Page 39 - News

Young girl watering colourful flowers with butterflies flying nearby in a sunny suburban garden.

Lantana Turns a Drought-Baked Garden into a Butterfly Haven

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

Water sprinklers had been prohibited for weeks, and dust was about the only thing flourishing in the neighbourhood. Then, one...

Man tending tomato plants in garden with a soil moisture meter and planting plan beside him.

How Garden Location Shapes Plant Disease Resistance

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

On a cold April morning, two tomato plants were growing side by side at the edge of a small suburban...

Man adjusting a red electric lawnmower on grass with a notebook and smartphone beside him.

First March Lawn Cut: Why 5–6 cm Matters

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

March arrives, the lawn starts growing again and the mower can suddenly seem impossible to resist. Yet one incorrect setting...

Hand placing pinecone with green pine needles on moss in a shallow dish on a wooden table.

How a Pine Cone Turns Plant Cuttings into a Living Centrepiece

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

A modest object from the forest floor is now becoming an unexpected focal point. Increasing numbers of plant enthusiasts are...

Person standing beside a large eucalyptus tree in a fenced area under clear blue sky in a rural landscape.

The 60-metre Eucalyptus of Huerta de Malagón in Seville

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

Hidden in the countryside north of Seville, one eucalyptus has grown to such a height that it is now among...

Person watering plants in a garden using a hose, with a watering can, clock, and potted plant on a wooden table nearby.

The simple watering cut-off that changes everything for your garden

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

At about 4.30pm on a muggy January afternoon in suburban London, hoses would normally begin to hiss. Neighbours step outside...

Person wearing black gloves holding a mirror reflecting three birds near a bird feeder in snowy garden with cat nearby

Garden Mirrors in Winter: Protecting Birds Without Upsetting Cats

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

The first time I saw them, they resembled miniature planets turning in the icy air: old CDs, fractured mirrors and...

Woman wearing apron watering houseplants near a fish tank in a bright, sunlit room.

How Aquarium Water Helps Garden Plants Thrive

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

Stop. Gardeners are discreetly keeping it, hauling buckets out to the patio and insisting their tomatoes have never looked so...

Person harvesting ripe purple cherries from a potted plant on a balcony garden table.

Murtilla: the compact exotic fruit shrub for city balconies

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

On the cramped balconies of large cities, an understated exotic shrub is beginning to attract attention while standing up to...

Person operating a red lawnmower on a grassy yard near a wooden fence and suburban houses.

15 February lawn mowing ban: no mowing between noon and 4 p.m.

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

The sun is already high when Mark switches off his mower and looks at his watch: 11:58 a.m. Only two...

Person watering indoor plants surrounded by candles by a window with a snowy view outside.

Seven Winter Plants for a Mystical Indoor Oasis

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

When frost grips the outdoors, some living rooms can seem to freeze along with it, as though winter has silently...

A person pours steaming water from a kettle onto weeds growing between pavement cracks.

How to Use Boiling Salt Water for Driveway Weeds

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

It starts as a narrow green line tracing the driveway, as though nature is quietly taking back ground it once...

Robin perched on a hand holding seeds with visible breath in a garden at sunset.

The 3p Kitchen Staple Robins Adore This Winter

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

At half past four on a wet November afternoon, the garden falls unexpectedly silent. The grass gleams with rain, the...

Person harvesting ripe lemons from a tree using garden pruning shears in a sunny garden.

How to Prune Citrus Trees for a Better Harvest

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

Late summer: the leaves are still glossy, yet there are only a few fruits on the branches. Many gardeners wonder...

Person gardening in a narrow, modern urban backyard with raised plant beds and paving stones.

How to Make a Small Garden Feel Bigger with Depth and Perspective

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

The first time it strikes you, you are in your compact garden with a coffee, asking yourself why it feels...

Man kneeling and turning compost with a garden fork beside a bin on a wooden deck in a backyard.

Why Your Compost Smells Like Rubbish - and the One-Step Fix

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

You smell it before the lid is even open. You cross the garden carrying your small kitchen caddy, imagining dark,...

Young woman admiring a robin perched on a blossoming tree branch in a sunny garden with a man gardening in background.

What Robins and Spring Birdsong Say About Your Love Life

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

Spring birdsong can seem unexpectedly intimate, as though the sounds beyond your window understand something about your heart. As gardens...

Person gardening among colourful plants and flowers in a sunlit backyard during autumn.

10 Low-Maintenance Perennials Transforming Shade Gardens in 2025

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

Many gardeners struggle with bare, dreary corners, yet an unassuming group of shade perennials continues to fill beds while demanding...

Two men talking at a wooden garden gate, one holding documents, the other a plant and watering can.

Garden Access Disputes: Ownership and Rights of Way

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

The dispute began with a bin. There was no yelling and no police tape stretched across the hedge. It was...

Person placing a monstera plant in a terracotta pot on a sunlit wooden windowsill with other houseplants nearby.

How to Rotate Houseplants for Even Growth

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

The plant seemed almost self-conscious. The side of the rubber plant nearest the window was dense, dark and shiny; the...

Woman holding a potted yellow rose and a credit card in a garden centre surrounded by plants on shelves.

Dobbies confirms eight garden centre closures in 2025

Oliver Grant • September 22, 2026

Dobbies has confirmed a restructuring that will result in eight of its garden centres closing in 2025, leaving shoppers with...