Latest news with #flowerbeds
The Sun
04-08-2025
- General
- The Sun
5 beautiful flowers I always plant in August as a professional gardener – they're easy to grow & great for small spaces
IF you've avoided your flower beds all summer, it's not too late to take action. In fact, there are five easy blooms you can add to your garden right now that will brighten your space next spring. 6 While September may be in sight, most of August is still ahead of us and it can be prime time to sow certain flowers. Easy to grow, attractive to pollinators, and are suitable for even the smallest spaces, these plants are the perfect addition to any garden. Writing for Netmums, a professional gardener revealed the best flowers to add to your garden right now. Cornflowers 6 Cornflower are easy to grow from seed and add a pop of colour to everything from window boxes to flower beds. This flower blooms best in direct sunlight and prefers well-drained soil. You will want to spread the seeds far apart, lightly watering the soil after. They are also brilliant for attracting bees and butterflies to your outdoor space. This will help your garden to flourish even further with increased pollination. Sowing cornflowers in August will give your bright beautiful flowers next spring or early summer. Pot Marigold (Calendula) 6 According to the gardening pro, pot marigolds are "sunshine in flower form". They are bright, easy to manage, and are perfect for a day of gardening with your little ones thanks to the large seeds. These can be sown directly into planters and tend to germinate quickly. You should plant these at least eight weeks before the first autumn frost for the best results. Pot marigolds are known to grow quickly and are not fussy about the soil. They also have the potential to flower until autumn if the weather stays mild. These flowers also attract pollinators and they even have petals that are edible. Forget-Me-Nots 6 These "small but mighty" flowers are a must for your August flower beds. Forget-me-nots prefer partial shade, something to remember when planting for next year. Sowing these around autumn time can lead to earlier blooms in spring. Keep the soil consistently wet while sowing and make sure to deadhead once these flowers do pop up. Sowing them now will give you a blanket of beautiful blue daisies next spring. Forget-me-nots can flourish in bordered flower beds, pots, and even window boxes. California Poppies 6 California poppies are often described as a "bold, bright, and easy" addition to your garden. Offering orange and yellow blooms, these flowers love the sun and don't mind poor soil. Make sure to place these plants exactly where you want them when sowing as they do not transplant well. Give them a light watering after sowing and then allow the soil to dry out. In fact, they even thrive on a bit of neglect and can be directly sown into bare patches, making them ideal for less dedicated gardeners. And like the other flowers on this list, they will add some joy to your outdoor space come spring. Wild Carrot 6 Referred to by gardening enthusiasts as a "hidden gem", the wild carrot plant adds an interesting look to your space with "lacey white flower heads". These tiny umbrella-like flowers are also really good for bee populations. Also known as Queen Anne's lace, these flowers need moist soil during germination but tend to be quite drought-tolerant once established. They add a soft and gentle feel to your garden and help wildlife to flourish. So why not take five minutes and sprinkle some of the above seeds in your garden this August? You'll be glad you did when your flower beds begin blooming after the long winter. More on gardening One homeowner turned their garden into a Bridgerton paradise with a charity shop find. B&M has also slashed the price of its viral rattan sofa in a huge garden sale. Plus, the £1 Tesco buy that can protect your plants in the rainy weather.
The Guardian
05-06-2025
- General
- The Guardian
For the first time in my life I'm in charge of a garden. Is it too late to plant?
I've moved from the city to Melbourne's outer east where everybody knows how to garden. Blundstoned parents swagger in for school pickup with secateurs in their belts and parsnips the size of your arm. They have wood chippers and chainsaws and trailers filled with enough mulch to cover a national park, which until yesterday I believed was pronounced mulsh. For the first time in my life I'm in charge of a garden. It has a lawn and some flowerbeds which require weeding every now and then. I envy women with strong opinions about this flower or that. They seem to know what they're doing in life, which direction to take, what any of it means. I hope to someday have the confidence to make sweeping, ludicrous statements like Madonna's 'I absolutely loathe hydrangeas'. My mother is a competent, unsentimental gardener. Last spring she came over to 'help' in mine. This involved ripping four ancient rose bushes from the flowerbed along the front of our house on the basis that I could 'do better'. Her statement, in its vague enormity, echoed across the months that followed, tingeing my cups of tea at the window above the bereft garden bed. Was it a vote of confidence or menacing battle cry? Could I do better? My mother's words warbled through the summer heat and fell like petals as the weather cooled. The flowerbed remained empty, save for some weeds and nasturtiums, and a stem of vanquished rose bush piercing through the soil like a hand through a grave. I'd liked the roses, though nobody else seemed to. They were colourful and fragrant and reminded me of somebody's glamorous great-aunt. Surely that was a start. I could put something bright and lovely in their place. It would be simple after all. Autumn was coming to a close, and with it the optimal planting window, but it wasn't too late. Was it? Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning No! I could do better. I would tear myself away from the glow of my phone with its earwax extractions and ready-made organic vegetable broths delivered to my door and get my hands dirty: do better by the earth and by my own human soul. I would be better. It was a pale grey morning when I called the nursery. 'Is it too late to plant?' I asked. 'What do you … ' the woman spluttered on the other end of the line. 'Of course it's not … well, it depends. What do you want to plant?' She seemed bewildered by my question, almost infuriated, not unlike a waiter who is asked by a patron not what but if they should eat. Are you hungry? I heard in the woman's flustered subtext. Do you even want to do better? It was the week before winter when I arrived at the nursery. I had a vague ideas about planting some feathery native grasses and maybe a shrub with little flowers that hung like bells. It was a blurred vision at best but it was something. It was Saturday morning and yet, troublingly, I got a parking spot right out front in the mostly empty car park. Thunder clapped as I pushed through the gate and made my way to the information booth where the attendant was sheltering. 'Is it too late to plant?' I asked faintly, as the Little Match Girl struck her last match in the snow. But the woman in the booth seemed to hear my real question: was it too late to be a gardener? Was it too late? 'No,' she said simply, and looked at my photos of plants I liked and the bereft flowerbed that lined the front of my house. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion 'Your palette's white, purple, pinks, reds,' she said. 'And you're looking at a cottage core theme. Is that OK?' Was it OK?! I had a palette! A theme! An identity! I was a cottage core gardener. I'd been given the gift of purpose; a map to follow through the monstrous unknown to my own little plot. Yes, I nodded, it was OK. She showed me the hardy shrubs and feathery grasses, pointing out the best ones – meaning her personal favourites, she admitted, laughing. Oh, how we laughed. She recommended winter rouge, a native shrub with flowers that hung like bells, on the basis that 'she' can survive anything. I liked thinking of winter rouge as a woman who thrived independently of her conditions. I bought three of her. I spent all day digging up the flowerbed and putting in the plants, watering and mulching them, pronouncing mulch correctly to anyone who would listen. By nightfall I was wearing a ski jacket and damp tracksuit pants and inexplicably one slipper, with my fingernails caked in dirt and an undeniable sense of achievement. The garden was planted. The first frost arrived in the morning, bordering the fallen leaves in fine ice crystals that winked at me in the early sun. My plants stood in their bed, as peaceful and defiant as a row of baby strollers outside a Norwegian coffee house in winter. The fresh air would do them good, or maybe it wouldn't, and I'd try again next year –with some knowledge under my belt. Ashe Davenport is a writer and author
The Sun
30-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
Lidl launches new summer flower for just £2 to brighten up garden – now is the time to plant them for the best results
GREEN-FINGERED enthusiasts can transform their flowerbeds with a new Lidl buy. A popular plant hit the middle aisle this week and now is the time to add it to your garden. 2 Shoppers can pick up a fan-favourite flower without breaking the budget. So why not fill out your flowerbeds, hanging baskets, and windowboxes this summer? These plants typically flower between late spring and late autumn, so buying now will give you a lot of bang for your buck. Lidl shoppers can now pick up a geranium plant for just £2.49 from the middle aisle. The plants hit shelves on Thursday, May 29 and can help you save on your summer garden. These geraniums are available as part of a mix 'n' match deal of three for £6. So you can fill out your container boxes and any gaps in your flowerbeds with these bargain buys. Experts recommend planting geraniums in either early summer or early autumn, so you'll want to act fast. You should ensure you are using well-drained soil and even consider adding compost to enrich it. Most varities of geranium tend to prefer direct sunlight and regular watering. I hate my new build garden being overlooked so found a 5 METRE privacy fence to block out nosy neighbours for under £30 Deadheading can also help the plants flourish throughout the summer months. And if you want them to last past the first frost, experts recommend bringing the flowers indoors before temperatures drop. 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 . You can also add a stylish touch to your privacy fence with a B&M buy. Or you can pick up another summer flower favourite from B&Q right now. A £7 gardening gadget is also available from Home Bargains and is guaranteed to transform your lawn. And Lidl customers can add a "whimsical" touch to their flowerbeds for just £3. Or a £2 B&M buy transforms your patio into an "ambient" paradise this summer.
The Sun
30-05-2025
- 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
CTV News
27-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
How A.I. can help your green thumb
Watch Tech expert Katrina German shows how she's using artificial intelligence to bring her garden and flower beds to life this summer
