Nature & Garden - Gardening, flowers & vegetable patch

Fruit day · rising moon, waning gibbous

Pick medlars after the first frost to trigger bletting, which softens their flesh and deepens their honeyed flavour.

September Moon Planting calendar →

Autumn fertiliser myths: why your bulbs don't need feeding now

Autumn fertiliser myths: why your bulbs don’t need feeding now

Open glass jars of dark russet green tomato chutney on a weathered garden table, spoon resting beside, whole green tomatoes, apples and ginger scattered around

Green Tomato Chutney with Apple, Ginger and Mustard Seed

Why autumn root vegetable harvesting cuts winter food bills in half

Why autumn root vegetable harvesting cuts winter food bills in half

Clematis viticella

Clematis viticella: varieties, planting and garden uses

Celastrus orbiculatus

Oriental bittersweet: invasive control and garden uses

Campsis grandiflora

Trumpet vine: expert tips for growing vibrant climbing flowers

Stop soaking your garlic before planting—here's what works better

Stop soaking your garlic before planting—here’s what works better

Aristolochia macrophylla

Dutchman’s Pipe: varieties, planting and garden uses

Wide shallow bowl of green runner beans and freekeh with split red and yellow cherry tomatoes, crumbled white cheese, torn basil, chopped almonds, olive oil sheen

Runner Bean and Freekeh Bowl with Blistered Tomatoes and Almonds

Spring bulbs in containers versus open ground: which survives winter better?

Spring bulbs in containers versus open ground: which survives winter better?

Tabby cat sitting on a wooden floor looking up at a large potted weeping fig

Ficus benjamina and pets: what the sap does, and what it does not

Brown scale insects clustered along a weeping fig stem and leaf vein with sticky residue

Ficus benjamina pests: scale, spider mite and mealybug told apart

Secateurs cutting a weeping fig stem with a drop of white sap, prepared cuttings and a glass of water on a bench

Ficus benjamina propagation: cuttings, water or compost, and air layering

Weeping fig in a terracotta pot by a window with fallen leaves scattered on the wooden floor

Ficus benjamina leaf drop: the seven causes and how to tell them apart

Fungus gnats invading your houseplants? Here's the one fix that works

Fungus gnats invading your houseplants? Here’s the one fix that works

Autumn fertiliser myths: why your bulbs don't need feeding now

Autumn fertiliser myths: why your bulbs don’t need feeding now

Spring bulbs in containers versus open ground: which survives winter better?

Spring bulbs in containers versus open ground: which survives winter better?

Why Your Newly Planted Bulbs Are Rotting Before Winter

Why Your Newly Planted Bulbs Are Rotting Before Winter

Stop planting spring bulbs in waterlogged soil—here's why timing matters now

Stop planting spring bulbs in waterlogged soil—here’s why timing matters now

Stop cutting back autumn perennials—messy plants mean better spring blooms

Stop cutting back autumn perennials—messy plants mean better spring blooms

Medicinal plants

Close-up of fresh lemon verbena leaves being harvested by hand in a summer garden

Lemon verbena: harvesting, drying and using it for calming infusions

Fresh elderflower clusters in full bloom on a Sambucus nigra shrub in summer garden

Elderflower and elderberry: traditional uses, growing and home preparations

Close-up of overgrown flowering thyme with woody stems in a summer herb garden

Pinching back medicinal herbs: the cut that keeps leaves aromatic all summer

Fresh aloe vera leaf broken open revealing thick clear gel on sunburned skin

Aloe Vera on the Windowsill: How to Cut, Drain and Use the Fresh Gel on Sun-Stressed Skin

Freshly harvested lavender and chamomile bundles laid on a rustic wooden surface in summer sunlight

Chamomile, lavender, elderberry and aloe: when to pick them and how to use them

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