Patrick Kirwan Hammersmith Academy Engaging young adults in gardening For me, the most surprising thing about starting a school garden is that most young people don’t need any motivation to engage with horticultural or growing activities. Here at Hammersmith Academy we have found that if we want to inspire young people aged 11-18 with the…
Introduction Whatever space you have available for growing and enjoying your plants, it’s important to get as much colour and value from the area, and the things growing in it, as possible. With many varieties of plant, regular dead-heading will prolong their blooming season, but with annual bedding plants there’s also another method to keep…
Ruperta from Highland Hospice Siobhan, Graeme and Dale our 3 ambassadors from Simpsons Garden Centre Our relaxing hospice garden By Ruperta from Highland Hospice Here at Highland Hospice we seek to provide our patients and their loved ones with respect, dignity and choice both during the patient’s illness and into bereavement. With the help of our…
Companion planting is an old favourite. It’s a brilliant idea – growing one plant near to another, to increase productivity, visual effect or plant health overall – but how can we apply the idea to our own gardens, window boxes or allotments? If you’re growing flowers, fruit or vegetables, you’ll have known the disappointment when…
We love seeing the variety of birds in our gardens and hearing their beautiful song but know that they are incredibly helpful too. While they eat garden pests like slugs and caterpillars, they also eat weed seeds, providing brilliant chemical-free solutions to two of our big garden problems. However, while you’re planting in your school…