When the air temperature drops below 0C (32 F), interesting things begin to happen in the leaves: ice crystals begin to form in the leaf tissues. First, they form in the spaces between the cells and in the cell walls. (…)

Gardening tools

Get your tool kit in order. Apart form the standard tools, there are now available (usually online) gardening tools developed in other parts of the world, and tools for specialist jobs that you probably didn’t know that you needed.

Slug defences

Slugs and snails, so soft, so hard to love… Thrushes, toads, hedgehogs and ground beetles happily eat them and for that they should be cherished. But if that’s not enough, there are slug pellets with ferric phosphate (don’t use those with methaldehyde, they may harm pets and ‘good’ wildlife) […]

Is your garden more overlooked by the neighbours than you would like? You have some options. The cheapest one, if space permits, is to plant trees. This is particularly useful if your garden is of the long and narrow variety. Plant a single tree or make a mini-grove at the far end. […]

When the flowers are out, it not only looks beautiful but serves as a nectar and pollen restaurant for insects. Every garden should have one, even if it takes just a few square feet of ground. Choose a sunny spot where the soil has not been enriched with manure or fertiliser for a while. Time is of essence when planting meadow seed. […]

Whether the area behind your new house is just bare soil or it has been turfed, you may encounter similar problems: ground compaction, buried rubble, poor soil. It makes sense to tackle those first, before you start to create your dream garden. Your new lawn may be good enough (for now), but the border areas will need some elbow grease. […]

Trees take up water from the soil and cast shade. No plants will thrive in soil that is always dry and shady, except perhaps the common ivy, but if the ground gets at least some sunlight, there are things you could do. […]

In some areas of the North Downs chalk lies just inches under the surface. Small pieces of white soft stone can be found in the soil. The soil ‘soup’ - water with plant nutrients dissolved in it – is alkaline. Our chalky soils usually have flint and some clay in them. The clay makes them hard in a dry summer and sticky in a wet winter. So, what to do for a beautiful garden? […]

If you enjoy playing with shapes, textures and symbolic meanings, and want to create a truly calming space – give the oriental garden style a go. This is a style developed over hundreds of years in China and refined further in Japan. […]

If you want to be right on-trend with your garden, go for the exotic jungly look. It’s bound to get your visitors – and neighbours – talking! Here is how. […]

If your garden, or a part of it, is drenched in sunshine for most of the day, and the ground and plant pots dry out quickly, then a Mediterranean-style garden may be the one for you. The essential ingredients for this particular look are as follows: […]

Cottage garden style owes its origins to the days of self-sufficiency, when gardeners maintained their own supplies of fruit, vegetables and flowers. They kept livestock, too, usually chickens and a goat. The old methods employed crop rotation and liberal doses of (free!) manure. […]

The most wildlife-friendly style of them all. It happens to any garden that is left unattended for long enough, but it can also be created deliberately to give wildlife a safe heaven. As a garden style, it is a bit extreme, but any garden can be made more wildlife-friendly using its principles for inspiration. […]

Garden birds such as house sparrow, starling and song thrush, once common, are now threatened enough to need an official ‘action plan’ (UK Biodiversity Action Plan Priority Species, 2007 review). This is just one example of what is happening around us. As we learn more and more about the damage our way of life – with its plastics, pesticides, light pollution and so on – is doing to the Nature around us, let’s just stop and think: as I am part of the problem, could I also be part of the solution? […]

Whether thinking of a major makeover, or in need of ideas for just one part of your garden, it's good to start with a look at the design styles that have developed over the years.

The contemporary style goes well with a modern house where the garden really is an outdoor room, complete with a large patio and the fashionable garden sofa. […]

Do these three jobs now, for an instant effect that will keep for months.

1. Clear out weeds and spent annuals

And, if you are feeling tidy-minded, cut the dead stems of herbaceous perennials just above ground level. You could leave them on to provide some seed and shelter for your garden's wildlife. […]

The late summer and early autumn are the best times to turn your attention to the lawn. After months of being cut, walked on and perhaps drying out during a hot spell, the average lawn needs help. The good news is that the ground and the air above it are still warm which will help recovery. […]

Many herbaceous perennials put on a lot of growth in spring and early summer. This makes them vulnerable to collapse, especially in heavy rain or strong wind. Staking is one answer to this problem. Another one is not letting them get to that stage in the first place by following these simple principles. […]

Mulching means covering the bare soil between plants with loose material. If the main aim is to improve the soil and feed the plants, use compost, leaf mould or farmyard manure. But if both the soil and the plants are fine, how about an ornamental mulch? […]

Many shrubs, if left unpruned, outgrow their allocated space or become filled with unproductive old wood. One solution to this is to cut them right down to the ground and let them start again. Shrub species that can tolerate this drastic treatment are those that – by their nature - have dormant buds near the base, hidden just under the bark. […]