News - Page 60

From tomorrow, 25th May, to 2nd June National Children’s Gardening Week is a week full of encouraging children to enjoy gardening and plants. It is incredibly important to teach children the importance of gardening, growing your own food and being outside in the fresh air. Gardening can help children learn new skills, understand where food comes from and the importance of wildlife. Also, it can raise self-esteem and confidence and even help with anxiety and social skills. So what can you enjoy in the garden with your children during National Children’s Gardening Week?

Most gardens have shady spaces that can seem hard to fill with lovely, attractive plants but some of the most beautiful garden plants can grow perfectly well in a shady space and even thrive for many years. Make sure you know what your soil conditions are so you can pick the right plants to grow in shade and you can create a colourful spot in the garden even without sunlight. These top 6 plants for a shady space are well worth trying to grow in your garden if you have a shady space.

There is nothing more frustrating than finding pests and diseases on your lovely plants after tending to them with love and attention. Fortunately, there are many ways to minimise the risk of plant pests and diseases, mainly ensuring they receive the care that they need. But even after all of your efforts, they can still sneak up on your plants and be a real pain. Plants that are thriving, indoors or outside will not show any signs of yellowing or brown leaves or dry, curly edges. Whilst many of these could also be a sign of not optimum conditions, which in itself can lead to pests and diseases but this is a sign your plants are in distress. Keep a check on watering levels, light levels and make sure you have the right plant for the right place which will help to minimise any problems. So, if you are concerned about pests and diseases on your plants, this guide will help you to identify them.

It’s a symbol of love, and the subject of sonnets, but above all, the rose is one of our most popular and beautiful garden plants. Despite their elegant appearance, roses are surprisingly tough and easy to grow, and there’s one to suit every garden.

Companion planting lets your plants help each other to grow strong and healthy, with less need for chemicals and pesticides. Find out which plants work well together.

The Tillandsia is quite an interesting tropical treat.  Most have only a few or no roots at all, but gather their nutrients from the air through their leaves. It is therefore that Tillandsias are also known as ‘Air Plants’. Most Tillandsias are epiphytes or lithophytes: they grow on trees or rocks.