Gardens

Grow wild flowers for hedgehogs

Non-profit wildflower specialist Seedball has teamed up with People’s Trust for Endangered Species to develop a wildflower seed mix that will yield flowers with hedgehog appeal. It's easy to do your bit to develop hedgehog-friendly habitats by scattering Seedball's little clay balls over you garden. 

Garden tasks that don't need hours of your time

Gardens are long-term projects and the key to their success is to maintain small jobs often and be patient with results. Instead of feeling overwhelmed at the upkeep, enjoy being outside with tasks that take anywhere between 10 to 30 minutes. And if you decide to grow a vegetable garden or plant fuchsias, don’t do everything in one day. Taking your time means the process can be more enjoyable, says Calum Maddock, garden expert at Home How (.co.uk). 

1. Prune hedges

4 ways to spend more time outdoors in the comfort of your garden

Create a seating area
No matter the size of your garden, you should be able to create space to sit down and relax. After all, isn't that what gardens are for, to sit and admire the view? And if you're considering buying a new garden lounge set this summer, you need to consider two things.
    1. How big a seating area can you achieve? 
    2. How many people are you likely to be hosting in the garden?

Olive trees bring a touch of the Mediterranean to UK gardens

get a Mediterranean style garden by investing in some olive trees. With care and attention these plants can thrive in the UK. GARDENINg is an eco friendly activity but be sure not to use compost that contains peat

Pots and pot plants

Elizabeth Macgregor Nursery

Turn your garden into a luxurious haven in 5 steps

Having an attractive outdoor space is a very desirable feature in a property, which is why gardens can add a lot of value to a house. However, while having a good-sized garden is great, it can become very off-putting if it’s not taken care of and is left to grow out of control. So while it may take a bit of time and money, turning your garden into a luxurious haven is well worth the effort. Here are five simple things you can do to achieve this.

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Treedom: give the perfect gift

Plant peonies for a garden full of colour

peonies are lovely colourful flowers that are easy to grow in UK gardens

Ground screws: an eco-friendly alternative to concrete foundations

Concrete is an absolutely essential material for the building industry and it's unlikely a future Shard or the Burj al Arab will ever sit on ground screws. But the manufacturing of cement to make concrete accounts for five cent of global CO2 emissions and it ranks third in the production of manmade CO2 emissions worldwide after transport and energy generation; and as such there is a need to use alternatives to concrete foundations for smaller building projects.

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