April is when things really start to get going in the garden. The soil is warming up, the risk of frost is much lower, and there's lots of planting to be done! If you’re keen to sow, grow and plant things this month, here are some ideas for what to plant in April. Flowers to plant in April Bedding plant & hardy annual seeds April is a good time to sow seeds for hardy annuals and summer bedding plants. Growing these plants ...
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 which is in ...
Giving nature a home in our garden: sowing wildflowers
If you’re a regular reader, you’ll be aware that we’re joining forces with the RSPB 'Give nature a home in your garden' campaign. With 60% of the UK’s wildlife species seeing decline over the last fifty years, the campaign aims to encourage us all to take small, achievable steps to help nature in our own green spaces. We’re going to be sharing our experiences as we try out lots of fun family activities to make a home for nature in our own ...
How well do you know your weeds from your plants?
When it comes to keeping your garden looking lovely, how well do you know your weeds from your plants? Most of us are familiar with the common weeds that can cause problems in our gardens, and can probably identify culprits such as dandelions, daisies, nettles, creeping buttercup and bindweed. But there's a whole host of wild plants that could easily be tricking you into thinking they're actually cultivated varieties. So how do you work ...
15 Inspiring garden projects
Have you caught the gardening bug yet this year? With Spring well underway and National Gardening Week starting today, lots of us will be thinking about sprucing up the garden. Whether you want to just tidy things up a bit, introduce some new plants, or plan a big garden project, it's always really inspiring to take a look at what other people are up to. To help you with your garden plans for the year, some of the UK’s top home and ...
Wildflower wanderings
Have you ever had the chance to roam through fields of wildflowers? It’s the stuff of romantic novels and Hollywood movies isn’t it, and certainly not something I expected to be able to do locally - but that’s exactly what we spent an afternoon doing at Naturescape wildlflower farm in Langar, Nottinghamshire. Naturescape is a 90 acre wildflower farm, producing native species of wildflowers and grasses primarily for the wholesale ...