Search - Articles

of the most dramatic types within the genus. Their star-like form means they stand up well to inclement weather, because they're less prone to being weighed down by heavy rain, or blown about by wind, than other dahlia types.Cactus dahlias also need less

.The orange ladybird eats the mildew on leaves of deciduous trees, particularly sycamore. It appears to be becoming more abundant and is likely to have had a good 2012 due to all the rain (and therefore mildew). However, like the native two-spot, its success

Nothing beats the warmth of the sun after a long spell of cold weather. Until recently, rain or snow has kept me indoors, thinking despondently of all the garden jobs waiting to be done.Now that temperatures are rising, so are my spirits. When I

somewhere in their garden.There is something very satisfying about a sturdy, well-built fence. Many years ago, when I was a contractor in London, we put up a lot of fences and it was a process that I very much enjoyed (except when it was raining

into the compost? The answer is partly to do with unclean water, such as that from a water butt. By the time rain has washed over the roof, along the guttering and down the drainpipe, and then sat gently festering in the butt, it has often accumulated and ‘brewed

't believe it — the cat is locked in the guinea-pig hutch. Stupid beast. How did it get in there? Then it dawns on me. The pig had been out on the lawn all day, until the rain and hail about 4 o'clock and I threw him back in. The cat must have been asleep

It's Gardeners' World 'Grow Your Own' Week and I really am trying to grow my own, honest. Up at the allotment, everything's looking a bit bedraggled after the rain. The onions and garlics are looking just about OK; I'm hoping the strawberries

days, in the very early morning or at the end of the day. Harsh sunlight bleaches out your subject. Try photographing after rain, the droplets can enhance the effect no en3. Take pictures of the same thing from different angles to see where the light

long. Then I'll sow grass seed in the dead patches. I'm also cultivating a small wildflower meadow among the long grass, so I'll transplant some self-sown field poppies here and remove some ragwort I accidentally transplanted the other week.If it rains

to work and warms up quickly in spring. However it dries out rapidly and leaches nutrients when it rains, so it needs plenty of organic matter adding to help retain moisture and feed the plants. It's gritty to touch as it's made up of larger particles than