Grow your own favourite meals with GardenAdvice

Now that 2024 is in full swing, it’s time to refresh more than our calendars and wardrobes—our homes could use some love, too.

AS SHE OFTEN DOES, naturalist and nature writer Nancy Lawson—perhaps known better to some of you as the Humane Gardener after the title of her first book—caught my attention the other day.

Q: I have a winter flowering jasmine, growing profusely on a 3m-high north-facing wall. For most of its six years, it has produced an abundance of flowers, from early November until March. During the recent summer, I took a lot of its stems, which had bunched at about 2m, and gently stretched them out along a series of horizontal wires. This November I can only see a handful of flowers (less than 10). Did my gentle summer manipulation cause this drop in flowers and if so, how? CD, Co Dublin

In a world being reshaped by climate change, gardeners are increasingly asking themselves what can be done to counter the destructive effects of extreme weather events. The answer, as we’re discovering, is to take a nature-friendly approach that supports and nurtures resilience.

TikTok has a new design theory on the rise: anyone whose couch doesn’t touch their walls is living in luxury. Having your couch in the middle of the room, according to many TikTok users, is the mark of an expensive home.

If there’s one thing celebrity recipes are guaranteed to do, it’s spark a (lightly-controversial) conversation in the comments of their social media. Reese Witherspoon did just that after she shared a new creation with the world on TikTok January 18: a mug of snow mixed with cold brew topped with salted caramel and chocolate drizzle.

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If you’re as keen on growing tomatoes as I am you’ll be getting read to sow now. I sow them as early as February to grow inside and late March for plants to go out in the veg patch. Don’t panic if you’re late sowing, they do catch up, you’ll just be picking a little later.

Flittering, twittering, and singing—birds bring so much life to a garden. Apart from their beauty and pleasant songs, they also add to the biodiversity of our landscapes by spreading seeds and eating insect pests. How can we encourage birds to not only visit our yards but to nest there? Here’s a hint: it goes beyond hanging up a bird feeder. You must provide sustenance and shelter for birds to truly thrive in your garden. Here are some tips to attract them and make them want to stay.

Making your spider plants curly and full is the right blend of science and care. We’ll help you how to master the approach with correct tips.

If you are planning to set up plants in a way that makes you room look neat and tidy – then you gotta have a plan. If you don’t have one – well, we have some cool ideas!

Tool maintenance is often regarded as a chore to be done only when other gardening jobs are exhausted, usually on rainy or bitter days when the great outdoors is less than inviting. Sometimes it is avoided altogether, although deep-down most gardeners know their tools deserve better treatment. Modern tools are made either from carbon steel or stainless steel. Carbon steel tends to be stronger but can suffer from corrosion; stainless steel tools have gleaming blades that remain rust-free and prove easy to clean without need for oiling, although they are not suited to the toughest jobs.