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Growing Family

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

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Boiler replacement: what to think about before you buy

June 28, 2019 by Catherine Leave a Comment

heating system pilot light

Collaborative post Boilers: we tend to take them for granted, don’t we?  I know I only really think about ours when it stops working, or when the energy bills arrive!  But if you’ve ever suffered through a boiler replacement in the colder months of the year - which is when they tend to break - you’ll know just how vital a boiler is to the comfort and function of your home. The reason boilers tend to break down in winter is because ...

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Filed Under: Family Home Tagged With: Boiler, energy saving, Family, heating, Home, Home maintenance, Maintenance

Plant care tips for containers

June 27, 2019 by Catherine 10 Comments

container plants

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 ...

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Filed Under: Garden Tips Tagged With: Baby Bio, Containers, Dead-heading, Flowers, Garden, gardening, Hanging Baskets, Houseplants, Maintenance, Outdoors, Plant food, Planting, Plants, Top Tips, watering

7. The 10 minute gardener: quick summer gardening jobs

June 27, 2019 by Catherine 18 Comments

hampton court flower show 2016 zoflora outstanding natural beauty show garden

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 through little ...

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Filed Under: The 10 minute gardener Tagged With: 10 minute gardener, Bedding plants, Birds, Flowers, Garden, Garden tips, July, June, Maintenance, Pests, Plants, Summer, Top Tips, watering, Wildlife

How to get your garden ready for summer

May 20, 2019 by Catherine 7 Comments

orange flower border

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 bit tired, ...

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Filed Under: Garden Tips Tagged With: Containers, Deck, Entertaining, Garden, Garden furniture, gardening, Grass, Home, Lawn, Lighting, Maintenance, Outdoors, Patio, Plants, Shed, Summer, Tools, Top Tips, toys

5. The 10 minute gardener: quick Spring gardening jobs

March 4, 2019 by Catherine Leave a Comment

clematis montana

This week, for the first time in months, I’ve been warm while gardening - which must mean that spring is definitely on the way! With the sun streaming in through the window as I write this, it’s hard to resist the call of some spring gardening; that lovely leisurely pottering that only the warmer weather of spring and summer allows.  So far it’s been all about wrapping up warm, concentrating on the task in hand, then heading back indoors for a ...

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Filed Under: The 10 minute gardener Tagged With: Garden, Maintenance, Planning, Seeds, Spring, Top Tips

3. The 10 minute gardener: spring garden prep

January 8, 2019 by Catherine Leave a Comment

hellebore spring plants

The start of a new year has worked it’s magic on my gardening enthusiasm, as it always does.  I’ve replaced the frenzy of Christmas with a gentler form of excitement, and my mind is buzzing with ideas for the garden and allotment this spring and summer.  We may be still in the depths of winter but I do love a good bit of looking forward, don’t you? My problem is getting beyond that looking forward.  This is what normally happens in our ...

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Filed Under: The 10 minute gardener Tagged With: bulbs, Children, Christmas, Flowers, Greenhouse, Houseplants, Maintenance, Plants, Salad, Seeds, Top Tips, Winter

Do’s and don’ts when caring for marble worktops

December 3, 2018 by Catherine Leave a Comment

marble worktops cleaning

Do you have marble worktops in your kitchen?  This guest post has lots of great tips for keeping them in top condition. Not only are marble worktops a source of beauty in your home, they’re also viewed as a luxury item and can add to the value of your home.  Lots of people are choosing to invest in natural stone surfaces for their home, due to their greater durability, aesthetic appeal, functionality, and the sheer luxury status over other ...

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Filed Under: Kitchen & Dining Tagged With: Home, Interiors, Kitchen, Maintenance, Marble worktops, Top Tips, Worktops

9. The 10 minute gardener: quick gardening jobs for early Autumn

September 20, 2018 by Catherine 1 Comment

clumber park flowers

  Welcome to the latest post in this series, looking at quick gardening jobs you can fit into a busy schedule. Now that autumn has arrived things feel like they’re slowing down in the garden; plants are starting to shut down, lots of crops are coming to an end, and leaves are starting to fall.  This doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do this month though, there are lots of quick jobs you can make a start on to prepare your garden for ...

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Filed Under: The 10 minute gardener Tagged With: Autumn, Flowers, Fruit, Garden, gardening, Maintenance, Plants, Top Tips

How to prep your heating system for winter

September 20, 2018 by Catherine Leave a Comment

heating system pilot light

Is your home's heating system ready for winter? We’ve only just waved goodbye to summer, and temperatures are still mild enough to avoid flicking the heating on, but now is the ideal time to check your heating system and make sure it’s ready for the colder months. The colder seasons of the year place the greatest strain on your heating system, which is why most boiler breakdowns happen during winter.  Our old combi boiler packed up during a ...

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Filed Under: Family Home Tagged With: Boiler, Family, heating, Home, Interiors, Maintenance, Radiators, Winter

How to find the right gardening company for your project

September 14, 2018 by Catherine Leave a Comment

digging the garden in wellies

Have you ever called in the pros to help you with the gardening? I think garden maintenance is often one of those jobs that we feel a bit embarrassed about not doing ourselves.  We should be able to find time to keep on top of it, right?  Well in reality, that’s not always possible! Trying to find ways to squeeze the gardening into an already hectic home life is how my ten minute gardener series came about.  And while a few minutes of gardening ...

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Filed Under: Garden Tips Tagged With: Garden, Gardener, gardening, Home, Maintenance, Planting, Plants, Top Tips

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Welcome!

I’m Catherine, mum, wife, writer and fan of wellies. We love exploring, creating and growing things and my blog shares ideas, inspiration and tips for making the most of busy family life, indoors and out.

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