News
Claytonia: the resilient Cuban spinach for quick salad harvests
Gareth Whitcombe
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If you want fresh, home-grown leaves for the salad bowl in spring, you will often turn to the usual choices:...
News
Why Is Your Snake Plant (Sansevieria) Really Dying?
Gareth Whitcombe
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Many people bring a snake plant (Sansevieria) into their living room because it is regarded as easy to care for...
News
Pawpaw: the tropical-looking fruit tree hardy to minus 25°C
Gareth Whitcombe
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While vegetable beds are frozen and apple trees lie dormant, many amateur gardeners dream of palms, mangoes and warm breezes....
News
Love-in-a-mist: the easy March flower for bees and garden birds
Gareth Whitcombe
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Anyone reaching for a packet of seeds in March can tick off several gardening wishes with one flower: little effort,...
News
The mulch trick for almost weed-free garden beds
Gareth Whitcombe
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The morning after rain has its own soundtrack. Drops still run from the leaves, a garden gate clatters somewhere, and...
News
Giantex Solar Bird Bath for €43.99 Combines Feeding, Light and Planter
Gareth Whitcombe
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Anyone getting their garden or balcony ready in early spring will usually focus on borders, furniture and fairy lights. The...
News
Why Pittosporum Is Replacing Photinia as the Hedge Favourite in 2026
Gareth Whitcombe
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For years, Photinia, with its red foliage, was regarded as the darling of contemporary gardens. Now attitudes are changing: diseases,...
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How Regular Pruning Transforms Your Herbs
Gareth Whitcombe
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The basil on the windowsill looked like a plucked chicken: only a few long, woody stems remained, topped by a...
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Property Maintenance Duties: How Owners Can Avoid Spring Fines
Gareth Whitcombe
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Every spring, it is the same story: nature shoots up, hedges spread unchecked and unused plots turn into miniature jungles....
News
Peace Lily: The Simple Watering Trick for More Blooms
Gareth Whitcombe
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The peace lily is widely regarded as a tough, low-maintenance houseplant, yet in many homes it remains little more than...
News
Iron Sulphate in March: The Simple Powder Trick for a Green Lawn
Gareth Whitcombe
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A simple powder trick in March can turn the situation around surprisingly quickly. There is good news for gardening enthusiasts:...
News
Growing Tomatoes Upside Down in a Bucket Safely
Gareth Whitcombe
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Growing tomatoes upside down in a bucket for the first time, most people focus on the variety, compost and feeding....
News
Balcony Plants: The New Decorating Wave for 2026
Gareth Whitcombe
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The new decorating wave for 2026 is clearing away the clutter – and presenting plants in a completely different way....
News
5 shrubs that turn shade into a luxury garden corner
Gareth Whitcombe
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Many amateur gardeners mentally write off the darker parts of the garden: there is too little sun, it is too...
News
Garden hose: the overlooked snake risk in spring
Gareth Whitcombe
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With the first warm days of the year, many amateur gardeners take the strimmer, wheelbarrow and watering equipment out of...
News
Timber Fire Protective Coatings May Protect Wood Too Late
Gareth Whitcombe
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Scientists have established that fire-protective coatings applied to timber do not start protecting the wood as soon as a fire...
News
Modular Plastic Bricks: Sustainable Housing in Record Time
Gareth Whitcombe
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The search for affordable construction solutions is driving sustainable innovation worldwide. Converting urban waste into modular components provides swift answers...
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How the Rufous Hornero’s Nest Uses Intelligent Architecture
Gareth Whitcombe
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The rufous hornero’s nest is among nature’s most remarkable structures, combining mud, fibres and intelligent architecture to shield its young...
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How Seawater and Carbon Dioxide Become Building Material
Gareth Whitcombe
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Researchers have discovered that seawater and carbon dioxide can be converted into a solid construction material that locks up more...
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How to reuse an old garden hose for sustainable home décor
Gareth Whitcombe
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Many householders face the question of what to do with old hoses that have become punctured or dried out over...
News
How Concrete Crack Shape Guides Bacterial Self-Repair
Gareth Whitcombe
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Fine cracks in concrete can almost close on their own when bacteria deposit minerals within them. Broader and diagonal cracks...
