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The Mediterranean plant everyone is raving about for their gardens this summer – Lidl, Tesco & Asda are all selling them

The Mediterranean plant everyone is raving about for their gardens this summer – Lidl, Tesco & Asda are all selling them

The Sun13-05-2025

NOW that warmer weather has finally arrived in the UK, Brits will be looking to take advantage of their gardens this summer.
From having friends over for a garden BBQ to simply relaxing in the sunshine, those with gardens are set to be making the most of what they've got at home.
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According to a study by Paving Shopper, 87 per cent of UK households have access to a garden, which highlights the importance of outdoor spaces in British life.
Many won't want their gardens to be an eyesore, but with the cost-of-living crisis still having a tight hold on people's purses, it can be difficult to fork out on lots of new products for the garden.
This is why there is a viral plant that everyone is raving about, as it'll add a Mediterranean touch to your garden for cheap.
Even better, some of the main supermarkets are currently selling olive trees at bargain prices, so you won't need to look far for them.
Shoppers are taking to TikTok to share their excitement about the plants, whilst also suggesting where to get them from.
One account, which goes by the name of ' jl_23home ', shared a video urging other gardening fans to 'run' to their local Lidl after finding one for £16.99.
After purchasing two for her garden, she explained: 'Now I'm all for those huge ones, and I did really want them BUT this is my first time ever with real plants so if I can keep these two alive I bet you not I'm having those extra large ones next year.'
Her video received 242.7K views after just two days of being shared, as 1,962 people liked it and 43 people rushed to the comments section to share their thoughts.
Many suggested other places where they had also got theirs, as a gardening fan mentioned that they got one for £15 from Tesco.
Grow your groceries - how to grow tomatoes from tomatoes!
Another person mentioned that they got theirs for £8 in Asda.
Glam up your garden
A DIY enthusiast and savvy saver has revealed some clever tricks that will glam up your garden for cheap.
Shelley Carline revamped her grubby patio for just £20 after being determined to make her 'garden look good without spending a fortune."
Using black and white paint, Shelley crafted a striking checkerboard design on her patio, spending just £20.
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She proudly shared: 'Made a huge difference, was a lot cheaper and easier than laying new flagstones and it's lasted well.'
Shelly continued: 'Our outdoor kitchen was built entirely from materials we had left from other jobs."
Additionally, Shelley used the same black and white paint to refresh her garden furniture for just £20, giving it a stylish new look without splashing out.
May gardening jobs
The Sun's Gardening Editor, Veronica Lorraine, has shared the tasks you need to crack on with in May.
GARDEN growth can go from nought to ninety in May, depending on the weather. The last UK frosts are generally seen at the beginning of the month, so all of a sudden there's so much more to do and grow.
Plant out dahlia tubers
It's a joy to finally plant out your dahlia tubers. Remember how big they can get - and space accordingly - anything up to half a metre apart.
It's a good idea to put your support stakes in now instead of trying to work around them.
And make sure you include lots of well rotted manure or decent compost to feed it and then mulch to keep it moist and suppress weeds. They generally start blooming in July.
Final feed to Spring flowers
You can give a cheeky feed to all your remaining tulips and daffodils.
Although the majority of bulbs aren't guaranteed to come back year after year any more, as long as you've left them to die back naturally there's a good chance they'll have stored enough energy to come back again. Tomato feed is fine.
Tie up climbers
Your clematis, honeysuckle and rambling roses should be well on their way by now - try to use plastic free string to tie them back into their support, or tuck them round each other to make sure they don't sprout off in crazy directions.
Feed the lawn
It's not too late to give your lawn a good feed.
Whether you use granular or liquid, it can give it a good boost to see it through the harsher summer months.
While mowing, don't go too low with your cut length yet and never take more than a third off the grass height.
Get creative
It's also time to get creative with hanging baskets and pots.
Trailing pelargoniums, which a lot of people call geraniums, and Begonias are a good, low cost way of getting lovely returning blooms throughout the summer in your baskets.
And pots can be planted with spring bulbs.
Don't forget the greenhouse!
Give your greenhouse a good tidy and clean the glass inside and out.
The improved light will help plants grow quicker inside and tidying is good for the soul.
You can just use a household white wine vinegar and water solution - or even neat if you're feeling spendy - which gives a really good shine.

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I tested budget slushie makers against £350 Ninja gadget – a £10 high street dupe is just as good & the kids'll love it
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Plus two recipes for you to try CRUSH IT I tested budget slushie makers against £350 Ninja gadget – a £10 high street dupe is just as good & the kids'll love it Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WHEN the sun comes out, so do the pleas from kids for ice creams, slushies and sugary summer treats. With school holidays around the corner and temperatures finally set to climb, frozen drinks become a household essential. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 9 The Sun's Lynsey Hope puts slushie makers to the test while Fabulous Food Editor Kirsty Spence has two great recipes Credit: Oliver Dixon But after concerns over shop-bought slushies, especially those containing glycerol, a sugar substitute linked to making young children unwell, more parents are looking for alternatives. Enter Ninja's Slushi. The sleek, high-end gadget went viral, with foodie influencers around the world showing off their bar-quality frozen cocktails and perfectly textured slushies. The hashtag #ninjaslushie has already racked up more than 15,000 TikTok videos. It has launched in the UK just in time for the sunshine. But at nearly £350, this machine is anything but cheap. So, is it worth the hype, or can budget-friendly versions deliver the chill for less? Lynsey Hope puts them to the test while Fabulous Food Editor Kirsty Spence has two great recipes. NINJA SLUSHIE FROZEN DRINKS MAKER, £349.99, THE first thing that hits you is the price – and then the size. This is a huge appliance and even getting it out of the box was a mission. 9 The Ninja Slushie Maker is huge but easy to use Credit: Oliver Dixon But it is very easy to use. Just add your ingredients to the plastic vessel and choose what type of drink you would like on the control panel. Mum shares genius hack to make slushies for your kids in seconds Unlike other slushie makers, this one doesn't need ice. The compressor in the machine cools the ingredients as it churns away. Once your drink is ready, it will keep it cold for up to 12 hours. You do have to keep it running, though, and it is not silent. I was very impressed with the drinks that came out. The texture of the frozen cocktail was restaurant or bar quality, although you do have to select the right temperature. Even simple tropical fruit juice and cola came out as a perfect slushy for kids. The recipe booklet was really helpful to get you started. Any drinks you add to the machine do need at least 5g of sugar per 100ml. If you want to make diet drinks you must add erythritol – a sweetener – which you can buy online or at supermarkets. It is £3.35 for 250g at Tesco. You also need lemon juice and salt but the instructions in the manual are easy to follow. I loved it. The only downside is the size. You need a decent bit of counter space if you want it out all the time and as it is so big, it is hard to store. The main drinks vessel was also quite hard to clean by hand but it can go in the dishwasher. Rating: 4/5 CHILLFACTOR SLUSHY MAKER, £9.99, IF you only need a single serving, this is a great option and especially fun for kids. But it does require a bit of prep. You have to put the cup in the freezer for eight to ten hours before you want to make your slushie. 9 Chillfactor slushie cup is especially fun for kids Credit: Oliver Dixon Then simply add a chilled drink of your choice until the cup becomes two-thirds full, screw the lid on and squeeze the cup. It was pretty easy to do, although my younger daughter did need a bit of help with this step as some of the liquid spilled over the top. But this simple process freezes your drink into a thick, slushie texture in about a minute. The children were amazed by how easy it was and loved that they could do it themselves. 9 The cup freezes your drink into a thick, slushie texture in about a minute Credit: Oliver Dixon They thought they were getting a cafe-quality slushy at home and yet I could make it healthier, with fruit options and less sugar. You cannot put the cup in the dishwasher, although it is easy to wash by hand. You really need to keep it in the freezer so it is always ready to go when you need it. I found it took up quite a lot of freezer space. The serving size is also limited. But if you don't want a bulky appliance and want something cheap, this is a fun and wallet-friendly alternative. Rating: 4/5 LIVIVO ELECTRIC ICE CRUSHER, £39.99, MARGARITAS came out watery and the cola slushies were flat after adding a can of it and some ice. The steel blades did a great job of chopping up the ice. 9 The Livivo ice crusher didn't blend the drink too well Credit: Oliver Dixon But the ice and liquid didn't really blend properly when I poured it out of the machine. It only took a minute, but I'd rather wait a bit longer and get something drinkable. None of it can go in the dishwasher, either, and it was a right faff to wash by hand. While quick and relatively compact to store, it is also very noisy to use. It probably made around four small cups in one go. For nearly £40, I did not think much of it. Rating: 3/5 SLUSH PUPPIE SLUSHY MACHINE, £34.99, I ALWAYS wanted this as a child and now in my forties, I was still pretty excited to try it out. Sadly, my childhood dreams were crushed and I was left disappointed. 9 The Slush Puppy slushie maker was nothing like you would get from a machine in a cafe Credit: Oliver Dixon All the slushies that came out of this were very watery and didn't have the blended, icy texture I had been hoping for. It was nothing like you would get from a machine in a cafe, or what I remember as a kid. And it was pretty noisy to use, although it only took a minute or two to prepare as the plastic mixer quickly ground through the ice. There are two settings so you can have the ice fine or coarse. Both were too runny, leaving large uneven chunks in the drinks. It was easy to clean and relatively compact to store, especially compared to the Ninja. Rating: 2/5 ANDREW JAMES ICE CRUSHER SLUSH MACHINE, £32.99, HERE is a super-quick and convenient way to make an icy drink. All you have to do is add ice to the compartment at the top and this is then crushed into the liquid in the main blending container at the simple press of a button. 9 The Andrew James slushie maker is cheap and simple but very average Credit: Oliver Dixon Quick and easy to do but the quality of the drink wasn't a patch on those from the Ninja. They were on the watery side and lacked the thick, slushie-like texture. I tried adding shaved ice afterwards but it didn't blend in very well and spoilt my enjoyment. The kids still liked it. Having a slushie at home was a real winner, even though it wasn't perfectly blended. Simple, wallet-friendly but very average. Rating: 3/5 LYNSEY'S VERDICT: IT'S A DRAW MOST of us don't have £350 to spend on a whopping great machine, or a place to store it. So while the Ninja was brilliant, the ChillFactor cup is fun for the kids and costs less than a tenner. 9 Find out where Lynsey thinks you should spend your money Credit: Oliver Dixon It would make a great gift if you have lots of parties over the summer and it comes in a lovely range of colours. If the Ninja was cheaper it would definitely be a winner. But I had to knock a point off because it is so bulky and takes up so much room in my already jam-packed kitchen. The bonus is that it can also make cocktails and frappes for the grown-ups, which would be difficult with the ChillFactor cup. If you spend a lot on these overall, it might be a worthy investment. Two iced coffees a week at £4 a go would cost you £416, so it might save money if you spend a lot on iced drinks out and about. But if all you are after is a bit of fun on a hot day, the ChillFactor is a brilliant and affordable option. FROSE 9 A Forse mixes Sparkling Rosé, Martini Fiero, and lemon juice Credit: Paragon Brands Serves 1 YOU NEED: 60ml Martini Sparkling Rosé 15ml Martini Fiero 30ml water 30ml sugar syrup 30ml freshly squeezed lemon juice METHOD: Add the ingredients to the slushie machine until blended. Garnish the drink with a dried grapefruit slice. Pina colada Serves 1 YOU NEED: 50ml Bacardi coconut rum 37.5ml Coco Real 37.5ml pineapple juice METHOD: Combine all ingredients in the machine and blend. Serve in a highball glass, garnished with a pineapple wedge plus a 'cherry flag' – a cherry and orange slice on a cocktail stick. Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.

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