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The ‘gorgeous' £10 buy that provides pretty colour and lights up your garden or terrace ‘all-year long'

The ‘gorgeous' £10 buy that provides pretty colour and lights up your garden or terrace ‘all-year long'

The Irish Suna day ago

SHOPPERS are racing to snap up a set of string lights designed to brighten up outdoor spaces while blending in with softer garden aesthetics.
These LED string lights adorned with warm white bulbs and artificial
pink
roses offer a simple way to introduce light and colour to gardens.
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The Original Factory Shop has over 180 stores across the UK
Credit: Alamy
3
These string includes integrated LEDs
Credit: The Original Factory Shop
Retailing for £10 at The Original Factory Shop, the
The product description reads: "It's a great no-fuss addition to any garden, terrace or gazebo, providing light in those darker corners and colour all year long."
The faux foliage and rose detailing aim to replicate the look of real climbing plants without the maintenance.
While not a replacement for outdoor lighting, the set can be a low-effort ambient addition to a space.
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The Original Factory Shop (TOFS) is a British discount department store chain established in 1969 by Peter Black.
Its first store opened in Keighley, West Yorkshire, and it originally sold surplus soap produced by one of Black's factories.
TOFS today operates over 180 stores across the UK.
It comes as an expert
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Most read in Fabulous
One easy method is to create zones, according to Ivana Agustina, Head of Project Management at
, an online landscape design service
.
6 ways to get rid of slugs and snails
Agustina
said: "The human brain perceives multiple small experiences as more substantial than one uniform space.
'By dividing your garden into zones – perhaps a dining area, a lounge space, and a planting section – visitors mentally 'travel' through your garden, making it feel much bigger.'
Another approach is to train climbing plants to grow up trellises or along walls.
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Agustina
explained: "Vertical gardening is both practical and visually expanding.
'By drawing the eye upward with wall-mounted planters, trellises with climbing plants, or tall, narrow planters, you create height that makes the garden feel more spacious.'
Meanwhile,
Garden features that add the most value to a house
A well-kept garden can add anywhere between 5-20% to the value of a property.
And the experts revealed the garden feature which adds the most value to a property is a shed.
Shed - 82%
Patio or paving - 76%
Secure fencing, walls or gates - 72%
Outdoor lighting - 66%
Sturdy decking - 62%
Water features eg. fountain or pond - 58%
Modern garden furniture - 54%
Artificial lawn/grass - 40%
These deciduous climbers produce striking tubular flowers in shades of red, orange or yellow, typically that bloom from late summer into autumn.
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Known for their rapid growth, they can quickly cover trellises or frameworks, though experts recommend pruning annually to keep them in check.
While they thrive in warmer conditions, they are also frost-hardy once established.
3
Give your garden a glow with the LED rose lights
Credit: STOCK

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  • Irish Daily Mirror

Maria Sharapova in new look transformation post-tennis retirement

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With a cantilevered extension, antique parquet floors and seamless flow, tardis-like Glasthule home is a lesson in design
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With a cantilevered extension, antique parquet floors and seamless flow, tardis-like Glasthule home is a lesson in design

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Final say in how to store bananas so they don't brown – and they'll last longer with a €2.50 Dunnes Stores buy
Final say in how to store bananas so they don't brown – and they'll last longer with a €2.50 Dunnes Stores buy

The Irish Sun

timea day ago

  • The Irish Sun

Final say in how to store bananas so they don't brown – and they'll last longer with a €2.50 Dunnes Stores buy

THERE'S nothing worse than when bananas go brown and mushy - just when you need that energy boost. Foodies have shared a must-try Advertisement 4 This simple hack will save your bananas from going brown fast Credit: Alamy 4 Bananas provide potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin B6 and vitamin C Credit: Getty It's not the fridge or the pantry, it's a simple wrapping hack. Firstly, cut up some cling film in rectangles and wrap it tightly around the stem of the banana. The cling film stops ethylene gases from releasing - this gas can accelerate the ripening of the fruit. Keep the bananas at room temperature in an environment ideally between 15C and 20C. Advertisement READ MORE ON FOOD This hack will stop bananas going brown and mushy. Keeping them fresh will provide you with rich nutrients including potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin B6 and vitamin C. Shoppers can pick up Shannon Cling Film in They promise 'stronger film with better cling' and are freezer safe. Advertisement Most read in Fabulous The cling film helps 'seal in food flavours and prevents odours and odour cross-contamination'. It's suitable for wrapping all types of OTHER STORAGE TIPS: Avoid heat from ovens and window drafts Separate bananas from other fruit Freeze overripe bananas Avoid plastic bags that trap moisture and ethylene gas Don't put in the fridge unless necessary Giant huntsman spider lurking in his bunch of Aldi bananas The cling film is not suitable for use in conventional or combination ovens, microwave browning units, oven tops, or toaster ovens. Meanwhile, a savvy mum revealed how she cut costs by DIYing her little Advertisement Many parents will know that ordering a personalised birthday Posting on social media, a mother named Amy shared a step-by-step tutorial of how she DIYed her daughter Myla's pink birthday cake - and it cost her less than €21. So if you're on a budget and your purse is feeling tighter than ever before, then you'll need to listen up. The UGC content creator explained that to celebrate her daughter turning one, she decorated the Pretty in Pink Lambeth Cake, which she bought from Waitrose. Advertisement The pink coloured golden sponge cake, which is filled with raspberry jam and topped and decorated with pale pink and dark pink buttercream, cost Amy just €21. Then, using some pink icing and ribbons she already had, she was able to personalise the cake - and we think it looks incredibly professional. Alongside a short clip shared online, the influencer penned: 'Making my daughter's first birthday cake, saving €100s!' Showing off the box-fresh vintage-style cake, which is decorated with whirls and swirls of piping, Amy beamed: 'Come with me to DIY my daughter's first birthday cake for only €21!' Advertisement 4 The cling film will keep all your bananas fresher all year long Credit: 4 The cling film is €2.50 in Dunnes Stores Credit: Garrett White - Commissioned by The Sun Dublin

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