Page 27 - News

Person harvesting a ripe tomato from a garden bed with plant markers, a thermometer, and a May calendar nearby.

The best time to plant tomatoes outdoors after the Ice Saints

Harriet M. Ashford • August 27, 2026

Home-grown tomatoes from your own garden taste more intense, sweeter, and simply like summer. But to make that happen, it...

Person using a sponge to water a young plant in a terracotta pot on a wooden table with gardening tools.

How to Reuse an Old Kitchen Sponge in the Garden and on the Balcony

Harriet M. Ashford • August 27, 2026

If you garden regularly, you end up collecting all sorts of little hacks: eggshells go into the flower beds, coffee...

Woman kneeling in a garden planting a small tree with gardening tools and colourful shrubs around her.

Pittosporum: the 2026 alternative to collapsing red standard hedges

Harriet M. Ashford • August 27, 2026

For years, bright red hedges were seen as a must-have on new-build estates: fast-growing, evergreen, and stocked by almost every...

Man grooming a golden retriever in a sunny garden with a child playing in the background.

Ticks in the garden: it’s the microclimate, not the plants

Harriet M. Ashford • August 27, 2026

What’s really causing it? Many amateur gardeners instinctively blame particular plant species. Yet ticks are not interested in roses or...

Hands planting seeds in soil with blooming blue and pink flowers and a family sitting on a porch in the background.

Nigella (Love-in-a-Mist): the low-maintenance summer hero for balcony and garden

Harriet M. Ashford • August 27, 2026

Many people across German-speaking countries work long hours, have children, and live with limited space - yet still want a...

Person measuring a small wooden shed outside with blueprints and documents on a wooden table nearby.

Garden house tax in France: avoid the taxe d’aménagement with 5 square metres

Harriet M. Ashford • August 27, 2026

Knowing the rules can save you real money. A modest garden shed, a small home office among the greenery, or...

Person planting young seedlings in soil in a garden bed with potatoes and onions nearby in a bowl.

Planting Instead of Sowing: Tubers, Bulbs and Young Plants for a Faster Harvest

Harriet M. Ashford • August 27, 2026

If you only sow right now, you often give away weeks. Some vegetables get going far more strongly when they...

Elderly woman and young boy gardening together, sowing seeds in a sunlit garden with tools nearby.

Old Method: Iron Sulphate, Then Sand, to Reduce Moss in Your Lawn

Harriet M. Ashford • August 27, 2026

A lot of garden owners only realise in March just how much moss has taken over their lawn. That is...

Hands holding a large sunflower with three small birds perched on sunflowers in a garden.

A sunflower bed turns your garden into a natural bird canteen

Harriet M. Ashford • August 27, 2026

The answer is often growing right there in the border. Rather than buying yet another high-tech bird feeder, more and...

Person harvesting ripe lemons from a tree with white flowers in an orchard, basket and tools nearby.

Pruning Citrus Trees at the End of Winter: More Fruit from Lemon, Orange, Mandarin and Grapefruit

Harriet M. Ashford • August 27, 2026

Anyone growing a lemon tree, orange, mandarin or grapefruit-whether in the garden or in a container-can significantly increase their crop...

Two men discussing papers by a garden fence with green shrubs in a suburban neighbourhood.

How to Handle a Neighbour’s Hedge Dispute Legally

Harriet M. Ashford • August 27, 2026

An overgrown garden boundary, a patio stuck in permanent shade, and a neighbour who responds to every hint with a...

Person tending to young vegetable plants in a raised garden bed using a hand cultivator tool.

Plastic forks in vegetable beds: a clever trick to deter animal pests

Harriet M. Ashford • August 27, 2026

Strolling through modern allotments or small back-garden plots, you might spot something odd among the lettuce, strawberries and herbs: white...

Person holding a terracotta pot with a blooming pink Christmas cactus by a sunny windowsill.

Easter cactus in March: how to stop buds dropping

Harriet M. Ashford • August 27, 2026

The Easter cactus is usually a straightforward houseplant - until it reaches its delicate flowering stage in March. That’s when...

Man installing concrete stepping stones in a garden path beside a wooden fence in daylight.

How to Stop Your Lawn Turning to Mud in Winter

Harriet M. Ashford • August 27, 2026

With a handful of professional tricks, you can put a stop to it. Plenty of homeowners know the scene: the...

Woman watering pink and white flowering plants on a sunlit terrace with a child and dog in the background.

Oleander care: the golden rule for a wall of flowers

Harriet M. Ashford • August 26, 2026

Oleander conjures up summer, the south and the sea - which is exactly why it’s showing up more and more...

Person tending to a potted lemon tree on a balcony with watering cans and gardening tools.

Lemon tree in a pot: the insulating board trick against a cold balcony

Harriet M. Ashford • August 26, 2026

Many hobby gardeners breathe a sigh of relief in February: the potted lemon tree has made it through winter, and...

Man kneeling in garden filling wooden compost bin with autumn leaves on sunny day

Burning garden waste: why many councils end garden fires after 31 March

Harriet M. Ashford • August 26, 2026

For decades, lighting a spring garden fire was simply seen as part of the season. In many places, that tradition...

Person installing a wooden birdhouse on a tree branch with two small birds perched nearby in a garden.

How to Attract Tits to Your Garden with the Right Nest Box

Harriet M. Ashford • August 26, 2026

Plenty of people want more life in their own patch of green - birdsong instead of traffic noise. If you...

Man in gloves gardening with tomato plants, adding soil to a metal bucket in a sunny garden.

Bison Manure for Tomatoes: The Natural Fertiliser That Makes the Difference

Harriet M. Ashford • August 26, 2026

Often, the difference is made quietly in the background by one thing: the right fertiliser. Anyone growing tomatoes in a...

Person tending to a peace lily plant in a pot on a wooden table beside a calendar and medicine bottle in a living room.

Peace lily (Spathiphyllum): the simple turning trick that made an XXL plant for 20 years

Harriet M. Ashford • August 26, 2026

What sounds like a professional horticultural set-up is happening in a perfectly ordinary living room. About 20 years ago, a...

Person spreading seeds in a garden with gardening tools and a bag of seeds nearby on grass.

Spring Lawn Fertiliser: The Gentle Four-Step Plan

Harriet M. Ashford • August 26, 2026

After winter, it’s only natural to want your lawn looking richly green again as quickly as possible. But this is...