News - Page 92
Grow super-early potatoes by starting a few tubers in a potato sack about now under cover for a tasty treat ready weeks earlier than those you’ll be planting outside in March.
Grab a Pack of Seed Potatoes
You’ll need a couple of potato sacks, multipurpose compost and potato fertiliser from our garden centre here in Stocksfield, plus a pack of our super-early seed potatoes: varieties like ‘Rocket’ and ‘Swift’ are known for being really quick to reach...
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Gardening trends for 2017 include indoor ‘windowsill’ veg growing, growing with wildlife in mind, and metallic colour tones, according to the annual Grow 365 trends analysis from the Garden Media Group.
What to do in the Garden in 2017
Indoor gardening now includes hi-tech solutions like aquaponics and hydroponics to give the growing population of indoor growers living in cities with no outdoor space, a chance of real success in growing their own foo...
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There’s no denying that January can be a bracing month in the garden – but it’s also the start of an exciting new season, and there’s plenty to get on with outdoors.
General tasks:
Lag outdoor taps with bubble-wrap insulation or hessian to prevent damage in freezing weather.
Remove snow from the roofs of greenhouses and polytunnels to prevent it building up and damaging the structures.
Ornamental gardens:
Feed Christmas-floweri...
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Give the greenhouse a good scrub and you’ll not only work off all that Christmas overindulgence – you’ll also get a warm glow of satisfaction from getting a job done which really pays dividends later in the year. You'll winkle out overwintering pests from their nooks and crannies, and by washing off all the algae and dirt you'll also let in lots of light: you need every bit you can get at this time of year.
Clean Your Greenhouses
You'll need an ordin...
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The traditional Christmas tree is now in place outside the Houses of Parliament in London after a 330 mile journey from Kielder Forest in Northumberland, supplier of the Westminster Christmas tree for the last 15 years. The forest also provides smaller Christmas trees for Westminster Hall and the Speaker’s State Rooms.
Westminster Christmas Tree
The 52ft high Sitka spruce weighs about two tonnes and was cut specially for the honour. The base of the t...
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Make a Christmas wreath for your front door and welcome your festive guests in style. It’s easy to buy a pre-made wreath, and you’ll find some gorgeous examples here in our Christmas shop. But if you’re feeling creative, you can add that personal touch and craft your own, weaving in materials from the garden for a naturally festive celebration.
DIY Christmas Wreath
We’ve got all you need to put together your own wreath here at the garden centre in St...
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A gardener from Lancashire has won the award for the most bat-friendly plot following an RHS competition for Wild About Gardens Week.
RHS Wild About Gardens Week
The competition asked gardeners to choose a range of insect-friendly plants, watch them grow and then send in a photo.
Paul Burton from Lancashire lavished a feast of goodies on his local wildlife including a pond to attract the insects bats feed on, plus woody shrubs and a small tree...
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Essex Police have drawn up a list of plants that help deter burglars by creating impenetrable barriers of thorns to keep out the most determined of intruders.
Garden Security
Among the natural security barriers in the list are prickly customers like holly, blackthorn and pyracantha (firethorn); but the police also recommend strong, impenetrable thickets of creeping juniper, bamboo and giant rhubarb.
The force’s ‘Secured by Design’ show garden...
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Happy National Poinsettia Day! Gardeners around the world celebrate our favourite Christmas flower each year on 12 December, paying tribute to this exotic beauty that for many encapsulates the essence of Christmas.
National Poinsettia Day
December 12 is the Dia de la Virgen in the plant’s native Mexico, where poinsettias have been used to celebrate Christmas since the 17th century and are known as La Flor de la Nochebuena, or Flower of the Holy Night...
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Grow microgreens on a bright windowsill indoors and you can keep your green fingers busy right through the winter as well as providing yourself with some really scrumptious freshly picked and home- grown salad greens even when the garden outside is frozen.
Microgreens
Microgreens are veg eaten at seedling stage, when they’re extremely tender and the flavour is fiercely concentrated into a little taste explosion, It’s the very latest in cutting-edge c...
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On a brisk, clear December day there’s nothing nicer than working up a warm glow outside in the garden. Here are the jobs you can get on with this month:
General tasks:
Clear out old seed packets to make sure you aren’t sowing seed that’s past its best next spring. Treat yourself to new replacements from the seed racks in the garden centre.
Avoid walking on the lawn on frosty mornings as you can end up damagin...
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A new pop-up ‘White Garden’ at Kensington Palace is to pay tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales. Inspired by memories of the Princess’s life, spring planting will include tulips and scented narcissi emerging through a carpet of forget-me- nots. In summer, containers of English white roses will bloom around a reflective pool, set off by gently swaying ornamental grasses.
White Garden At Kensington Palace
The garden is being planted in the 100-year- old...
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