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How To Grow Avocado We can’t promise you can easily grow your own avocados – these tropical trees are unlikely to crop in our temperate climate – but don’t let that stop you! Growing an avocado plant from a stone is a fun project: germinating the seed is easy, and…
This young late-summer-flowering clematis has not been regularly pruned, so I’m cutting back old growth to the topmost buds. It will be pruned again after flowering in autumn © Time Inc Clematis mingle well with existing climbers and wall shrubs, taking up little extra space. They can deliver flowers every month…
If you are looking to create hanging baskets this Easter weekend – look no further than our simple step-by-step guide from Amateur Gardening magazine. For this you will need: – hanging baskets – liner – plastic ties – multipurpose compost – plants of your choice How to make your Easter hanging baskets:…
Kris shows how to start off crops of basil Fill a pot with a good quality soil-based seed compost. Tamp down the surface. Lightly sprinkle a few seeds on the surface, then water. Cover with a ¼in (6mm) layer of vermiculite. Label, then place in a light, warm…
Fill that flowerless hole in the border with something that’s going to keep the colour coming right through to autumn. You should be able to pick these plants up from garden centres, or see individual suppliers listed. Osteospermum ‘Falling Stars’ 1. CAPE DAISIES Sunlight is vital to the performance of…
Beat Fruit And Veg Pests If you leave big numbers of pests unchecked on the veggie plot you’ll soon regret it, says Lucy. Many have a rapid breeding rate and sneaky success tactics. It may not be enough to get rid of them by encouraging beneficial creatures like ladybirds and lacewings.…
Weatherproof Your Plot In times of a changing climate, we’re not sure whether summer will bring us deluge or dearth. But come rain or shine, we can take action to ‘weatherproof’ our fruit and veg via careful soil management, says Lucy. Protect From The Wet So you want to…
Spring Care Lawn Tips When it comes to spring lawn care there are three key jobs need doing. These are scarifying, spiking, and top-dressing. Scarifying: this removes moss and ‘thatch’ – small pieces of dead grass and other debris. Spiking: this improves drainage and gets air down to the roots of the…
Make Your Garden Greener Gardeners are natural custodians of their own little piece of the planet, and there’s never been a better time to be the change you want to see. As the Soil Association highlights the benefits of organic gardening, here are five easy tips you can follow to…
Keep Your Citrus In Shape Overwinter your lemon tree in a greenhouse If you are growing citrus trees in pots they will have loved the Mediterranean-levels of heat and sunshine we experienced for most of this summer. Our small lemon tree overwintered in the greenhouse, and then several months…
