Growing Family

UK home and garden blog sharing ideas, inspiration and tips for busy family life, written by Catherine Hughes

  • Home
  • About
    • About Me
    • Contact / PR
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • Garden
    • What to Plant Now
    • Garden Jobs this Month
    • Grow Your Own
    • Gardening with Children
    • Garden Tips
    • Garden Design
    • Houseplants
    • In Season Now
    • Birth Month Flowers
  • Interiors
    • Interior Design Tips
    • Living Room
    • Kitchen & Dining
    • Bedroom
    • Bathroom
    • Family Home
    • Product Showcase
    • Food
  • Nature
    • Exploring Nature
    • Days Out
    • Travel
  • Craft
  • Reviews
  • Giveaways

Review: First Tunnels Mini Polytunnel

May 17, 2018 by Catherine Leave a Comment

First Tunnels mini polytunnel with netting

If you grow your own fruit and vegetables on any scale, you're probably familiar with trying to keep pests away from your precious crops.  Caterpillars, birds, slugs and snails... there's a seemingly endless list of hungry garden visitors who will happily feast on your plants and crops given the chance.  And while I actively encourage local wildlife to visit our garden and allotment, I do want to enjoy some produce myself too! Some crops are ...

Read More »

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Allotment, Crops, Fruit, Garden, gardening, Grow Your Own, Homegrown, Plant protection, Polytunnel, Reviews, Vegetables

Garden storage: GearHooks review & giveaway

April 26, 2018 by Catherine 72 Comments

GearHooks filled rack

Do you struggle to effectively manage the storage in your outdoor buildings? I suspect your typical family shed or garage has to cope with a multitude of storage challenges - including bikes, gardening equipment, DIY supplies, toys, and pretty much anything else that we don't want to store in the house.  Here's what the inside of our shed usually looks like - be warned, it's not pretty... If I'm being completely honest, I actually had a ...

Read More »

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Garden, GearHooks, giveaway, Home, Reviews, Shed, storage

Review & Giveaway: RHS I Can Grow a Sunflower

March 23, 2018 by Catherine 77 Comments

I Can Grow A Sunflower spread 2

If you’re a regular visitor to my blog you’ll know that getting children into gardening is a passion of mine.  Gardening fits so well with lots of the things that kids tend to automatically like: hands-on activity, exploring nature, and helping the grown-ups spring instantly to mind, not to mention getting grubby! I’m always on the lookout for products, activities and crafts that encourage a love of gardening in children, and my latest discovery ...

Read More »

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Children, Family, Flowers, Garden, gardening, giveaway, Nature, Outdoors, Planting, Plants, Reviews, Seeds, Sunflower

Review & Giveaway: Gardeco Aragon Cast Iron Fire Basket

March 1, 2018 by Catherine 121 Comments

Aragon Cast Iron Fire Basket fire closeup 2

It may still be very much winter out there, but if you're anything like me you'll be itching to get out in the garden and start enjoying it again! We've had some beautiful crisp, sunny days lately (before the snow hit!), and I've been making the most of them by wrapping up warm and doing a bit of garden pottering.  I've been reviewing a lovely cast iron fire basket from www.chimineashop.co.uk, which has been the perfect piece of kit for helping ...

Read More »

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Fire basket, Firepit, Garden, Garden maintenance, giveaway, Outdoors, Reviews

Review: BenQ e-Reading LED Lamp

January 29, 2018 by Catherine Leave a Comment

BenQ e-Reading Lamp

How much time do you spend working on screens each day?  We all worry about the amount of screen time our kids are getting, but chances are as adults we spend much more time than them staring at computers, tablets and smartphones. I spend a lot of time working on screens, and by the end of the day I’m often feeling the strain in my eyes, especially when the natural light in my office is poor, or I’ve been working in artificial light.  Over the ...

Read More »

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: BenQ, Desk, Home, Home working, Interiors, Lighting, Reviews

Review: Vine House Farm super suet fat ball bird feed

January 25, 2018 by Catherine Leave a Comment

Hanging fat ball feeder

Our garden has been a hive of activity in the last couple of weeks.  We’ve been reviewing some high energy bird feed from Vine House Farm, and it’s safe to say it’s been a big hit! We always make an extra effort to feed our local wild birds in winter, because this season is really tough for them.  The cold weather causes wild birds to use more energy keeping warm, and also natural food sources are thin on the ground.  Providing a source of ...

Read More »

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Bird feed, Birds, Children, Garden, Nature, Outdoors, Reviews, The Wildlife Trusts, Vine House Farm, Wildlife, Winter

Review: Planters Online Visio fibreglass plant trough

November 23, 2017 by Catherine Leave a Comment

Reviewing the Planters Online Visio fibreglass plant trough - a premium, sleek planter ideal for container gardening and a contemporary garden style.

Are you growing plants for winter colour and interest at the moment?  The garden can feel rather bare and brown at this time of year, but if making the whole space look lively is too daunting, it's a great idea to focus your efforts on the bits you can see from your window.  Containers are brilliant for this, as you can position them exactly where you can see them best, and make the most of their display even when you're indoors. Planters ...

Read More »

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Bedding plants, Containers, Cyclamen, Foliage plants, Garden, gardening, Heather, Home, Outdoors, Planter, Planters Online, Planting, Plants, review, Trough

Review & Giveaway: GardenSite LED Christmas Reindeer

November 17, 2017 by Catherine 207 Comments

Looking for LED Christmas decorations? We review the GardenSite LED Christmas reindeer, designed to add stylish festive interest to your home or garden.

When do the Christmas decorations go up in your home?  You've probably got a few weeks to go yet, but this review and giveaway will certainly get you in the mood for decking the halls! We've been checking out the range of LED Christmas reindeer decorations from online gardening supplier GardenSite.  They sent us a Twinkling Standing Reindeer to review, and I've also got a gorgeous Premier Crystal Reindeer worth £84.99 to give away to a lucky ...

Read More »

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Christmas, Christmas decorations, competition, GardenSite, giveaway, Home, LED lights, Outdoors, Reindeer, review

Review & Giveaway: Hi-Tec Wild-Life Lux women’s walking boots

November 15, 2017 by Catherine 116 Comments

hi-tec wild-life lux womens walking boots

Are you getting outdoors and enjoying nature this season?  We've been having fun with a tree, leaf and seed hunt and putting our local park to good use; I've also been making the most of those crisp morning school runs to stomp through the leaves on the way home, such a good way to start the day! It's around this time of year that my walking boots become my go-to footwear for most of our family outings.  Rain, slippy leaves, mud and general ...

Read More »

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: competition, Equipment, giveaway, hi-tec, Outdoors, review, walking shoes

Review & Giveaway: Isbjörn of Sweden children’s outdoor clothing

November 8, 2017 by Catherine 115 Comments

autumn fun outdoors

Are you getting outdoors and making the most of autumn?  The right clothing can make all the difference to a family outdoor adventure, and I’ve got a great giveaway that will help you get it right.  There’s a bundle of premium outdoor children’s clothing from Isbjörn of Sweden worth £180 up for grabs, read on for details on how to enter! We love getting outside and exploring nature at this time of year, but the colder temperatures do mean we have ...

Read More »

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Children, Clothing, Family, giveaway, Isbjörn, Outdoors, review

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • Next Page »

Hi, I’m Catherine. Welcome to Growing Family, a top UK home & garden blog sharing ideas, inspiration and tips for making the most of busy family life, indoors and out.
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

ORDER MY BOOK

Search

VuelioTop10Badge2020

CandideTop10Badge2019

BRAMBLECREST GARDEN FURNITURE

Search

Connect

Catherine Hughes is a home & garden blogger sharing ideas, inspiration & tips for making the most of busy family life, indoors and out.
Learn More

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

summer bucket list 40 fun outdoor activities for kids
garden room
modern kitchen island with bar stools

AMAZON ASSOCIATE

 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright Growing Family 2022. Design by Stacey Corrin.