Gardening
- LifestyleThe Telegraph
How to get the best from your peonies
Peonies provide more than flower power, they’re magical in every sense of the word. They take their name from Paeon, the Greek physician to the gods, because some species are used in Chinese medicine to prevent pain, lessen swelling and treat more serious ailments.
8-min read - LifestyleThe Telegraph
10 essential steps to building a year-round cutting garden
During the abundance of the growing season it’s easy to find something to cut in the garden, but the real mastery of growing your own cut flowers is in ensuring that there’s something interesting to cut for the house all year round. Here are 10 steps for maximising your cut-flower patch and filling vases full of scent and flowers gathered from all around the garden.
9-min read - LifestyleThe Telegraph
How to spot box blight, and what to do about it
The relentless rain of the last few months is probably going to have a sting in its tail, because it’s going to encourage lots of fungal spores. One of the most feared diseases among gardeners is box blight, which reduces a healthy box to an unsightly, leafless skeleton. It’s caused by two closely related pathogens: Calonectria pseudonaviculata and C. henricotiae (syn. Cylindrocladium buxicola). White spore masses can be seen on the undersides of infected leaves in wet conditions, and you’ll als
6-min read - LifestyleThe Telegraph
Gardening jobs to do in April: a guide to borders, wildlife gardening and vegetable plots
Magnolias and ornamental cherries are in full glorious bloom this month, blackthorn, damson and pear blossom is out, and the bees are buzzing from one flower to the next. It is bluebell time in the woods and tulip time in gardens, each of them creating their own wonderful spectacle.
5-min read - ScienceThe Telegraph
How to improve biodiversity in your garden, whatever its size
Every gardener can help. That’s the message from a new report which says everyone can make a difference to halting biodiversity loss, even if you only have the smallest window box to work with.
6-min read - LifestyleThe Telegraph
How to plant a beautiful summer border in a small garden
Perennials can provide a spectacular display of flowers for many months of the year, and most are easy to grow. In fact, you can find an herbaceous perennial to fit almost any situation in your garden. And if you choose carefully, you can have flowers for many months of the year.
6-min read - LifestyleThe Telegraph
How to grow your own fruit and veg in a small family garden
Self-sufficiency has become a buzzword in recent years, as more and more people turn to growing their own vegetables and fruit, both to save money and for the pleasure and sense of reward it brings. But how much is it really possible to grow if you don’t own a lot of land? It’s a question that inspired Huw Richards and Sam Cooper to run an experiment to see whether they could become self-sufficient over a year in food grown on a plot the size of an average UK garden.
8-min read
