Collaborative postIf you’re a parent and your child’s birthday is coming up, the chances are you’re already quite organised and clued-up when it comes to presents. Whether they’ve left you one too many hints to ignore, or you’ve seen something you’d know they’d love, you’ve probably got it sorted.But what about all the uncles, aunties, friends-of-friends, godparents, and network of wider family members? Obviously you can ask the ...
Grow Your Own for kids: how to grow salad
Over the last few years my kids have got involved with lots of different aspects of gardening; they've sown seeds, harvested crops, dug, planted, watered, weeded and simply played in the mud. They love all of it, but if you asked them what their favourite gardening job was, they'd say growing plants from seeds every time.I can understand why. There's just something so magical about planting a seed, watering it, and watching ...
Growing sunflowers with children
Have you planted any seeds yet this year? Now's the ideal time to get growing, and if you're looking for easy seeds to grow with children it's hard to beat sunflowers.As well as producing seriously impressive blooms, sunflower seeds are easy for little hands to deal with, and pretty low maintenance to grow. They're also brilliant for local wildlife; the flowers are great for bees and other pollinating insects, and birds love to eat ...
Taking the RSPB Wild Challenge: spotting signs of spring and sowing sunflowers
Last year we had a great time partnering with RSPB on family-friendly activities that would help to give nature a home in our garden. You might remember that we planted wildflower seeds, grew flowers for butterflies, made a frog and toad abode, grew plants for moths, and made a bird bath. It was a busy year! We’re thrilled to be working with RSPB again on some fun new projects. Over the next few months we’ll be bringing you more ...
Using artificial grass to tackle tricky outdoor spaces
Artificial grass is becoming more and more popular as a low-maintenance way to create a lush-looking lawn, and it's particularly well-suited to situations where a traditional living lawn is difficult to achieve. This guest post explains the basics of artificial grass, and covers some key outdoor challenges that can be tackled using it.Garden styles and functions vary enormously, and of course every garden is unique in its own way. That ...
How to make twig-wrapped flower pots
If, like us, you have an ever-growing stick collection, this is the perfect nature craft for you!Sticks and twigs are just brilliant for crafting, and this little project turns them into a lovely homemade gift. All you need is a plant pot, some string, and a little plant to pop in when you're finished.The idea is to create a length of tied-together twigs that you then fasten around the pot. Start off by measuring each stick ...
Do you know how much your home energy is costing?
Something a bit different on the blog today, but still very relevant to family life. This guest post takes a look at energy costs in the home, and has lots of tips and ideas for how to stay in control of your energy bills.According to Ofgem, the amount you spend on energy could account for as much as 8% of your outgoings, and that’s a lot of your money to part with if you don’t fully understand what you’re spending it on.Understanding ...
How to make fun bird feeders
Do you feed the birds at this time of year? We try to do it all year round, but in winter it's particularly important to give wild birds a helping hand, because natural food sources are scarce. One of the kids' favourite craft activities is making our homemade feeders; I've lost count of the number of times we've made them, and whenever we put them out in the garden they vanish within a couple of days!This week we've been ...
What to plant now – February
We’re almost there.... February is underway and spring is just around the corner. I still want it to hurry up though!It really won’t be long before I’m up to my neck in packets of seed and fussing over my labelled pots like a mother hen. But the fact remains that it’s still winter, and most plants just won’t tolerate being started off until the weather warms up a bit and the light improves. There are some that will happily get ...
How to add interest to your winter garden
A quick glance out of my kitchen window confirms that winter is definitely in residence in the garden. The light is low, the tree branches are the only real structure in sight, most border plants are dormant and the lawn is blanketed in yet another carpet of fallen leaves (note to self: make more leaf mould). Down at the allotment, everything is looking very bare, and the last time so much soil was unused was back ...