Page 16 - News

Hands planting a green seedling into a potato on a wooden table near a window with gardening tools.

Hydrangea cuttings with a potato: the simple rooting method

Harriet M. Ashford • September 6, 2026

Many amateur gardeners give up on their hydrangeas far too quickly when, after the cold months, the shrub looks limp...

Man measuring a red lawn mower's cutting height on a grassy lawn in a backyard.

Lawn Cutting Height: Set Your Mower to Stop Moss

Harriet M. Ashford • September 6, 2026

The real trigger often isn’t in the soil or the weather at all, but in a rather overlooked detail: the...

Person repotting a spider plant indoors with gardening tools and pots on a wooden table by a window.

Why your spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) won’t produce plantlets - and how to change it

Harriet M. Ashford • September 6, 2026

What’s behind it - and how do you change it? Plenty of houseplant enthusiasts know this exact puzzle: your spider...

Person picking ripe blackberries from a potted plant on a wooden table with gardening tools and flowers.

Murtilla (Chile guava): the compact berry shrub for balconies and terraces

Harriet M. Ashford • September 6, 2026

While there may still be a bite of frost outdoors, plenty of hobby gardeners are already mapping out the next...

Hands wearing gardening gloves pulling yellow dandelion weeds from a vegetable garden bed.

Why Dandelion, Clover and Stinging Nettle Weeds Help Your Vegetable Garden

Harriet M. Ashford • September 6, 2026

If you want a tidy garden, March and April often turn into a big clear-out: every yellow flower gets plucked,...

Person planting seeds in soil with colorful flower seed packets scattered nearby in a garden.

March Sowing: 7 Best Flowers for a Summer Flower Bed

Harriet M. Ashford • September 6, 2026

The days are stretching out and you can feel that familiar itch to get stuck into the garden - yet...

Adult and two children planting herbs in a wooden raised garden bed on a patio.

Lidl Parkside Planter with Trellis for £29.99: A smart way to add greenery and privacy

Harriet M. Ashford • September 6, 2026

Lidl is putting a new garden buy on shelves just in time for the start of the season - and...

Three birds feeding at a snow-dusted bird feeder outside a window with a steaming cup and open book inside.

Feeding Tits in Winter: The Best Time for a Lively Garden

Harriet M. Ashford • September 6, 2026

In winter, many garden owners wonder why hardly any tits show up in their own garden, while next door it...

Person watering a potted plant on a wooden table with gardening tools and a jar with bananas nearby.

Banana Peel and Vinegar Fertiliser for the Garden

Harriet M. Ashford • September 6, 2026

What used to be tossed into the bin without a second thought is now increasingly being turned into liquid plant...

Person feeding great tits on a table inside by a frosted window on a winter day.

Attract Tits to Your Garden with Winter Feeding

Harriet M. Ashford • September 5, 2026

Many garden owners wonder why the tits are in full swing next door, while there is yawning emptiness just outside...

Person kneeling on a balcony planting a young leafy plant in a large terracotta pot with gardening tools nearby.

Why You Still Need to Water in the Rain: A Garden and Balcony Guide

Harriet M. Ashford • September 5, 2026

When you’re watching heavy showers hammering down outside the window, it’s tempting to park the watering can and call it...

Person tending to a pink and white flowering plant on a balcony with gardening tools nearby.

Polygala myrtifolia: The evergreen shrub that flowers for up to ten months

Harriet M. Ashford • September 5, 2026

If, by July, all you can see are scorched beds and limp container plants, it’s time to rethink the planting....

Person kneeling and examining plants in a garden bed with a botanical sketchbook and magnifying glass nearby.

Weeds as a Soil Health Report for Your Garden

Harriet M. Ashford • September 5, 2026

Many amateur gardeners spend hours on their knees in spring, stripping every unfamiliar plant from the beds without mercy. The...

Person in apron pouring milk into a jar beside fresh strawberries and bread on kitchen counter.

Yeast Fertiliser for Strawberries: The 3-Ingredient Kitchen Boost

Harriet M. Ashford • September 5, 2026

Reports are piling up on gardening forums from hobby growers whose strawberry plants have suddenly started producing noticeably larger, juicier...

Man planting a Pittosporum shrub in a garden bed surrounded by green bushes and gardening tools.

Photinia hedge crisis: why Pittosporum is set to replace it by spring 2026

Harriet M. Ashford • September 5, 2026

In countless new-build estates, it was seen as the quick fix for privacy: the evergreen Photinia hedge with its vivid...

Woman hanging a woven basket with green trailing plants on a sunlit balcony with gardening tools on a wooden table.

Upcycling an Old Fruit Basket into a Hanging Plant Island

Harriet M. Ashford • September 5, 2026

Plenty of households still have an old wooden or wire fruit basket tucked away somewhere - one that hasn’t seen...

Person repotting a green plant on a wooden table with gardening tools and a lit candle in natural light.

Red Sand Thyme: the scented ground cover that deters mosquitoes and replaces lawn

Harriet M. Ashford • September 5, 2026

When we sit out on the balcony or patio and enjoy the end of the day, many homeowners are battling...

Person attaching reflective foil strips to a small fruit tree in a strawberry garden bed at sunset.

How Aluminium Foil Keeps Pigeons Out of the Garden

Harriet M. Ashford • September 5, 2026

Many people spend hours grafting in the garden-sowing seeds, planting out seedlings-only to find, a few days later, that their...

Person pruning rose stems in a garden during early spring with gloves and secateurs.

Pruning Roses: The Best Time and How to Do It

Harriet M. Ashford • September 5, 2026

Many keen gardeners find themselves staring at their rose bushes each year, unsure what to do next. Prune at the...

Person spraying water on a potted orchid plant on a kitchen windowsill at sunrise.

Espresso orchid (Oncidium Sharry Baby): practical care guide for fragrance and blooms

Harriet M. Ashford • September 5, 2026

The Espresso orchid, botanically Oncidium Sharry Baby, can feel like a small diva on the windowsill: a heavenly fragrance, but...

Woman planting a tree sapling in a garden while a man and elderly woman holding a garden gnome watch nearby.

Magnolia, Garden Gnome and Mother-in-Law: A Garden Boundary Battle

Harriet M. Ashford • September 5, 2026

It was meant to be a quiet, almost ceremonial day: the first spring in the new house, the first proper...