Sunday 14th May 2023 – I was only away for a week!

Martha Washington Geraniums produces vibrant and showy blooms in shades of pink, purple, and white. With proper care and attention, these plants can provide color and beauty to your garden or home for years to come!

Choose a bottle with raised bottom and create a channel through it, wide enough to let the wasp fly in. Complete instructions are available at Garden Therapy.

The weekend before was Mother’s Day, and Mark and I went down to see our son at university. Our daughter and her boyfriend were also away seeing his parents so it was a rather unusual Mother’s Day albeit a different way to spend Mother’s Day. So that weekend I didn’t get anything done in the garden because the Saturday it poured with rain.

Saturday morning was filled with house chores and food shopping, and the afternoon was filled with a bell ringing competition, so there was no time in the day to pop out in the garden. So on Sunday after a little morning ringing (usual) and then a tip trip (not usual) first thing, when I finally got home I was in the garden for the rest of the day.

This year I’m getting compost as and when I need it (which at this time of year is frequently). They have a special deal at our local independent garden centre on compost when you buy 3 bags, so I’m buying 3 bags at a time. However with so many seedlings to sow and especially prick out, 3 bags doesn’t last long, as I’m sure you can imagine. Maybe when I go tomorrow I’ll buy 6 bags.

Explore the world of DIY container water gardens and bring nature’s serenity into your home. With these creative ideas, you can transform everyday containers into peaceful aquatic oases, perfect for growing water-loving plants.

By Marilyn Syarto

Did you ever think a tomato cage could be that useful? Make an appealing gabion plant stand out of a sturdy tomato cage and place it on your front porch, backyard or patio. Visit BHG for the tutorial.

A larch is a pretty dramatic sight to behold. The trees are ramrod straight and covered in bright green, inch-long needles that shift to golden yellow in the fall.They’ve adapted to extreme conditions, perch

There’s nothing like opening up a fresh package of sheets. Most of the time, they’re perfectly ironed—almost crisp—and they never feel more soft or luxurious than before that first use. While you're probably looking forward to putting them on your bed and getting ready for a good night's sleep, you may be wondering if you should wash your new sheets first. But is it worth all that effort? They don't seem dirty and no one's used them yet, so is it really necessary to wash sheets before you use them?

This article is part of our new 8-week, limited edition newsletter series, The Low-Water Gardening Guide, where we’ll walk you through what it takes to create a sustainable garden, from swapping in the appropriate plants to new irrigation methods to the tools you’ll need and more. Sign up here to get each installment straight to your inbox.

Well what a weekend that was. Busy busy.