Patio heater, fire pit or a bigger jumper? How to stay warm while relaxing outside this winter

The coronavirus crisis has left many of us desperate to make the most of our gardens and yards. Here is an ethical, expert guide to keeping toasty

Sales of patio heaters in the UK are rising: Homebase has nearly sold out and sales on eBay have soared. Mensa Heating UK recently sold 750 infrared heaters in one day. But what about the environmental impact of patio heaters? In Germany, the federal government is offering subsidies to hospitality businesses wishing to buy them, even though they had been banned in some cities, while the French ecology minister has called them an “ecological aberration” and announced a ban from next year. So what is the best way to relax outside and stay warm?

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* This article was originally published here

* This article was originally published here

Patio heater, fire pit or a bigger jumper? How to stay warm while relaxing outside this winter

The coronavirus crisis has left many of us desperate to make the most of our gardens and yards. Here is an ethical, expert guide to keeping toasty

Sales of patio heaters in the UK are rising: Homebase has nearly sold out and sales on eBay have soared. Mensa Heating UK recently sold 750 infrared heaters in one day. But what about the environmental impact of patio heaters? In Germany, the federal government is offering subsidies to hospitality businesses wishing to buy them, even though they had been banned in some cities, while the French ecology minister has called them an “ecological aberration” and announced a ban from next year. So what is the best way to relax outside and stay warm?

Continue reading...

* This article was originally published here

The Guardian view on the pleasures of autumn

It will be a difficult winter, but the natural world brings small, precious consolations

As different parts of the UK find themselves under varying degrees of restriction, as indoor pleasures dwindle for many, the outdoors may provide some shred of solace, some healing connection to nature. Impervious to human travails, autumn happens to be putting on a particularly spectacular extended show this year, thanks to a damp August and sunny September. In some parts of the UK acers, or Japanese maples, are now entering the period of their most vivid crimson pomp; Amelanchier lamarckii, or the juneberry, is shedding its delicate apricot autumn foliage to reveal its handsome dark branches; oaks are on the turn towards a warm yellow.

Observing this seasonal drama is called momijigari in Japan – or “leaf-peeping” – and the National Trust notes that the British are becoming more susceptible, at this time of crisis, to its pleasures. It is also a remarkable year for apples and honey-scented quinces – indeed, for fruit and berries of all kinds, from rowan and sloe to spindleberry and holly. For those lucky enough to have a garden, raking is now a seasonal task and ritual, the rich scent of rain on fallen leaves a small pleasure to be savoured. To plant daffodil bulbs and sweet pea seeds is to engage in small acts of optimism and expectation – it is to insist that there is something to look forward to.

Continue reading...

* This article was originally published here

* This article was originally published here

The Guardian view on the pleasures of autumn

It will be a difficult winter, but the natural world brings small, precious consolations

As different parts of the UK find themselves under varying degrees of restriction, as indoor pleasures dwindle for many, the outdoors may provide some shred of solace, some healing connection to nature. Impervious to human travails, autumn happens to be putting on a particularly spectacular extended show this year, thanks to a damp August and sunny September. In some parts of the UK acers, or Japanese maples, are now entering the period of their most vivid crimson pomp; Amelanchier lamarckii, or the juneberry, is shedding its delicate apricot autumn foliage to reveal its handsome dark branches; oaks are on the turn towards a warm yellow.

Observing this seasonal drama is called momijigari in Japan – or “leaf-peeping” – and the National Trust notes that the British are becoming more susceptible, at this time of crisis, to its pleasures. It is also a remarkable year for apples and honey-scented quinces – indeed, for fruit and berries of all kinds, from rowan and sloe to spindleberry and holly. For those lucky enough to have a garden, raking is now a seasonal task and ritual, the rich scent of rain on fallen leaves a small pleasure to be savoured. To plant daffodil bulbs and sweet pea seeds is to engage in small acts of optimism and expectation – it is to insist that there is something to look forward to.

Continue reading...

* This article was originally published here

Chopping wood and other autumnal pleasures | Allan Jenkins

The Danish plot requires plenty of wood work at this time of year, but we still had time to enjoy the changing of the seasons

Do spaces have personalities? Do different gardens speak a different language, demanding you to be a different gardener?

I am not quite saying I am more of a Viking at the Danish seaside plot. I leave that to Bo, the local tree surgeon with his flowing plaited beard and hair and his missing index finger. But I wonder whether he might hear nuances in the language of the land here that I may at first miss.

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* This article was originally published here

10 Succulent Christmas Trees You Can Make At Home

Even if you don’t have a green thumb you can make these succulent Christmas trees. Do you know how I know? Cause my thumbs are not green, I am the kinda person who kills a plastic plant. My mother on the hand is an amazing0 gardener and can resurrect anything dead I give her, she has so many different dedicated “garden areas” in her house. She has a vegetable garden, fruit area, potting shed, potting table, nursery and a few greenhouses too. So when I sent her the idea of making a Christmas tree out of succulents she was so excited and got to work straight away. This is how I know I can keep one alive!

Succulents can be found thriving in some of the world’s driest spots, where most plants stand zero chance of survival so surviving in my house is kinda the same environment.

If you are doubting your ability to DIY and make your own succulent tree then you could purchase one from Etsy too.  You may think these are expensive, but succulents are, that is why it is the perfect craft for anyone who already has succulents and enough little cuttings to cover a large florist cone or even a DIY succulent wreath.   Of course, you could make one using plastic succulents too, but I assure you these Real succulent Christmas trees are so much fun to make.

 

Succulent Topiary Tree Holiday Centerpiece

Succulent DIY | Winter Weddings 

How to Make a Beautiful DIY Mini Succulent Christmas Tree 

DIY Succulent Christmas Tree | 

Christmas Succulents

Christmas Tree Succulent  

Deck the Halls – A Succulent Christmas – The Garden Diaries 

How to make a Christmas Succulent Tree 

How to make a Christmas tree out of succulents

 

This is a variation for making Christmas ornaments from succulents. if you would like a smaller project. You can also add succulents to baubles.

Here is a video shows you step by step tutorial for making a succulent tree 

DIY Succulent Christmas Tree |  Topiary Christmas Tree 

 

In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. Wikipedia So basically anyone can keep them alive, I mean they survive in the desert right?

Caring for your Christmas Succulent tree

SUPER TIPS for keeping your succulent tree alive #

All succulents benefit from a complete soaking, so soak your succulent tree until water comes out of the bottom of the pot. It needs to be drenched with water.   Succulents love daylight and need about five hours of sun per day, depending on the type of succulent you have planted (make sure you read up about your plants and their individual succulent needs.

 

* This article was originally published here

Country diary: a young wood pigeon learns a life lesson

Sandy, Bedfordshire: The hapless bird was one step away from being as dead as a dodo. It was time to teach it to be more wary

When the chorus stopped, one voice kept going. On and on, through the dog days of summer and into autumn, it sang with monotonous intent. It was still singing that morning. The breeding season was over, but nobody had told the wood pigeons to stop.

Proof of their enduring fecundity was perched on the back of a garden chair. A messy fledgling wore its adolescence in sprigs of pin feathers sprouting out of its head, shoulders, breast and flanks as if it had come out of the nest via a tumble dryer. This young wood pigeon bore a striking in-your-face family resemblance, not so much to its parents as to a distant cousin that shared its big, hook-tipped beak, a horny upper mandible swollen over its nostrils. Perched three metres away, staring at us without any apparent fear or desire for flight, here was a 21st-century dodo.

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* This article was originally published here

* This article was originally published here

Country diary: a young wood pigeon learns a life lesson

Sandy, Bedfordshire: The hapless bird was one step away from being as dead as a dodo. It was time to teach it to be more wary

When the chorus stopped, one voice kept going. On and on, through the dog days of summer and into autumn, it sang with monotonous intent. It was still singing that morning. The breeding season was over, but nobody had told the wood pigeons to stop.

Proof of their enduring fecundity was perched on the back of a garden chair. A messy fledgling wore its adolescence in sprigs of pin feathers sprouting out of its head, shoulders, breast and flanks as if it had come out of the nest via a tumble dryer. This young wood pigeon bore a striking in-your-face family resemblance, not so much to its parents as to a distant cousin that shared its big, hook-tipped beak, a horny upper mandible swollen over its nostrils. Perched three metres away, staring at us without any apparent fear or desire for flight, here was a 21st-century dodo.

Continue reading...

* This article was originally published here

Weird, wacky and utterly wonderful: the world's greatest unsung museums

A bullring full of blood, a house full of sweet wrappers, a power station full of sculpture, a roundabout full of plants … Hilton Als, Mary Beard, Russell Tovey and more pick their alternative favourite museums

Jessie Burton, novelist
A tourist might more prosaically call this the world-famous bullring of Seville. I lived in Andalucía in my 20s and the culture of bullfighting was unavoidable. I had a kid in my class who, at 16, was a trainee fighter. Whatever your thoughts on the ethics, I defy you not to be captivated by this building and the exhibits within its corridors. It’s a living museum, as bullfights still take place. Standing in the middle of the empty 12,000-seater ring is a hair-raising experience, especially when you notice the wooden panels scarred by horns. The toreador costumes – all camp and skintight glory, butterfly colours and braiding – belie the fully equipped emergency room, a place of blood loss and death since 1749. The matador prayer chapel, the equipment, the bulls’ heads and the black and white photographs seem like relics of a faded world – until you leave and see posters advertising the next fight.

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* This article was originally published here

Mini Rustic Christmas Wreaths

Christmas is the season for handmade decorations and gifts. Handmade gifts bring back the happy, nostalgic memories that define the Christmas season. As much as I adore handmade gifts, I’m a busy mom and don’t have time for complicated crafts. These mini rustic Christmas wreaths are handmade charming and you can make one in just minutes. Really. These little fabric wreaths are so-oooo easy to make. They’re easy enough to make with children and delightful enough that you’ll want to make them yourself.

* This article was originally published here

* This article was originally published here

Mini Rustic Christmas Wreaths

Christmas is the season for handmade decorations and gifts. Handmade gifts bring back the happy, nostalgic memories that define the Christmas season. As much as I adore handmade gifts, I’m a busy mom and don’t have time for complicated crafts. These mini rustic Christmas wreaths are handmade charming and you can make one in just minutes. Really. These little fabric wreaths are so-oooo easy to make. They’re easy enough to make with children and delightful enough that you’ll want to make them yourself.

* This article was originally published here

'A $10 bulb can completely alter the vibe': high-impact house fixes for less than $100

If you have never cared much about home decorating, odds are 2020 has changed that. Four interior designers share affordable ways to make a difference

With the pandemic making homebodies of us all, beautifying our living spaces has become a collective obsession. Monsteras have been bought. Bookshelves have been colour-coded.

It’s understandable. “We spend 90% of our time inside our houses now,” says Monique Vuk, an interior decorator from One Wolf Design who is currently living through Melbourne’s second lockdown. “And we don’t all have north-facing windows. We didn’t consider when we rented our properties that we were going to spend so much time inside.

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* This article was originally published here

* This article was originally published here

'A $10 bulb can completely alter the vibe': high-impact house fixes for less than $100

If you have never cared much about home decorating, odds are 2020 has changed that. Four interior designers share affordable ways to make a difference

With the pandemic making homebodies of us all, beautifying our living spaces has become a collective obsession. Monsteras have been bought. Bookshelves have been colour-coded.

It’s understandable. “We spend 90% of our time inside our houses now,” says Monique Vuk, an interior decorator from One Wolf Design who is currently living through Melbourne’s second lockdown. “And we don’t all have north-facing windows. We didn’t consider when we rented our properties that we were going to spend so much time inside.

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* This article was originally published here

Exotic parrots to rekindle our tulip mania | James Wong

Tulips are often seen as little more than garage-forecourt flowers, but there is a world of variety out there waiting to be discovered

My favourite of all flowers is the tulip, which comes as a surprise to many people, since I spend most of my life researching and collecting weird and wonderful plants to grow. Nowadays tulips are a standard supermarket staple, so it is hard to imagine what on earth drove the fevered “tulip mania” of centuries past, when single bulbs could sell for the price of country estates. But sidestep the boring, block-coloured blooms of petrol station forecourts and a world of botanical wonder awaits. And fortunately, these days you won’t need to remortgage the house to grow them.

If you only know the classic turban-shaped tulip, I implore you to track down the ruffled, exotic petals of “parrot” varieties. Streaked with delicate watercolour striations, their translucency catches the spring sunlight as if lit from within. And this is made even more dramatic by their habit of recurving out into loose, tousled locks. I am fascinated by ‘Amazing Parrot’ whose peach and pink feathered petals are painted with gentle green accents towards their base. Growing more than half a metre tall, this one is a true jungle giant and even comes with a subtle fruity scent. Its deeper-hued cousin, ‘Avignon Parrot’, adds richer orangey reds to the mix, but still with the enormous size and sweet scent. Both last ages in a vase of water if you are growing them for flower arranging, too.

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* This article was originally published here

Tucking up the plot for the season | Allan Jenkins

Life on the plot is slowing with cooling soil and darkening days

That’s it. The feeding is done. The winter beds are pretty much finalised – we have chosen to leave the two hazel beans structures up till the death, for aesthetics and seed saving, so the plot will mostly settle now for spring. The last few sunflowers are skeletal, there for height, for passing birds and confused bees. We will harvest the ‘Harlequin’ seed.

There are beds of flouncing chicories waiting for frost. Soon some will colour. Another bed is studded with chard: a mix of ‘Bright Lights’, a ruby stem and classic ‘Fordhook Giant’. There are rows of baby beets and radishes in a race against cooling soil. We have patches of autumn mizuna, mibuna, a few assorted Japanese mustards and pak chois. I have hopes we will eat more than the snails.

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* This article was originally published here

* This article was originally published here

Tucking up the plot for the season | Allan Jenkins

Life on the plot is slowing with cooling soil and darkening days

That’s it. The feeding is done. The winter beds are pretty much finalised – we have chosen to leave the two hazel beans structures up till the death, for aesthetics and seed saving, so the plot will mostly settle now for spring. The last few sunflowers are skeletal, there for height, for passing birds and confused bees. We will harvest the ‘Harlequin’ seed.

There are beds of flouncing chicories waiting for frost. Soon some will colour. Another bed is studded with chard: a mix of ‘Bright Lights’, a ruby stem and classic ‘Fordhook Giant’. There are rows of baby beets and radishes in a race against cooling soil. We have patches of autumn mizuna, mibuna, a few assorted Japanese mustards and pak chois. I have hopes we will eat more than the snails.

Continue reading...

* This article was originally published here

Shopping with the pros: A designer says these 8 Crate & Barrel staples will go with any space

Charles Almonte’s versatile favorites hit the sweet spot on price and style.

* This article was originally published here

* This article was originally published here

Shopping with the pros: A designer says these 8 Crate & Barrel staples will go with any space

Charles Almonte’s versatile favorites hit the sweet spot on price and style.

* This article was originally published here

Affordable art – in pictures

All these prints are under £200 and sold by independent shops invested in interesting ideas or good causes

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* This article was originally published here

* This article was originally published here

Affordable art – in pictures

All these prints are under £200 and sold by independent shops invested in interesting ideas or good causes

Continue reading...

* This article was originally published here

How Dan Hinkley distilled a lifetime of gardening lessons into a paradise named Windcliff

The plant hunter, based near Washington’s Puget Sound, reflects on his horticultural journey in a new memoir.

* This article was originally published here

* This article was originally published here