As summer arrives, I’m drawn outdoors whenever possible to make the most of the long days, but as I work from home I still have to spend quite a lot of time inside, in front of my computer. Fortunately, the house plants that fill my home provide a wonderful link with greenery and nature, and, at the height of summer, the lush, verdant foliage helps me daydream about holidays in far-flung destinations.
With maximum light and plenty of warmth (hopefully), summer is the prime growing season for house plants, so this is when they need our attention the most to keep them in tip-top condition. It’s also a time when plants can be stressed from periods of intense heat or from us going away on holiday. But by making some simple adjustments to where the plants are positioned and their care routine they should thrive and provide you with the perfect backdrop to lazy, hazy summer days.
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It’s easy to assume that because many house plants come from more exotic climates than the UK they can cope with direct summer sun. In fact, many house plants are plants that in the wild are found growing under the canopy of taller trees where they receive dappled light and are shaded from the midday sun.
Many house plants are also native to countries that are closer to the equator where day length stays the same so there’s a steady amount of light throughout the year. Growing these plants indoors in the UK means adjusting the amount of light they receive at different points in the year. My dragon tree (Dracaena marginata), for instance, spends the winter and spring by south-facing French
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The idea of growing our own vegetables and herbs is gaining popularity in the UK (possibly thanks to Felicity Kendal and ‘The Good Life’ circa 1975). However, not all of us have access to a garden, especially in large cities. So, what can you do if you would like to grow some veggies at home, but don’t have a garden or much space to work with? Don’t worry, you can still put those green fingers to good use!
Are you dreaming of an exotic garden full of flowers with hard to pronounce names that will awe your guests? An understandable dream. But most tropical green life are not meant to grow in the weather conditions that the UK offers.
Many UK homeowners nowadays have abandoned the idea of gardening their street-facing green space, whether they have given a priority to their car parking needs or have just decided on tending to a low-maintenance front lawn. Their focus is often placed on the backyard, where they can enjoy a green retreat in privacy.
While the advent of Spring is welcomed by most people, for a significant portion of the population season change brings only dread. Bags and pockets will be filled with extra packets of tissues and allergy medicine. That’s right, hay fever season is here and with it come the usual blocked or runny noses, watery eyes, and bouts of uncontrollable sneezing.
Winter season doesn’t mean you have to turn your back to your flower garden until spring comes. There is a good number of plants that bloom beautifully even in the coldest of weather. Let’s dig into their world and see which ones you will fancy.
Regardless of whether you are just starting your gardening journey or are already a gardening pro, the question of how to stop detrimental pests from destroying your hard work will inevitably arise.
Birds make a great addition to your garden, they’re great to look at and they’re useful as well. For instance, they will eat slugs, snails, aphids, insects and other well-known troublemakers.
Spring is finally here and so is warmer weather, as well as the urge to open every window to let fresh air inside your home once again. For one in five people in the UK, however, the latter presents a dilemma.
No food signifies summer more than watermelon. We’re so sweet on the hot pink (or yellow) fruit that we designed an entire watermelon bar party showcasing the many ways to snack on, sip, and even centerpiece-ify the hydrating produce item.
At The Pig near Bath gardeners Ollie Hutson and Fran Chilet-Olmos aim to have a steady supply of leafy herbs all summer. Crops such as tarragon are picked in fat bunches, then hung upside down in one of the polytunnels to dry, before the crisp leaves are stored in preserving jars so they can be used in winter. Annual herbs to grow such as basil, coriander, caraway and chervil are sown two or three times during the growing season, so there is a constant supply of fresh leaves.