News - Page 28
It is helpful to mulch your garden for many reasons. Mulch can do a great job of retaining moisture in the soil for your plants and even keeps weeds down as well. Using the right mulch will help improve your soil for healthy, thriving plants while reducing evaporation, which is especially good for dry soils, and maintaining a regular temperature. Cooling in the summer and keeping warm during the colder months.
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Start sowing colourful annuals as soon as the weather warms up and the soil temperature is also a little warmer, but if you can’t wait, some can be sown undercover. A few hardy annuals prefer to be sown directly in the soil where they are to grow. Either way, annuals make a great addition to any garden with so many varieties to choose from, an array of colours and many that are great for cutting to put into a vase. Here are some of our favourites to sow and grow, and a few sowing tips.
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This how-to test your soil pH guide will give you all of the information you need to know your soil better. Without good soil and knowing exactly what type and pH it is, your plants may not thrive so well. When you know more about your soil, you can choose the right plants for the right place and work with what you’ve got to have a fully biodiverse and beautiful garden. Here's how you can test your garden soil to find out.
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Ornamental grasses add so much to a garden, bringing borders to life with their airy flower stems, softening paving and edging borders. There are grasses for sunny spots and grasses that will grow happily in part shade. Here are a few of our favourite ornamental grasses and how to care for them.
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Shady gardens are sometimes seen as a problem, but this doesn’t have to be true. Shady gardens can be just as beautiful as those blessed with sunshine. The emphasis is all on foliage shapes, textures, and the subtle colours of shade-loving plants in the shade. With the right plants, you can turn a shady garden into a cool, tranquil haven to relax in.
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These top plants for children to grow will get them interested in gardening and growing their own food in no time. It is so important to teach children the importance of plants and where their food comes from, so getting started at home is ideal. Even a sunny windowsill will do! Here are some plants that will get kids’ interest in gardening stirred.
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Packed full of vitamin C and antioxidants, blueberries are both healthy and delicious. They’re also surprisingly easy to grow and very ornamental, with pretty flowers in spring and beautiful autumn foliage. You don’t need lots of space to grow blueberries – a big pot in a sunny place will do.
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These top houseplant care tips have been put together for you to help your houseplants thrive. Or, if you are new to houseplants they will give you the confidence you need to get started and know some basic top tips to start your collection of houseplants. Once you get one, you will undoubtedly get more! There are some general key points when looking after houseplants that will help you and we believe no home should be without plants.
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Start deciding which edible flowers to grow as early as possible in the year so you can plan and make sure you have the seeds or plants available and that your soil is prepared, ready to sow, and plant at the right time of year.
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We all know that biodiversity is a good thing, but what does it actually mean? Well, essentially, it’s the variety of plants and animals found in an area. A biodiverse garden can contain an astonishing number of different forms of life, from bacteria, fungi, worms and insects to small mammals, birds, and of course, plants.
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Clusia rosea is called the autograph plant because its leaves are so thick and tough that it’s possible to carve your name in them without harming the plant, although this isn’t recommended as good plant care! The big, glossy green leaves give this attractive houseplant a stylish air that goes well with clean lines and contemporary décor. Clusia rosea does, very occasionally, flower in hot summers, producing pink or white flowers, but it’s the foliage that’s the main attraction.
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Do you want a beautiful garden but don’t have hours to spend looking after it? Go for low-maintenance garden landscaping. Choose your plants and materials carefully, and you can still have a garden that looks good all year round.
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