Page 43 - News

Man kneeling in a garden planting seedlings in soil with gardening tools and a bucket nearby on a sunny day.

Why deep digging damages soil - and what no-dig gardening does instead

Harriet M. Ashford • August 20, 2026

For years, gardeners have stuck to one familiar springtime routine. Fresh evidence suggests it could be quietly harming your soil....

Person trimming green hedges with an electric hedge trimmer in a sunny garden.

Husqvarna Aspire S20‑P4A 18V hedge trimmer deal at €189 at Leroy Merlin

Harriet M. Ashford • August 20, 2026

When lawns are frozen solid and shrubs look a bit sorry for themselves, retailers often start shaving prices off proper...

Couple sitting at a garden table enjoying drinks while a child plays in the background near a white air purifier.

INYO I-Garden targets tiger mosquitoes across up to 750 square metres

Harriet M. Ashford • August 20, 2026

When the terrace calls, the mosquitoes usually arrive too. A new French high-tech pillar is aiming to put a stop...

Person feeding birds at a wooden birdhouse in a sunlit garden with flowers and shrubs in the background.

Why Garden Birds Disappear Before a Cold Snap

Harriet M. Ashford • August 20, 2026

The seed feeder is still rocking gently after last night’s gusts, but the branches are bare and the air feels...

Hands planting orange and yellow marigolds in a raised garden bed with tomato plants and gardening tools nearby.

How Marigolds Help Tomatoes in UK Gardens

Harriet M. Ashford • August 20, 2026

“Nice flowers,” she says. “But don’t they steal food from your tomatoes?” It’s a reasonable thing to ask. The marigolds...

Young man measuring and cutting a turquoise pool noodle in a sunlit garage workshop.

The One Pool Noodle Hack That Actually Works

Harriet M. Ashford • August 20, 2026

A woman stands in the hardware aisle, waving a neon-green pool noodle as if it were a wand. In her...

Man kneeling on pavement drawing a geometric shape in chalk alongside rolled-up plans and a tape measure

Why Triangle Spacing Helps Street Trees Grow Faster

Harriet M. Ashford • August 20, 2026

Neat, measurable and easy to budget for, ruler-straight rows have long been the default. But more and more urban foresters...

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,...