Nature & Garden - Gardening, flowers & vegetable patch

Flower day · descending moon, last quarter

Snip fading marigold blooms and dry the seed heads indoors, securing a free supply for next year's garden.

October Moon Planting calendar →

Ceropegia woodii

String of Hearts: expert tips and planting advice

I built a wildlife compost bin in six weeks — surprising visitors included

I built a wildlife compost bin in six weeks — surprising visitors included

The Bare-Root Revival: Why Autumn Planting Without Pots Is Reshaping UK Gardens

The Bare-Root Revival: Why Autumn Planting Without Pots Is Reshaping UK Gardens

Alocasia zebrina

Alocasia zebrina: expert tips and planting advice

Aglaonema commutatum

Chinese Evergreen: varieties, care guide and indoor planting

Stop bruising your pears: the gentle technique that extends storage life

Stop bruising your pears: the gentle technique that extends storage life

Why hedgehogs are vanishing from autumn gardens—and how to invite them back

Why hedgehogs are vanishing from autumn gardens—and how to invite them back

Schisandra chinensis

Schisandra chinensis: expert tips for growing this Asian vine

Stop Watering Your Newly Planted Bulbs—Here's Why and When to Resume

Stop Watering Your Newly Planted Bulbs—Here’s Why and When to Resume

Building autumn compost from kitchen scraps: a zero-waste renter's guide

Building autumn compost from kitchen scraps: a zero-waste renter’s guide

Ceropegia woodii

String of Hearts: expert tips and planting advice

Alocasia zebrina

Alocasia zebrina: expert tips and planting advice

Aglaonema commutatum

Chinese Evergreen: varieties, care guide and indoor planting

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

Stop Watering Your Newly Planted Bulbs—Here's Why and When to Resume

Stop Watering Your Newly Planted Bulbs—Here’s Why and When to Resume

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

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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