What's new, what's growing, what we're learning. Updates, guides and stories for people who take their garden seriously.
Turn calendula and ribwort plantain into your own little apothecary: homemade calendula salve, plantain syrup and tinctures, with clear limits and plenty of cleanliness.
Why daily watering weakens your plants and why deep, infrequent watering almost always wins. With clear amounts for beds, pots and lawn, the finger test, and tricks that save you watering rounds.
Less often but deeper, early in the morning and always at the root: that is how you get through high summer on half a watering can. Plus mulch, a rain barrel and the simple finger test.
Fallen leaves are not waste, they are the best free soil improver of the year. Here is how to turn them into leaf mould, winter mulch and a shelter for hedgehogs and beneficial insects.
Wish you had three more of your favourite plant? An overview of the four routes to vegetative propagation and how to decide which one fits which plant.
Muskmelon or watermelon in your own garden: from a warm start indoors through pollination and care to the knock test that tells you when to harvest.
Lay the fleece on only when frost is forecast, air it out during the day, stand pots on wood: a few simple moves carry your beds and potted plants safely through the cold nights.
Chives are native, perennial and easy, as long as you give them moist, rich soil. Here is how to cut, divide and force them right.
Peonies live for decades if you set them right. The most common mistake is planting too deep. Here is how to find the right spot and get lavish blooms every year.
