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Citronella lemon grass in pots: natural mosquito protection for warm evenings
Harriet M. Ashford
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When the first warm evenings beckon, a quiet nuisance returns: mosquitoes. A fragrant plant offers a discreet way to fight...
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How Germans Keep Cacti Healthy in Flats for More Than 20 Years
Harriet M. Ashford
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Keeping a resilient plant in a flat calls for particular care that many people overlook in everyday life. In Germany,...
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Coffee Grounds for Larger, Juicier Strawberries
Harriet M. Ashford
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A simple kitchen trick can make all the difference. When the first white flowers appear above strawberry beds in March,...
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The Cazahuate Tree: A Street Tree for Shade, Flowers and Hummingbirds
Harriet M. Ashford
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This little-known tree, native to Mexico and increasingly attracting interest from urban design professionals, achieves an unusual balance: it coexists...
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Paulownia: the turbo tree with violet spring blossom
Harriet M. Ashford
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A tree that shoots upwards almost as quickly as bamboo, yet stays politely where you put it and, in spring,...
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How Eucalyptus in the Shower Creates an Everyday Ritual
Harriet M. Ashford
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The first thing that registers is not the water, but the scent. A crisp, green rush cuts through the steam,...
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The Golden Window for Lavender Pruning
Harriet M. Ashford
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Where a dense, buzzing lavender hedge had filled the path the previous summer, there now stood a line of grey,...
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Why Holly Berries Keep Robins Returning to Your Winter Garden
Harriet M. Ashford
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Winter seems to muffle every noise, as though somebody has lowered life’s volume. Just when you begin to miss summer’s...
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Hedges Over Two Metres: What to Do Before 15 December
Harriet M. Ashford
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A man pauses with secateurs in his hand, looking up at the dense green barrier dividing his modest garden from...
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The Olla Method: The “Invisible Rain” Trick for a Thirst-Free Vegetable Garden
Harriet M. Ashford
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The day’s heat still hovered in the air. The rain barrel had been empty for ages, and the lawn had...
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How to Make Your Snake Plant Flower
Harriet M. Ashford
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The snake plant appears in a great many Brazilian homes, usually tucked into an unobtrusive corner of the living room...
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How Peppermint Toothpaste Makes Rats Avoid Your Garden in Winter
Harriet M. Ashford
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The first icy October rain had only just begun when the scraping noise started. In the garden, behind the compost...
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The tiny drainage mistake quietly suffocating your houseplants
Harriet M. Ashford
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You buy a plant, proudly place it on the windowsill and see it as a promise of life. For the...
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Does Lavender Attract Snakes? What Your Garden Design Really Means
Harriet M. Ashford
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She stopped dead, watering can suspended in the air, as she watched a snake curve lazily through the lavender bushes....
News
France’s noon-to-4 p.m. mowing ban in 26 departments from 15 December 2025
Harriet M. Ashford
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At [time] p.m., right on schedule, the noise begins. It cuts through the shutters, overpowering the cicadas’ drone and the...
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Spider Plant: The Simple Three-Ingredient Substrate for Fewer Brown Tips and More Babies
Harriet M. Ashford
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Many indoor gardeners tweak every possible variable: more light, less water, a different spot. Yet the usually tough spider plant...
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Lantana care: how the changing rose blooms for months
Harriet M. Ashford
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A shrub that keeps producing fresh flowers almost without interruption, shrugs off heat and fills both balconies and gardens with...
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How Hostas Can Turn Your Garden into a Snake Garden
Harriet M. Ashford
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The gardener insisted he had never encountered anything like it. One spring, his flower border burst into rich green foliage...
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How to Water Houseplants Properly Without Drowning Them
Harriet M. Ashford
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We have all had that moment when we spot a completely limp plant in the corner of the living room...
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Compact Clematis for Small City Gardens and Balconies: Guide
Harriet M. Ashford
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A single, well-chosen climber is enough to create a genuine wow moment. Narrow courtyards, tiny urban gardens, balconies where there’s...
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8 Natural Ways to Get Rid of Ants Indoors
Harriet M. Ashford
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Every spring, the same scene plays out in kitchens everywhere. The season brings a fresh influx of tiny foragers. You...
