GW holiday: Explore the gardens of Kent and Sussex

We’re off to Canada today to visit Anne’s garden.

There are lots of ways you can flex your DIY muscles around your home. But while painting furniture, building a kitchen backsplash, or grouting tile can be tackled on your own, there are some home projects that are better left to the professionals due to their complexity—and because of safety concerns.

As this is my final gardening column of the year, I had plans of signing off with a neat garden ready for a winter of hibernation.

If you're craving more of a minimalist look at home, be sure to avoid these common eyesores that will prevent your space from feeling cluttered and overwhelming, according to designers. They weigh in on specific furniture pieces, hues, and style choices that you will want to be sure to stay away from in the process of creating a soothing, sparse respite.

They say a picture tells a thousand words. But in the case of botanical art it’s fair to say that it’s probably far more than that, as proven by a magnificent new book Drawn from Nature: The Flowering of Irish Botanical Art by the Wicklow-based art historian and author Patricia Butler (Acc Art Books UK, £35).

Made up of mellow stone buildings, many of which are medieval, the city of Oxford is the ideal base for an exploration of Oxfordshire. The city itself is picturesque, but also compact, making it easy to walk around and take in the many sights on offer. See the college buildings that make up the University of Oxford, visit the world’s oldest museum, the Ashmolean, to see its Egyptian and Anglo-Saxon treasures, and admire Oxford Botanic Garden, Britain’s oldest botanical garden, right in the heart of the city.

If you love the sharp flavors of arugula and radicchio, you’ll adore puntarelle chicory. Also known as Catalogna chicory, puntarelle (Cichorium intybus) is a member of the chicory family popular in Italy. It is not commonly grown in North America, but if you enjoy growing chicory then its unique hearty greens are well worth your time. Read on to find out how to incorporate puntarelle into your home garden. 

There are so many beautiful DIY winter wreath ideas that you can make using natural materials. Collect foliage, flowers, berries, fruits, and other interesting items from your garden – or forage for them on seasonal walks.

These ingenious Aluminum Foil Uses in the Garden make it a superhero! It’s not just for wrapping sandwiches; it’s like a multitasking wizard for your plants. Here is how you can use aluminum foil in your garden to grow seeds, ward off pests, and so much more.

In the verdant world of gardening and outdoor living, British Garden Centre vouchers become a key to unlocking a treasure trove of possibilities. As you hold these vouchers in your hands, you're not just carrying monetary value; you're entering a realm where blooms, foliage, and tranquility converge. Let's explore the myriad ways you can turn these vouchers into a flourishing experience.

We are all switching on to the healing power of plants and flowers. Many of the plants we grow have the potential to act as sources of healing, as well as being profound mood-boosters. Some of the simplest floral arrangements of posies (or nosegays) have transformative powers. And while these small fragrant arrangements seem innocent enough, they have hidden depths which date back centuries.

If you’re already looking ahead to spring flowers, then you’re probably also well aware that right now is the ideal time for planting bulbs.