Domain Picapus.com for sale! This premium domain is available now at Kadomain.com

How to garden in spring (and the best tools for the job)

  • theguardian.com language
  • 2025-04-22 17:03 event
  • 1 month ago schedule
How to garden in spring (and the best tools for the job)
This week: easy ways to refresh your outdoor space; colourful pick-me-ups; and the best espresso machines, tested• Don’t get the Filter delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereThe Earth’s orbit of

This week: easy ways to refresh your outdoor space; colourful pick-me-ups; and the best espresso machines, tested

Don’t get the Filter delivered to your inbox? Sign up here

The Earth’s orbit of the sun is just long enough that, by the time spring rolls back around, we have all but forgotten the sumptuous reality of the season: how the extended sunlight fills our souls; how the growing green reinvigorates the spirit; how cherry blossom against a blue sky manifests something bigger than beauty alone.

As a gardener, I can wholeheartedly affirm that one of the best ways to enjoy spring is to actively engage with it. Spring is for doing: cutting back perennials; tying and training roses; pruning shrubs. Over the years, I have been leaving more and more of the garden tidy-up for spring, having once seen much of this off in autumn. Common horticultural practice now recognises the importance of leaving dead stems and seed heads standing over winter as shelter and forage for wildlife, so even my small garden requires a good deal of maintenance at this time of year. Plenty of material, then, to set 12 pairs of secateurs on.

Sunscreen and snail slime: what skincare experts do – and don’t do – to their skin

The best espresso machines to unleash your inner barista at home, tested

‘Has the texture of feta, but not much else’: the best (and worst) supermarket feta cheese, tested

Beat brain rot: clear your mind with 55 screen-free activities, from birdwatching to colouring books

Rainbow vases, vintage soap dishes and crystal bike bells: 15 colourful pick-me-ups to elevate your everyday

Continue reading...

37. Houseplant clinic: why is my begonia growing lopsided?

  • 2 weeks ago schedule
  • theguardian.com language

It may need repotting after a move from the kitchen to the bathroomWhat’s the problem? I moved my spotted begonia from the kitchen windowsill to the bathroom. It’s had a massive growth spurt, and

38. From the perfect gardening tools to £8 mascara, what you loved most this month

  • 3 weeks ago schedule
  • theguardian.com language

We gave you gardening tips, a spring fashion edit, the ultimate guide to anti-ageing and more. Here are the picks that inspired you most in AprilThe year always seems to pick up pace in spring, with t

39. Beam me up, Scotland: a journey into outer space in Dumfries and Galloway

  • 3 weeks ago schedule
  • theguardian.com language

Ten years ago, the late land artist Charles Jencks created Crawick Multiverse out of an ugly open-cast mine in southern Scotland. Today, it is an inspiring exploration of the universeThe sun warms my

40. Now is the perfect time to sow broccoli seeds and create your own purple patch

  • 3 weeks ago schedule
  • theguardian.com language

This year’s purple sprouting broccoli season is over, but if you sow seeds now you will have a new crop next springAlthough the purple sprouting broccoli (PSB) season has come to an end, now is

41. ‘She changed the face of London’: statue to be unveiled of suffragist gardener

  • 3 weeks ago schedule
  • theguardian.com language

Fanny Wilkinson designed 75 parks in the capital, the first UK female landscape gardener to be paid for her workShe was a proto-feminist pioneer who blazed a trail for female gardeners and changed the

42. UK watchdog bans coffee pod ads over ‘misleading’ composting claims

  • 3 weeks ago schedule
  • theguardian.com language

Advertising Standards Authority says neither Lavazza UK nor Dualit’s product can be recycled at homeDescriptions of coffee pods as “compostable eco capsules” were misleading as they could not be

43. Houseplant clinic: why do my supermarket plants keep dying?

  • 3 weeks ago schedule
  • theguardian.com language

It’s better to buy from a plant shop, but these tips will improve the survival rate of herbs and other supermarket plantsWhat’s the problem? Should I buy houseplants from the supermarket? I�

44. A new leaf: cheap and low-cost ways to bring a garden to life

  • 1 month ago schedule
  • theguardian.com language

Experts and readers give tips on making the most of your outdoor space without spending thousandsYou don’t need a luxury patio set, a subscription to a seed club or a pair of fancy gloves to have a

45. Ain’t no sunshine? How to embrace your shady, north-facing garden

  • 1 month ago schedule
  • theguardian.com language

Observe where the light falls, and plant leafy, textural and woodland-inspired species to create a lush oasisI’m at the point in my 30s when everyone seems to be moving house – or at least trying

46. How to garden in spring (and the best tools for the job)

  • 1 month ago schedule
  • theguardian.com language

This week: easy ways to refresh your outdoor space; colourful pick-me-ups; and the best espresso machines, tested• Don’t get the Filter delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereThe Earth’s orbit of

47. Autumn leaves: how to prepare your garden for winter more sustainably

  • 1 month ago schedule
  • theguardian.com language

Now is the time to save seeds, give your perennials their autumn haircut and plant your winter veg. And why not try a green manure to nourish your soil?Change by degrees offers life hacks and sustaina

1. How to grow and care for oleanders

  • 15 hours ago schedule
  • gardenersworld.com language

Oleanders (Nerium oleander) are a mainstay of Mediterranean gardens, widely used for screen planting, on hillsides and alongside roads. Flowering in summer, the large open flower clusters can be singl

2. How to grow lily of the valley

  • 17 hours ago schedule
  • gardenersworld.com language

Lily of the valley, Convallaria majalis, is a low-growing, spreading perennial plant, bearing arching stems of white bell-shaped flowers with a wonderful perfume. It makes good ground cover in shady s

3. What to plant in July

  • 21 hours ago schedule
  • gardenersworld.com language

July is a fantastic month for sowing seeds, as both soil and air temperatures are high. The long, warm days with good light levels speed up the germination process, helping you to extend your season o

4. Deciduous trees

  • 1 day ago schedule
  • gardenersworld.com language

Deciduous trees are grown for their attractive ornamental features such as decorative bark, flowers, coloured foliage or autumn fruits, and their shape and form create height and structure within a ga

5. Monty Don’s dog-friendly garden gets tails wagging at the Chelsea flower show

  • 1 day ago schedule
  • theguardian.com language

Each year, Chelsea sets garden trends – will this year’s ‘robust lawn’ made for canine companions pass the sniff test?Can you hear it? That sound of the horticultural industry exhaling? We are

6. How to use coffee grounds for plants

  • 2 days ago schedule
  • gardenersworld.com language

This article has been checked for horticultural accuracy by Oliver Parsons.Coffee is the most popular drink worldwide, with around two billion cups consumed every day, according to the British Coffee

7. Plantwatch: Why dandelions should be left to grow in spring

  • 2 days ago schedule
  • theguardian.com language

These simple flowers, which bloom earlier than many others, are a rich source of nectar and pollen for insectsDandelions are often seen by gardeners as burly thugs, but they do have their benefits. Th

8. Houseplant clinic: My jade plant looks jaded

  • 3 days ago schedule
  • theguardian.com language

If the leaves turn red and drop off, your plant could be stressedWhat’s the problem? My jade plant’s leaves are turning red and falling off.Diagnosis The jade plant (Crassula ovata) is a rela

Cookie Policy

We use cookies and similar technologies to help the site provide a better user experience. By using the website you agree to our Cookie Policy, Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.