Page 42 - News

Two people harvesting flowers together in a colourful, sunlit field with a wooden crate nearby.

Ancient Intercropping Can Raise Yields by Up to 40%

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

Soil once as hard as concrete, a handful of yellowing maize stalks, and little else. Three consecutive drought seasons had...

Woman planting a small shrub in a vibrant garden surrounded by flowers and gardening tools on a sunny day.

Replace Photinia with Pittosporum: the better hedge alternative

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

For years, anyone relying on Photinia for quick privacy screening has often ended up looking at brown patches, bare areas...

Woman in a beige sweater planting a small plant in a pot by a window surrounded by houseplants and a watering can.

The tiny winter habit that keeps houseplants alive until spring

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

In the block opposite, one window after another revealed the same small, dispiriting picture: sagging monsteras, pothos leaves turning yellow,...

Person wearing gloves planting a young leafy plant in a garden bed with flowers and gardening tools nearby.

How to Remove Weeds So They Stay Gone

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

Five minutes: that was all the time you promised yourself you would give the flower bed last Sunday. You crouched...

Person tending to yellow flowers in a terracotta pot on a sunny balcony with gardening tools nearby.

Black-Eyed Susan: Growing Guide for Beginners

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

The black-eyed Susan is considered an ideal beginner’s plant with real wow factor: it grows rapidly, flowers for months and...

Birds eating seeds from a wooden bird feeder in a snowy garden with a gloved hand offering food on a spoon.

Why Wet Seed Kills Birds at Winter Feeders

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

During the colder months, millions of people scatter seed to “help” garden birds. However, one well-intentioned winter routine can silently...

Woman gardening in a raised bed with fresh vegetables and flowers in a sunny backyard garden.

Why I Let Plants Compete Slightly in the Garden

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

The first time I saw two tomato plants competing for light, I felt like an inadequate referee. One seedling, tall...

Woman sitting on a wooden balcony bench surrounded by plants, holding a blanket and looking outside on a sunny day.

IKEA NÄMMARÖ: The 3-in-1 Privacy Screen for Balconies and Small Gardens

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

In cities especially, windows, terraces and loggias are often so close together that every step outside can feel like a...

Person using a hand rake to till soil in a vegetable garden with green lettuce plants nearby.

Stop Flattening Soil to Improve Water Infiltration

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

The first drops strike the freshly raked bed, turning its surface dark like coffee soaking into a sponge. For a...

Person watering various potted plants on a sunny balcony with a chair and seed packets nearby.

Plants for a North-Facing Balcony: What Really Grows in Shade

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

Rain lashes sideways against the windowpane as you look out at a balcony that resembles a storage cupboard more than...

Person sprinkling fertilizer on soil near a tomato plant with ripe tomatoes and a bowl of bananas outdoors.

Tomatoes: banana peel and wood ash for a bigger harvest

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

With a simple trick using two free household leftovers, this can be changed dramatically. Lush foliage and sturdy stems –...

Young boy examining plants with a magnifying glass in a vibrant garden with flowers and vegetables.

Four Controversial Insect-Attracting Plants for Your Vegetable Plot

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

On a warm Saturday morning - the sort of day when hosepipes hiss and neighbours swap tomato seedlings across the...

Person kneeling in a garden trimming hydrangeas with pruning shears on a sunny day, basket and notebook nearby.

Spring Pruning Guide: Panicle Hydrangeas, Early-Flowering Clematis and Stone Fruit Trees

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

A few well-placed cuts in spring can turn an orderly garden into a real floral stage – provided the timing...

Man standing with lawnmower on uncut grass beside a no lawnmower sign in a suburban neighbourhood.

Lawn Mowing Bans From Noon to 4 p.m. Divide US Suburbs

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

The first mower roared into life at 7:02 a.m. on a Saturday. By 7:07, another three had joined it, their...

Hands holding a terracotta pot with vibrant succulents on a sunlit balcony wooden table.

Sedum nussbaumerianum: the succulent that changes colour in sunlight

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

A succulent that changes shade according to sunlight has become increasingly popular in gardening schemes for small, bright balconies. Its...

Person sprinkling white powder over moss in garden, with watering can and gloves nearby on a sunny day.

Bicarbonate of soda against moss on lawns and paths

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

More and more amateur gardeners are looking for an effective solution that does not turn the garden into a chemical...

Woman kneeling in a garden using a rake to create trenches for watering plants and seedlings.

The Quiet Garden Layout Detail That Decides Where Your Water Goes

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

The first time I noticed it was in the middle of a heatwave. Two neighbouring gardens on the same street...

Person arranging a terracotta pot of pink flowers on a wooden table with gardening tools on a balcony.

Dianthus ‘Bumbleberry Pie’: The compact perennial pink for balconies and gardens

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

Anyone with a balcony, terrace or narrow front garden will know the challenge: limited space, limited time, yet still the...

Person in a knitted sweater feeding small birds from a feeder in a garden with red berries and dry grasses.

Why Japan Says You Should Stop Feeding Garden Birds in Winter

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

As icy nights take hold and gardens become coated in frost, many people feel compelled to “save” small birds by...

Older woman planting seedlings in raised garden bed while two women chat in the background in a sunny garden.

Gardening: better than any gym

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

The sun is appearing more often, the beds are waiting – and many people notice that, after an hour in...

Person covering small green seedlings in a transparent container on a wooden table by a window.

How to Pre-Germinate Seeds Like a Nursery

Oliver Grant • September 21, 2026

Some people seem born with the patient, green-fingered instinct to bring life out of dust; the rest of us end...