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The Irish Sun
07-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Irish Sun
I bought a tiny lavender but now it's ballooned – the bees dictate when I prune it & there's a golden rule I never break
NOTHING quite matches the relaxing scent of lavender during a warm spring and summer evening. Although it is a quintessential product of Advertisement 2 One green-fingered Brit shared tips that saw her lavender thrive in the dry soil Credit: FACEBOOK/Gardening On A Budget Official 2 Pruning is also another essential when it comes to maintaining your garden - but there's also a specific method the avid gardener follows Credit: FACEBOOK/Gardening On A Budget Official This beautiful yet low-maintenance shrub is often available in a range of stores where you can snap it up for a bargain price. But how to look after it to ensure your lavender is the biggest on the street? And is it possible to According to one green-fingered Brit, it is - and there's one golden rule all gardeners should follow when planting the lilac shrub. Offering a helping hand to fellow Advertisement read more on gardening She told the members of the ''I planted them more years ago than I care to remember, as tiny little plants in to very poor, dry soil.'' While many may assume the more hydration, the better the results will be, the green-fingered Brit revealed that it's the total opposite - and you should, in fact, keep the She said: ''I rarely water them in summer, never water them any other time. Advertisement Most read in Fabulous ''I prune them after the bees stop visiting, no specific date, no specified month, just the weekend of the first week no 'It's spacious enough for two adults' - The Range release double garden rocking chair less than €120 '' Pruning consists of roughly skimming over the plant with my hedge cutter!'' Angela - who is one of the 453k members of the popular page - also has a golden rule she swears by. Advertisement '' My only 'rule', don't cut into the woody bit, and there you go!'' she wrote in '' Each year I'm rewarded with this beautiful display ,'' she said, sharing a snap of her adorable dog for ''scale''. Top gardening trends of 2025 Gardening experts at Matrix planting It seems that a top planting trend for this year is going to be Matrix Planting. In essence, planting in groups or blocks to give an effect of being wild whilst actually being carefully managed. Selection of the plants is essential, to give year-round interest either with flowers, seed heads or frosted/snowy spent flower heads. Some recommend using plants that seed around, but this could make managing your matrix planting harder to keep under control. Chrysanthemum comeback I hope that the humble Chrysanthemum makes as much of a comeback this year as Dahlias have over recent years, because the simple single flowered types, such as 'Innocence' and 'Cottage Apricot' would be spectacular within a matrix scheme. The hardy varieties are so easy to grow in a sunny spot and give such a valuable burst of late summer and autumn colour that would lift any dull- looking border. Blended borders For some time now we have been promoting the growing of veg within ornamental borders and I think this could really take off this year. The choice of ornamental-looking varieties available in seed catalogues is phenomenal and, if managed correctly, visitors to your garden will not even realise that you have veg growing! Must-have tool My secret is out. I discovered the Hori Hori a couple of years ago and now it seems so is everyone else. It is such a well-made, adaptable tool that can be used as a trowel or weeding tool in the garden that and everyone I speak to who have used it absolutely would not now be without it. Enough said! 'Same! Mine thrive on neglect' Since being shared online, the post has clearly impressed many, amassing over 200 likes and dozens of comments. One person said: ''Brilliant post, I do despair of all the posts that say this has to be done by this time and only prune this much, I do the same, I leave flowers for the insects and cut right back to last molecule of green.'' Advertisement Someone else chimed in: ''Beautiful. My neighbour has the most beautiful hedge of lavender between his driveway and and his neighbours. ''It's absolutely teeming with pollinators and its looked lovely for over 15 years and he does absolutely nothing to it. ''He doesn't even trim it back. And yet I look after mine, dead head it, trim it back and mines now dead. ''I don't seem to be able to grow and look after Lavender at all.'' Advertisement A third shared their go-to approach, writing: ''Mine is huge this year. I was worried as I had hardly any bees but they've arrived this week. ''Like you I give it a haircut when the bees have gone. ''I've planted it in my front garden this year too including some white French Lavender as I am having to make it deer proof and they don't like it.''
Scottish Sun
05-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- Scottish Sun
My tiny garden was looking dull so I turned it into a pink paradise for summer using cheap buys from Home Bargains
Read on for more tips to give your garden a makeover for summer LAWN & ORDER My tiny garden was looking dull so I turned it into a pink paradise for summer using cheap buys from Home Bargains Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A SAVVY gardener has shared how she transformed her garden on a budget using cheap Home Bargain buys. Kathleen Jones, from the UK, decided to turn her dull beige garden into a pink paradise. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Kathleen decided to give her beige garden a colourful update Credit: Supplied 3 She used bargain buys from Home Bargains to add some colour Credit: Supplied Taking to social media, Kathleen shared the before and after images of her garden to show off her hard work. She wrote: "Really pleased with my little project my hubby and I did. A lot of sweat, I think we have done really well considering we don't like gardening." Prior to the makeover, the garden was lacking any character with its brick and stone floors and a small white bench in the corner. But Kathleen was quick to get to work adding some pink paving stones to add a splash of colour. She also added pink bunting around the garden along with some pink plant pots. She also added some solar lights, flamingos and fake flowers to brighten up the space that she bought from Home Bargains. The gardening whizz then added some new chairs for herself and her husband and also created a small seating area for her two grandkids. "Love my colour choice, now time to enjoy the sun in my pink garden," she wrote. "The grandkids have got their little chairs to enjoy the sun." The lovely and simple makeover left viewers seriously impressed. 3 She even got her grandkids a little seating area for summer Credit: Supplied I was quoted over $13k for my backyard garden renovation - but I did it myself with ChatGPT and saved over $11,000 The post was shared on the Facebook group, Gardening On A Budget Official, which boasts over 400k members. One person wrote: "Looks really beautiful. Well done." Another commented: "Looks lovely. Well done to you both." "Beautiful," penned a third. Meanwhile, a fourth said: "It looks fantastic! Well done to you both." "This is really pretty,' claimed a fifth Someone else added: "Lovely, well done."
The Irish Sun
10-05-2025
- General
- The Irish Sun
I was sick of painting my fence to get rid of green algae – £10 bathroom buy transformed it in seconds & took no effort
WE all love a clean and tidy garden, but the work that comes with that isn't as welcome. So, one savvy gardener who was fed up with painting her fence every single year found an Advertisement 2 Lesley was sick of green algae ruining her fence Credit: Facebook/gardeningonabudgetofficial 2 So she decided to cover it up with a £10 buy Credit: Facebook/gardeningonabudgetofficial Lesley Timby, from the UK, took the time to share her clever gardening hack on social media . She first showed the Unfortunately for Lesley, green algae kept growing all over the structure even after cleaning and painting it. So, instead of repeating the same job this year, she decided to switch things up and cover the fence with shower curtains. Advertisement READ MORE GARDEN MAKEOVERS Lesley wrote: "Job for today. "After spending lots of cash on black duck back fence paint only for it to keep turning green after winter, I decided to give shower curtains a go. "Looks amazing." The shower curtain hack became popular last year and is still going strong. Advertisement Most read in Fabulous Take one look at the # And it's easy to see why the trend is so popular, if your fence is damaged it can cost an average of £30-40 to replace it, whereas a shower curtain costs just £10. DIY Privacy Fences: Affordable Garden Solutions Lesley used two shower curtains to cover her fence, and both displayed a picture of two blue chairs and a table with large matching vases on either side with giant shrubs inside. It was finished off with a matching blue window printed on it and two lanterns. Advertisement Lesley was pleased with the transformation, which meant she no longer had to worry about the algae lurking underneath. People were quick to take to the comments on the post shared in the group, Gardening On A Budget Official. How to get algae off fences ABS Fencing shared a list of do's and don'ts when it comes to cleaning green algae off your fence. Don't use household mould or mildew remover sprays as these are generally intended for use on hard surfaces indoor. Don't use bleach in the garden, it kills a lot more than the mould. Don't try sanding back the top surface of the wood, as algae will just regrow back. Don't bother with power hosing – that only opens up the timber grain and allows more water inside, making the problem worse down the line. Do use white vinegar mixed with hot water in a spray bottle and work it in with a brush, leave for 30 mins or more, then hose down. Do repaint when dry with good quality fence paint. They loved the look of Lesley's new garden feature and others were inspired to do the same. One person wrote: "Love it." Advertisement Another commented: "Just done mine as well." "Looks fab that. We did it with bamboo shower curtains but I love yours more ," penned a third. Someone else added: 'Just done mine as well." Fabulous will pay for your exclusive stories. Just email: fabulousdigital@ and pop EXCLUSIVE in the subject line . Advertisement
The Irish Sun
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
I spent less than £100 doing up my kitchen with Next buys & can't believe the difference – it's like a new room
A WOMAN has left people gobsmacked after sharing her epic kitchen makeover on a budget. According to data by Megan Pender proved there's no need to fork out the eye-watering sum. 2 Mum Megan did up her kitchen with the help of her hubby for less than £100 Credit: DIY On A Budget Official/facebook 2 The now-updated lighter cupboards looked chic and trendy and went perfect with the wooden-effect worktops Credit: DIY On A Budget Official/facebook The money-smart mum, from the UK, managed to revamp her dull kitchen on a What's even more impressive, Megan revealed in Before the renovation project, which cost the couple less than £100, the beige kitchen lacked character, featuring wooden cupboards, a dark grey worktop and no curtains by the windows. But working on the DIY glow-up, the crafty pair managed to totally turn it upside down, giving the kitchen a brand new look, giving it a more modern feel. read more on homes Instead of spending hundreds on new cupboards, the Facebook user decided to simply zhuzh up the existing set by painting them with Rust-Oleum Hessian Matt Cupboard Paint. Fellow DIY lovers can get this now on sale at Dunelm for just £18.40 for a 750ml tin - and according to Megan, they only used one pot. Whilst sprucing up the cupboards, the couple also changed the old handles - and replaced them with chic matt black ones that cost them less than £2. The now-updated lighter cupboards looked chic and trendy and went perfect with the wooden-effect worktops and the light wooden flooring. Most read in Fabulous For the kitchen counter, the mum told other members of the popular Another subtle yet effective touch was the new set of blinds, which Megan had found at Next, the shared in the comments. Council Lounge Makeover with B&Q buy All chuffed with the epic glow-up - and rightly so - Anne proudly showed off the jaw-dropping results on social media. She wrote in the caption, before revealing the next steps in the ''Still got the backlash to finish and a few finishing touches but can't believe the difference it's like a new kitchen!'' The gorgeous renovation project has clearly impressed many, as the post has racked up close to 120 likes in just two days. 10 DIY hacks for under £1 each These simple and affordable DIY hacks can help you get creative while saving money Homemade Air Freshener: Mix baking soda with a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Place it in a small jar with a perforated lid to keep your home smelling fresh. Upcycled Tin Can Planters: Clean and paint empty tin cans to use as stylish planters for herbs or small plants. Custom Phone Stand: Use a sturdy piece of cardboard or an old plastic credit card to create a custom phone stand. Decorate it with washi tape or paint. DIY Lip Scrub: Combine sugar and a bit of honey or coconut oil to make a natural lip scrub. Store in a small container. Personalised Bookmarks: Use old greeting cards or decorative paper to create unique bookmarks. Punch a hole at the top and add a ribbon for a finishing touch. Decorative Mason Jars: Paint or decoupage old mason jars to use as decorative vases, storage containers, or candle holders. Easy Cable Organiser: Use empty toilet paper rolls to organize cables and cords. Decorate the rolls with colorful paper or tape. Magnetic Spice Jars: Attach small magnets to the lids of small jars and stick them to a metal board or fridge for easy-access spice storage. Handmade Coasters: Cut out squares from old corkboard or felt and decorate them with paint or fabric to create custom coasters. Natural All-Purpose Cleaner: Mix equal parts water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. Add a few drops of essential oil for a pleasant scent. Use it to clean surfaces around your home. 'Well done to yourself and husband' Dozens of members flocked to comments to praise Anne, with many in total disbelief. One fan wrote: ''Really well done. I love your microwave and toaster too. I bet you're well pleased with it.'' Someone else chimed in: ''Looks lovely, I love the black handles!'' A third commented: 'It's really lovely, well done to yourself and husband.'' ''Looks fab, love the colour,'' another member of the page added.
