Homes and Gardens

Gardeners are a flower-obsessed lot, greedily seeking out the latest, brightest blooms. That’s all very well, but ephemeral flowers need a stage to perform on. Plant a hedge - they add structure, benefit wildlife and look good all year round.

The interior of a quaint, white-washed cottage in Sussex has been transformed into a colourful home full of character by a couple of keen collectors.

Easy-going and beloved by bees - now’s the perfect time to plant allium bulbs for a spectacular display next year. Flo Whitaker picks some of her favourites.

Fall in love with your soft furnishings again this autumn and make it the season to snuggle up in style, says Sara Whatley

Jacqui Elliott Williams has relished bringing this elegant Victorian house back to life with confident ideas, stylish choices and creative flair.

Pretty parasols are enjoying their moment in the sun and making our outside spaces spin with style, says Sara Whatley.

The horticultural world abounds with bad advice and old wife’s tales, but some pronouncements are scientifically sound, says Flo Whitaker, as she asks, “True, or false?”

Lisa and Matthew Good wanted a property to add value to, sell and move on – but they ended up so enamoured with their renovation that they decided to stay put.

Helen Robinson has transformed a dark and unloved cottage from 1837 into a bright and inviting space with a Mediterranean feel in St Leonards-on-Sea.

Sam Fallon, who works in advertising and husband Nick, who works in publishing have transformed a once unloved oast into a colourful and funky family abode near Tunbridge Wells for themselves and their daughters Tilly and Isobel.

​​​​​​​Trying to take responsibility for our carbon footprint doesn’t mean we have to stop enjoying ourselves, far from it. With a few changes, we can continue to enjoy life as we know it but with a reduced impact on the planet.

So many kitchen and cleaning products ending up in landfill at the end of their lives, just think of all those sponges, scourers and rubber gloves that add to our waste problems! Here’s 5 eco ways to use old kitchen products in your garden.

If your garden’s looking parched and bare, why not invest in a few shrubs to fill the gaps. Flo Whitaker picks six of the best for late summer colour

One of the biggest issues facing everyone across the country is the cost of living crisis. Whether it’s your weekly shop, new appliances or even where you get your electricity from, the costs have spiralled to a level that is forcing us all to feel the pinch. 

For many people, the bathroom can be a problem room in their homes. Changing things around can be expensive and time consuming while the need for a plumber or installer is another common barrier – assuming you can even find one in the first place!

In the UK right now the average house price is estimated at just over £245,000 (as of February 2021). But that figure obviously varies from region to region. So if you're a first-time buyer or looking to move to pastures new, which areas should you be looking at to get the best value for your money?

Most gardens can claim at least one rhododendron resident. Nowadays, they are commonplace plants, ubiquitous even, but rhododendrons are not native to Britain and were once considered exotic.

Fritillaria meleagris was one commonplace in our countryside, but its natural habitat of damp grasslands has declined to such an extent that wild colonies can now only be found in a few locations around the UK.

ADVERTISING FEATURE: These days the bathroom has become a place of refuge, wellbeing, indulgence and creativity; as exemplified by Darren and Alison Standing at Village Bathrooms in Uckfield, when Robert Veitch visited the showroom

It is an undeniable truth that homes require occasional renovations. A simple addition of a piece of new furniture or a fresh layer of paint can significantly transform the appearance of an older home in particular. Upgrading the look of your home can be achieved through various methods, such as installing new tiles or a modern bathtub.

Some plants pootle along at a snail’s pace, while others grow at dizzying speed. Sweet peas belong in the second category. These fast, fuel-guzzlers are the Formula One of the gardening world, writes Flo Whitaker.

Open plan design in our living spaces has long been heralded as the solution to family harmony, but as heating costs rise and families grow and change, Adele Trathan questions whether wall-less really is best

With a background in interior PR and dog accessory online store, Helen Smith has a keen eye for design and detail. She was living in a six-bedroom country house set in five acres near Burwash, East Sussex, with husband Nick, and children Oscar and Isabella when she turned her attention to finding a town house in nearby Rye.

If you’re looking for easygoing, heat-tolerant plants with a long-flowering season, (and who isn’t?) you can do no better than salvias, writes Flo Whitaker