Gardening
- LifestyleThe Telegraph
Everything you need to know to feed birds in your garden this winter
When the temperature plunges, small garden birds, such as finches, tits and robins, can lose 10 per cent of their body weight overnight trying to keep warm. This is because they do not store fat, says Sean McMenemy, a wildlife specialist. “Birds need to maintain flight, so they cannot pack on pounds and fat in the way mammals do. They can only eat the food they need on a daily basis.”
6-min read - LifestyleThe Telegraph
10 plants to lift the November gloom in your garden
Long gone are the days when everyone ‘put the garden to bed’ in November, and rightly so, for winter can be glorious. It’s the season when rich evergreens take a giant step forward, whether it’s structural box or yew, or a choice evergreen cleverly placed. Topiary looks especially crisp, and it’s also possible to cast some sunshine in shady places by adding golden glimmers of foliage – always in moderation though.
7-min read - LifestyleThe Telegraph
November gardening checklist: what to plant and tidy in your garden this month
In November, the short days of autumn feel longer, colder, and frost seems mere days away.
11-min read - NewsThe Telegraph
The tree-hunting aristocrat smuggling seeds from China in his socks
As you bend left down the drive at Tullynally Castle, County Westmeath, what looks like a medieval walled town rises to greet you – turrets, arrow-slits and witch’s hat towers, stitched together by hundreds of yards of battlements. The Pakenham family have been in residence here since the mid-17th century. The current incumbent, Thomas Pakenham, 91, and his late wife, Valerie, transformed the estate. In the 63 years since he inherited it from his uncle, the 6th Earl of Longford, the couple have
11-min read - LifestyleThe Telegraph
How to add autumn colour to your doorstep with a vibrant pot
It’s a perfectly natural response, when the days get shorter, and the temperatures begin to drop that we feel the need to retreat inside and almost draw a line under gardening for that year. The reality is that the change in temperature and light levels triggers a wonderful variety of plants to come into flower and start to produce vibrant autumn colours.
5-min read - LifestyleThe Telegraph
It’s bulb planting season – here’s how to create the most magnificent displays
Bulbs are a cost-effective, versatile and easy way to add colour and interest to your garden, from late winter snowdrops (Galanthus) and winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) through to May’s alliums; camassias; trilliums; Narcissus ‘Pheasant’s Eye’ and tulip species Tulipa sprengeri. Once established, bulbs self-multiply, giving you plenty of freebies to transplant around your garden. Here is how to select, plant and display your bulbs.
8-min read - OpinionThe Telegraph
How to divide rhubarb and the best months to do it
I remember the early days of my career which involved looking after a National Collection of rhubarb and wondering whether it was the most visually unstimulating collection that was possible to grow. These days, as I grow a more sensible amount of rhubarb, I have come to appreciate how tasty and incredibly useful this plant is. There are very few fruits or vegetables that will tolerate a shaded position in a veg patch or container, but rhubarb ticks that box with gusto.
3-min read
