Garden care
Paving Over Front Gardens Contributes to Hotter Nights
A recent study suggests that paving over front gardens is exacerbating the urban heat island effect, particularly at night.
The Guardian Gardens
Staff reporter at Bed and Border, covering Gardening.
Grow your own
Summer Essentials: Your Top Picks for the Great Outdoors
From cooling mattress toppers to sustainable water bottles, discover the top products that made the cut in July's hitlist.
Grow your own
Sowing the Seeds of Fresh Cabbages for Next Spring
Gardening enthusiasts with a decent-sized patch can now start growing spring cabbages, which will be ready to pick next spring. However, it's essential to consider the space and time required for these delicious but time- and space-hungry crops.
Garden care
Gardeners Share Experiences with Heat and Drought
As Britain faces its fifth heatwave of the summer, gardeners and allotment holders are sharing their experiences with the hot, dry weather.
Grow your own
Free Garden Clearances Bring Light and Hope to Struggling Homeowners
Stephen Jalland, a 57-year-old from March, Cambridgeshire, has been offering free garden clearances to those unable to maintain their outdoor spaces due to health, financial, or mental struggles. His initiative, sparked by frustration over judgmental online comments, has transformed lives by providing 'happy spaces' and alleviating stress for homeowners like Anita Thursby, who battled cervical cancer and shame over her overgrown garden.
News
Transforming Tiny Balconies and Patios into Cozy Outdoor Retreats
A practical guide shows how to refresh, green, shade, light, and furnish small outdoor areas using affordable tools, vertical planting, compact furniture and accessories.
Garden care
Gardeners' Grievances: Wind Chimes, Woodlice, and More
Readers share their frustrations with noisy wind chimes, offer gardening tips for protecting strawberries from woodlice, and reflect on regional dialects describing illness.
Grow your own
Elevate Your Garden: The Art of Creating Mounds for Beauty and Function
Transform your garden by building mounds, a technique that adds visual interest, supports diverse planting, and enhances soil health. Learn how to create these features using excess soil or the ancient *hugelkultur* method, and discover their benefits for privacy and wildlife.
Grow your own
Climate Crisis Threatens Homegrown Harvests
As the UK faces its sixth heatwave of the year, gardeners are struggling to maintain their crops amidst drought and food price inflation.
Plants
Houseplant Hack: Willow Water as a Rooting Hormone
A homemade rooting hormone made from willow water has been found to promote healthy root growth in houseplants.
Plants
Drought-Resilient Plants and Grey-Water Strategies for UK Gardens
As Britain faces increasingly dry summers, the Beth Chatto Gardens showcase which species survive severe drought and how gardeners can responsibly reuse household grey water.