News - Page 55

Outdoor Style: City Gardens

You can get creative and design your own city garden with a few tips and ideas. You do not need to be restricted if you have a smaller urban space because the options are vast with many products on the market made specifically for city spaces and many new varieties of plants available for containers and small gardens. There are so many ways to design a stunning outdoor space from urban jungle style to formal, compact planting, patios to decking and a hammock under a tree, these ideas should get you started to design your own city garden.

How not to make a mountain out of molehills

When you’ve spent long hours creating your perfect lawn, the last thing you want to see is a whacking great molehill spoiling your handiwork. So to help, here’s the lowdown on garden moles and what to do about them.

How not to make a mountain out of molehills

DIY Ideas: Make your own succulent wreath

Making a Succulent Wreath is not only trendy but they look great and are easy to make, with a little patience. You can get really creative and enjoy some fun time enjoying making your own wreath with your own choice of plants. When you have made it, you can display it at home or even give it away to friends or family as a lovely gift.

DIY Ideas: Make your own succulent wreath

Garden plant of the moment: Pieris japonica

Pieris japonica is a plant of many names. Also known as Japanese andromeda, flame of the forest or lily-of-the-valley bush, this striking evergreen shrub looks good all year round. With its attractive foliage and sprays of spring flowers, it’s a great low-maintenance shrub for shady gardens.

Garden plant of the moment: Pieris japonica

Planting winter bedding and spring bulbs

As autumn begins and the days get shorter, nothing beats a bit of colour in the garden to dispel the pre-winter blues. Now’s the time to fill pots and borders with winter bedding for flowers through the cold weather, and of course, it’s also time to start planting spring bulbs for a fantastic display next spring. Here’s our simple guide to planting spring bulbs and bedding.

Planting winter bedding and spring bulbs

Home trends: Freakebana

Have you heard of the new home trend Freakebana? The quirky way to decorate is becoming quite the hit. Freakebana is based on the Japanese art of arranging flowers named Ikebana which is a way of using seasonal plants off centre with form, line and colour. It is based on precision and minimalism with plants used as symbolism. Freakebana is based on this but rather than the precision, it is all about arranging items in a quirky style. If you try it, the look can become really quite eccentric with a mix of very odd items.

What to do in the garden in September?

With the rich colours of autumn starting to glow, September is an especially lovely month for gardens. While the warm weather lasts, it’s time to gather in the harvest and start preparing the garden for the colder months ahead, as well as planning for the joys of another spring.

Houseplant of the month: Large-leaved Ficus

Looking for a green houseplant that is not very demanding and grows quickly? The large-leaved Ficus offers a lot of beauty in exchange for occasional sips of water. Whilst Ficus are well known for strong indoor trees with lots of little leaves, they are also available with large leaves, giving the plant a robust look.

Houseplant of the month: Large-leaved Ficus

Guide to keeping your pond in good condition

Ponds are an important aspect of our gardens. They encourage wildlife and biodiversity which is essential right now. There are many types of ponds from fish ponds to wildlife ponds, in many shapes and sizes, all of which add an extra dynamic to the garden. They look lovely and allow for some extra plants and fun in the garden but they do require some maintenance. With the correct tips, your pond will be thriving for many years to come.

Guide to keeping your pond in good condition

Outdoor style: Vintage Gardens

Vintage gardens are a wonderful way to create memories and style by staging your garden into a vintage scene. You’ll need to carefully pick plants, flowers and accessories which will be your props to make a truly individual vintage garden. It takes a little time to get things just right but it is so much fun enjoying the process.

Top 5 things to store for your winter supply

When the colder days approach, along with harsher weather conditions and the garden goes to sleep for a short time, you may want to stay home some days in the warm with your feet up and watch a movie. It does mean, however, that you will need to think ahead to what food you will need over the winter months that you can gather from the garden or allotment now. This is a great time of year to start storing lots of fresh food to use up the produce you’ve grown and still enjoy it all winter long.

Top 5 things to store for your winter supply

How to make a bee-friendly garden?

Bees are big news these days, and we all know how much we need them. But what with climate change, pesticide use, disease and loss of habitat, bees face a lot of challenges at the moment. Luckily, there are plenty of things we can do as gardeners to make life better for our bees.