7 h. ago Scots gardeners urged to prune these four plants for 'healthy growth' this month

With autumn just weeks away, it's important to start thinking about pruning certain plants before winter.

Politics

44 h. ago Four plants to grow in September for 'glorious autumn colour' and flowers in spring

A gardening expert has shared the best plants to grow in September to ensure you have 'gorgeous' autumn colour and colourful flowers to enjoy in the spring

Politics

5 d. ago Protect the birds in your garden by doing one thing this week

As summer fades out in the UK, there's plenty of wildlife gardening to be done in the month of August

Politics

5 d. ago As Putin’s bombs fall on Ukraine, the Royal Opera House had a call to make about Anna Netrebko. It made the wrong one | Martin Kettle

The Russian soprano says she has condemned the war and has no affinity with this Kremlin. But hosting her still seems unwisePuccini’s Tosca is high on the list of operas I don’t much care if I never see again. So the fact that the Russian soprano Anna Netrebko, unquestionably one of our era’s exceptional opera singers, is due to sing Tosca in a new production at Covent Garden next month does not present me with a dilemma. I won’t be there anyway.It might be more difficult, I admit, if Netrebko was singing Verdi, where she is so outstanding. But this column is not about my taste in opera. It is about something of wider moral importance. Netrebko’s London performances pose complex questions but require straightforward answers. First, is it right for a prestigious British institution, the Royal Opera House, to be hiring Netrebko while the Ukraine war continues? The answer could in theory be yes, were she to repeat her opposition to the war, but on the current evidence it is no. Continu...

Politics

7 d. ago Five flowers to plant in gardens this month for bright Autumn blooms

With September around the corner, green-fingered gardeners will be preparing for autumn - which is when these blooms shine

Politics

9 d. ago ‘Optimism is very important, especially now’: why Sammy Virji’s joyful dance tracks are conquering the world

His masterful mix of all that is good from the UK bass scene has led to Coachella success and collabs with Giggs and Skepta – the future looks bright for this bashful star• See all of our unmissable autumn arts preview picks hereWhen Sammy Virji was DJing in room three of a local nightclub in Newcastle with his uni mates, he didn’t anticipate that the bouncy, bombastic bassline and UK garage sounds he was obsessed with would become so big across the pond. In June, he shut down New York’s Times Square with a set to announce his new album, Same Day Cleaning, followed by headlining his first North American stadium show. “It didn’t feel real, I was freaking out,” says Virji, still in disbelief.Also real: the tens of thousands singing along as he spliced the dreamy intro of Radiohead’s Everything in Its Right Place with his 2023 track If U Need It at this year’s Coachella. The 28-year-old from the market town of Witney, Oxfordshire, made his debut on the California festival’s second-larg...

Politics

1 week ago Five flowers to plant in your garden this month for bright blooms in autumn

August is the perfect time to plant flowers that not only withstand the change in seasons but make your garden look more vibrant. Here are five of the best

Politics

2 w. ago My orchids died all the time—now I follow 5 rules so my plant flowers repeatedly

I've always loved orchids, but I admit they're not the easiest houseplants to look after. I've had three orchids in total, and I was determined to get my care routine right to ensure my current one survives

Events

3 w. ago Tortoise who made daring escape from owner's garden found one MONTH later...THREE miles away

A pet tortoise called Matilda managed to escape from hergarden in Wymondham, Leicesershire, and spent a month on the run - before being discovered in a field three miles away.

Politics

3 w. ago Gardener walking home from his allotment is arrested by armed police after member of public called 999 over 'knifeman wearing khaki'

Samuel Rowe, 35, had been walking with his trug of vegetables and gardening tools in Manchester earlier this month when he made the decision to trim his hedge.

Events

4 w. ago Gardeners warned over 'essential' job for August to get garden looking good

If you're growing these popular plants in your garden this month then don't forget one important gardening task that will help your outdoor area look as good as possible

Events