Your guide to Perfect Plants

What can you do if you don't have a garden? Indeed, you might not be fit or able enough to access outdoor space. There are ways and means of bringing a garden to you, rather than taking yourself to it.  Here's our guide to  gardening for those who need to...

How do you keep the children entertained during half term? During autumn it's so easy to find things to do with the kids. Here's five suggestions that will bring fun into every weekday of the school holidays. Worried about Covid-19? These activities are all virus-proof! 1: Make an autumn wreath...

We all know that schools are busy trying to keep up with their targets, admin and assessments. So how on earth are they able to offer ‘extras’ in the form of subjects such as gardening? The key to being able to enhance kids’ lives lies in the creative energy of...

Trees are big news. The entire climate change topic has moved up the priority ladder by several notches since the UK has become more aware of the impact that people, the things they produce, and the way that they live, have on the world. Governments are talking about trees and are now...

No doubt you’ve heard the term ‘mycorrhizal fungi’, but do you know why you need it in your garden? Especially during autumn, winter and early spring when you might be considering doing some bare root planting.     These clever fungi have been around for a while. Maybe about 500...

  Brexit, a neologism that we have all come to know and maybe despise. But there’s no doubt it will have an impact on all sorts of things, including gardening habits. So what might Brexit mean for gardeners?   Firstly, plants that are propagated and grown in Britain might well...

Are slugs and snails having a feast at your expense? It’s summer time and slugfest has started! In these day of enlightenment (or an awakening of common sense), it would be encouraging to hope that most people have sealed their poisonous pots for good. But how do you stop slugs...

There are many common gardening mistakes that people make in their outdoor spaces. Do you know what they are? Errors result in inconvenience; increased workload or even major problems later. As in general life, it’s a good idea to think before you act! Timely effort, planning and paying attention to...

Everyone needs boundaries  Is there anything appealing about a standard, timber fence? Close-boarded, featheredge, palisade, waney edged, overlap… a fence’s purpose is to dictate a boundary and to provide some sort of screening and security. It’s just about essential in every garden, so the utmost respect should be shown to...

Do these baby birds need your help? It’s part of the summer scene: parents and babies outdoors enjoying the weather. Human babies and small children need to be supervised at all times, but if you’re an animal such as a bird, a rabbit, a fox or a deer fawn, you...

What can you do about Japanese knotweed in your garden?   Who would have thought that the presence of a humble plant could affect house prices and sales? When it comes to Japanese knotweed, it seems that everyone fears this beast. But is its reputation well-deserved or are we over-reacting? Japanese knotweed. These...