Page 7 - News

Person planting a young tomato seedling in a garden bed with gardening fork nearby in sunlight.

Loose soil: the garden’s unsung hero

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

The gardener stops halfway along the bed, raises a hand and simply says, “Listen.” There is no birdsong and no...

Person repotting a small green plant indoors on a wooden table with gardening tools and watering can nearby.

How to save a money tree: practical rescue steps

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

With a few well-chosen steps, a money tree can often be rescued surprisingly successfully. Many owners give up on their...

Person kneeling beside garden beds with gardening fork, shovel, soil, plants, and earthworms visible underground.

Why Digging Harms Your Vegetable Garden

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

Many people picture a “proper” vegetable garden as a neatly dug plot of brown, completely bare soil. Anyone who does...

Person kneeling on a garden path next to a lawn mower, with grass and flowers in a backyard.

When to Mow Your Lawn in Spring: The Right Cutting Height

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

After a long winter, grass often looks shaggy and neglected. It is understandable that many people reach for the lawn...

Hands moving a wooden board with slugs from a vegetable garden bed with lettuce and gardening tools nearby.

Use a Simple Wooden Board to Trap Slugs in Your Garden

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

Many amateur gardeners wake up in dismay: young lettuces have been eaten, and bean stems have been snipped off. The...

Several small birds perched and flying around a red-berried bush in a snowy garden at sunrise.

Dog Rose and Japanese Rose: More Birds in Your Garden

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

Many keen amateur gardeners hang up fat balls and still wonder why the branches remain empty. Yet winter birdlife is...

Person planting white flowering plants in garden bed under a tree with gardening tools nearby

Epimedium for Dry Shade: The Ground Cover That Transforms Bare Tree Bases

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

A modest ground cover can work a small miracle in precisely this sort of spot. Many amateur gardeners eventually give...

Person wearing gloves using a small rake to tend moss in a garden with watering can and seed packets nearby.

Moss in the Lawn: Why Washing-up Liquid Does More Harm Than Good

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

Many amateur gardeners instinctively reach for a popular yet disastrous quick fix. After a wet, gloomy winter, your lawn can...

Two workers in safety vests examining a tree near a house with tools and plant nearby.

Why councils restrict silver maple and other trees near homes

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

The crown rises above the roof, while the roots have pushed up the paved path as though someone had secretly...

Hands placing potato slices against an orchid plant's roots on a wooden table by a window.

The Potato Trick for a Tired Orchid

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

The flowers had disappeared, the leaves were drooping, and the former showpiece on the windowsill looked exhausted. Many people would...

Person planting young tomato plants in soil in raised garden bed with gardening trowel and notebook nearby

When to Plant Tomatoes Outdoors: The Right Time

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

Many amateur gardeners are itching to get started as early as April – but putting tomatoes outside too soon can...

Man using electric hedge trimmer discovers a bird’s nest with eggs in a garden bush, looking surprised.

Hedge Cutting in France: Nesting Season Rules and €150,000 Fines

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

An apparently minor cut can nevertheless create a legal minefield in France. What seems like an innocuous gardening task to...

Woman wearing a straw hat tending to plants in a garden with raspberries and lavender in the background.

Which Plants Attract Ants to Your Garden?

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

As soon as the weather turns warm, gardens begin to crawl with activity: ants form colonies, tunnel beneath beds and...

Person tending to a potted cherry plant on a balcony table with gardening supplies and red cherries.

Murtilla: The Chilean Guava for Small City Balconies

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

While many amateur gardeners are still dreaming of growing their own lemon tree, another exotic fruit shrub is quietly making...

Person wearing plaid pruning branches from a leafy tree in a sunlit garden with a blossoming tree in background.

How to Prune a Cherry Tree for More Fruit

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

A vigorous, deep-green cherry tree stood in the garden. It flowered reasonably well, provided shade and looked healthy – yet...

Person in jeans and grey sweater picking purple flowers into a bowl with botanical sketches nearby on grass.

Blue and Purple Spring Herbs: Useful “Weeds” in Your Lawn

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

In March, the garden comes back to life, bringing small blue and purple flowers with it: across the lawn, between...

Two blue tits at a wooden bird feeder filled with sunflower seeds in a sunlit garden.

Attract Tits with Sunflower Seeds in Your Garden

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

Suddenly, tits seem to be everywhere, and the garden takes on an entirely different character. Anyone who has watched a...

Person removing a dandelion by its roots from a raised garden bed with various plants and a watering can nearby.

3 Plants: Dandelion, Clover and Nettles That Strengthen Your Vegetable Garden

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

Anyone who is first to pull every piece of “weed” from the ground in March and April is not alone...

Person aerating a garden lawn with a mechanical soil aerator on a sunny day in a backyard.

The one scarifying mistake that ruins your lawn in spring

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

A hasty approach, however, can ruin your lawn. In spring, many gardens look more like a wet sponge than a...

Tabby cat drinking water from a white automatic pet water fountain on a kitchen countertop near a sink.

Why Cats Prefer Tap Water: The Under-£20 Water Fountain Solution

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

In the evening, once the house has finally quietened down, your cat jumps onto the edge of the basin looking...

Person wearing gloves refills a hanging bird feeder with two birds near a tree branch in a sunny garden.

Turn an old wire hanger into a hanging bird feeder

Gareth Whitfield • October 6, 2026

Yet this everyday object can be turned into a sturdy, practical and free hanging bird feeder in just a few...