Page 88 - News

Frost-covered orange tree and gloved hands holding a freshly picked orange in snowy garden.

Frost-hardy citrus varieties that survive winter and make lemons look weak

Harriet M. Ashford • September 3, 2026

Some varieties shrug off biting cold and make ordinary lemons look fragile. Plenty of amateur gardeners know the familiar heartbreak:...

Person wearing a straw hat planting flowers in a garden bed beside blue and white pansies.

Ground Cover in March: Stop Weeds with Brunnera macrophylla

Harriet M. Ashford • September 3, 2026

Anyone who ends up on hands and knees in the border every March with a bucket and a kneeling pad...

Person shaping a small bonsai tree on a wooden table with miniature rocks and gardening tools nearby.

Penjing: The Ancient Chinese Art Beyond Bonsai

Harriet M. Ashford • September 3, 2026

What may look like bonsai at first glance is often something quite different: Penjing, a Chinese art form with a...

Hands planting a plastic bottle in soil beside yellow-flowered plants and a garden trowel on wooden raised bed.

The Plastic Bottle Trick for Watering Cucumbers in Summer

Harriet M. Ashford • September 3, 2026

The day had barely begun, yet the heat was already pressing down like a sticky blanket over a small terraced-house...

Man kneeling in garden watching bird on wooden birdhouse with two hedgehogs nearby and lawnmower in background

Five Widespread Misconceptions That Drive Tits, Blackbirds and Robins Out of the Garden

Harriet M. Ashford • September 3, 2026

Anyone hoping to watch tits, blackbirds and robins often reaches for the lawnmower, the hedge trimmer and a bag of...

Woman testing soil moisture near colourful hydrangea plants in a garden bed on a sunny day

Preparing Your Hydrangea in August: Soil pH, Watering and Flower Colour

Harriet M. Ashford • September 3, 2026

August is a useful time to get the hydrangea ready before it moves into a more vigorous phase of growth....

Person using a watering can and rake to tend plants growing between white gravel in a sunny garden.

Stop Weeds in Your Gravel Driveway Before Summer in Three Simple Steps

Harriet M. Ashford • September 2, 2026

With three straightforward steps before summer, you can put a stop to it. Plenty of homeowners know the pattern: the...

Person pruning yellow flowers in terracotta pots with a green watering can and gardening tools nearby.

Lantana (Lantana camara): the colour-changing “immortal” bloomer for balcony, patio and garden

Harriet M. Ashford • September 2, 2026

Colour-changing lantana, botanically Lantana camara, is one of the quiet superstars for balconies, patios and gardens. From spring right through...

Person scattering fertiliser from a green container in a garden with plants and gardening gloves nearby.

Iron sulphate in March: a simple trick for a greener lawn and less moss

Harriet M. Ashford • September 2, 2026

Bare patches, yellowing blades, moss everywhere - and yet one simple trick can bring back rich green. As the days...

Two great tits pecking at an apple held by hands with red berries above in a frosty garden.

Winter berries: attract tits to your garden for natural pest control

Harriet M. Ashford • September 2, 2026

A handful of small tweaks in the garden can tempt in one of the best natural pest hunters: tits. They...

Woman arranging a potted peace lily on a wooden shelf next to a lit candle in a cosy, well-lit home.

Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum): The Houseplant That Reduces Odours and Improves Indoor Air

Harriet M. Ashford • September 2, 2026

A particular houseplant can noticeably soften all of that. Anyone who spends a lot of time indoors often ends up...

Person carefully removing a bird nest with eggs from hedge using electric hedge trimmer extension.

Spring Hedge Cutting: How to Avoid a €150,000 Fine During the Nesting and Breeding Season

Harriet M. Ashford • September 2, 2026

Wanting to tidy up a hedge in spring usually brings to mind kerb appeal, the neighbours and the pavement -...

Child arranging herb plants in coloured tin pots on a wooden balcony garden shelf on a sunny day

Tin Cans as Herb Pots: A Simple Balcony Gardening Hack

Harriet M. Ashford • September 2, 2026

Gardeners across the UK - both amateurs and professionals - are currently urging people not to chuck a familiar household...

Woman planting colourful flowers in a sunlit garden with gardening tools and plans nearby.

15 Perennials for a Fast Garden Makeover

Harriet M. Ashford • September 2, 2026

Act now and you can avoid costly replanting schemes and years of waiting. Perennials return from the ground year after...

Great tit bird holding a bee perched on a wooden beehive with bees flying around in a garden.

Tits vs the Invasive Hornet: a Simple March Plan to Protect Honey Bees

Harriet M. Ashford • September 2, 2026

For several years now, many gardens have been facing the same new threat: an invasive hornet introduced from Asia that...

Person watering a small lemon tree seedling placed in a clear water-filled bowl on a wooden table.

Dried-Out Lemon Tree Rescue: Pruning, Water Bath and Plastic Cover

Harriet M. Ashford • September 2, 2026

Many keen gardeners throw out a lemon tree too quickly when it’s dropped every leaf and looks completely dried out....

Person holding a garden fork and paper, turning a smoking compost pile in a backyard garden on a sunny day.

Burning Garden Waste: 31 March Deadline, Saxony-Anhalt Fines and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Ban from 2029

Harriet M. Ashford • September 2, 2026

Across many local authorities, 31 March has become an unofficial deadline for a practice that used to be routine: pile...

Woman in a straw hat tending to blooming lavender plants in a sunlit garden path with watering can and trowel.

Catmint (Nepeta × faassenii): the tougher, longer-flowering alternative to lavender

Harriet M. Ashford • September 2, 2026

Plenty of amateur gardeners reach for lavender out of habit when they want to give a balcony or garden a...

Hands pruning fresh mint leaves with scissors in a sunlit indoor garden planter box.

How to Harvest Mint Like a Pro

Harriet M. Ashford • September 2, 2026

The air already carries a hint of summer before the sun clears the garden fence. You step outside barefoot onto...

Girl in a white dress crouching in a garden full of pink flowers and butterflies on a sunny day.

Mimosa strigillosa: Sunshine Mimosa as a Low-Water Lawn Replacement

Harriet M. Ashford • September 2, 2026

More and more home gardeners are swapping a closely mown, thirsty grass lawn for a low carpet of flowers that...

Person holding a halved papaya near a bird perched on a bowl with banana slices and water.

How to Keep a Robin in Your Garden with Wild Mulch

Harriet M. Ashford • September 2, 2026

Many garden owners put up feeders, hang suet balls in the trees and then wait in vain for that bright...