gently holding a ladybird and other insects nearby.

Clover Lawn and Insects: What to Expect in Your Garden

Harriet M. Ashford • August 19, 2026

Many homeowners and gardeners are tempted by a clover lawn as an alternative to a traditional ornamental lawn. Less mowing,...