Collaborative postIf you have a garden or backyard, you probably love the idea of it being a lush heaven, full of beautiful flowers and verdant shrubbery. But let’s face it: not everyone has green fingers! That’s where low-maintenance flowering plants come in.Low-maintenance plants bloom beautifully, look amazing both in a pot and in a border, but don’t require you to have a degree in horticulture. Pick the right plants, and you can ...
Gardening for Nature: easy ways to create a bee-friendly garden
If you’re interested in gardening and nature you’re probably aware that bees are in trouble, with numbers and species in quite dramatic decline. What you might not be aware of is just how important bees are to us and the planet in general.Bees don’t just make honey and give us a lovely sound in the garden on summer afternoons. Bees are vital for the pollination of plants - including food crops - and this insect family ...
Plant care tips for containers
Collaborative post The world of plant care can be more than a little bewildering, can’t it? Unless you’re a gardening expert, it can be tricky working out just what you need to do (or not do!) to make sure your indoor and outdoor plants thrive. I love gardening, but that certainly doesn’t mean I’ve got the plant care right every time; in fact I’ve had many disasters over the years. I’ve also had lots of times where my plants thrived but I ...
7. The 10 minute gardener: quick summer gardening jobs
Welcome to the latest post in this series, looking at quick gardening jobs you can fit into a busy schedule. This time I'm looking at ways to stay on top of your summer garden.Things have certainly warmed up in the last couple of weeks, and I’m really enjoying my garden now the summer plants are bursting into life. I think the ‘little and often’ approach is best for gardening at this time of year; keeping on top of the garden ...
Vertical gardening with Gardena NatureUp! | AD
This is a commissioned post in collaboration with GardenaIntroducing my new vertical herb garden!I do love a new gardening project, and this week I’ve been enjoying myself creating a herb garden for our new patio. If you’ve been reading the blog lately, you’ll know we’re in the middle of a complete garden re-design, so this little project has been a lovely way to take a break from the heavy work and give us some instant ...
Exploring the Stihl Hillier Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show | AD
This is a commissioned post in collaboration with StihlThis is one of those weeks where I feel ridiculously lucky to do my job. Flower Show season is in full swing, and earlier this week I spent a fabulous day at RHS Chelsea Flower Show as the guest of premium garden tool brand Stihl. I was given an exclusive tour of the Stihl Hillier Garden, and was able to explore it in all it’s glory. Such a great opportunity!Stihl produce a ...
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 ...
How to get your garden ready for summer
Summer is on the way, and with it the chance to spend more time enjoying our outdoor space. Is your garden ready? During the colder months we naturally spend less time taking care of our gardens, but when the weather warms up again in summer we immediately want to get out there and enjoy them. The trouble is, there’s often work required to get things looking good before we can sit back and enjoy the view! If your garden is looking a ...
Happy gardening with Fiskars | AD
This is a commissioned post in collaboration with FiskarsThe gardening season is well and truly underway, and it’s time to get busy :)Spring and summer are usually the time of year when the garden demands the most from us. With plants putting on growth spurts, weeds doing the same, and warmer weather creating the need to keep up with watering, it can all feel a bit stressful!I’m feeling the gardening pressure in a different way ...
How to grow potatoes in a bag
It's potato planting time!I think it's impossible to beat the taste of homegrown new potatoes, and they're not difficult to grow at all. In fact they're a brilliant veg to grow with kids; they're nice and chunky to handle when planting, the kids get to pile soil on them as they grow, and harvest time is basically a treasure hunt as all those lovely spuds are unearthed!If you've got lots of room in the garden or at an allotment, you ...