Page 18 - Latest Articles - samkellytreesurgery.co.uk

Person cleaning a smoking barbecue grill with a brush in a sunny garden setting.

How to Clean a Home Barbecue Properly

Oliver Grant • October 6, 2026

Proper maintenance of a home barbecue is often pushed down the list, yet it has a real impact on how...

Hands pruning a small flowering plant in a garden bed with gardening tools nearby at sunset.

Monty Don’s March trick for more hydrangea flowers

Oliver Grant • October 6, 2026

Anyone who waits each year for a riot of blooms and ends up staring at a few tired heads is...

Woman grooming a golden retriever in a garden with pet care products on a wooden deck nearby.

Ticks in the Garden: Practical ways to protect people and pets

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

Ticks in the garden pose a health risk to people and pets, particularly during warm, humid spells. These parasites take...

Person wearing gloves sprinkling fertiliser on plants in a garden with pebbled soil and colourful flowers.

A simple washing powder trick for weeds in gravel

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

Weeds push up through gravel, your back aches from pulling them out, and you do not want to use harsh...

Woman in beige dress smelling white flowers on wooden pergola in sunny garden with watering can and gardening gloves on table

Aromatic Climbers for a Pergola in Full Sun with Scented Flowers

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

Creating a lovely outdoor space in summer starts with choosing the right ornamental plants. Growing aromatic climbers can turn sunny...

Person using an iron to heat press a colourful design onto a white T-shirt on a wooden table.

Fix a Cracked T‑Shirt Print with Acetone and an Iron

Oliver Grant • October 5, 2026

Your favourite T‑shirt print is flaking, the design looks tired - but rather than chucking it into the clothes bank,...

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...