Gardens
Keep your garden growing in the heatwave
As temperatures sizzle across Scotland, Brian Hawthorn, horticulturist at Cardwell Garden Centre, offers hot tips to make sure your plants and flowers continue to thrive. Droplets of water on leaves can magnify the sun’s rays, scorching your plants. Water your garden in the cooler temperatures of the evening using a watering can or hose with…
Read MoreUse your garden to boost your home’s value
Want to add value to your property? Most of us are aware that there are some tired and tested ways. You can convert your loft into an extra bedroom, an office or a playroom. You can convert or extend a basement or you can turn a garage into a functional living space. All three of…
Read MoreGreen fingers earn gold medals for students
Edinburgh-based students have flourished at this year’s Gardening Scotland event. The students, from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), won two pop-up gold awards, six pop-up silver awards, a bronze RAF award and a silver award for its show garden. The aptly named Belinda Love was one of the Edinburgh-based students – alongside Kobus Sander, Ivonne Border…
Read MoreFinding fantastic floral fragrances and colours
Now that summer is finally here and daylight hours are at their longest, the garden will be putting on an exuberant burst of growth and flower. It is important to find time to relax outdoors enjoying your garden’s rich tapestry of colour and fragrance. Here, Louise Golden, resident plant expert at Dobbies Garden Centre, gives…
Read MoreTop tips to make your garden feline friendly
Scottish cat lovers have been given some top tips to ensure their moggies make the most of their gardens this summer. With the growing season around the corner, Cats Protection has compiled its top tips to help Scottish cat lovers create the perfect feline-friendly garden. The charity, which will be attending this year’s Gardening Scotland…
Read MoreOrganisations join forces for Scotland’s Plant Health Centre
A new organisation looking at the issues affecting Scotland’s plantlife has been officially launched. More than 60 experts and stakeholders from the diverse worlds of forestry, horticulture, the environment and agriculture today (Tuesday) gathered at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to hear about the aims and vision of a new virtual Plant Health Centre for…
Read MoreAttracting pollinators to your garden is easy as A, Bee, C
The whole planet is to be abuzz with activity for World Bee Day this weekend (Sunday, 20 May). Ecologists at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) have put together a list of top tips to protect these amazing insects and help your garden grow. With their bright and colourful array of flowers, gardens provide important food sources…
Read MoreBook review: RHS Genealogy for Gardeners
What’s the story? We’re finally starting to see signs of summer, and the gardens are in full bloom at last! If you’re a budding gardener, or just want to learn more about the beautiful greenery around you, Dr Ross Bayton and Simon Maughan will guide you through everything there is to know about plants.…
Read MoreGet ready for a fantastic month in your garden
May is a fabulous month in the garden. Trees and shrubs burst into leaf and flower, cottage garden plants fill borders with their exuberant growth and containers bloom with vibrant summer colours ready for longer days enjoyed outdoors. Here, Louise Golden, senior plant buyer at Dobbies Garden Centre, gives her top tips to make the…
Read MoreMake the most of National Gardening Week
It’s National Gardening Week and we’ve got some great tips for you as your garden grows. Running from 30 April to 6 May, we’ve finally seen the arrival of some much-needed spring sunshine, so now is the time to give your garden a spruce-up and get ready to enjoy the warmer months. As National Gardening…
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