Page 55 - News

Person harvesting a lemon from a balcony herb garden with plants and a watering can in sunlight.

Best herbs to keep mosquitoes off your balcony

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

Anyone with a balcony knows the mood-killer all too well. Rather than fogging yourself with sprays or lighting pungent mosquito...

Person mowing lawn with a black lawnmower on a sunny day in a backyard with autumn leaves.

The March first cut: how to mow your lawn for a dense, green carpet

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

If you find yourself wondering each year why your neighbour’s lawn stays richly green even during the hottest summer weeks,...

Person measuring and planting potatoes in a garden bed with a spade nearby and potato plants visible.

Seed Potato Planting Depth: How Deep to Plant Potatoes for Full Crates

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

In a vegetable garden, it’s rarely the trendy variety or the priciest specialist granules that decide whether you end up...

Woman watering plants in garden surrounded by colourful birds and birdhouse in sunlight.

White Millet: The Simple Plant That Turns a Garden into a Bird Haven

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

A modest-looking plant can shift the whole mood of a garden. If you want your mornings filled not just with...

Elderly man gardening lettuce in raised bed with wheelbarrow, chickens, and small coop in background.

Chicken Manure in the Garden: Turning Coop Waste into Black Gold

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

Many keen gardeners reach for bags of specialist fertiliser as soon as spring arrives. But if you keep chickens, you...

Hands planting pink and white peonies in soil with fertiliser pellets and a calendar showing 31 March

Peonies in Late March: The Soil Step for Bigger Blooms

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

Many home gardeners ask themselves every year why the neighbour’s peonies seem to hover above the borders as huge, round...

Man wearing a hat and gloves carefully handling a bird's nest with eggs near garden tools and a bush.

Hedge Cutting Ban During the Breeding Season: What Applies When

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

Many people use the first warm days of the year to tidy up hedges and shrubs. That simple spring job...

Woman planting flowers in garden surrounded by blooming pink peonies and lavender under golden sunlight.

Peonies and Companion Plants: How to Create a Spectacular Display

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

Plenty of gardeners plant a peony, enjoy a handful of blooms, and then wonder why it never turns into a...

Person holding a small plant seedling near a spider plant in a pot on a wooden windowsill with a watering can.

Get Your Spider Plant Full of Babies with the 3-Point Plan

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

With a few well-chosen tweaks, you can practically coax it into “having babies”. Plenty of houseplant growers dream of a...

Person using a rake in a sunny backyard garden with soil and gardening supplies nearby.

Remove Moss from Your Lawn in Spring with Two Simple Tools

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

With two straightforward tools, you can turn things around surprisingly quickly. When moss starts to take over, plenty of amateur...

Woman planting a shrub in a garden bed surrounded by green plants on a sunny day.

Photinia to Pittosporum: the new hedge trend for 2026

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

Popular Photinia hedges are looking increasingly miserable in more and more gardens: bare patches, diseased leaves and hardly any privacy...

Hands adding fresh asparagus to a steaming frying pan on a gas stove in a bright kitchen.

When to Harvest Asparagus: The 20 Centimetres Rule

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

The first time you grow your own asparagus in a bed, it’s hard not to be amazed by how quickly...

Young person arranging green leafy wreath on a potted plant at a wooden table in a sunlit room.

How to Turn a Spider Plant into a Living Sculpture

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

Plenty of households have one, and hardly anyone gives it much respect: the spider plant. It’s seen as an easy-going...

Woman in denim outfit crouching and holding a trowel, surprised by a red squirrel in a garden bed.

Squirrels in the garden: from pest to ally for your vegetable patch

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

Many amateur gardeners complain about the quick little rodents the moment they appear in a bed. They get blamed for...

Hands placing a pine cone on a small potted pine tree by a sunny window with other plants on a wooden shelf.

The Fir Cone Trick for Houseplants in Winter Plant Pots

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

If you look closely at your Monstera, your ficus or any other leafy houseplants right now, the issues are often...

Person wearing gloves spreading weed killer powder on moss between garden patio stones on a sunny day.

Bicarbonate of Soda in Winter: Stop Moss in Paving Joints

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

Anyone who spends hours every spring on their knees scraping out paving joints is often making the job harder than...

Person lifting edge of garden cover revealing a small snake hiding underneath in a backyard.

Why a Tarp in the Garden Attracts Snakes in Spring

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

The lawn has just been cut, the garden furniture is out - and somewhere there is still a tarp or...

Person planting a small flower on a balcony with a watering can and colourful flowers in pots.

Calibrachoa: The Mini Petunia for Overflowing Balcony Boxes and Flower Cascades

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

Many people picture their balcony lined with thick, cascading curtains of flowers - and then end up with a few...

Two men discussing a large cracked concrete sidewalk in a suburban neighbourhood with notice papers and boots nearby.

Spring garden growth: how property owners risk fines for poor property upkeep

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

Letting the garden run a little wild in spring can lead to hefty penalties in many towns and villages. The...

Person kneeling on lawn operating a red electric lawn mower on sunny day with garden tools in background.

The First Lawn Cut in March: The One-Third Rule for a Denser Spring Lawn

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

The shift from winter into spring often determines whether your lawn later ends up with gaps, moss and yellow patches...

Hands pouring water from a glass jar onto a potted orchid plant on a kitchen windowsill with corn nearby.

Maize Water Fertiliser for Orchids: Reviving Weak Plants Naturally

Harriet M. Ashford • August 15, 2026

A humble kitchen leftover can, surprisingly, breathe new life into certain plants. Rather than buying pricey specialist feeds or giving...