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Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Climate
- Scottish Sun
I'm a Gardening pro – do these 6 tasks this weekend to fill your outside space with colour plus the time to water plants
Scroll down to learn how to win a Copper & Green water feature, worth £250 CHOP CHOP I'm a Gardening pro – do these 6 tasks this weekend to fill your outside space with colour plus the time to water plants Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WITH June starting tomorrow, it brings the promise of better weather and the longest day – but it can also bring a feeling of mild panic to gardeners. Whether it is worry about having planted enough seeds or what do to with all the overgrown bits, we have got lots of June jobs to get you organised. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Tackle key gardening jobs now to keep your plants in bloom the entire summer Credit: Getty THE CHELSEA CHOP This cutback is usually done around late May or early June, the same time as the Chelsea Flower Show. It means cutting back your herbaceous perennials — flowers with non-woody stems that come back year after year — by a third. This encourages a second flush of blooms and extends the flowering season. Good plants to practice on include Asters, Echinacea, Phlox, Sedum, Rudbeckia and Helenium. SOW SEEDS As the soil has warmed up, sow your seeds straight into the ground instead of messing around with pots. Broccoli, carrots, swede, beetroot, runner and French beans and sweetcorn can all go in now. Courgette can still be grown in pots for a later harvest. You can also scatter Nigella seeds on the soil for lovely blue flowers later in the season, and plant marigold and nasturtium seeds. WEEDING June is the month in which weeds flourish. A Hori Hori tool, below, is fantastic for getting them out, especially those with long roots. Just spending five minutes getting your hands dirty will make it feel much less tiresome and out of control — and is also good for your mental health. WATERING We have finally had rain but after months of dryness your garden still needs a in the early morning or late evening and avoid sprinkling the water all over the leaves. Concentrate on watering around the roots. BEDDING Fill your gaps with summer bedding but try to protect it from slugs and snails. Lobelia brings a lovely blue while fuchsias and petunias are always good around this time too. LAWNCARE Because it has been dry and warm, you need to raise the cutting level to avoid scorching. If you haven't already, apply a spring/summer lawn feed to provide nutrients for healthy growth. Or you could consider using a weed and feed fertilizer to control weeds while feeding your lawn. Saving tip 5 £42 Niwaki Mainichi Secateurs Credit: Niwaki Mainichi 5 Burgon & Ball's Flora brite version for £18 from B&Q Credit: B&Q BE precise in your Chelsea chop with these £42 Niwaki Mainichi Secateurs, top, or cut the price with Burgon & Ball's Flora brite version, below, for £18 from B&Q. Alan is garden chief 5 Alan Titchmarsh is set to take over a prestigious role from Dame Mary Berry Credit: Getty DAME Mary Berry is stepping down as the president of the National Garden Scheme after ten years – handing the baton to Alan Titchmarsh. The NGS helps gives visitors unique access to more than 3,300 exceptional private gardens in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands. Alan said: 'There is nothing quite like the National Garden Scheme, either in the world of gardens and horticulture or beyond. 'Not only does it offer thoroughly affordable enjoyment and education – while championing the varied gardening skills of the British nation – it also raises and distributes quite extraordinary sums of money.' To find out what National Gardening Scheme gardens are open this month or inquire about opening up your own garden, see Win! WE'VE got a stunning Copper & Green water feature, worth £250, to giveaway. It is handcrafted in the UK using traditional, power-free techniques – and showcases Copper & Green's signature copper lily, cascading bowls and leaves. To enter, visit or write to Sun Copper & Green Competition, Sun PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone. Open to UK residents aged 18+ only. Entries close 11.59pm, June 14, 2025. T&Cs apply. Kate is so rosy 5 A rose endorsed by Princess Kate will go on sale at B&Q later this year Credit: Splash News B&Q will be the main stockist of Catherine's Rose, bred by Harkness Roses and named after Her Royal Highness, The Princess of Wales. Launching in stores in late September, the rose seeks to raise awareness of the important role that spending time outdoors plays in bringing us joy. Funds from every sale of the rose will go to The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. - JOIN Hever Castle & Garden's historic rose tours – taking place June 23 to July 6. See
NBC News
12-05-2025
- General
- NBC News
The best weeding tools to make your hardest garden task (at least slightly) easier
I know you don't want to hear it because it often sucks to execute, but according to all of our experts, getting rid of weeds is crucial for keeping a healthy garden. We consulted gardening experts to learn about weed maintenance and the best weeding tools for every type of garden and gardener. If left unchecked, the weeds in your garden can absolutely destroy the patch of land that you spent so much time tending to. And honestly, that maintenance sucks half as much with the right tools, like a garden knife or spading fork. As you get more comfortable taking care of your garden, or your weeds become more difficult to remove, you should try a long-handled garden hoe for weeds with shallow roots or a spading fork for older weeds with deep roots. Is weeding important? Eliminating weeds from your garden actually helps plants grow, in addition to the aesthetic appeal of a weed-free flower or vegetable bed. 'The soil in your garden is filled with nutrients that your plants compete for — the fewer weeds in your garden, the more food available for your plants, making them more productive and likely to succeed,' says Rebecca Sears, the chief marketing officer at home gardening company Green Garden Products. 'This holds true for sunlight and water as well. Weeds will compete for the resources that your garden plants need to stay healthy.' Experts also told us that weeds can bring dangerous plant diseases into your garden and attract more pests to the area. Eliminate weeds when you spot them to avoid this. Want more from NBC Select? Sign up for our newsletter, The Selection, and shop smarter. The best weeding tools for every gardener in 2025 Below, we recommend highly rated weeding tools that meet our experts' guidance. Some are better for stubborn weeds (the garden knife or the Cape Cod weeder), and others are great at handling weeds with shallow roots (the long-handled garden hoe or the spading fork). All of them can help make cleaning your backyard a little easier. Sears says a handheld garden cultivator is important for those who garden daily. 'It is great for breaking up compacted soil and reducing weed growth [and] the three prongs allow for tight weed removal around smaller plant stems,' she explains. This Edward Tools Aluminum Hand Cultivator has hooked aluminum tines to do just that — as well as an ergonomic handle with a rubber palm rest and a contoured finger grip, according to the brand. Several of our experts say gardening knives are great for removing every part of the weed — including the stubborn roots. 'The handiest tool you'll ever meet is a good soil knife,' says Teri Valenzuela, the Natural Science Manager at Sunday Lawn Care. Jeremy Starke, a gardening expert and founder of vegetable gardening website Green Thumb Gardener, is a fan of the Japanese multipurpose tool called a Hori Hori knife. Compared to a typical gardening knife, it's larger and has measurements on the blade that help indicate the soil depth while planting. 'Sometimes you have a weed that you can't quite pull with your hand, so using the Hori Hori really helps to pry them out,' says Starke. This one has a Japanese stainless steel concave blade and, according to the brand, it's both rust-proof and scratch-resistant. Our experts recommend a long-handled garden hoe for weeds with shallow roots. You won't have to bend over when you pull out the weeds, and its broad blade can handle lots of different roots and stems. This hoe from Craftsman has a looped steel blade that lets you easily push and pull on weeds and a slim wood handle for ease of use, according to the brand. A Cape Cod weeder is great for pulling weeds in tight spaces, according to experts, and this one from Carrot Design is made of beech hardwood with a steel blade and neck. The brand says you use the pointed end of the weeder to drag at ground level and cut the weeds at the roots — or dig out the root with its sharp tip. Cape Cod weeders are configured based on your dominant hand, so make sure you order accordingly. If your main problem is dandelions, you might want to consider a dandelion weeder, otherwise known as a fishtail weeder. This one is made from stainless steel and has a two-pronged fork design that's meant to grab weeds by their roots. It has a soft-gripped handle with a contoured finger design, too. A paving or patio weeder, like this one suggested by Carmen DeVito — the founder of garden and landscape design company Garden Cult and a certified New York State landscape professional — is designed to weed in corners and in between concrete, which can be an especially annoying task according to our experts. This tool is precisely angled for easier weed removal, according to the brand. George Bernadon, the VP of grounds management at SSC Services for Education, which provides support services for educational institutions, says he uses a spading fork 'for more difficult or mature weeds with deeper roots,' and the True Temper 4-Tine Spading Digging Fork has four diamond-pointed steel tines for easy digging, according to the brand. 'I can insert the fork into the ground around the weed from varying directions to loosen the soil around the roots,' he says, adding that the process 'aerates the soil around desirable plants.' He also notes that a spading fork can be used by novices and experts alike. For weeding small garden areas, DeVito suggests this handheld hoe from Barebones. It has an ergonomic, stainless steel blade and walnut handle for a smooth and easy grip, according to the brand. The cutting stirrup head moves front to back for better angles when cutting weeds, which makes removal much easier and more efficient. For larger areas, DeVito likes this versatile double tool from the Gardener's Supply Company, which combines the benefits of a cultivator and a hoe. You can loosen the soil and weed plants at the same time, making it a great option for gardeners looking to save space or money on tools. It's made from sustainably-grown ash and a durable, high-carbon boron steel, according to the brand. According to DeVito, this tool is ideal for gardeners with mobility or pain issues, like arthritis. Using the circular head, the tool pulls through soil to loosen and cut weeds without making too much of a mess — its head is sharp only on the bottom, so as to precisely cut through the underground roots of weeds, according to the brand. The shank and blade are made from solid steel, while the handle is made from beech hardwood. Best for soft soil: Grampa's Weeder This bamboo weeder is one of our favorite gardening products from Amazon — it uses a metal claw to hook into the center of the weed and pull it from the root, according to the brand. It has a 45-inch shaft, so you can pull weeds without bending or kneeling, and is also great for softer soil, especially when wet. How to shop for weeding tools Weeding tools differ in shape and size as well as form and function (some weeding tools only make sense if you're gardening above or around pavers, for example). When looking at a new tool for weeding, pay close attention to its length, durability, intended use and the weeds you'll be using it on. Tool length: Weeding tools are typically either short-handled (for hand-weeding) or long-handled (for standing). Like the name suggests, short-handled tools are better for tougher tasks that require more strength. Valenzuela suggests hand weeders for anyone without kneeling or back problems. 'With the short handle options you have even more control to remove only the weeds and not harm your thriving plants,' says Sears. Long-handled tools, meanwhile, allow you to weed while standing and can cover more area at once — this puts less pressure on your joints but also doesn't give you as much power while you weed. 'For those who prefer not to bend, a standing weeder provides the convenience of removing weeds without the back strain,' says Valenzuela. Durability and comfort: Both Valenzuela and DeVito say it's important to choose a durable, comfortable weeding tool that will last a long time. 'It will get a lot of work, so I want a sturdy, well-made tool of solid metal that won't bend or break after a season,' says DeVito. Valenzuela also recommends testing a few different tools in your garden to see which works best before making a decision. 'Sometimes what looks great in the store doesn't feel quite right in the yard,' she says. 'It's worth taking the time to find a tool that you'll actually enjoy using.' Garden type/size: Different weeding tools are designed for different types of gardens and their accompanying weeds. A Cape Cod weeder, for instance, is designed for tighter spaces, while a paving weeder is meant for getting rid of weeds growing in between or on top of concrete slabs or pavers. Age/size of the weeds handheld garden cultivator is better for everyday weeds, a spading fork can handle a weed with deeper roots. Frequently asked questions What is the best way to get rid of weeds? When getting rid of weeds, your ultimate goal should be to disturb as little of the soil as possible to prevent any new weeds from growing, says Valenzuela. She suggests repeatedly cutting or mowing down the weeds for larger patches to exhaust their energy reserves, which weakens them over time and makes them easier to pull. 'For smaller or standalone weeds, a precise application of herbicide can do the trick,' she says. For good measure, DeVito recommends smothering the weeds before applying any chemical weed killer, especially on open soil or emptier garden beds. 'Black trash bags or cardboard covers weighted with rocks or bricks will weaken weeds, making them easier to remove later,' she says. Lastly, Valenzuela recommends always following up your weeding with reapplying mulch or planting into the area. What should gardeners avoid when weeding? Valenzuela says that gardeners should avoid disturbing the soil without having a follow-up plan, since doing so could result in even more weeds growing. 'When you remove weeds, it's like rolling out the welcome mat for more weeds,' she says. DeVito also suggests making sure that you remove the entire plant, from root to stem, otherwise the weeds are sure to come back. What are the signs of a weed problem? Since a weed can be classified as any undesirable plant in your yard, Valenzuela says that the signs of a weed problem depend on your personal threshold. 'Not every plant needs to be removed or treated,' she says. Sometimes, the causes of your weed problems can be underlying issues with soil, which may take a long time to get under control. Weed seed banks in soil are strong, and can take a few seasons to fully manage. 'Stay patient and continue to replant the area alongside removal,' she says. 'You'll begin to see the results after a few years.' Both Valenzuela and DeVito agree that a weed is just a plant in the wrong place. 'A little acceptance of imperfection , along with a few weeds will go a long way to enjoying your garden spaces,' says DeVito. Meet our experts At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest. Rebecca Sears is the chief marketing officer at home gardening company Green Garden Products. Jeremy Starke is a gardening expert and founder of vegetable gardening website Green Thumb Gardener. George Bernadon is the VP of grounds management at SSC Services for Education, which provides support services for educational institutions. Carmen DeVito is the founder of garden and landscape design company Garden Cult and a certified New York State landscape professional. Why trust NBC Select? Justin Krajeski and Morgan Greenwald are former editors for NBC Select. Ashley Morris is an associate SEO reporter covering skin care, lifestyle, gardening and more for NBC Select. For this piece, they spoke to gardening experts to find out the best weeding tools and how to shop for them, along with everything you need to know about weeding your garden.
The Irish Sun
06-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Irish Sun
Lidl slashes the price of its sell-out hanging egg chair this week making it among the cheapest around
LIDL shoppers are in for another chance to pick up the popular hanging egg chair as it returns to the middle aisle once again. The sell-out garden item is one of the cheapest available in the lead up to summer. 3 Lidl Plus members can pick up the Livarno Home Hanging Garden Chair for just £129.99 Credit: Lidl 3 The garden item previously sold out after appearing on offer in the Lidl middle aisle Credit: Lidl Customers can pick up the The stylish seat returned to the chain retailer over the bank holiday weekend, but shoppers may want to hurry as it has been cleared from shelves in the past. And the £129.99 deal is only available until Saturday, May 10. This chair features a cushioned seat and a stable powder-coated steel frame. Read More On Garden Buys According to the product description, the item is "durable, easy-care, UV resistant, and weather resistant". It also has a safety handle for getting on and off with ease, and comes with a three-year warranty. The chair has a maximum weight capacity of 110 kilograms and a wide-set base for your comfort. A similar buy is available from B&Q, but at significantly higher price point. Most read in Fabulous The Asda's I tried 'magic' Lidl garden hose - you need to get it, it's perfect for summer And Charles Bentley's While the Daals Meanwhile, the This item is also available from B&Q locations. And shoppers also rushed to buy the egg chair from the , which costs just £130. Top gardening trends of 2025 Gardening experts at Matrix planting It seems that a top planting trend for this year is going to be Matrix Planting. In essence, planting in groups or blocks to give an effect of being wild whilst actually being carefully managed. Selection of the plants is essential, to give year-round interest either with flowers, seed heads or frosted/snowy spent flower heads. Some recommend using plants that seed around, but this could make managing your matrix planting harder to keep under control. Chrysanthemum comeback I hope that the humble Chrysanthemum makes as much of a comeback this year as Dahlias have over recent years, because the simple single flowered types, such as 'Innocence' and 'Cottage Apricot' would be spectacular within a matrix scheme. The hardy varieties are so easy to grow in a sunny spot and give such a valuable burst of late summer and autumn colour that would lift any dull- looking border. Blended borders For some time now we have been promoting the growing of veg within ornamental borders and I think this could really take off this year. The choice of ornamental-looking varieties available in seed catalogues is phenomenal and, if managed correctly, visitors to your garden will not even realise that you have veg growing! Must-have tool My secret is out. I discovered the Hori Hori a couple of years ago and now it seems so is everyone else. It is such a well-made, adaptable tool that can be used as a trowel or weeding tool in the garden that and everyone I speak to who have used it absolutely would not now be without it. Enough said! Remember to compare prices It is important to remember to always shop around when buying something like this as you might find a cheaper alternative. Websites like Trolley and Price Spy let you compare thousands of products across different retailers to find the best price. Price Spy even lets you see how much an item has cost over time, so you can see if the current price is a good deal. A quick scan on the Google Shopping/Product tab will also bring up how much retailers are selling a certain item for. 3 Lidl shoppers can nab a deal on the garden furniture until Saturday, May 10 (stock image) Credit: Getty
Buzz Feed
04-05-2025
- General
- Buzz Feed
This Japanese Gardening Tool Has A Supremely Devoted Following
After hearing about this $19 tool from professional landscapers and avid home gardeners, we knew we needed to write about it. Meet the hori hori — a multipurpose, slightly concave Japanese weed knife with a serrated blade on one side. It helps you dig, weed, remove roots, transfer plants, cut sod and divide perennials — and barely takes up space in your kit. When interviewing landscapers for a recent story on lawns, both Kat Aul Cervoni, founder of Staghorn NYC Landscape Design and The Cultivation by Kat and Patrick Farrell, partner at EAS Landscaping LLC in Philadelphia sang the praises of this soil knife. Farrell even deemed it 'indispensable when it comes to planting and clearing.' Because the story focused on grass, the knife wasn't featured, but when a HuffPost reader recommended it in a Facebook callout, we knew it deserved more attention. Answering an ask for accessible gardening tools for people over 50, long-term gardener Sue Mazer, 54, suggested this comfortable-to-hold, multi-use tool, saying, 'Lightly spray mist the mixed soil and use a Japanese [hori-hori] garden knife to make individual holes for the seeds, seedlings or transplants.' W hile there are many brands and styles of hori hori-style knives, we (and most of Amazon) like this classic option made by the Japanese brand Nisaku. Made in Japan, weighing 10 ounces, it's light in your hand with a 7.25-inch blade and 5.25-inch handle that gives you leverage and control. Featuring one serrated side and one straight edge, it's a knife-of-all-trades kind of tool that will easily earn its spot in your garden tool rotation. The handy inch markers on the blade help you drop seeds at the correct depth, and the unique shape lets you do everything from chop branches to plant bulbs. You can even bring it hunting or camping. The blade is rust- and scratch-resistant, keeping its sharpness and shape for years to come. With a 4.8-star rating and over 7,000 5-star reviews, it seems everyone who has a hori hori recommends it. Reviewer Sally Cloud wrote, 'Where has this thing been in my over 30 years of gardening life?!!!' — calling it her favorite garden tool of all time and something you won't regret buying. Reviewer M called the hori hori the 'most versatile garden tool ever,' saying, 'I never realized I needed a tool like this until I used it. This garden knife is so lightweight and versatile. I use it for small garden tasks like digging out small weeds and cutting vines. When planting, the measurements on the side of the long blade help me to know the depth to which I'm digging. This is helpful when planting seeds. The blade is sharp, easy to clean, and has its own sheath. Highly recommend this product!' Promising reviews: "After researching and seeing the HoriHori knife in many of the best garden tool list articles and videos, I decided to buy one, and OMG! This should've been my first garden tool purchase. I've used this to do some planting in pots, clean up some weeds in the front flower bed, and do some plant transplanting in the yard, and not once did I need my hand shovels! This was sharp enough to cut and made digging a breeze. Highly recommend and make this your first garden tool purchase." — fivetwo beauty "This looked like an interesting garden tool, but it definitely exceeded my expectations. It is a little beast when it comes to cutting through things like grass roots and thatch, and for breaking ground! Got one for my mom too!" — Sue "I love the many uses for this gardening knife. I used it to trim back thick vines in my vegetable garden. It made digging up my herbs and flowers possible yesterday, with nearly frozen ground. My trowel was useless. After each use, I clean off the dirt and apply mineral oil and it looks like new. The scabbard is a bonus as well as necessary because of the sharpness of the blade. The price was more than reasonable for such a quality product." — Lynn D. "I use a lot of hand tools in the yard and garden. This is officially my favorite. It has so many functions and use is simple and easy! Perfect blade size to remove whole plants. It's got a great handle, and you get a firm grip! The blade cuts, saws, allows you to gauge depth, and pushes easily into the soil! You will love this tool!" — WM
The Irish Sun
03-05-2025
- General
- The Irish Sun
Gardeners growing tomato plants can make them much sweeter with 65p Asda buy everyone has in their cupboards
A GARDENING hack has been revealed to make tomatoes sweeter with just one cheap household staple. The Advertisement 1 Add one item to reduce acidity in tomato crops to make them tastier Credit: Getty And gardeners have one simple trick that can be done to make tomatoes you grow even tastier and jucier. It is using one simple item that is probably already in your Not only are tomatoes used in a variety of different So as the summer arrives, you may be looking to add some juicy tomatoes to your salads, pastas, or stews. Advertisement This can be done without having to splurge specialised fertilisers or work hard around creating optimal conditions for the plants. All you need is a sprinkle of baking soda, which can be added to the soil. Baking soda is understood to r educe soil acidity, which thereby makes it easier for tomatoes to absorb nutrients. On top of that, adding baking soda can also have the potential to control fungal diseases and weeds that grow around the plants. Advertisement Most read in Fabulous It can prevent common fungal infections like powdered mildew. Experts advise to sprinkle just a pinch of baking soda around each tomato plant once it beings to appear from the soil. This should be repeated once more when they are half grown. Grow your groceries - how to grow tomatoes from tomatoes! Adding too much, though, could inadvertently poison the tomato plant, so it is important to control the amount. Advertisement And this hack will not cost you more than £1 from a grocery store. Asda is selling their 200g pack of Any leftovers can be used to do some Top gardening trends of 2025 Gardening experts at Matrix planting It seems that a top planting trend for this year is going to be Matrix Planting. In essence, planting in groups or blocks to give an effect of being wild whilst actually being carefully managed. Selection of the plants is essential, to give year-round interest either with flowers, seed heads or frosted/snowy spent flower heads. Some recommend using plants that seed around, but this could make managing your matrix planting harder to keep under control. Chrysanthemum comeback I hope that the humble Chrysanthemum makes as much of a comeback this year as Dahlias have over recent years, because the simple single flowered types, such as 'Innocence' and 'Cottage Apricot' would be spectacular within a matrix scheme. The hardy varieties are so easy to grow in a sunny spot and give such a valuable burst of late summer and autumn colour that would lift any dull- looking border. Blended borders For some time now we have been promoting the growing of veg within ornamental borders and I think this could really take off this year. The choice of ornamental-looking varieties available in seed catalogues is phenomenal and, if managed correctly, visitors to your garden will not even realise that you have veg growing! Must-have tool My secret is out. I discovered the Hori Hori a couple of years ago and now it seems so is everyone else. It is such a well-made, adaptable tool that can be used as a trowel or weeding tool in the garden that and everyone I speak to who have used it absolutely would not now be without it. Enough said!
