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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Garden fencing: which type to choose
Do you have fencing in your garden? Chances are it features somewhere in your outdoor space, whether it’s for the purposes of security, privacy, a decorative feature, or a combination of all of these.Installing or replacing garden fencing can be quite an investment, which makes it all the more important to make the right choice that suits your needs and your garden. If there's a fencing project on your list of home renovations, here’s ...
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 ...
Fun winter nature crafts for children
We don’t really see winter as ideal for spending time outdoors with our children, do we? The days are shorter, the weather is often less than inviting, and it’s hard to motivate ourselves to leave the comfort of a cosy house. But in my experience, children just don’t think this way. As far as my kids are concerned, when it comes to getting outdoors the season is pretty much irrelevant; as long as they’re dressed to suit the ...