How to guides

A winter garden tidy is one of the best ways to set your garden up for success in the growing season ahead. Although February can still bring cold and unpredictable weather, it’s an ideal time for clearing, organising and carrying out light maintenance before spring growth begins. Tackling these jobs now makes your garden easier to manage and ...

Weeding is one of the most maligned jobs in the garden, but it’s one of the most important. Weeds compete for nutrients and can hugely impact the health of your plants and crops but there are many ways that we can make life easier for ourselves and cut down on the amount of work needed to keep the garden weed-free.Prepare new ground ...

How to keep your pet bearded dragons healthy and happy. Bearded dragons are very rewarding pets and make an ideal first pet reptile. If you take good care of him he can live for up to 10 years. Even though bearded dragons are very calm, they are more suited to older children and adults because they are delicate and handling of them must be gentle. ...

How to keep pet Bengalese finches healthy and happyBengalese finches are one of the most charming and interesting birds to keep as a pet and are easy to care for. There are many colour variations to choose from although you won’t see Bengalese finches in the wild, they are solely bred in captivity. Click here to read our full guide to ...

Hanging baskets and hanging pots are an instant way to beautify your house, fences or trellis, giving your garden more personality and character. During the summer, hanging baskets can really lighten up even the dullest porch or doorway, making a wonderful first impression for visitors to your home. From seasonal bedding plants and dwarf bulbs to ...

A flowerbed full of vibrant bedding plants is one of the easiest ways to add instant colour, height and scent to your garden. Popular since Victorian times, bedding plants are ideal for relative beginners because they offer the chance for results without too much difficulty. Not only that, but you’ll see the impact almost immediately. Summer ...

Birds add interest, movement and sound to our gardens as well as helping to keep down certain insect pests – especially many caterpillars and aphids. Our feathered friends welcome food throughout the year; in colder months when food is in short supply, to help them when nesting and raising chicks in spring and also through the summer months ...

Most insects hibernate through the winter months and encouraging them to do so in your own garden will be beneficial for the following year. Many, such as ladybirds, will begin breeding in the spring and both they and their larvae eat huge numbers of aphids. Wasps and lacewings are among other insects whose larvae devour large numbers of garden ...

A little warm weather is all the excuse we need for hosting a barbecue. Come rain or shine, the great British pursuit of barbecuing is among the highlights of our summer. Choosing the right barbecue that can handle your requirements is more than just a question of taste, and the choice can seem a little overwhelming. Our barbecue buying guide is ...

Buying a new piece of garden furniture is an exciting investment into spending more time enjoying your outside space – however you wish to use it. Whether you’re looking for a wooden bench for two or a resin weave suite for eight, there are lots of options to consider. Our furniture buying guide explores the most frequently asked ...

There is nothing more satisfying than sitting down to a meal where one or more of the ingredients have been produced from your own garden or allotment. As soon as dinner is served, every moment of hard work and effort that goes into growing your own is immediately rewarded. Once your freezer and store room are full, why not get out your recipe ...

Choose ground where other brassicas (cabbage, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, turnips and mustard) have not been growing for at least two years. You can also grow Broccoli on an area where a previous crop has been cleared and the ground has not been dug over so that it is already firm. Alkaline soil is better than acidic soil, because this reduces ...

Over the last few years, there has been an increase in the popularity of houseplants, partly due to more people working from home and wanting to create a fresh and welcoming environment. As well as creating a mini makeover for your home, plants can help your health and wellbeing by improving the air quality as well as your mood. When it comes to ...

Orchids are one of the most elegant and beautiful of all the houseplants, and because they have slightly different needs, they can be thought of as a difficult plant to look after. However, they are quite simple to care for if you learn about their unique needs. In the wild, most orchid species would grow on the bark of trees, and because of this, ...