Apple care

Tips for Growing Pink Lady Apples M. x domestica ‘Cripps Pink’

How to Grow and Care for Lupines Lupinus spp.

Flanking our waterways in great mops of silver green, the willow is the most poetic and mysterious of trees. In many cultures – including ancient Egypt and ancient Greece – it was associated with immortality, death, and the underworld; old English folklore states that if you sit beside a willow and shed tears, the tree will cry with you. In China, where the weeping willow hails from, it represents strength and resilience, reflecting the instruction in the Tao Te Ching to have a flexible attitude: 'A tree that won't bend, breaks easily in storms.' Being pliant and strong, willow is used for weaving, and its light weight and hardness make it the best wood for cricket bats.

Blooming along the Nile, this sacred flower was a potent symbol among ancient Egyptian royalty and deities. Even found in the famed tomb of King Tutankhamun, it is treasured for its psychoactive blue blooms. Let’s uncover the meaning of the intriguing blue lotus flower!

Heucheras are shade-loving plants, native to the woodlands of North America. Grown for their foliage, their leaves come in a huge range of colours from red, purple, vivid green and even silver, and they bear attractive flowers in summer, too. Heucheras make excellent ground cover plants, and work well in winter pot displays. Members of thesaxifrage family, heucheras are also known as coral bells and alumroot.

How to Propagate Apple Trees

How to Identify and Manage Apple Scab Fungus Venturia inaequalis

Even though pineapples are considered a fruit (and a fruit generally comes from trees—unless it’s a berry), pineapples actually grow on a plant close to the ground. Each pineapple plant bears exactly one pineapple. So where did pineapple come from in the first place?

The sunflower, known for its striking yellow bloom and impressive height, is a favourite plant in many gardens. Originally from North and South America, the sunflower has gained symbolic meaning over the years, often associated with sunshine, happiness, and loyalty. Caring for this beautiful plant is relatively straightforward, but there are a few key considerations to keep in mind to ensure your sunflower grows and blooms optimally.

How to Grow and Care for Blueberry Bushes Vaccinium spp.

How to Grow and Care for Heavenly Bamboo Nandina domestica

Sweet william (Dianthus barbatus) is a short-lived hardy perennial, loved for its showy display of colourful summer flowers. The foliage forms low rosettes of non-spreading mid-green or bronze-green leaves. Large flower clusters are borne on sturdy stems up to 60cm high, made up of many individual florets with a surrounding ‘ruff’ of green foliage. Flower colours come in shades of pink, purple, red, dark maroon, and white, and blooms are often bicoloured, too. Sweet william is hardy, easy to grow from seed, and makes an excellent cut flower.