Latest news with #nan
The Sun
11-07-2025
- General
- The Sun
The beautiful granny flower making a comeback – it grows colourful blooms up to 6ft, bees love & it returns every summer
IT'S the flower many typically associate with their nan's cottage in the picturesque countryside. But now it's time for green-fingered Brits to stop overlooking the gorgeous foxglove - as the beautiful flower grows colourful blooms up to 6ft, instantly elevating any garden, even in the city. 1 The quintessential cottage garden flowers work just as well in urban gardens, where some varieties can grown in a container and enjoy the part-shade often found in built-up areas. Most foxgloves belong to the biennial category, which means this flower completes its lifecycle over two years. For those new to gardening, this means that if you want flowers next year, you're nearing your last chance to sow them. They will put down roots and create a rosette of green leaves by Christmas, before sending up mega flower spikes, blooming and setting seeds next summer. These stunning wildflowers can be particularly efficient self-seeders. When the conditions are right, foxgloves will set seed from late spring to late summer as their flowers go over. In terms of finding the right spot for this cottage flower, they particularly enjoy the dappled shade of overhead trees, and these are the conditions Brits can easily emulate if you want to sow direct into the ground. For those who want to indulge in seed trays, you can also grow foxgloves in eye-catching pots and plant them in their forever homes when they're bigger and the weather is cooler. Can't be bothered to sow? Another option is ordering the plants now to establish later this year. However, before you do anything, it's important to remind that all parts of foxgloves are toxic, including stems and leaves, so they may not be the right pick for your garden if you have pets or small children. When it comes to ongoing care, there's also a crucial task that shouldn't be neglected to ensure the longevity of the plant. Deadheading is a technique where you remove fading flowers from plants to encourage further blooming. According to the Royal Horticultural Society, gardeners should deadhead foxgloves as soon as the flowers have finished, by removing the whole flower stem at the base. Garden features that add the most value to a house A well-kept garden can add anywhere between 5-20% to the value of a property. carried out a study and consulted 36 estate agents, garden designers and property professionals from across the UK. And the experts revealed the garden feature which adds the most value to a property is a shed. Shed - 82% Patio or paving - 76% Secure fencing, walls or gates - 72% Outdoor lighting - 66% Sturdy decking - 62% Water features eg. fountain or pond - 58% Modern garden furniture - 54% Artificial lawn/grass - 40% The organisation's growing guide states: "This stops them producing seeds, which conserves their energy. "It can also sometimes help biennial foxgloves live and flower for an extra year, and also improves the longevity of perennial foxgloves. As important as the job is to maintain the production of the beautiful blooms, it should also be noted that deadheading "prevents plants setting seed and creating the next generation in the biennial cycle." Therefore, in order to have a yearly supply of new young plants, it is recommended to always leave a few flower stems in place to set seed. Allowing the flower spikes to set seed, will result in them self-seeding "rapidly" and particularly in spring you'll will tend to find many little seedlings near the parent plant. Additionally, make sure you're giving foxgloves enough space to grow and flower. Overcrowded seedlings should be spaced out or moved once they are large enough to handle.
News.com.au
18-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
North skipper overcome with emotion during heartfelt interview
North Melbourne captain Jy Simpkin was left fighting back tears after his side's hard-fought win over Richmond on Sunday. After taking down the Tigers by four points at the MCG, Simpkin was speaking with Fox Sports' Sarah Jones when he was asked about his tough week. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. The 27-year-old was away from the club during the week as he and his family said their goodbyes to his nan. Talking about the week and his nan, Simpkin was overcome with emotion. Watch the heartfelt scenes in the video player above 'Tough week, yeah. Obviously nan passing away was tough on myself, the family, everyone back home,' said the Roos captain, who is from Mooroopna in northern Victoria. 'But it happens and it's life, and I'm just so glad, as a family, I got to be there with her for her last few breaths and her last couple of hours. 'And I'm just super proud the boys got the job done for me today, and I know nan and pop will be up there looking (down) very proud.' Simpkin took to Instagram during the week to honour his nan in a post that was flooded with love from those within the AFL. 'Will miss your smile nan, you're with pop now. I love you,' Simpkin captioned his post. The heartfelt scenes came after North produced only their second win of the season thanks to a game-saving mark from Toby Pink. With one last surge at victory, Tigers youngster Kaleb Smith sent a long ball deep into attack in the Tom Lynch direction, but with strength Pink bustled Lynch out of the way to take a strong grab with 40 seconds left. It would prove to be the last meaningful foray by either side as the Kangaroos held on for a 12.6 (78) to 11.8 (74) victory. But the Tigers were left to rue a controversial umpiring non-decision as North's Luke Davies-Uniacke appeared to be very fortunate not to be penalised for deliberately sending the ball out of bounds with a handball in Richmond's forward pocket with 1:28 to go. If the free kick was paid, it would've given Richmond a chance to re-take the lead. After slipping behind at three-quarter time, the Tigers got their noses back in front early in the final quarter, but North hit back with the next two goals on the back of repeat forward 50s and opened up a 12-point lead. The Kangas could've iced the game, but squandered shots on goal from George Wardlaw, Simpkin and Jack Darling kept Richmond alive. Tom Lynch cut the margin to six points shortly after, but it was then Richmond's turn to be wasteful in front of goal with the game on the line as Kane McAuliffe and Tim Taranto sprayed their set shots to claw the Tigers within four points with 4:36 remaining. They would prove to be the last scores of the game.
