How to create a cosy, family-friendly home

Just before Christmas, Clare Matterson, director general of the RHS, wrote to ask if I would be RHS Hampton Court’s Iconic Horticultural Hero for 2023, which was both shocking and flattering in equal measure! Because of that, I was able to design a garden for the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.

Iris ‘Benton Olive’ in Sarah Price's garden

A former AIB banker-turned-gardener says he feels “like a five-year-old getting presents” after winning a major award as well as a prestigious gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show in London.

The BC Home + Garden Show is back in full bloom with expert advice on building, gardening and whipping up tasty dishes in the kitchen. Also on hand will be vendors showcasing renovation products and the latest innovations.

The front door or the porch are the very first elements of a home that come into play for welcoming one and all, and that’s why they must be appealing and of course, beautiful to look at. But over the years, things seem to lose their curb appeal and get all worn out and old. However, just a few steps of creative makeover can add new life to the same. Here are 25 Marvelous Curb Appeal Ideas That Can Rejuvenate Your Home With Gorgeousness.

Is it a noxious weed? An elegant garden addition? A precious native plant? How about all of the above? Sedges are grass-like plants that are all this, and more.Most people actually think of sedges as grasses

Gardening experts everywhere recommend that you test your soil before doing anything else.And, if your garden is suffering, you’re just starting out as

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a big garden to cultivate maize. Learn How to Grow Baby Corns at Home in Pots and harvest it fresh for your family without a big yard!

It improves water retention and porosity of the growing medium, makes the soil crumbly and light, enhances productivity, and reduces root diseases! You can either use commercial one or learn how to make coco peat at home to use it in your homemade potting soil recipes.

Learning how to grow winter squash at home is a great way to add variety to your garden and it’s easier than you might think.

Gloves are always of interest to gardeners – I have an enormous collection, many of which have holes in the fingers, so I think it is time to cull the less than perfect and invest in a few more. I came back from the show with a pair of MechanixWear womens’ leather-palmed gloves (£22) which are soft, comfortable and washable as well as extremely tough. The sizing is on the small side though so it’s best to buy larger than normal. Burgon & Ball always have innovative displays on their stand – their Love the Glove range (from £12.95) were displayed under glass domes. These gloves are ultra-soft but hardwearing, have padded palm and a wrist strap to keep debris out. www.burgonandball.com Sneeboer, makers of fine garden tools have had fun with one of their garden spades that they have fashioned into a stool – it’s not for sale, but I best they get lots of enquiries about it – so who knows, in the future it may be added to the range. Just the sort of thing the hipsters love! Trugs come in every shape and size and the Trugmake

In my earlier post about Sir Paul Smith, I wrote about the role of green as the anchor that holds everything in place in a garden – so it’s unsurprising that the greenness was what I noticed as I looked at some of the drawings of this year’s Chelsea gardens. No doubt, when we get to Chelsea our eyes will seek out the excitement, and the actual gardens will be further enlivened by shape, texture and the play of light, but it is useful to see the contribution that green makes to each of the gardens and bear it in mind for the planting in our own garden. Jo Thompson’s Sylvan Retreat will h