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Quick Answer A bulb planter tool is a simple hand tool that removes a plug of soil so you can drop a bulb straight in at the right depth, then replace the plug on top. Handheld planters suit small quantities and containers, long-handled planters let you work standing up for borders and lawns, and drill-powered […]

🌱 Quick Answer For most UK gardens the Dirty Pro Tools Garden Shredder is the best all-rounder, powerful enough for a proper pruning clear-up and priced sensibly for occasional use. If you are shredding thick or woody branches regularly, the Makita UD2500 is quieter and far less prone to blocking. If you only need something […]

🌱 Quick Answer For most UK gardens the Ryobi OBV18 18V ONE+ Brushless Blow-Vacuum is the best all-rounder, powerful enough for a full autumn clear-up and versatile enough to mulch leaves into the bag rather than just moving them somewhere else. If you would rather stay corded, the Flymo PowerVac 2700 covers the same blow, […]

Quick Answer A potted Christmas tree goes brown mostly from drying out, either from being left neglected outdoors over summer or from too long indoors in warm, dry central heating. Once a conifer’s needles have died they will not turn green again, so the priority is stopping further browning through regular watering, good drainage and […]

Quick Answer The best climbing plants for UK gardens include Clematis, Honeysuckle, Jasmine, Wisteria and Star Jasmine for scent and flower, Ivy, Climbing Hydrangea and Virginia Creeper for shade and difficult walls, and Climbing Roses and Campsis for sunny, sheltered spots. Match the climber to the aspect and the support it actually needs to climb […]

Quick Answer Bare root hedging plants are lifted from the field while dormant and sold without a pot or compost, costing roughly half to a third of the equivalent container grown plant. Plant them between November and March, work mycorrhizal fungi into the trench, then cut them back hard the first spring to force bushy […]

🌱 Quick Answer Plant tulip bulbs in November, after the first hard frosts, in a sunny spot with sharp drainage. Set them three times their own depth, roughly 15 to 20cm down, pointy end facing up. Waiting until November rather than jumping in with the daffodils in September is the single biggest factor in avoiding […]

🌿 Quick Answer Winter is one of the best times to get ahead in the garden. Prune dormant deciduous trees and shrubs, cut back herbaceous perennials once they’ve died down, plant bare root trees and hedging while they’re dormant, and tackle perennial weeds while borders are bare. Leave evergreens and anything that flowers on old […]

Quick Answer Sloe gin is made by pricking ripe sloes, layering them with sugar and gin in an airtight jar, then leaving the mixture in a dark cupboard for at least three months, shaking it weekly. Sloes are traditionally picked after the first autumn frost, though freezing fresh sloes overnight has exactly the same softening […]

Quick Answer Pumpkins and squashes are ready to harvest once the skin resists a firm thumbnail press, the colour has fully changed for that variety, and the stem has dried out and gone woody. In the UK this usually falls in the last two weeks of September through to the first week of October, ideally […]