Nature & Garden - Gardening, flowers & vegetable patch

Flower day · rising moon, waxing gibbous

Soak sweet pea seeds overnight in water before sowing to soften their hard coat and speed up germination by several days.

September Moon Planting calendar →

Growing winter greens in deep shade: one gardener's unexpected success

Growing winter greens in deep shade: one gardener’s unexpected success

Muscari latifolium

Grape hyacinth: varieties, planting and garden uses

Autumn planting stress relief: do bare-root trees really ease gardening anxiety?

Autumn planting stress relief: do bare-root trees really ease gardening anxiety?

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

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

Hyacinthoides hispanica

Spanish Bluebell: varieties, planting and garden uses

Spring bulbs in containers vs ground: which establishes better roots?

Spring bulbs in containers vs ground: which establishes better roots?

I planted spring bulbs in wet autumn soil — here's what survived

I planted spring bulbs in wet autumn soil — here’s what survived

Tall glass of deep purple blackberry shrub over large ice cubes, topped with sparkling water, lime wedge and bay leaf, bottle of syrup and fresh blackberries alongside

Blackberry and Bay Shrub with Lime and Sparkling Water

Autumn chill stratification: the cold-weather seed trick gardeners are embracing

Autumn chill stratification: the cold-weather seed trick gardeners are embracing

Arisaema triphyllum

Jack-in-the-pulpit: varieties, planting and garden uses

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

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

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

Spring bulbs in containers vs ground: which establishes better roots?

Spring bulbs in containers vs ground: which establishes better roots?

I planted spring bulbs in wet autumn soil — here's what survived

I planted spring bulbs in wet autumn soil — here’s what survived

Autumn chill stratification: the cold-weather seed trick gardeners are embracing

Autumn chill stratification: the cold-weather seed trick gardeners are embracing

Why Your Autumn Bulbs Are Rotting Before They're Planted

Why Your Autumn Bulbs Are Rotting Before They’re Planted

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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