Page 18 - News

Woman pruning colourful flowers in garden with watering can and plant food nearby on sunny day

Plant Phlox in March for a Summer-Long Blaze of Colour

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

If your garden is still looking rather bare right now, one well-chosen plant can transform it in an instant -...

Person planting a terracotta pot with roots in a raised garden bed with basil plants and a watering can nearby.

Underground Watering Method with Olla and Bottles: Save Up to 60% Water

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

The hose lies limp in the grass, the sun bears down, and the only sound is that soft gurgle as...

Woman kneeling indoors catching leaking water from a radiator into a basin on a carpeted floor.

How to Change a Radiator Valve Without Draining the System

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

“Valve’s dead,” he said, already reaching for his phone. Quote incoming. Three digits, easy. I watched him, not the number....

Hands measuring and cutting fresh asparagus spears growing in a garden bed with a basket of harvested asparagus nearby.

Harvesting Asparagus at 20 cm: Why Timing Matters

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

Growing asparagus in your own garden is a special kind of anticipation: those tender shoots push up a little more...

Hands planting herbs and flowers in a garden bed with a watering can and trowel nearby on patio tiles.

Plants Against Ants in the Garden: Natural Barriers with Peppermint and Lavender

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

Rather than scattering poison, you can lean on a simple tactic borrowed from nature. Ants play a genuine role in...

Hand placing a clothespin on an empty glass bottle in a metal rack on a kitchen countertop.

Clothes Pegs on the Dish Drainer: a Trick for Safe Inverted Drying of Tall Bottles

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

Washing tall containers as part of everyday life calls for extra care, particularly to stop moisture pooling at the base....

Woman wearing a straw hat planting flowers in organised garden beds with colourful plant markers in sunlight.

3 Hardy Ground Cover Plants for Year-Round Colour: Snow Heather, Cushion Phlox and Leadwort

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

Many amateur gardeners will recognise the pattern: spring bursts into life, high summer turns patchy, autumn looks bleak, and winter...

Person planting flower bulbs in garden soil surrounded by potted flowers and gardening tools.

March is the key month for summer bulbs, says Alan Titchmarsh

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

Many amateur gardeners reach spring and stare at bare beds, unsure what to tackle first. Mow the lawn? Pull weeds?...

Hands cleaning soil around a young plant in a terracotta pot with a yellow sponge on a wooden table.

The Washing-Up Sponge Trick for Spring: Keep Pots from Drying Out

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

Anyone battling with dried-out pots in spring is often missing a simple kitchen staple that becomes a secret weapon outdoors....

Person wearing gloves planting herb seedlings in a garden bed beside a terracotta pot and garden tools.

Mint in the Garden: How It Spreads and How to Keep It Under Control

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

Many hobby gardeners are now mapping out the next season and enthusiastically reaching for a plant that sits in pride...

Person wearing an apron pruning rose bushes in a sunny garden with gardening tools and wooden crates nearby

Rose Pruning: The Nursery Gardener’s Simple Technique for Healthier Blooms

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

An experienced nursery gardener demonstrates a surprisingly straightforward method that can transform your roses. Rather than automatically “cutting everything back”,...

Person harvesting white asparagus in a garden with a basket and gardening tools nearby.

Cardy (Kardon): a practical guide to growing, blanching and cooking the artichoke’s big cousin

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

Many home gardeners know the flavour of artichoke, yet far fewer have come across its powerful relative: cardy, often also...

Person planting colourful lantana flowers with a caution toxic plant sign in a garden bed near a driveway.

Lantana camara ‘Hot Blooded’: the heat-tough shrub for driveway edges

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

Many homeowners end up frustrated with their driveway: the surface throws off heat, cars kick up dust, in winter there’s...

Person adjusting settings on a lawn mower while kneeling on overgrown grass in a garden.

The Right Lawn Mower Cutting Height to Stop Moss

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

Often the real trigger isn’t in the soil at all, but right on the handle of your garden equipment: the...

Woman organising brown and white storage boxes on shelves in a tidy, modern room.

Upcycling Shoeboxes: Clever Storage to Organise Clothes for Free

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

Keeping old packaging “just in case” is a familiar habit in many homes, yet a thoughtful reuse approach can turn...

Person wearing a straw hat picking blackberries in a garden with an open notebook on the ground nearby.

The proven blackberry system: a practical guide for gardeners

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

The first time you watch the proven blackberry system at work, it can feel like pure garden wizardry. Sturdy canes...

Person arranging orange nasturtium flowers in a wooden bowl on a balcony with potted plants.

Why the Nasturtium Is Making a Colourful Comeback in 2026

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

Long thought slightly old-fashioned, almost too plain to catch the eye, the nasturtium is making a striking comeback in 2026,...

Hands tying a pink rose plant stem to a stake with green garden wire in a raised garden bed.

Propagate Old Rose Canes with a Simple Wire Technique

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

Many amateur gardeners cut back old, grey rose canes without hesitation. Yet these tired-looking shoots often still hold a surprising...

Person wearing a straw hat gardening among blooming daffodils, irises, and pink peonies in a sunny flowerbed.

Low-Maintenance Perennials: Daffodils, Garden Iris and Peonies for a Long-Lasting Flower Border

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

Many amateur gardeners face the same routine every spring: planting window boxes, refilling borders, then pulling everything out again later...

Person planting small pink flowers in a garden bed beside a stone patio with outdoor furniture in background.

Red Creeping Thyme: The Fragrant Ground Cover That Deters Mosquitoes

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

Between a stressed lawn, heatwaves and biting pests, an unassuming ground-cover plant can make a real difference. It flowers for...

Person cleaning long leaves of a potted houseplant on a sunlit windowsill with gardening tools nearby.

Spider Plant Care in Spring: 6 Essential Jobs for Fresh Green Growth

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

Brownish leaf tips, limp foliage and hardly any fresh shoots: by March, many spider plants look more like a dejected...