Booking Ideas, Tips & Guides

At the back of the house, Adirondack chairs are placed beside a border with a small standard wisteria, a box spiral and purple Iris ‘Art Deco’ set off by lime-green euphorbia. An unknown red rose on the wall is from Mark Rumary’s 1960s scheme.

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In 2008, Jessica Eikleberry was 29 years old and had just read Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma. She wanted to start eating locally and, with the help of her mom, she made a goal for the coming Thanksgiving: an all-local meal.

Cameron Trimble

Craig Melvin is a busy guy: He’s a constant on NBC’s Today, he’s gearing up to head to Paris for the Summer Olympics in July, and he’s the author of a new picture book. At home, he’s husband to sports reporter Lindsay Czarniak and dad to Delano, 10, and Sybil, 7. He recently welcomed a new puppy, Myles, to the family. He’s even taken on a few cozy hobbies (more on that later). Amid all this, Melvin has turned his attention to making his home a sanctuary—and part of that is the rules, written or unwritten, that keep his house running.

Airbnb

Mother's Day is just around the corner and it's time to show your mom just how much you appreciate her. If gift-giving isn't your strong suit, you're not alone—moms can be really hard to shop for. How can you convey all the love you have for her in a simple gift? Every year I find myself scratching my head at what to get my mother, and I'm constantly in competition with myself and my siblings.

Andy Lyons

The minute it's nice enough to be outside for more than 10 minutes, you won't wrangle me back indoors. My little square of outdoor space is my second living room—between work calls and running errands, if you can't find me, check outside.

R: NBCUniversal / Getty Images. Left: Clockwise. Penguin Randomhouse, Adam Albright, Brie Goldman.

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It’s often said that making a garden teaches all kinds of valuable life lessons, from the importance of patience and the virtue of persistence, to a recognition of the fleeting nature of time and the bittersweet beauty and resilience of the natural world.

Why is it important to learn how garden flowers are grouped or classified?

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In March 1910, readers of The Daily Mail were confronted with an advertisement that read, ‘Ten Thousand Englishwomen could be ranged in a line and shot. No one would be sorry. Everyone would be glad. There isn’t any place for them.’ This was pretty strong stuff, but it was just an extreme example of a widely held belief: that the country was burdened with ‘surplus women’. In 1854, author and social campaigner Harriet Martineau estimated that there were over 500,000 more women than men in Great Britain; by 1891, the number had risen to over 900,000. The chief reason given at the time was the high level of emigration among young men seeking opportunities across the British Empire. Every young man signing up to be a colonist, a member of the armed forces, a civil servant or a trader in the British colonies was one less for the women left at home to woo and catch. There was real anxiety that as a result there were ‘surplus women’ who would not find a husband to take care of them after their fathers died. The ‘surplus’ or ‘redundant’ women that bothered commentators most were middle- and upper-class women. Single working-class women were not viewed as surplus; they could go into paid occupations deemed suitable to their station, such as domestic service or factories. For ‘respectable’ women higher up the social scale, however, conventional society offered very few options.

Six DVD’s in a boxed set ‘A Year at Kew – The Collection’ (Series 1-3) with Alan Titchmarsh is available from Amazon  in time for a Christmas gift. Over 1000 minutes of gardening in a month-by-month journey via the BBC through the world’s greatest botanical garden.

My book de Jour is ‘Fifty Favourite Roses’ Michael Gibson. A second reading has given me some new insights and some varieties to look out for: 5 petalled Tea Roses Dainty Bess,  Mrs Oakley Fisher (golden) and Ellen Willmott (white) rugarosa Robusta and colour changing Mutabilis

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The summer I was 18, I worked a few hours a week on a small farm just outside of Portland, Oregon. It was a perfect gig for between school terms—I would help harvest things for the farmers market, pick weeds and occasionally round up a turkey that had escaped its enclosure. 

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Do note that there are no pure black lotus flowers – they have more of a deep purple hue. Nelumbo ‘Momo Botan,’ Nelumbo ‘Empress,’ and Nelumbo ‘Purple Joy’ are some of the most popular deep purple-black examples. Sometimes, people also refer to black Hellebores as black lotus.

Join us on Tuesday 9th July 2024for an exclusive tour of Highgrove Gardens, the private home of TRH King Charles III and The Queen Consort, followed by a Prosecco and canapés reception, a seasonal three-course lunch and a talk by BBC Gardeners’ World host, Alan Titchmarsh.

Image: West Dean Gardens. Credit: West Dean Gardens May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them. To celebrate International Women’s Day, we’re going to share some of the most influential women within horticulture and their stories.

Britain is famously a nation of wildlife lovers. But with a 68% drop in wild animal populations since 1970, it’s more important than ever to look out for the natural world.

Eggo

When it comes to my workspace, I am a firm believer that a tidy desk equals a tidy mind. Unfortunately, the spare room meant to be my home office has become, without a doubt, the most chaotic room in any home I’ve ever lived in.

How to Harvest Feverfew

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Are you dreaming of a relaxing break this spring or summer? Then imagine a weekend spent in a luxurious hotel set in beautiful gardens, with delicious breakfasts, three-course dinners and superb leisure facilities, and add to that a gardener’s delight of live Q&As, talks and demos with the Gardeners’ World team. Sound appealing? Then join us for one of these exclusive events!

Ever wondered why spending time outdoors is so important for children’s mental health? This article by children’s wellbeing author and psychotherapist Becky Goddard-Hill will help you understand the powerful impact playing outside can have on a child’s mood and wellbeing.

If you've watched some of Tabitha Brown's videos, read her books, seen her TV show, or even tasted some of her recipes, you likely already have a sense of her warm and highly-energetic personality. Tabitha's star really started to rise after a video of her eating a vegan BLT sandwich from Whole Foods went viral. She quickly became an ambassador for Whole Foods, began sharing vegan recipes on social media, starred in her own children's series, Tab Time and as host of Food Network'sIt's CompliPlated, cofounded the hair-care line Donna's Recipe, created a line of seasonings with McCormick and a line of home products for Target, and authored four books (so far). She does this and so much more all with an effusive warmth and giant smile. Here's a glimmer of insight into how she does it all so seemingly effortlessly.

Bookworms rejoice—one of 2024’s most popular design trends involves a new kind of bookish aesthetic.

Spider Plant Takeover I was warned that spider plants can get out of control, but I had to find out for myself... The prolific spider plant