Latest news with #Petunia
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- General
- Scottish Sun
B&Q shoppers are racing to snap up incredible £5 plant that will keep flowering until the first frost
IF you're prepping your flowerbeds ahead of summer, one plant is sure to last well into autumn. You can pick up the popular flower from B&Q without breaking the bank. 2 B&Q shoppers can pick up a budget buy that instantly elevates flowerbeds over the summer (stock image) This budget-friendly item will instantly brighten up your garden this summer. Add these colouful flowers to your pots, hanging baskets, and flowerbeds to create a "long-flowering" look. B&Q is currently selling Petunia Frenzy Mixed F1 6 Plug Plants for a lower price than ever, at just £4.99. This Petunia "Frenzy" mixture produces large blooms in "an array of beautiful colours throughout the summer months". And these plants are also known to survive until the first frost, providing a "bold and reliable splash of low maintenance colour which you can enjoy all season long". These plants have a compact upright look, making them suitable for filling small spaces all around your garden. Petunias can also be used to create impressive container displays throughout your outdoor space. When they bloom, these "large trumpet-shaped flowers" create a "mixture of vivid shades all summer long and into autumn". Simply pinch out the growing tip of each stem to encourage branching, helping to form a bushier plant which will produce more flowers later on. Once the weather is warm enough, you can gradually acclimatise petunias to outdoor conditions over a period of 7 to 10 days. I hate my new build garden being overlooked so found a 5 METRE privacy fence to block out nosy neighbours for under £30 Make sure to select baskets, window boxes, and containers with good drainage and place them directly in the sun. Experts recommend feeding and watering petunia plants regularly, particularly during hot, dry periods. You should also regularly deadhead your petunia flowers to encourage further blooms throughout the summer. And the sooner you plant these B&Q buys the better as they will beging flowering in early summer. Petunias are also known to be low maintenance so you don't even need to be a green-fingered pro to see your garden flourish. Don't miss out... Visit The Sun's shopping home and garden hub for more news, deals and tips. For more discounts and recommendations from the Sun Shopping team, sign up to our newsletter and join the WhatsApp group. 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. And shoppers can also pick up a £9.99 novelty decor buy that adds character to flowerbeds. A £7 gardening gadget is also available from Home Bargains and is guaranteed to transform your lawn.
The Sun
3 days ago
- General
- The Sun
B&Q shoppers are racing to snap up incredible £5 plant that will keep flowering until the first frost
IF you're prepping your flowerbeds ahead of summer, one plant is sure to last well into autumn. You can pick up the popular flower from B&Q without breaking the bank. 2 This budget-friendly item will instantly brighten up your garden this summer. Add these colouful flowers to your pots, hanging baskets, and flowerbeds to create a "long-flowering" look. B&Q is currently selling Petunia Frenzy Mixed F1 6 Plug Plants for a lower price than ever, at just £4.99. This Petunia "Frenzy" mixture produces large blooms in "an array of beautiful colours throughout the summer months". And these plants are also known to survive until the first frost, providing a "bold and reliable splash of low maintenance colour which you can enjoy all season long". These plants have a compact upright look, making them suitable for filling small spaces all around your garden. Petunias can also be used to create impressive container displays throughout your outdoor space. When they bloom, these "large trumpet-shaped flowers" create a "mixture of vivid shades all summer long and into autumn". Simply pinch out the growing tip of each stem to encourage branching, helping to form a bushier plant which will produce more flowers later on. Once the weather is warm enough, you can gradually acclimatise petunias to outdoor conditions over a period of 7 to 10 days. I hate my new build garden being overlooked so found a 5 METRE privacy fence to block out nosy neighbours for under £30 Make sure to select baskets, window boxes, and containers with good drainage and place them directly in the sun. Experts recommend feeding and watering petunia plants regularly, particularly during hot, dry periods. You should also regularly deadhead your petunia flowers to encourage further blooms throughout the summer. And the sooner you plant these B&Q buys the better as they will beging flowering in early summer. Petunias are also known to be low maintenance so you don't even need to be a green-fingered pro to see your garden flourish. Meanwhile, a Home Bargains buy is said to add a touch of glamour to your garden. And shoppers can also pick up a £9.99 novelty decor buy that adds character to flowerbeds. A £7 gardening gadget is also available from Home Bargains and is guaranteed to transform your lawn. 2
Scotsman
20-05-2025
- General
- Scotsman
Why Scotland urgently needs separate schools for children with special needs
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... I've never been what you could call an educational researcher: indeed, during my actual career I was always a lot more interested in teaching and young people than I was in 'education' per se. However, in recent weeks, I have conducted some extensive educational research; to wit, I have spoken to some teachers about what's going on in their professional lives these days… well, some… well, two, actually. Now the statisticians among you will scoff, because two isn't much of a sample, but I'm going to press on regardless and with some pride, because these two were actual practising teachers, people who have thus far dedicated their professional lives to being in actual schools, dealing with actual young people, rather than skiving off on secondment (not that one can really blame the skivers, teaching being so much easier when there are no kids involved). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Their views are, perhaps, of more urgency than those of officials from Education Scotland or the Scottish Qualifications Agency (both disgraced organisations) or trade union officials or academics – those with whom the Scottish Government prefers to converse about education in Scotland. The Scottish Government's 'presumption of mainstreaming' is a cynical, money-saving policy which is probably the central reason for poor results and bad behaviour in schools (Picture: Matthew Horwood) | Getty Images Teachers who can't teach I wonder, in fact, when Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth last had an in-depth conversation with two teachers, in which she simply asked them to talk about their working lives. Judging by the state of Scotland's schools, I imagine it may have been when she was a teacher herself. Anyhow, my two separate conversations yielded interesting results. One was with the deputy head of an urban comprehensive, whom I shall call Petunia (not their real name) and the other with a highly experienced and much-loved teacher in a Lothians state primary school, whom I shall call Clarence. Two great teachers, Clarence and Petunia, and both happy to suggest practical ways to improve the lives of their colleagues and students. I asked them to tell me what three things would improve their schools most, and gave them plenty of time to consider their answers. Some of what they said came as no surprise. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad For Petunia, the first thought was the need to ensure that schools are kept in at least a satisfactory state. How are we supposed to convince young people to look after their schools if the buildings are leaking, cold and falling apart? Her second view was that, as she put it, 'we need to be able to get rid of crap teachers'. Quite right. A stressful job To be honest, I think the vast majority of teachers do a good, sometimes great, job in circumstances that most people simply don't understand; a complex, multi-faceted, stressful job often dealing with large classes of children who are all individuals with their own needs – educational, pastoral and personal. These stresses make teachers extremely collegiate, kind and thoughtful to each other, but therein lies a problem. It's very hard to get rid of a teacher who, for whatever reason, can't teach. Ms Gilruth will shortly be sending them to the Scottish Centre for Teaching Excellence. That will not solve the problem. Clarence was concerned about the way head teachers are recruited and subject to scrutiny. They also saw the way in which funds were used for learning assistants as something needing dealt with. Too much of the time, assistants are away from the classroom helping children with difficult, specific learning issues, including those who, for one reason or another, need 'time out' from the classroom. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This is work which requires to be done by highly trained specialists; learning assistants should be helping in the great drive to close the poverty-related attainment gap, a flagship SNP policy which has so far dismally failed. Cynical, money-saving policy The children who suffer most, of course, are the least able children, who deserve just as much help as a child with a diagnosis, no matter how legitimate. Which leads neatly to the problem that both these seasoned teachers identified, in their very different teaching environments: the necessity to reconsider the Scottish Government's 'presumption of mainstreaming', this cynical, money-saving policy which is, truth be told, probably the central reason now for the poor results, poor behavioural standards and poor teacher retention dogging Scotland's schools. Many teachers, including Clarence and Petunia, spend great chunks of their working lives dealing with small numbers of young people, most of whom have complex difficulties, and some of whom are liable to 'kick off' at the slightest provocation. This is rarely the fault of the child or teacher. It's simply the wrong environment and we need to change that. It used to be that the parents of most of these young people wanted them to be in 'mainstream' (ie ordinary) schools, mixing with the children who do not have such profound issues; this was deemed to be socially useful and instructive. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But social media, newspapers and books all seem to suggest that their views have changed, as they realise how unsuccessful the experiment has been, and how alienated and frightened many of their kids are by the mainstream experience. Lack of political interest Meanwhile, the parents of actual mainstream children (of all abilities) want more of the teachers' time. This is not unreasonable. We need – urgently – to re-establish specialised, dedicated units and schools for children with special needs. This is not about these two great teachers – it's about a great mistake that is being perpetrated on their profession and their students. I am mystified as to the lack of action on this issue, and the lack of sustained interest from political parties. Maybe they need reminding that there's an election due next year. Thanks, Clarence; thanks, Petunia.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pint-Sized Piglet Takes Her First Bath and Her Immediate 'Nope' Is Hilarious
For most people, bathing and showering are just parts of their daily routine. They hardly need to give it a second thought! When it comes to a baby's first bath, however, a lot more planning goes into it. Some babies have big reactions to the new sensations, but it turns out that human babies aren't the only ones who have strong feelings about their first baths. Meet Petunia the piglet! She was born in early May and was sadly rejected by her mama, but her human mama quickly stepped in to make sure she was safe and healthy. Now, this precious baby pig is growing up indoors, and she's loving it! Well, she's loving almost all of it. On May 14, Petunia experienced her very first bath, and it's safe to say that she wasn't a fan. Her reaction was a 'nope' if I've ever seen (or heard) one! LOL, that's such a big reaction from such a tiny piglet! I was so enchanted with her minuscule size and tiny tippy taps that I wasn't expecting her to react so harshly. It took mere seconds before she became a perfect angel in my eyes! Forunatley, I wasn't the only one who fell under this pig's spell. A commenter named Chloe admitted that she would "die for Petunia," while others admitted to laughing at her pint-sized chaos. Whether you find her cute, funny, or both, it's no surprise that she's one popular pig parent shared a helpful tip to make this baby piglet's next bath less stressful. She wrote, "A little trick I learned with my piggie girl is to smear a small blob of peanut butter or the coconut oil butter on the side of the sink/tub, and she would eat it peacefully while bathing." Is there any problem a snack can't solve? Every single one of Petunia's videos has gone viral to some extent, and even though her fans have watched her grow up through her first few weeks of life, they're still in disbelief that something so tiny will grow so huge. That's right—even tiny piglets like Petunia will grow to be larger than most dogs. Even though some pigs are bred to be smaller, there is no such thing as a micro or teacup pig. Odds are, they're just babies like this little squealer! Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos. Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips.
Daily Record
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Expert says these baby names are so rare they're 'basically extinct'
A TikTokker and baby name consultant has shared the titles that are so rare they are on the brink of extinction - with parents urged to 'save' them before it's too late Parents on the hunt for an uncommon baby name might want to consider these options, which are teetering on the brink of extinction. There's a vast array of names available for parents to pick from, with some proving more popular than others. If you're keen on finding something unique, you might want to steer clear of the most common choices. But have you ever thought about opting for a name so rare that only five people bear it? A baby name consultant recently posted a video on TikTok revealing names that were used a maximum of five times each in 2024. Morgan Timm highlighted that these "super rare" baby names are so infrequently used they're "basically extinct ", and could vanish entirely in 2025 if no parents choose them for their offspring. She noted that each name was used precisely five times last year, which is the minimum count for them to feature on the list at all. This implies that if they're chosen just once less in 2025, they'll disappear from the records, reports the Mirror. Morgan shared two videos, one detailing the girls' names that were only picked five times, and a subsequent video presenting the same data for boys. While the naming expert based her videos on US data, the names can still provide inspiration for British parents seeking a less common moniker. For girls, the rarest names comprised a blend of unconventional choices and some traditional ones that have lost popularity in recent years. The list of baby names that might be seen as "old-fashioned" included such gems as Doretta, Dot, Elsbeth, and Petunia. Meanwhile, some parents have chosen more distinctive names for their offspring like Hero, Peaches, Power, Starlit, and Viper. A few names typically associated with boys were also selected for girls, with Dale, Dean, and Alvie making an appearance – the latter appearing to be a blend of Alfie and Alvin. In a video focusing on boys' names, there was a trend towards more unconventional choices rather than those simply forgotten over time. Barnaby stood out as one of the few "old-fashioned" names, while the majority of the list featured unique picks such as Clovis, Ghost, Luck, Star, and Wonder. Similar to the girls' names, the list for boys included several traditionally female names like Bonnie, Dove, Poppy, Violet, and Yara. The video sparked mixed reactions from commenters. Some expressed enthusiasm for unusual options like Dublin and Louetta, considering them for their own future children, while others were less impressed by many of the names presented. One viewer shared: "Hero has been on my list forever. Such a good Shakespeare name." Another chimed in with: "Oh, I love Thistle actually!" A third commenter declared: "Dell is one of my favourite names ever." Rarest baby names for girls Alvie Babette Blume Bridie Caledonia California Clemence Coralia Crisabel Cyrilla Dale Dean Doretta Dot Dublin Dune Elsbeth Exodus Fisher Galena Garland Hero Jonie Laker Lo Louetta Maui Mays Minnow Modesta Nebraska Novalia Osa Peaches Pella Peridot Petunia Pippin Power Prayer Quill Ramia Randa Rhapsody Rogelia Romana Rozio Roulette Sabre Sada Sincerity Sophronia Starlit Sully Sunisa Svana Syx Thistle Valia Vietta Vinnie Vintage Viper Winsome Witten Woods Xio Zoemi Rarest baby names for boys Acai Alby Alfa Barnaby Beacon Bernadino Bison Bloom Bonnie Booth Brink Casimiro Caswell Chuck Cinco Clarkson Clovis Clutch Coastal Cosmas Dell Delta Dove Ed El Fable Felton Ghost Graves Horizon Indio Io Ireland Jewels Lonnie Luck Majestic Mcguire Olaf Pablito Paco Park Pepper Poppy Rambo Rollo Rucker Sante Sev Star Theophil Vader Valo Violet Wirth Wonder Woodford Yara Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
