Latest news with #GardensIllustrated
The Sun
5 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Poundland is selling a stunning £2 buy to transform your garden – it'll light it up while providing a splash of colour
IF you're transforming your garden into the ultimate outdoor area, Poundland has just the thing. You can pick up a budget-friendly buy that will create a cosy atmosphere in your backyard this summer. 2 Just because the sun has set, doesn't mean the fun needs to end on your garden party. You can instantly brighten up your outdoor space and add a fun touch with this bargain buy. The Solar Powered Flower Hanging Light is available for just £2 from Poundland. These string lights consist of a lovely pink shade with warm white illumination. And for another garden-themed touch, each shade is shaped like a blossoming flower. The lights measure 17 centimetres in length and 8 centimetres in width. This "charming light fixture" is said to add a "whimsical touch to your outdoor spaces". According to manufacturers, these buys are "perfect for hanging in gardens, patios, or balconies". And it won't cost you anything to run, because these lights are fully solar-powered. They absorb sunlight during the day to provide a "soft and inviting glow at night". Mrs Hinch raves about £2 Home Bargains buy that 'adds charm to your garden' & a £10 product that's 'cheaper than Amazon' "Make your evenings magical with this delightful solar-powered decor," the product description read. The experts at Gardens Illustrated explained how adding lights to your outdoor space can help to level it up. "You can create the same energy, movement and depth with a lighting scheme," they said. The pros pointed out that string lights "can be simply and cleverly deployed in many places in your garden". However, they suggested a specific option for the best decor finish in your garden. "They really come to life when wrapped through the branches of a tree," they revealed. According to the experts, this adds "both character and a lovely sense of cosiness" to your space. Meanwhile, a Home Bargains buy is said to add a touch of glamour to your garden. The retailer is also selling a budget buy guaranteed to brighten up your space. You can also add a stylish touch to your privacy fence with a B&M buy.
Daily Mirror
01-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Brits warned not to make 'common mistake' at garden centre this weekend
A gardening expert has warned Brits not to make a common mistake when buying plants at garden centres - and has shared the best flowers to plant in April and May Gardening experts are being urged to dodge a common trap at the garden centre that could compromise their efforts. A horticulture expert has dished out key tips on selecting the right plants and pinpointed one thing to steer clear of. Sue Townsend, an experienced garden designer, has warned plant enthusiasts against getting drawn in by blossoms in full swing at the garden centre stalls. Speaking to Gardens Illustrated, she advised: "Try not to be wooed by the flowers on display at the garden centre, which will offer a limited period of interest, leaving you with little to look at for the rest of the year. "Instead, ask the nursery staff which plants are best for different seasons, or use online suppliers such as Crocus and Burncoose, which offer an extensive range of plants, plus details of how and when they perform." She continued to share her philosophy: "I look at the garden as if I am the conductor of an orchestra, selecting plants for spring colour, summer flowers, autumn berries and foliage, and winter structure to create a continual performance." Distilling her approach, she said: "I think about how each plant will emerge, flower and fade, and group those with similar or contrasting shapes, textures or colours, depending on whether I want a calming or more dynamic scheme." Adding to the conversation, a horticulture guru took to Quora to state: "Plants only do one thing well at a time. If they are flowering, they will be less likely to put on roots quickly. The longer it takes to start growing roots, the longer it will be before they start to grow." Green-fingered enthusiasts take note: "If they don't grow, they won't bloom more. It's always best to buy plants without flowers on them. It's also good to cut the flowers off before you plant them. Also, loosen the roots before planting. They will get established faster." Looking for the perfect blooms to add to your garden as spring takes hold? Experts recommend getting your hands dirty with gorgeous varieties such as freesias, cosmos, poppies, angelica, cornflowers, sunflowers, zinnias, nasturtiums and lavender, reports the Express.
Telegraph
21-02-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Everything you need to know to grow flowers from seed – and five of the best to try
For the past 30 years I have spent each spring obsessively sowing flower seeds. It all started in my 20s when I was working for Gardens Illustrated magazine and managed to get an allotment at Fulham Palace in London. Sharing a full-size allotment plot with my cousin, I instantly became hooked on growing, and despite stringent rules stipulating that most of the plot had to be devoted to food crops, I was always keen to have flowers too. That first spring, having cleared and planted about three quarters of the plot with veg, I ran out of time, and scattered Californian poppy seeds over the remainder of the cleared plot to see what would happen. Three months later I arrived to find those beds aflame with colour. It was magical, and it felt so good to have grown these magnificent flowers from a packet of tiny seeds. So began a quest to grow more and more flowers from seed each year, to seek out new and exciting varieties that couldn't be found elsewhere, and to experiment with growing methods to get the best results. There were huge triumphs along the way, but also many failures, which I tried to learn from the following year. The main thing to know is that growing from seed is easy. Mostly, these seeds want to grow for you and will germinate readily if you give them the conditions they need. Choose some of the most easily grown annuals listed below, and you can almost guarantee your success. Why should we be growing from seed? If you have ever grown sweet peas from seed, watching them germinate and nurturing them until they flower, you will know that particular sense of joy and satisfaction that comes from sowing seeds. To me, growing from seed is a sort of therapy. The quiet, meditative act of sowing and growing is a marvellous antidote to the stress and strains of everyday life. It connects you with the seasons, it makes you observe the minutiae of a plant's form and gives you an understanding of nature. The evolution of a beautiful flower from a tiny, unpromising seed is one of life's miracles, and to have a hand in that is amazingly rewarding. The other major reason for growing your own flowers from seed is the incredible range of varieties you can find. With annuals in particular, only a very small range is available to buy as plants in nurseries and garden centres. Once you start realising the wealth of interesting and beautiful flowers available to grow from seed, the plant world opens up considerably. Each year, as I browse through the seed company websites, I am like a child in a sweetie shop, excited by new varieties I haven't come across before. And last but not least, growing flowers from seed can save you money. As well as annual flowers, you can grow perennials that are sold as plants in garden centres for £10 or more. If you need multiple plants, it can become an expensive business. Sowing a tray of 12 Verbena bonariensis, for instance, with a packet of seed that costs £3.95 (plus the cost of a bag of compost) is far, far cheaper than buying them as two-litre potted plants. Tips and techniques Everyone can grow flowers from seed. The main thing is to be quite laid-back about it and not worry about doing things exactly by the book. Over the years, I've found that you can often take received wisdom in gardening books with a pinch of salt and adapt techniques to your own circumstances. However, there are a few things you can do to maximise your success: Sow as much as you can in seed trays rather than direct. Sowing direct is more risky as the seedlings are at the mercy of the weather and wildlife. The majority of plants need a temperature of 18-21C to germinate, so keep them somewhere warm until you can see the first signs of germination. This could be over a radiator on a windowsill – you don't need a special propagator. Then move them to a cooler place straight away. If you give them too much heat as the seedlings grow they will become leggy and weak. Use a fine, good-quality compost designed for sowing seeds, especially for tiny seeds such as foxgloves and tobacco plants. For larger seeds you can use a coarser multi-purpose compost, but make sure you remove large lumps of organic matter first. Read the seed packet for specific instructions. Some seeds need light to germinate, while others don't, and this kind of information should be printed on each packet. Use modular seed trays with individual compartments, rather than open seed trays for larger seeds – it saves having to prick the seedlings out afterwards. Keep seedlings well-watered using a small watering can with a fine rose so as not to damage them. Pot on the seedlings into larger pots until you are ready to plant them out. If they remain in seed trays or small pots for too long, the nutrients in the compost will run out and the seedlings will start to droop or look etiolated. They can also become pot bound, so getting them into the ground as soon as the soil is warm enough is a priority. My top 5 easy flowers to grow from seed In my new online course with Create Academy, I've detailed some of the flowers I love to grow from seed. Here are five of my favourites: Ammi majus, Bishops Flower Ammi majus is one of the most useful annuals of all. A more subtle form of the common cow parsley, it can grow up to 1.6 metres, with lacy flower heads that are fantastic for cutting and arranging. Easy to grow from seed, it can be sown in both early spring or autumn; the autumn-sown plants flower earlier and produce taller and sturdier plants than those sown in spring. Sow the seeds in a modular seed tray with several seeds to a cell and remove the weaker two seedlings once germinated. Germinate at a temperature of around 18C. Grow the seedlings on until they are big enough to be planted out in mid spring – they are really hardy, so they can go into the ground earlier than many other annuals. Calendula officinalis, Marigold All calendulas are very easy to grow from seed. I love the creamy white 'Snow Princess' and the pale apricot 'Orange Flash'. The seeds are the type that just want to germinate for you, whether sown direct or in modular trays. Sow indoors from early spring, and outdoors in mid-spring when the soil has warmed up. Marigolds aren't fussy about the soil they grow in, and will grow in full sun or partial shade. Cosmos bippinatus, Cosmos Cosmos is possibly my favourite summer annual, easy and immensely satisfying to grow. My favourite varieties are the deep cerise-red 'Rubenza' and the frilly 'Psyche White' and this year I'm trying a new one – 'Rosetta' from Chiltern Seeds. Sow cosmos seeds under cover in April, two seeds to a module, and they should germinate quickly at 18-21C. Remove the weaker seedling and let the stronger one grow on, pinching out the growing tips if they get too tall (this causes a multi-branching effect making bushier, sturdier plants). Don't plant them out until after the last frosts as they are tender annuals (known as half-hardies). Lunaria 'Corfu Blue', Honesty Honesty is such a useful plant for early spring, an easy companion for tulips and euphorbias. Most forms are biennial, flowering in their second year, but they self seed freely to weave their way languidly around other plants. 'Corfu Blue' is a particularly good variety with purple-blue flowers and a multi-branching habit. Flowering in early spring, it forms purple-green pods that remain on the plant through summer, autumn and even winter, fading gracefully as time goes on. Collecting and sowing your own honesty seed is one of life's pleasures. As biennials, the best time to sow them is in early summer, either direct or in modular trays, where they can stay until the end of the summer, when they should be planted out in the garden before flowering the following year. Zinnia elegans Zinnias bring exotic colour to our gardens and are extremely easy to grow from seed. There are dozens of varieties to choose from, in single, semi-double and double forms of varying size, and in pretty much every colour apart from blue. My current favourites are the 'MFG Perfectly Pastel' mix from Marlston Farmgirl and 'Queen Red Lime' which has dusky red and lime flowers like antique chintz. Zinnias are fussy about having their roots disturbed, so sow them in modular trays so you can plant them straight out with minimal disruption. As half hardies, they shouldn't be sown too early, otherwise the seedlings will fill their modules before the last frosts. They need temperatures of 20–23C to germinate, then move them to a slightly cooler place once the seedlings have emerged. Plant them out in early summer in as sunny a spot as possible.
