The English Garden

Cobra, the garden machinery experts, are delighted to offer readers the chance to win a CS1024V Li-ion Cordless Chainsaw, worth over £115.

Edible gardener Mark Diacono: These animals are impossibly cute so to get rid of moles is even more of an unsavoury undertaking than it might be. In any event, trying to get rid of moles may prove a futile, as well as an unpleasant exercise because they travel about using a network of semi-permanent tunnels deep underground. They dig shallower channels nearer to the surface when they search for food.

Greenhouses have an abundance of benefits that can allow you to make the most of your plants. If you’re considering investing in a greenhouse but are still not sure whether to buy one, read on for our ‘need to know’ advice.

A modern take on a traditional Christmas wreath, get the whole family involved in foraging and you can even add new dried elements to it every year. This one is created using ivy, eucalyptus and a mix of evergreens. You could even spray a few sprigs of eucalyptus to match the colour scheme of your home.

On day 12 of advent we’re offering the chance to win a hand painted fern bin and tissue box from Master the Art, worth £180.

Day 10 of our advent prize draw gives entrants the opportunity to win a DNA’24 DB26 Bread Knife from Savernake worth £199. Please note you must be over 18 to enter this prize draw.

Our eleventh prize is a Gold Smokebox, worth £105 from Lambton & Jackson.

Day 9 of our Christmas advent prize draw gives you the chance to win WOLF-Garten’s Bypass Loppers worth £119.99.

Hidden behind the door for day 8 of our advent prize draw is a bundle of tools from gardening brand Wilkinson Sword, worth £114.97.

Enter our day 7 prize draw for your chance to win ‘his and hers’ Buckingham wellington boots worth £109.98 from Harbour Lifestyle.

Our sixth advent prize draw gives readers the chance to win a variety of seed mix grab bags from Seedball, worth £105.

Robins can lose up to 10% of their body weight keeping warm over a single winter’s night. With reports that the La Nina weather system may bring harsh cold spells in winter 2022-23, added to the problem of disappearing food sources and habitats over the UK, robins – and other garden birds – could do with some support this season.

Our fifth advent prize draw comes with your chance to win a Deluxe Hedgehog House XXL, worth £124.99 from CJ Wildlife.

From unassuming bulbs come some of the brightest and most colourful flowers of all. Sarah Pajwani’s two-acre country garden, St Timothee near Maidenhead in Berkshire, is skilfully planted to provide year-round interest. Bulbs play a key role in her beautiful colour-themed borders.

Words by Joanna Fortnam

Words by Phil Clayton

It can be easy to get swept up in the merriment of Christmas: buying lavish gifts and an abundance of food and decorations. And that’s before you’ve even considered the tree. But there are ways you can reduce the waste your household contributes to this year and be more sustainable by focusing on natural resources.

Our fourth advent prize draw comes with your chance to win a beautiful kiln-dried Carved Oak Rope Swing, worth £379 from Sitting Spiritually.

Enter our prize draw on day 3 for your chance to improve your garden tool collection with Henchman’s ARS KR-1000 shears worth £95.

Day 2 of our “12 Days of Christmas” advent calendar gives you the chance to win a 26cm leaf green light garden, worth £125 from elho.

This month, we’re collaborating with some brilliant businesses to bring you our very special “12 days of Christmas” prize draw, offering 12 generous prizes to 12 lucky winners throughout the month of December.

Organic gardening revolves around working with nature and the environment and building the right balance in your growing space – from the soil up.

Eileen wins the holiday of a lifetime, including a luxury one-night stay at Middle Eight, a chic hotel set in bustling Covent Garden, whose streets are lined with some of the capital’s best shops and restaurants, and a night at The Guardsman, an exclusive boutique hotel just a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace.

Eileen wins the holiday of a lifetime, including a luxury one-night stay at Middle Eight, a chic hotel set in bustling Covent Garden, whose streets are lined with some of the capital’s best shops and restaurants, and a night at The Guardsman, an exclusive boutique hotel just a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace.

This month, we’re collaborating with some brilliant businesses to bring you our very special “12 days of Christmas” prize draw, offering 12 generous prizes to 12 lucky winners throughout the month of December.

Composting can seem like a minefield. Do you compost perennial weeds, what type of bin do you use, how often should you turn, and what composting method to try? These are just some of the common questions we’re asked. Many myths surround the process. It’s easy to think bagged and homemade compost are the same thing. But bagged compost has been commercially treated, and can contain peat, whereas your own home compost will be made up of a variety of traceable items. It will feel and look quite different from what you buy at the shops – but will be just as good, if not better.

From the curious Magpie to the majestic Sparrowhawk, the RSPB helps us identify what garden birds will be paying a visit to our gardens now the autumn leaves are falling.

Whilst we huddle with cups of hot chocolate, wrapped in layers of wool, gearing ourselves up to make those first boot tracks in crisp frost, our wintry gardens are already being enjoyed by the birds. From the cunning Treecreeper to the bolshy Robin, the RSPB help us identify who will be paying your garden a visit in the cold season.

Spring is when wildlife reawakens in our countryside, parks and gardens. Despite the cold chill still in the air, signs of spring will be starting to appear and our garden birds will become more recognisable during the breeding season. From the noisy Willow Warbler to the colourful Siskin, the RSPB help us identify what birds will be paying a visit to your garden this spring.

Traditionally, greenhouses can be quite energy and water intensive, running on fossil fuels which are detrimental to the environment. This is why more and more UK homeowners and gardening enthusiasts are designing their greenhouses with sustainability in mind. In this article, we’ll talk you through the different areas where you can consider improving the sustainability of your greenhouse and how these could benefit you – so that you can garden with a green conscience as well as a green thumb.

Biodiversity and sustainability have become buzzwords in horticulture of late. Encouraging wildlife, using items in a sustainable manner and reducing our waste is crucial for a healthy garden and planet – but for many of us, working out how to do this can feel overwhelming. Here’s my simple steps to starting your journey to a more sustainable and wildlife-friendly growing space…

Sparrowhawks are one of the most agile birds of prey in the UK. They evolved to nip, dive and swerve around trees to hunt in forests, and this means they’re also well-adapted to hunt amongst the buildings in our urban centres. I’ve seen them several times in my garden in urban Cambridge. Either perched on my fence, streaking across in a blur, or, on one memorable occasion, swiping a Starling from the bird feeder and plucking it on the ground.

In an age where sustainability and environmental consciousness are paramount, integrating  solar panels  into your garden emerges as a smart and responsible choice. These innovations not only enhance your garden’s aesthetics but also align with your eco-conscious values.

Traditionally, greenhouses can be quite energy and water intensive, running on fossil fuels which are detrimental to the environment. This is why more and more UK homeowners and gardening enthusiasts are designing their greenhouses with sustainability in mind. In this article, we’ll talk you through the different areas where you can consider improving the sustainability of your greenhouse and how these could benefit you – so that you can garden with a green conscience as well as a green thumb.

In an age where sustainability and environmental consciousness are paramount, integrating  solar panels  into your garden emerges as a smart and responsible choice. These innovations not only enhance your garden’s aesthetics but also align with your eco-conscious values.

A cherry plum, sweet, thin-skinned and very prolific (you’ll also find it sold under ‘Red Grape Sugar Plum’). It was in the top three of our recent taste test and everyone liked it for its strong tomato flavour that’s sweet but not overly so, and its firm not mushy texture. It has a slight acidity running through it which all sweet tomatoes need. It ripens quite late compared to ‘Sungold’ and produces for a long period of time. It’s lovely in a mixed salad with the larger varieties.