News - Page 97

Plant of the Week: Christmas trees

Published on 8 December 2017

Pop down to the garden centre this week and you’ll find a dazzling array of natural Christmas trees now in stock.

What to do in the garden in December

Published on 7 December 2017

December is a month when we’re all a bit distracted by the mad rush that is Christmas. But take time out to go outside and enjoy a crisp sunny winter’s day in the garden, and you’ll dive back into the festive frenzy newly refreshed. Here are some of the jobs you can be getting on with this month.

City trees grow faster

Published on 6 December 2017

Trees in cities grow 25% faster than their country cousins, according to new research by an international team of scientists led by the Technical University of Munich in Germany.

DIY: Christmas wreath

Published on 4 December 2017

Make your own Christmas wreath from plants you’re growing in the garden and you can create a truly personal decoration to hang on the door to welcome your guests for the festive season.

Plant of the Week: Viburnum

Published on 1 December 2017

Viburnums are queens of the winter garden, bursting into flower in December and continuing the show right through till spring.

Time to plant strawberries!

Published on 1 December 2017

Plant strawberries now so they have a chance to get their roots down before spring, as well as getting the spell of frosty weather they need to produce flowers and set fruit for a bumper crop of luscious, fat sweet berries next summer.

Collect autumn leaves

Published on 27 November 2017

Collect fallen autumn leaves and you can use them to make gardeners’ gold – also known as leafmould, one of the best soil improvers you can’t buy.

Prune your blackcurrant bushes

Published on 22 November 2017

Prune blackcurrant bushes to encourage lots more fresh, young growth next year and bumper crops to match.

Soil testing

Published on 20 November 2017

Test your soil now to get to know it and understand fully what it is capable of. You can do two types of test to find out about what’s under your feet: the texture test, and a simple pH test using a kit from the garden centre here in Pickering, which will tell you how acid or alkaline your soil is.