As the hot weather continues and hosepipe bans come into place, it's getting harder and harder to keep our plants happy and hydrated. Luckily, all is not lost, and if you're off on your holidays, this watering trick will prove particularly helpful.

Knowing how to water your garden plants properly is a key element to caring for any outdoor space; however, when the weather is hot and dry, it can feel like no matter what you do, your plot suffers. And although your plants don't need to be watered every day during a heatwave, it is hard to keep on top of watering your pots enough to keep them alive.

With that in mind, we were thankful to find this genius trick from garden design expert and influencer Ish at @gardening.with.ish on Instagram. And the best part? It only costs £2.50.

Figuring out how to look after your garden whilst you're on holiday can be a real challenge, especially when temperatures are consistently high. Finding ways for your plants to look after themselves is well worth it.

"If your potted plants are struggling to beat the heat, then you may need to find a clever way to keep them watered, but a little bit more low-maintenance," starts Ish.

"Well, I have a solution for you, and it involves a £2.50 shoe tray from IKEA, known as the BAGGMUKK. Now, I used this last year, and it was an absolute saviour, and all I do is just put my plants on this tray. It's great as well if you're away for a few days and you can't keep them watered, cos let's face it, potted plants are drying out so quickly at the moment," he continues.

As much as we love patio container plants, they do tend to dry out quicker than other plants in the garden, so giving them this extra attention is needed.

Using Ish's potted plant IKEA watering hack

"Then all I do is just fill it up with water at the top. Now there are a few benefits from this. First of all, it'll slowly water your plants from underneath by soaking it up in the soil, which means it's not going to dry out," explains Ish.

This trick is also ideal if you're worried about keeping your houseplants alive whilst you're on holiday too.

"But another little hint that you may not know is that if you water your plants from underneath and not directly on top, it does directly reduce the amount of weed growth as well. So a little bit of a double bonus here," he adds.

"It means that now these will stay hydrated for a few days, as opposed to once every few days I'm worried about them drying out and I can leave them, let them grow," Ish finishes.

Now, when you're completing your July gardening jobs and planting out your potted plants, they'll be in great shape instead of dried or withered up.

A great way to keep your garden watered without much effort from yourself is through rainscaping. That way, your space is designed to water itself and also collect rainwater for when hosepipe bans come in.

Of the over 200 coffee machines that I've tested in this job, there's one that I've never quite got over: the De'Longhi Rivelia. It brews exceptional coffee, looks like it belongs in a Milanese kitchen and has become the benchmark by which every other bean-to-cup machine must be measured. However, in my small flat, where every inch of worktop is precious, the Rivelia is simply too big to earn a permanent place, no matter how much I adore it.

With that in mind, you can imagine what my caffeinated heart did when I heard De'Longhi was launching the Rivelia Start. Smaller, more affordable, and designed with compact kitchens in mind, it keeps everything I love about the original: beautiful Italian styling, the clever Bean Switch system for swapping between different beans, barista-worthy hot and cold drinks, and even cold brew in under five minutes.

Whilst I haven't managed to get my coffee cup under the Rivelia Start, my experience with the devastatingly chic collection De'Longhi models gives me a huge amount of hope that this will be one of the best coffee machines of all time, especially if it brews with the same beauty and barista-skills as its bigger sibling, this is finally be the bean-to-cup coffee machine I've been waiting for.

De'Longhi Rivelia Start

The original De'Longhi Rivelia is one of the most impressive bean-to-cup machines I've tested, so the question I had when I heard about the Rivelia Start wasn't whether De'Longhi could make a great coffee machine, it was whether they could make one that fitted more easily into everyday homes.

From the first look, it seems like the brand has focused on keeping the style, whilst slimming it down. The Rivelia Start has all the sleek Italian styling that made the original such a standout on the worktop, but with a more compact design that's better suited to smaller kitchens.

The feature I was most excited to see return: Bean Switch

One of my favourite things about the original Rivelia was the Bean Switch system. Unlike many bean-to-cup machines, which require you to empty out the hopper if you want to change coffee, the interchangeable bean hoppers let you switch between different beans with minimal fuss.

As someone who loves exploring different roasts (but also needs a decaf option later in the day), this is a feature that I look for in every coffee machine that I test, but rarely find. Recently, Ninja featured it on their first bean-to-cup machine and it has been a hit.

The feature I wouldn't give up ever: Cold Brew

If you've ever heard me speak about coffee, you'll know how evangelical I am about cold brew. This is a method of making coffee that uses pressure at a lower temperature, which gives a much smoother and sweeter flavour than hotter, classic brewing styles. This means you won't get acid reflux and you can cut back on the sweetener in your coffee.

More machines are integrating this popular function, but De'Longhi make it better than Sage, Ninja, and the other giants. According to the site, the Rivelia Start uses De'Longhi's technology to create a smooth cold brew in under five minutes.

So, next time you want to make an iced coffee, this has you covered nicely.

The features that make this stand out: versatility and maintenance

The modern, sleek aesthetic is one of the Rivelia Start's biggest selling points. De'Longhi has always understood that a coffee machine is no longer something to hide away in a corner of the kitchen, and the Rivelia Start feels designed to be displayed. With its curved silhouette and carefully considered colourways, it looks just as much like a piece of Italian kitchen design as it does a home barista.

But the beauty isn't just skin deep. One of the things I have always appreciated about De'Longhi's machines is how much thought goes into making them easy to live with. The Rivelia Start takes care of much of the everyday maintenance itself, with automatic rinsing, flushing and cleaning cycles that happen behind the scenes. It heats up quickly, keeps you updated on what it needs, and guides you through the more involved cleaning tasks when they do arise.

As Joe Hunter, Head of Marketing at De’Longhi UK, explains: “With Rivelia Start, we are welcoming a new generation of design-conscious coffee lovers into the automatic bean-to-cup world. By combining a versatile hot and cold menu and our Bean Switch System, we’ve made one-touch bean-to-cup coffee effortlessly simple.”

How is it different to the De'Longhi Rivelia?

The Rivelia Start isn't a complete reinvention of De'Longhi's much-loved bean-to-cup machine; instead, it takes the features that made the original such a standout and makes them more accessible. Both machines offer the same 1.4-litre water capacity, automatic brewing and the clever Bean Switch system, allowing coffee lovers to move between different beans without emptying the hopper.

The biggest change is the footprint. The original Rivelia measures 24.5cm wide and 43cm deep, making it relatively compact compared to many bean-to-cup machines, but the Rivelia Start has been designed for even more space-conscious kitchens. It also comes with a slightly lower price point, making De'Longhi's premium coffee experience easier to bring home.

The original Rivelia does have a higher stated pump pressure at 19 bar compared to the Rivelia Start's 15 bar, but this is only one part of espresso extraction. The quality of the grinder, temperature control and brewing technology all play a role in the final cup.

It looks like my search for a coffee machine that won't take over my kitchen counter may finally be over. The Rivelia Start feels like a delicious dream come true: the style, versatility and coffee quality I loved from the original, now with a smaller footprint and the added treat of cold coffee on demand. All that's left is to put it through my full testing process - preferably with a fresh espresso in hand.

While we are starting to see many celebrities turn to a life of gardening and growing their own veggies, Pamela Anderson's plot might just be the most impressive and whimsical one we've seen yet, with one surprising feature dominating the space. Raised beds.

Whether you're vegetable gardening as a beginner or looking to transform your garden on a budget, a great way to elevate your space and make room for edible plants is raised beds. If you're limited by small garden ideas, then you might have accepted that raised beds aren't possible, but they're actually great space savers and allow you to plant more varieties in one space.

If you're not quite sold, take a look at Pamela Anderson's abundant garden, with a surprising amount of raised beds all overflowing with flowers, herbs and vegetables.

Raised beds aren't just an aesthetic cottage garden idea; they're extremely practical too, even if you don't think you've got the space in your garden. And after spotting Pamela's collection, we're ready to start adding them to our plots.

We were already majorly inspired by the model's take on the farmhouse trend last year when she shared her converted barn and all its charming traditional interiors. But that, simply, didn't prepare us for just how impressive her vegetable garden is.

Through her garden, there are raised beds as far as the eye can see, but what's really caught our eye is the variety of the plants being grown. From squashes to tomatoes, lavender to sunflowers, the beds are overflowing and even connected with steel arches.

These arches and maypole supports dotted around her garden are fantastic ways to support your plants as they grow. Especially if you've got heavy crops like courgettes, squashes, tomatoes and fruit trees.

The great thing about raised beds is that you can build them up too, almost like a mound in the centre, which allows for even more plants and growth. They're also ideal if you're looking to start succession planting, as they can be made deep enough to accommodate numerous seeds and bulbs.

As you can see in Pamela's garden, onions can easily grow alongside flowers and other veggies. Again, this is a great opportunity for some companion planting, which helps keep pests away whilst also encouraging more growth from your plants.

So even if you don't have the space that Pamela has, you can make raised beds work for your garden and customise them completely from start to finish.

Growing your own vegetables is a fantastic sustainable gardening idea and can be a huge help to your local environment as it invites pollinators and encourages native plant growth.

Everyone knows the feeling of planning a glorious daytime picnic or looking forward to a quiet glass of wine outdoors in the evening only for it to be ruined by irritating wasps, flies and other pests.

Fortunately, there is a clever trick for keeping wasps away that TV personality and interior designer Ian Thompson swears by after having picked it up in Portofino and noticing that there wasn’t a single fly or mosquito around when dining al fresco.

The trick is as simple as lighting a small fire out of newspaper or anything that would work and adding ground coffee beans to the flames. The coffee-scented smoke acts as a deterrent to the critters, and you have the added benefit of coffee-scented incense.

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Posting to his social media on Instagram @ianthompsoninteriors, where he often shares top tips and tricks, Ian explained, “Get a bowl, light some newspaper and then put ground coffee that you've used and you've got cold and look at the smoke”.

Ian explains that you can utilise coffee grounds you’ve already used, or you could keep a bag of cheaper coffee around just for this.

He continued, “Now you're not going to believe this. The smoke, not only does it smell delicious, it chases every fly, every wasp. It works. There are no mosquitoes, there are no flies, there are no wasps."

Adding: “It smells delicious and that's just the hint that'll get you through the summer this year.”

After Ian shared his top tip, a flurry of social media followers took to his comments section to agree that it had worked for them in the past, or noted that it is a well-known, reliable trick from the likes of Greece and other warm-climate locations.

One user wrote, “I save my used coffee grounds and do this in smaller pots. Add a little alcohol or citronella oil to it and voila.”

Another added, “I learned this years ago in Greece where they actually just made a tiny pyramid of ground coffee and lit it up. It has through the years been the only thing that works against [wasp emoji]”.

So, it would seem that it’s a trick worth trying out – and thanks to its simplicity and affordability, you’ll no doubt want to make the most of the good weather.

Whether you decide to plan a garden party or have friends around to use your latest picnic accessories and outdoor furniture, you can rest assured that the only guests buzzing around will be the ones invited.

Never leave anything burning unattended.

With the extreme weather we've been experiencing this past month, it's no surprise our lawns are finally admitting defeat and crisping up. But if your grass is burnt, brown and crunchy, don't start watering it just yet.

Although the warm weather is usually very welcome during summer, sometimes too much of a good thing can really take its toll on your lawn. And even when you've been watering your lawn at the right time of day, record-high temperatures along with hosepipe bans make dying grass an inevitability.

But before you run for your hosepipe or drain your harvested rainwater, gardening icon Monty Don says to stop and hold off on watering.

Sharing his garden on Instagram @themontydon, Monty shows us his patch of grass named 'the cricket pitch'. And whilst usually Monty's garden is undeniably thriving, like the rest of us, it's recently fallen victim to the heatwave temperatures.

Which goes to prove, even when you avoid all the lawncare mistakes in the book, sometimes the weather is one step ahead, and there's nothing to be done about it.

And that is exactly what Monty recommends doing: nothing. He says, "If, like the cricket pitch, your grass is burnt entirely brown with not a blade of green grass, don't worry. And don't waste water on it! I assure you it will recover full greenness very quickly once we get some rain."

You might find this a little hard to swallow, letting your grass burn up and dry out, but it's truly the best thing for it. Even when it looks like the heatwave has killed your lawn, there's still hope for it.

Don't panic and start watering your lawn more often than you should; that will only waste your water reserves and start a watering routine you won't be able to keep up during a hosepipe ban.

Instead, trust that the grass is in fact protected by its own layer of withered blades on top. This crispy layer acts as a sort of protected insulation for the roots below, which will come back to life at the first sign of rain.

As you can see from Monty's most recent update of The Cricket Pitch, aptly named after him and his son, who played the sport on it years ago, the lawn is still burnt but only until that much-needed rainy reprieve arrives.

Want to build up your water reserves for future heatwaves? Experts recommend rainscaping your garden so it's built to harvest rainwater without needing much effort from you. That way, you're prepared for hosepipe bans and further scorching temperatures.

Buying new furniture for your home can be daunting, especially when it comes to higher-priced items like sofas. It can be difficult to picture what the pieces will look like in your room and whether they'll fit.

And with so many common mistakes to make when buying a sofa, being properly prepared and 100% sure of the piece you're buying is key. It's all well and good spotting something you love in this year's sofa trends, but will the size, fit and design actually work in your room alongside your other pieces?

To make the whole process easier and stress-free, interior design expert Kelly Hoppen CBE has shared her genius trick for measuring your space and ensuring your proportions are perfectly right. As one of the things she's asked about most frequently, Kelly is very aware of this common problem.

Kelly Hoppen's furniture placement trick

Whether you're constrained by a small living room layout or have an abundance of space that you're unsure what to do with, getting the right sofa isn't as easy as it first seems.

"Questions I'm asked every day, hundreds of times on my Instagram, 'How do I put my sofas in a room?' The answer to your question is, I can't answer that question if I'm not in your room," starts Kelly.

"But one great way, an easy tip to do it, is to get some masking tape. If you don't know how to draw it, do it to scale and lay them out in your room and walk in and see which is the best way to lay your sofas out, your coffee table, and an armchair," she continues.

Avoiding living room design mistakes will ensure your space looks its best and also functions properly for you and your family. Pre-planning the layout with this masking tape trick allows you to try out different options, too.

"Because you will be able to physically see the mass that it will take up. Try it, easy, inexpensive, and you'll get an instant answer," Kelly adds.

If you're trying to make your small living room look bigger, play around with sofa shapes and find what works best for your room.

Want some more of Kelly's professional tips? She shared her top interior dos and don'ts with us, and some of them might surprise you.

It's a common thought that adding plants to your garden can only be a good thing, but some secretly do more harm than good. Some species are so damaging to your space that they can reduce the value of your home.

Whilst you might be well aware of the common invasive plants that can ruin your garden, some other popular species under the radar can be just as damaging. And whilst they won't particularly take over your garden like knotweed would, these plants can be such an issue that they decrease your home's value.

If you want to upgrade your garden to boost your home's value, then you'll want to stay well clear of these particular plants.

3 plant species that can devalue your home

When it comes to blocking your neighbour's view on a budget, there's nothing quite as effective as planting a row of hedges in your garden.

However many evergreen varieties, like the ones listed below, can become a major issue for your home and its surrounding land. To avoid devaluing your home, here are the top three species to keep well clear of.

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1. Cherry Laurel

As one of the best plants for privacy, cherry laurel is a very popular choice for homeowners. It's incredibly fast-growing and dense, making it an ideal choice to surround your garden with.

“Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is a vigorous, large, spreading evergreen bush, with glossy leaves up to 15cm in length," says Karl McArdle, co-founder of The Property Buying Company.

"If not pruned, it can form dense walls of foliage, and if trimmed poorly, it can suffer from powdery mildew, which can be unsightly and put buyers off. If left to grow large, it can dry out the ground, causing subsidence. A history of subsidence can reduce your home’s value by up to 25%," he adds.

2. Arrow Bamboo

Whilst you might've been debating growing bamboo in your garden for privacy, most types of bamboo are considered extremely invasive.

“Arrow bamboo (Pseudosasa japonica) is a tough, spreading evergreen bamboo, reaching up to 6 metres in height. In warm, moist conditions, this can cause the creeping rootstock to produce new shoots away from the original plant, causing it to spread further than desired," explains Karl.

"Arrow bamboo spreading near neighbours’ fencing or near drains could reduce your property value by 5 to 15%," he continues.

Trying to get rid of bamboo roots can be a real nightmare, too, so it's definitely something to properly think about before you plant.

3. Leyland cypress

Another fast-growing shrub, the Leyland cypress, is popular for its height; however, this is the same reason it can be a real issue for your home and its future inhabitants.

“Leyland cypress (Cuprocyparis leylandii) is a large, very fast-growing evergreen tree. If unchecked, they can reach heights of up to 30 metres tall, which means they have the potential to become a nuisance and will therefore require regular trimming to keep under control," states Karl.

"If Leyland cypress smothers and outcompetes other plants in your garden, this could reduce your property value by up to 15%," he warns.

If you've already taken measures to add a little privacy to your home, with a pergola, for example, then adding plants perfect for pergolas can give you that extra layer to keep nosy neighbours away.

Patios are a great addition to any garden; they're a low-maintenance space perfect for outdoor dining and for home to pots. However, when you're lacking space, they can quickly look rather busy and compact.

Whilst there are ways to make your small patio feel bigger with exterior lighting, if you enjoy using the space throughout the day, you may need other ways to open it up. It's all too easy for patios to become cluttered with patio container plants, and this can make a limited space look even smaller.

If this sounds familiar to you, then garden legend Alan Titchmarsh has a genius small garden tip to help make your patio appear and feel bigger than it actually is. All with one garden design change.

Whether you use your patio as an outdoor living room area or grow your favourite veggies in pots on it, sometimes it can look cramped.

Especially when you're already starting with a small space to work with, which is why Alan suggests trying this one trick before you've even laid your paving stones.

"The size of the pavers you choose should depend on the overall size of the patio or terrace. If it's very small, don't be tempted to use lots of small ones, which will make it look bitty," Alan starts.

"A common mistake is using lots of small pavers in a compact space, which creates a busy look and can make the area seem even smaller," he adds.

It's easy to avoid this common mistake that makes your garden feel smaller, but it does require choosing the right slabs before you build your patio. This might seem like a big job, but it'll make a world of difference in your garden.

"A few larger paving stones in a smaller area will give it the impression of more space than is actually there. It works the other way around, lots of little ones tend to make something look small," Alan explains.

"Several smaller number of larger ones tend to expand it. Matching the paver size to the space will help create a balanced, elegant design that feels both practical and visually spacious," he finishes.

Tricks like these that help make your small garden look bigger are so important to ensure you're making the most of the space you have and utilising every square inch of it.

If you want some more magic Alan guidance on patios, he also shared his tips for brightening up an otherwise dull, dingy patio.

Anyone who has spent time cooking on pizza ovens will know that making the dough is only half the challenge. The real skill comes once your pizza is in the oven, where a few seconds can be the difference between perfectly puffed-up crust and one that's burnt on one side and raw on the other.

Anyone who has bought a pizza oven for their garden will tell you that turning your pizza in the oven takes skill and practice. If you go too early, you'll tear a hole through the base. Leave it too late and one edge will blacken before the rest has cooked. Even an uneven turn can leave you with a pizza that's charred on one side and pale on the other. It's a technique that gets easier with practice, but it still catches plenty of home cooks out and not perfecting it is one of the most common mistakes people make with their pizza ovens.

The good news is that Ooni has the answer. The pizza oven specialist has unveiled a new rotating stone that automatically turns your pizza as it cooks, promising evenly baked crusts without the need to keep reaching into the oven with a peel.

Ooni Rotating Stone Launch

The idea behind Ooni's new accessory is super simple and straightforward. Place your rotating stone inside theoven, slide the pizza onto the stone, and the surface rotates automatically as it cooks. Because the stone is made from the same cordierite material used across Ooni's pizza ovens, it retains heat exceptionally well, helping to deliver an evenly cooked base without creating noticeable hot or cold spots.

What makes the rotating stone different from similar accessories is its design. Rather than relying on a central pivot, Ooni has moved the rotating mechanism to the perimeter of the stone. According to the brand, this "perimeter-balanced stability" eliminates the wobbling and stalling that can happen with centre-mounted turntables. This means that your pizza stone will stay just as stable roasting a whole chicken or with a heavy cast iron pan as it is will for cooking pizza.

"The rotating stone showcases our commitment to meaningful innovation," said Kristian Tapaninaho, Founder of Ooni. "Being a trailblazing company means more than improving a product; it means redefining the experience. We identified a market crowded with products that fall short on reliability and engineered a solution that is as elegant as it is durable. The Koda 2 Rotating Stone Range makes cooking simpler, more intuitive and more enjoyable."

One feature that caught my attention is the built-in LIDAR sensor. Rather than reaching inside the oven to press a button, you can start or stop the stone with a simple wave of your hand or pizza peel. It's a small touch, but one that should help keep floury hands away from controls while you're cooking.

You can also choose between continuous rotation for hands-free cooking or a 90-degree turn setting if you'd rather keep more control over how your pizza cooks.

Pizza Oven Accessories That Make Life Easier

It's not just a rotating stone that makes life easy, there are plenty of other accessories that I think are essentially to getting the perfect pizza:

Having tested a wide range of pizza ovens over the years, and coming from a family that runs a pizza business, I know that learning when to turn a pizza is one of the biggest hurdles for beginners.

While experienced pizza makers probably won't mind doing it by hand, this feels like an accessory that could flatten the learning curve. It's worth noting that these stones are only compatible with Ooni ovens, as they are made to fit, but they promise to make homemade pizza nights much more relaxed, especially for anyone buying their first outdoor oven.

Keeping your garden happy when record-high temperatures hit during summer can be a real challenge. And lawns in particular can be sensitive to extreme weather, so when they seemingly die on you, it's hard not to panic.

Even when you know all the essential lawn care tips for summer, a heatwave can easily come along and undo all your hard work. Knowing how often to water your lawn in summer can help to prevent it becoming a crispy wasteland; however, when hosepipe bans and heatwaves occur, that watering routine can go out the window.

If your lawn has completely dried out and turned brown, you might be thinking it's all over, but garden expert Ish, @gardening.with.ish on Instagram, says there's hope yet.

You can do everything to avoid lawn care mistakes this summer, but with hot, dry weather and a hosepipe ban in place, your lawn will inevitably suffer.

"If your lawn is looking a lot like mine, which can only be described as a post-apocalyptic desert scene, then you may be thinking, well, this brown carpet mess is now the end of my lawn for this year," starts Ish.

"But I'm here to tell you that's the complete opposite. What's actually going on here is quite cool. So, the grass has died completely on top; it's gone brown, it's gone crisp. That's no use to anyone, but underneath is where the action is happening, because the roots actually go dormant," he adds.

"They let this die over to create a nice kind of netting over the top to protect it from any more drought, and then it does nothing until it's got more moisture from the soil," Ish points out.

In the same way you protect plants from frost while they lay dormant in winter, the grass does this for itself during dry seasons.

Although there are ways to water your garden during a hosepipe ban, for your lawn, it's best to wait until the bans are lifted or the inevitable rain arrives.

"So, in the next few days, when I start to get heavy rains or the hose pipe bans lifted again, I can start to rehydrate my lawn and sure enough, some of this will brush away with the rake, and in its place, new grass will grow from those roots," Ish says.

"It just goes to show that actually it's not the end of the world. You can leave your lawn like this, and whilst it's slightly unsightly, actually, it's perfectly fine and perfectly healthy. And remember, when it does get to the point to be able to water it, do it in the mornings or evenings, when it's nice and cool," he recommends.

And that same advice goes for the best time to water your garden plants, too, during summer; that way you're not having to help them recover from sunburn.

Not only can you prepare your garden for a heatwave, but you can also mulch before the hot weather brings on a hosepipe ban. That way, your garden is less likely to suffer, and you'll have less fixing up to do when the sun leaves.

It seems now more than ever that people are getting into their gardens and growing their own produce, whether that's in a balcony garden or a veggie patch. And the celebs are getting stuck in too, with Minnie Driver being our latest spot.

If you've been wondering whether to start a vegetable garden this year, this is all the inspiration you need. Good Will Hunting star Minnie Driver has shared her bustling garden filled with a never-ending supply of tomatoes and a 'cucumber jungle', as she calls it.

The star has taken to her Instagram @driverminnie to give fans a tour around her generous countryside garden, filled with late-summer flowers and faithful feathered friends.

"Do you know how nice it is to shell peas in the morning with a cup of tea? I think I'm a trad wife! I just want to show you something, I mean, first of all, this, and these," says Minnie, showing off her vibrant red dahlias.

And she's not the first celeb we've seen take on gardening at this impressive level; just last year, Pamela Anderson welcomed us into her farmhouse garden, complete with outdoor kitchen and raised beds.

"But my favourite things are these. Obviously, we've eaten quite a lot of tomatoes this weekend, and maybe only second to how many cucumbers we've eaten. Look, it's a jungle of cucumbers, oh my god, I'm in heaven, they're banging on my head as I walk through the cucumber jungle," she continues.

It's rather impressive how Minnie has supported her plants as they've grown in her greenhouse, with the cucumbers towering high and hanging overhead. It's a great way to make the most of the space you have by utilising vertical growth.

Although it's clear Minnie has outdoor space to spare, what with the large walk-in greenhouse and rolling fields, most of the food she grows can be grown in containers.

And it's not just the produce she's growing; Minnie also has several chickens, including Henrietta, whom she seems rather fond of. As well as some staggeringly tall sunflowers, which make her a gardening professional in our eyes.

If you yourself are growing tomatoes but haven't had nearly as much luck with big harvests like Minnie this year, then you might have to take some extra steps to get more fruit out of your plants.

Now is the time to pruning wisteria to cut back any unruly stems. A tactical summer chop ensures the plant's energy is redirected back into long, leafy growth and encourages it to produce flowers, while keeping the plant looking tidy too.

While browsing my social media feed, I stumbled across an ingenious sustainable gardening idea of repurposing the cut branches for homemade decorations.

Garden influencer Sophie Valentine, best known as @lookinsidemygarden on Instagram, explains: "I'm getting ready for Christmas with my wisteria. I save all the whips and make them into wreath bases. It's so easy to do, and it means that there is no waste in the garden."

Sophie shares helpful beginner tutorial videos with her 374k followers to encourage others to get more from their gardens. In her recent post, she shared her brilliant tip for reducing garden waste while tidying up your Wisteria and getting ahead for Christmas. But in the spirit of celebrating all the seasons, we will be making autumn wreaths first.

Advising fans on how to reuse the off-cuts, Sophie says: "Using a glove, pull off all the leaves from your shoots, so you have a perfect fresh stem to work with."

"Then curl your stem into a circle shape and start to create the shape of your wreath base. I add to it as I prune so you can build up how thick it gets."

"Wisteria looks dramatic, but pruning it is actually very straightforward once you know the trick," says Orpheus Alexander, w&h's resident garden expert.

"In summer, cut this year's long, whippy shoots back to about five or six leaves. It might feel like you're cutting a lot off, but don't be afraid to be firm. A well-pruned wisteria will reward you with far more flowers."

Homemade wreaths are easier to make than most people think, but it all starts with a good base. The beauty of making one with intertwined branches means a strong foundation to support the foliage as you build your wreath.

While this idea is dedicated to Christmas, you can make a wreath for all seasons; this tip can be used all year round depending on what you are cutting back when.

The plants you prune in March may provide stems for a spring wreath, and the plants you prune in September could be enough to fashion an autumn wreath.

As someone who makes a homemade wreath every year, I am especially excited about this tip because the base is always the part that I have to buy – the rest is freshly cut from the garden. But not now. I'm going to start collecting unwanted stems to make a twig base, so my seasonal wreath is entirely foraged from now on.

Sophie's followers were also quick to praise the idea. One wrote: "Great idea! I could make so many doing this! Thanks for the idea." While another says, "That’s genius! Thank you for yet another great tip."

So will you be giving your garden waste a new lease of life by making your own wreath base?

Dame Helen Mirren’s Hollywood home has appeared on the market for approx. £8.9M ($12M), and it’s allowed us a sneak peek inside to admire her timeless taste.

When it comes to a clean, curated aesthetic, it can be surprisingly hard to strike the right balance between minimalist and character. Fortunately, Helen’s gorgeous compound offers a look at honouring the bones of a historic home with a timeless look without giving the feeling of an unloved, unlived show home.

Set across 6.5 private acres in the prestigious Hollywood Hills, one of the first things to note is how Dame Helen has kept the home feeling open and inviting, not closed off or secluded. It's a home 'filled with decades of history, character, and soul' that tells its own beautiful story.

A look inside Dame Helen Mirren's Hollywood home

The backdrop of neutral off-white walls and wooden surfaces is beautifully accented by a colour palette of rich greens, deep browns, and brooding black, which adds depth without overpowering the home's original Hollywood Hills character.

For that added touch of glamour, the house is styled with deep silk rugs that help to soften the expansive rooms, making them feel both luxurious yet suitably homely and lived in.

The goal in the mansion's expansive rooms was to keep a pared-back look with intentional design pieces, not a space filled to the brim.

There’s also plenty of delightful nooks and crannies, with all corners of the grand space being used intentionally, without feeling overcrowded. Warm, low lounge chairs are pushed near built-in shelves, offering areas of respite to curl up and relax.

While oak walls offer a touch of elegance and a luxe feel, the clever use of layered lighting keeps rooms inviting, rather than shadowy and off-putting.

It's easy to imagine how the combination of lamps, wall lighting and natural daylight from the windows can help adjust the atmosphere and ambience depending on the time of day and the occasion.

Enjoy an airy, light morning with daylight pouring in through the window, then sink into the plush chair and fur rug in the evening, with the warm, amber glow reflecting off the gold and copper trimmings of the bar.

Inspired by Helen's interiors

In staging the home, Vesta designer Ryan Worthington had a clear vision. Per their social media, "His vision was to embrace the home’s rich history while creating a sense of renewed elegance through a refined palette of deep greens, warm browns, and sophisticated blacks - tones that enhanced the architecture and timeless character already present.

When a home already carries so much character, the design is about listening to its story – and thoughtfully adding the next chapter."

The abundance of trees allows both privacy from prying eyes and the opportunity to keep the layout open, with huge windows, open terraces and open-plan rooms. The natural daylight pours in, meeting an uncluttered and airy selection of oversized furniture.

When designing the outdoor living area, the staging company introduced pieces from its iron outdoor furniture collection, creating a seamless transition between interior and exterior living areas.

This idea of bringing the outside in is a huge trend and is impeccably carried off with this sophisticated look.

The compound, now owned by acting royalty in the form of Dame Helen and her husband, Taylor Hackford, has always been connected to Hollywood’s glamorous history. It was first built in 1911 for silent film star Dustin Farnum.

Since that time, only a handful of people have been lucky enough to call it home, including film producer Mark Hellinger and actress-producer Gail Patrick. Helen purchased the property in the 1980s and spent decades carefully restoring it, preserving its roots while adapting it to be an entirely liveable and luxurious home.

No two people are the same, so no two gardens should be. For anyone wanting to add more personality to their space – from lavish lawns to balcony plots - Sara Davies has just the trick.

The former Dragons’ Den entrepreneur is a recent convert to gardening, documenting her journey as she transforms her outdoor space with the help of her mum. And while she’s no doubt feeling the many proven health benefits of awakening those green fingers, Sara is also letting fans in on the tricks and tips she’s picking up along the way.

Her latest trick is a simple yet impactful way for transforming climbing plants into statement shapes and standout features – and it takes barely any time or effort at all.

Taking to her social media, Sara demonstrated how, even as a relative nature novice, she’s been able to take a simple potted plant and transform it by moving it into a nicer-looking pot and shaping it around a bit of thick wire.

In the caption, she explains, "Since I started gardening, I've been searching for loads of new tips and tricks to try. I've come across this amazing technique a few times and I felt confident enough to have a go myself.

"All I did was take one of my plants, remove the sticks that it came with, bend some thick wire into a heart, and feed the stems around it instead... it was actually SUPER easy.

"Lovely to look at and it barely took any time, so definitely one to have a go at!"

Another trick Sara inadvertently demonstrated in the video is using polystyrene to fill up a pot. For anyone moving a plant into a larger pot, you can save on soil and make it easier to move around - especially great if you're worried about mobility - by using packing peanuts or broken-up foam.

Not every gardener is a fan, because of the risk of microplastics in the soil. Still, you can also replicate the benefits of this trick with natural objects like twigs, pinecones, or broken, unglazed terracotta.

Which plants would Sara's wire trick work best on?

If Sara’s wire trick inspires you, you might be wondering which plants will fare better when shaped around wire. Generally, these fall into two categories: flexible vines that can be wrapped around sturdier wire trellises, and dense shrubs that can be clipped into topiary frames.

Plants that fall under these categories include:

• Star Jasmine
• English ivy
• Creeping Fig
• Boxwood
• Rosemary

Sara turned her plant - a Star Jasmine - into a love heart shape in a patterned pot, and it’s easy to see how you can take this even further if you wanted to stick to a theme, which is why styling any room in your home with potted plants is an easy but overlooked method.

For example, if you wanted a collection of hearts, why not upcycle an old pot by painting more hearts on it? Or you could paint a simple clay pot a more vibrant colour for a real statement look.

Other finishing touches you could consider might include wrapping light, solar-powered fairy lights around your newly-created plant shape. When it gets darker, you’ll still see the shape you created twinkling away.

Fans replying to Sara's post also illustrate other ways you can use this trick. One person shared that they did this with plants at their wedding, and it's easy to see how this would be an affordable yet memorable way of sprucing up an entryway or a centrepiece.

The Ninja Slushi Twist is a summer sensation - that's not my prediction, it's a fact. The viral frozen drinks maker has sold out in America, thanks to the all-new dual-drink design. It promises to be the star of any sunny event, as well as a winner with the kids too.

Older versions of the Ninja Slushi have been big hits in the UK before. All the Ninja Slushi models can make healthy slushies, sorbets, and frozen cocktails in 15 minutes. What makes the new Twist model even more exciting is that it has two slushie drums for two separate drinks, whether that's an alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktail, or a milkshake with a dairy-free alternative, or two flavours that compliment each other in an the model's signature twist style.

As someone who loves to host, the Ninja Slushi Twist is an appliance I'm dying to boast about. I love generous, considerate catering; I love a fast appliance; and I love a feature for an outdoor kitchen. This ticks all of those boxes, with a side of cooling power. What's not to love?

Ninja Slushi Twist Iced Drinks Maker launch

If you're brand new to the whole Ninja Slushie line, these frozen drinks makers are a stroke of genius. Essentially, they churn your drink around a frozen cylinder, making everything from milkshake to frosé in as little as 15 minutes. If you haven't already spotted it too, the Slushi Twist works with alcohol and non-dairy ingredients, which is unusual. Many alternatives can't handle the different temperatures and water content of different recipes, so the Slushi is extra special.

The Slushi Twist is a brilliant for anyone who hosts regularly, wants to make a healthier version of a frozen treat, or for having some fun with in the summer. And, as with all Ninja appliances, this is packed with clever features and technology. The ones that set the Slushi Twist apart from the rest are:

• Make two drinks at once: the headline feature is the dual-barrel design, which lets you prepare two completely different frozen drinks simultaneously. Keep cocktails and mocktails separate, serve dairy and plant-based milkshakes side by side, or create two contrasting flavours for guests to choose from.
• Swirl flavours together with the spinning drip tray: pulling both levers at once lets the clever spinning drip tray swirl the drinks together as they dispense into your glass. The result is a fun, striped frozen drink.
• 14 texture settings: a range of manual settings mean that you can choose what kind of drink or dessert you want from your machine, from thick, spoonable desserts to lighter, more sippable frozen drinks.
• Dual SlushAssist technology: this isn't just a one-button slush machine. Ninja's Dual SlushAssist technology automatically senses the ingredients in each barrel and adjusts the temperature and spin speed to achieve the ideal consistency. If you'd rather take control yourself, there are 14 manual settings ranging from thick, spoonable desserts to lighter, more sippable frozen drinks.
• Faster freezing and better cocktail performance: Ninja says the Slushi Twist freezes drinks faster than the original FS301UK Slushi and can also handle higher-alcohol recipes more effectively. For summer parties, that's a true treat.

The point of the Slushi design is that it's a fun appliance, designed to elevate your hosting from home. You don't need it as much as you might your kettle or toaster, but it has become a "cultural hit" in the words of James Kitto, SVP Managing Director for EMEA at SharkNinja. He is excited “to give consumers a fresh experience, giving them a unique way to combine flavours, personalise their beverages and keep the excitement alive through summer hosting and beyond.”

Similar machines to the Ninja Slushi Twist

When I tested the Ninja Slushie MAX, I put it head-to-head with GreenPan's Frost, This also handles alcohol and dairy-free alternatives, but can also make soft-serve ice cream. However, it doesn't have the versatility boasted by the twist, nor does it have the intuitive touches that are signatures for Ninja: easy cleaning, fast churning, and extra-cold temperatures:

With summer entertaining in full swing, the Ninja Slushi Twist arrives at exactly the right time. The ability to make cocktails and mocktails, dairy and plant-based drinks, or two completely different flavours at the same time makes it far more versatile than your average frozen drink machine. Considering how quickly previous Ninja Slushi models sold out overseas, I'd be surprised if this one stayed in stock for long.

I don't know about you, but I find shower heads to be one of the most frustrating things to clean in my home, especially when the limescale has fully taken over. So I was joyous when I spotted Nancy Birtwhistle has a scrub-free solution.

Although limescale removal isn't a part of my daily cleaning habits, it is still one of the jobs I really dread doing. And yet it's incredibly important to keep on top of it because of the way it affects my shower head's performance; having streams of water going in every direction is far from ideal.

Usually, when I'm in these predicaments, I rely on my expert cleaning hacks, but I hadn't yet discovered cleaning expert Nancy Birtwhistle's 'Pure Magic' spray and solution. It's safe to say I won't be dreading cleaning my shower head ever again.

Although it's one of the household items we should clean more regularly, it's quite easy to avoid cleaning the shower head for months. However, with this simple, scrub-free method, I'll certainly be doing it more often.

"When I got in the shower this morning, I thought the water here was spraying out in all different directions, and then I looked at the rose, limescale," starts Nancy.

"Unscrew, find a dish to fit, use pure magic solution, spray on, flip over and spray other side. Then leave in solution for one hour, rinse in warm water and reattach," she continues.

To make her versatile 'Pure Magic' cleaning solution, Nancy shares the simple chemical-free recipe in her book, and it's incredibly affordable and easy to make.

"Place the citric acid in the heatproof measuring jug, pour over the measure of the just-boiled water straight from the kettle and then stir until completely dissolved and the solution is as clear as plain water," explains Nancy in her book Clean Magic, available for £11.05 at Amazon.

"Once cool, add the washing-up liquid and, if using, the essential oil for perfume. Brightly coloured, branded chemical types of washing-up liquid may solidify the mix. Be sure, too, to use washing-up liquid or dish soap, not hand soap, as this may cause lumps," continues Nancy.

"Leave the liquid in the jug to cool completely, uncovered, for a few hours, then transfer to a spray bottle - label it Pure Magic so that you don't get mixed up and your cleaning can begin," she adds.

Cleaning with citric acid is a fantastic way to keep your home chemical-free; it's often forgotten about, but it tackles soap scum, limescale and mineral deposits all over your home.

Whilst we are big fans of investing in some luxury cleaning products for many jobs around the home, there are plenty of low-cost, simple solutions that work just as well as the branded soaps and sprays.

With temperatures reaching record highs this past month, it's getting increasingly hard to spend any quality time out in the garden. Which is why we've been on the lookout for some smart shade ideas so you can enjoy your summer outside.

There's no shortage of garden shade ideas to add to your garden for the summer months; however, many of them can be expensive, rather bulky or involve waiting for trees to grow. That shouldn't mean you're stuck without that all-important shade and struggling to keep your garden cool this season.

So if you do need small garden ideas, or simply don't have the budget to buy an impressive pergola, these shade sails are just what you've been looking for.

Beat the heat with sun shade sails

Shadescaping your can has multiple benefits for both you and your plant life, especially with the weather getting hotter each summer. That's why it's a good idea to invest in something that can offer that much-needed relief from the sun and the UV that can leave us looking a little too red.

Shade sails aren't only an affordable option, but they can also be easily taken down and don't take up any precious floor space like a parasol or pergola would.

Whilst we're all for properly investing money into your outdoor space to ensure it meets your needs through each season, sometimes installing a pergola or gazebo isn't within the budget. And if you're looking to transform your garden on a budget to help with the heatwave temperatures, a shade sail is a great option.

They're a great option if you have an awkwardly shaped garden or need something precisely measured to fit over your outdoor living room. They come in various shapes, colours and materials; however, their installations are similar.

If you don't have study anchor points to hang your shade sail, then you can buy versions that come with posts, although cementing them into the ground might raise the cost.

Attaching the hooks to your home or any surrounding structures in your garden will keep the costs down and stop any more room being taken. Which is ideal if you don't have much floor space as it is, shade sails are perfect if you've got a rather large collection of patio container plants to accommodate.

With prices starting as little as £27 at B&Q, these sails are a quick, affordable way to give you and your loved ones some respite from the heat whilst still being able to be outside and enjoy the season.

Should you be lucky enough to have a sun-filled garden, shade sails are a nifty solution for keeping your plants that love shade happy, too. Those more sensitive species can be kept safe under the cover, and you won't need to help them recover from sunburn anymore.

Does plant food remain a mystery to you? With so many different types on the market, it can be hard to figure out which ones you really need and what they even do for your plants.

Whether you're trying to make your grass look greener this summer or simply want to maximise your roses' blooming period, you've probably tried using plant food. And whilst they're pretty straightforward essential gardening tools for getting more from your plants, the sheer number of different types available can get confusing.

To make feeding your plants simpler, garden design expert and influencer at @Gardening.with.Ish on Instagram, Ish, has given us a complete rundown on all the different feeds, what they do and whether or not you need them.

Even if you're not trying to keep costs down in the garden this summer, buying a bunch of plant food is not only expensive but possibly unnecessary.

"Are all these plant foods really necessary for your plants? Well, let's find out, because there are so many different varieties for so many different plants, a lot of people are actually quite confused. So I thought I'd break it down today so you know exactly what's what," starts Ish.

"Let's start with the good old multi-purpose. I've got slow-release feed, which you put directly into the ground or into the compost, and this will last about four to six months, giving a steady release of nutrients to those plants. So for this one, it's a multi-purpose, which is good for leaves and flowers," he continues

"Now you've got the liquid feed, which is more of an instant feed. So you do this every couple of weeks or so during the high-growing months. As a result, it thrives, but it's not targeting anything specifically; it's just good for flowers, good for leaves, so you'll get a kind of mixed bag," Ish adds.

Should you be a beginner vegetable gardener, you've probably used tomato feed before, but there's more than one way to use tomato feed in your garden.

"If you want something a little bit better for flowers and your fruit, go for a tomato feed or a strawberry feed. Now, tomato feeds are high in potassium, which means they're great for strawberries, raspberries, even your apples, pears, peaches, but also really good for flowers too. So the dahlias that you've got growing at the moment love tomato feed, which helps them generate more flowers, and even your strawberries," explains Ish.

"But a little interesting fact, for you, strawberry feed and tomato feed are usually the exact same thing. So get whichever one works for you or is cheapest because they do the same thing," he says.

"Next thing we're looking at high iron feeds. Now, these are your lawn tonics and your ericaceous feeds. So, lawn tonics are really, really good at being watered straight on, and because they're so high in iron, the lawn loves it, but things like weeds and moss absolutely hate it; it actually burns them," Ish points out.

Not only will these tonics help get rid of moss in your lawn, but they'll also help darken the green colour of your grass.

Should you have some of the best cottage garden plants in your space, like hydrangeas or rhododendrons, then Ish recommends looking out for a particular feed.

"And then if you ever see pink on a feed, it usually means it's an ericaceous feed. Which is slightly acidic, so things like your rhododendrons, some of your hydrangeas, even camellias as well, will absolutely thrive with these," Ish says.

"Acer feed, feed in March and September, handful in and water in, all you need to do, as it's a slow-release feed that's perfect for acers," he quickly adds.

Now, you might still not want to buy every single feed mentioned here, but at least now you know which ones you actually need and why.

If you have your own homemade compost heap, then you'll know the nutrients in this can also be a great way to feed your plants, just be sure to check it's properly broken down before adding it anywhere.

What better time to take a trip, albeit virtually, around the Murray's breathtaking Scottish hotel Cromlix, than on the final day of the iconic Wimbledon tournament?

Complete with a bar, restaurant, billiards room, and of course numerous tennis courts, the Cromlix hotel is perfectly located in the rural, secluded woodland near Dunblane, Scotland. And if you've ever wondered how to add personality to your home, then simply looking at every room in this refurbished Victorian country house will give you more than enough inspiration.

Sharing the space with The Sunday Times Style YouTube channel, Kim Murray welcomes us to walk around the property, visiting her favourite spaces and gives us a little behind-the-scenes of the interior choices in each room.

Unsurprisingly, the entire family home turned hotel oozes luxury and warmth, and whilst we might expect celebrities to prioritise their own tastes within a space, it's clear the Murrays have incorporated Scotland's heritage as well as the timeless interiors pre-existing in the property.

It's safe to say the Murrays and their interior expert, Suzanne Garuda, have mastered how to make a space look expensive without taking away the comfort or homely feel. Kim herself says, "It's family owned now, and that's really important to us. I've always wanted it to feel first and foremost like a home as opposed to a hotel."

One of the most bewitching spaces is the drawing room with its baby blue walls and light lemon ceiling, a choice that Kim says was quite the rogue concept. However, the bold floral furniture dotted around the room, some new and some refurbished from before, really ties the pastel colour palette together, making a cohesive, relaxing space perfect for a spot of afternoon tea.

This charming butter yellow and powder blue scheme is also featured in Kim's favourite bedroom and suite. She walks us through, describing the design process and why she loves the space so much.

"So this is Hyssa, one of our lovely turret suites, it's got it's own sitting room there and then this amazing interior corridor, which I love we went really dark on the wall colour which is probably quite unusual for a space where you've got kind of one window," says Kim.

"Through to this lovely bedroom, which has got the amazing aspect out over the grounds and the tennis court. This is one of my favourite bedrooms. I think it's got a real princessy feel to it and you feel like you're sitting atop a castle and the view is amazing. You've just this tree line and the mountains beyond," she continues.

The space, as well as the other bathrooms and bedrooms, is a lesson in sophisticated dopamine decor. They envelop you in personality and charm without being overwhelming or taking away from the serene feel of the hotel.

"Every time people walk through the door of it, it's like, 'Oh wow, is this all mine'. One of my favourite things in this room is the two window seats that we've created," Kim starts.

"There was just a chest of drawers in this one, and we've obviously built it in, furnished it, and I just think it's a lovely place to sit and enjoy the surroundings. The light pours in, and you've got amazing views of the grounds and the woodland," she adds.

Finishing the tour in Andy's favourite room, the billiards room, Kim points out all the fun, rather quirky additions in the space, as well as the inherited, refurbished billiards table. We might have to agree with Andy; this is undoubtedly our favourite room.

Were you expecting something a little more on the nose from the iconic tennis couple? Whilst there isn't much tenniscore interiors in the hotel, we're certainly not surprised to hear that there are multiple tennis courts on the 34-acre property. We'll see you there for a game, Andy!

Enjoying time out in the garden between Wimbledon matches this month? With the final ahead of us today, we've got tennis on our minds, and this rather ingenious trick is just the thing to get us ready for the championship's climax.

It may have been a challenge trying to sort your garden out this month without missing the thrilling Wimbledon matches. But there's nothing like having the right essential gardening tools to make your life easier, and more importantly, make your July gardening jobs list go quicker.

Which is why this trick from gardening expert Simon Akeroyd (@simonakeroydgardenwriter on Instagram) immediately caught our eye. Not only does it help get a particularly frustrating job in the garden done quicker and easier, but it's also got a Wimbledon-esque twist to it.

If you're a proud owner of your own homemade compost heap, you'll be more than aware of how clumpy it can get. And if you're using it to plant up patio container plants, these lumps need to go for the best results.

"When you make homemade compost, it is often very lumpy. This is fine if you just need bulky material for mulching or filling raised beds in the garden," starts Simon.

"But ideally, you want a nice, fine compost for seed sowing and potting on plants. For this reason, I sieve my garden compost. You can use a specific garden composting sieve (a riddle). But an old tennis racquet works just as well!" he continues.

Not only is this a great sustainable garden idea for keeping your compost performing at its best, but reusing old things in this way is a fantastic way to keep costs down in the garden.

"Instead of buying a compost sieve for removing the lumps in your homemade compost, repurpose your old tennis racquet instead. Your old racquet has a perfectly weighted handle, and the racquet holes are the perfect size for removing lumps," Simon points out.

"Gardeners call the process of sieving compost ‘riddling’, and a compost sieve is known as a riddle," Simon explains.

So whether you're a beginner vegetable gardener or are trying to waste less, this is a fantastic new trick to add to your gardening repertoire and a brilliant new use for your beloved tennis racquet.

Looking to waste less in the garden? There are so many ways to reuse household waste through your gardening, it's sustainable and will save you heaps of money in the process too.

Warm temperatures are great for helping your plants thrive and grow, but they also, unfortunately, create a welcoming environment for pests to move in. And right now, it's aphid season.

If you've been a gardener for a short time or for years, you'll have no doubt come across aphids in your garden. They're minute insects that enjoy feasting on your plants and can become a big issue rather quickly. Whilst there's a common flower that can help repel pests like aphids, there's another natural option to help keep your plants safe.

Although there are plenty of garden plants to grow that provide food for birds, there are a couple of species that will also feast on aphids, acting as a natural pest control.

Secret to preparing your garden for aphids this season

Whilst you've been sorting out your garden this month, you may have found some rather gross-looking insects taking over the leaves of your plants. These are aphids, also known as greenfly, and now is the time they arrive in gardens in swarms.

"With peak aphid season taking place across June and July, gardens across the UK can expect surging numbers of the pests. Aphids – or greenflies – are sap-sucking bugs, which feed on plants including ornamentals, vegetables, fruits, greenhouse plants and houseplants," says Ark Wildlife's wildlife expert, Sean McMenemy.

"Aphid populations can double every three days during their annual peak, with large numbers damaging plants by weakening new growth and spreading disease," he adds.

In the same way you'd attract birds to your garden to help with slugs, they can also be recruited for your aphid problem.

"Fortunately, some of Britain's garden birds act as highly effective natural pest control. Blue tits and long-tailed tits rely heavily on insects during the breeding season, with aphids forming a key part of their diet," continues Sean.

"Parent birds can collect hundreds of insects every day while feeding their young, making them valuable allies for gardeners looking to support wildlife and maintain a healthy garden naturally," explains Sean.

So if you do want to attract birds to your garden to help with your aphid problem, here are a few ways Sean says you can invite your feathered friends.

Along with following the latest guidance on summer bird feeding, you can also choose specific plants to help encourage these birds to your outdoor space

"Blue tits and long-tailed tits spend much of the breeding season searching for insects to feed their young, including aphids, caterpillars and other soft-bodied invertebrates. Gardens with a healthy mix of flowering plants, trees and shrubs provide valuable foraging opportunities, encouraging birds to visit regularly throughout spring and summer," he recommends.

"Allowing sections of the garden to grow more naturally can make it far more attractive to wildlife. Longer grass, wildflowers and undisturbed corners support a wider range of insects while providing additional cover for birds moving around the garden," Sean suggests.

Should you find that you're still dealing with aphids, and on a large scale, other garden experts recommend using a homemade natural garlic spray to keep the pests away.

It's not just your outdoor plants you'll want to keep an eye on this season; aphids are also a common pest found on houseplants and will need to be treated to keep your plants healthy.

If you're anything like us, you'll be an absolute sucker for a stylish home accessory, and with our current love of wireless rechargeable lamps only growing by the day, the news that this Next sell-out marble lamp is back had us jumping for joy.

When it comes to rechargeable lamps, this particular model is not the first one to catch our eyes and, quite frankly, our hearts. Next's chic set of two brass table lamps has become a strong favourite in our Homes Editor Tamara Kelly's home. Not only are they perfect for light layering, but they're also a great way to make your hallway look more welcoming to guests.

So when we heard that this utterly chic rechargeable bookcase lamp was finally back in stock at Next, we couldn't stop ourselves from sharing the news.

Sell out: Next's chic rechargeable bookcase lamp

You might've noticed that rechargeable, wireless lamps are dominating this year's lighting trends. And it's for good reason: they're incredibly convenient, can be placed pretty much anywhere in your home and look fantastic.

Whilst some can be surprisingly cheap, they are a product that we recommend investing a little more money into, as the higher quality versions tend to have much more charge and give off a considerable amount more light too.

Having already tried some of Next's rechargeable lamps and compared them to cheaper alternatives, we can confidently say it's well worth going for the slightly pricier choice. And this lamp is certainly worth that extra splurge.

With a chunky, sturdy real marble base and timeless brushed brass accents, this isn't a lamp that's going to simply last you a year or so. As is true with most Next products, this is a luxurious piece that's made to last in your home.

If you're looking to make your home look expensive without blowing your budget or want to add a little quiet luxury style to your space, adding high-quality lighting pieces is certainly the way to go.

Not only do they improve a room's ambience and help you get the right light colour temperature in every space, but they elevate the style of your home, too.

So, if you're ready to ditch the big light and liven up your bookcases, we suggest you act quickly to snap up this sell-out lamp.

Shop lamp alternatives

Trying to make a dark room brighter without turning on the somewhat overwhelming big light can be a real challenge. But finding these small yet mighty lamps and accent lights can be just the solution you need.

These heatwaves are certainly taking their toll on our plants and lawns. Even when you're keeping up with watering, they still seem to be wilting away. Luckily, one of our favourite garden influencers has shared his hot weather essential for keeping plants hydrated and happy.

If you've been out in the garden this month, ticking off your July essential jobs, you'll probably have noticed just how harsh the weather is being on your poor plants. And while it's helpful to know the best time of day to water your garden as well as what to do to prepare your plants for a heatwave, sometimes the temperatures just get the best of us.

However, garden design expert and influencer Ish (@gardening.with.ish on Instagram) has discovered a rather nifty way to help your plants retain moisture as well as keep pests and sun rays at bay. It's a heatwave miracle!

You might feel like you've only just helped your garden recover from the last heatwave, but with no signs of the hot weather letting up, you'll probably need further help keeping your plants happy.

"I have made an accidental gardening discovery which will actually help save your potted plants from drying out," starts Ish.

"Now, if you've never heard of them before, I got myself some wool pellets, and this was actually for something completely different. It was to protect my plants from slugs," he adds.

"Because if you don't know what wool pellets are, effectively they are just wool that's been crushed up into pellets, and because it soaks in moisture so easily, when a slug goes on top of it, it soaks that moisture from the slug; it doesn't like it as a result and stays away from it," continues Ish.

Aside from stopping your garden from filling with slugs, these wool pellets can be made into a heatwave saviour for your potted plants and hanging baskets.

"But add it to a tub of water or some really wet compost, and all of a sudden it makes this fantastic little slurry, which is soaking in the moisture really, really well," explains Ish.

"So I've been mixing this in with my multi-purpose compost or peat-free compost, which is not very good at retaining moisture anyway, and putting this in my potted plants," he shares.

"And as a result, it's been holding onto that moisture just a little bit longer, meaning that I don't have to worry about my plants drying out so quickly," Ish adds.

Also a great thing to do if you're worried about taking care of your garden whilst you're on holiday this summer.

Similar to your garden tool essentials, wool pellets are helpful for various reasons and ideal to have on hand year-round.

"Now it's not just good for that. Obviously, it's good for keeping slugs out, and if you place it on top, it also works as a really good mulch layer. So any sun rays coming on a heatwave are reflected off of this too, which means soil is drying out more slowly as well. So, all around a really good," Ish says.

"And a double bonus is that sheep's wool is naturally full of nitrogen, meaning when this breaks down, it's also a slow-release food," he finishes.

You can also use coffee grounds in your garden to add nitrogen to the compost; however, wool does have way more benefits for your plants to enjoy.

Wool is also a great way to protect your plants from frost when the winter months come around; it provides a blanket-like cover to keep your hardy perennials safe.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who's noticed how dirty their window tracks are since throwing the windows and doors open to air the house?

In truth, it's because it's too easy to forget to clean window tracks until the heat suddenly hits and you reach for the windows to let the hot air out or create a cross-breeze to help keep a room cool.

I was actually pretty horrified by how filthy my window tracks were, in my otherwise clean home. I have a regular window cleaner to wash the outside and I ensure the inside panes are always gleaming, but somehow cleaning the tracks has been completely neglected. Until I saw Lynsey's time-saving cleaning trick and felt inspired to clean them immediately.

"Drench a piece of kitchen roll with white vinegar, place it into the window track, then simply swipe it along to lift dirt and debris in one go," says Lynsey in her helpful tutorial video on her Instagram @lynsey_queen of clean.

To get into the tight grooves, on both window and door tracks, she suggests using the back of a spoon to push the kitchen towel into every possible crack.

"No fiddly brushes. No chasing dust around. Cleans and lifts debris at the same time." Lynsey declares it one of her favourite expert cleaning hacks because it takes mere seconds, involves no harsh chemicals, and "leaves your window tracks looking so much fresher".

Trying Lynsey Crombies window track cleaning hack

It really is as simple as it looks. You tear off a sheet of kitchen towel; I recommend doubling over two sheets to make it more robust when wet. Spritz the paper towel with white vinegar and place it along the window track.

I used a silicone cooking spoon (to avoid the scratchy sounds of a metal one) to drag the sheet along the length of the track, applying light pressure to wipe into the creases to ensure every bit of grime is picked up.

The dirt from the track transfers onto the paper towel as you wipe. Full disclosure, I did have to repeat the process because the tracks on my French doors were particularly dirty. Nevertheless, this trick worked an absolute treat.

As always, the professional cleaner is keen to encourage her fans to give it a try and let her know how they get on – and they didn't disappoint with this window cleaning task.

"So helpful. Thank you," wrote one, "Definitely trying this," enthused another. "I hate this job, thanks for the tip," said another more directly.

Here at w&h, we are always on the lookout for simple cleaning hacks that save us time but still produce great results without harsh chemicals or too much elbow grease. Cleaning with vinegar is always up there for some of the most effective ways of removing dirt, as this simple window track method has demonstrated.

Lynsey also attributes her trick of using a vinegar-soaked kitchen towel as the easiest way to deep-clean a mouldy washing machine seal – another cleaning trick we now use regularly.

It happens every year, but we don't think we'll ever get used to the sudden swarms of flying ants taking over our outdoor spaces. This year, they're earlier than usual, so you'll want to start preparing now.

Whether or not you've had to learn how to get rid of flying ants before, there's a pretty inevitable pest that comes into gardens and homes during mid to late summer. Of course, they're a little harder to eradicate than normal ants due to their aerial capabilities, which means they can get into your home much more easily.

To add insult to injury, experts have recently revealed that the dreaded flying ant season is starting earlier this year, so now is the time to take action and prepare your home to keep the pesky pests away.

Flying ant season is early and here's why

There's no hiding from insects during the summer months. Whether you welcome them with plants for pollinators or ward them off with citronella, chances are they'll be visiting your garden.

However, there are some bugs you'd really rather not welcome in or around your home, and one of these is flying ants. You might have been lucky to have missed them last year; however, thanks to high temperatures and consecutive heatwaves, they're back early and with a vengeance.

"Our data from the last 24 years shows 90% of nuptial flights happened in July, but as experts in myrmecology (the study of ants) now predict, the peak for 2026 will hit between July 20 and 25," explain ant experts Best Ants UK.

If you were busy with your gardening jobs in June, you may have noticed the first wave of flying ants. "The first heatwave hit in the last week of May, priming colonies early; this second spike is what finally pushes the queens into the air," says Best Ants UK. "We expect between 11% and 17% of the UK's Lasius niger (black garden ant) queens to take to the skies in this early surge, well ahead of the main swarm."

No, the days you might want to avoid sorting your garden out are between 20 and 25 July, when the primary swarm are expected to arrive. They do, however, warn that a smaller follow-up swarm will be expected around 2 August.

"It is an early advance flight triggered by back-to-back heat waves — the late-May spike followed by this second, more intense surge. The remaining 83–89% of queens will hold back for the main peak between 20 and 25 July, with a smaller second swarm expected around 2 August," echoes Best Ants UK.

So what can you do to keep the swarms away? Along with the solutions we've provided above, we'd suggest prepping the home like you would when getting rid of flies.

However, we'd also recommend taking more precautions with keeping your outdoor spaces clean, bins emptied and sealed, plus ensuring you keep windows shut, particularly during the predicted swarm days.

Don't be too worried about the flying ant swarms to keep completing your July gardening jobs. Luckily, the season doesn't last long, and you'll be back to only seeing normal ants soon enough.

Whether you're avoiding your gardening jobs at all costs during the heatwave or making the most of the dry days, there's one job you can't forget to get out there and do.

With so many tasks to tick off your July gardening jobs list, it's all too easy to forget about commonly overlooked tasks like caring for wildlife. It's especially important when the hot weather arrives that we take a little more time to help our feathered and winged friends get through.

If you already attract birds to your garden, you may already have a bath filled with water out, but there's the matter of the much smaller members of wildlife that also need a little helping hand quenching their thirst. Luckily, BBC Gardeners' World have just the advice you need to help keep your garden's ecosystem thriving and hydrated.

Important 'wildlife welfare' job to do in a heatwave

Whilst you may already know how to help birds during the heatwaves this summer, some other animals need support and may not have the wings to reach your elevated bird bath.

"Birds, hedgehogs and even insects need a regular supply of water. And in hot weather, this is even more important," explains Adam Frost, professional gardener and Gardeners' World presenter.

"To give them a helping hand, I like to fill a shallow tray with a few rocks and stones from the garden. Place it somewhere cool, out of the way, and keep it topped up with water if the weather stays dry," Adam instructs.

It's also recommended that you replace the water frequently, as stagnant water can quickly encourage unwanted insect visitors like mosquitoes and midges. The last thing you want to start worrying about is how to get rid of mosquitoes in your garden during a heatwave.

Along with providing water, it's also key to introduce some garden shade ideas and ensure you're up to date with the latest bird feeding guidance.

If you really want to welcome wildlife into your garden this summer, we'd suggest trying out the rewilding trend. Your local environment will thank you for it.

If you don't want to completely redesign your garden to keep your local wildlife happy, simply letting some wildlife-friendly weeds grow can be the assistance they need through the warmer seasons.

Adding new plants to your garden seems simple enough; you dig an appropriately big hole and place the plant in it. Well, according to gardening icon Alan Titchmarsh, there's one particular, crucial step we've been forgetting.

If you're trying out some of this year's garden trends or want to add some more late summer flowers into your space, the chances are you'll be planting new additions this season. And whilst digging a spot for your new plant is a rather straightforward task, there is more to consider when planting to ensure your newest leafy friend is given the best chance at establishing and thriving.

Similar to how you can make container gardening mistakes, when adding a container plant to the ground or even a larger pot, you mustn't skip this crucial step.

Whilst you might be a well-seasoned gardener equipped with all the essential garden tools, it's still easy to forget simple yet important steps when doing basic jobs like planting out.

Luckily for us, gardening legend Alan Titchmarsh has pointed out the common mistake and, more importantly, how to avoid making it.

"Before you plant anything, whether it’s a tree, a shrub or a border perennial from a container, it’s important to make sure that it is really well watered," starts Alan.

"If you plant a dry root ball, it will have a dickens of a job trying to absorb moisture from the surrounding soil, however wet it is. So all of these have been really well soaked in their pots, so they’ll get established immediately," he continues.

You can know how to water your garden plants properly, but if you don't prepare your new plant's root ball before adding it to the ground, it will struggle to adjust to its new home.

"Measure the depth of the hole so that the top of the root ball ends up being at exactly the same level as it is in the pot. Support the crown of the plant, ease the pot off; you can see that it’s nice and soggy," Alan explains.

"Push the earth around it, pushing your fingers in so there are no air pockets, and then cover with soil; don’t rush and enjoy the process," he adds.

All you have to do then is remember the best time to water your garden, and ensure those roots establish in the ground for a happy, healthy plant.

Should you be a particularly busy homeowner or a forgetful one, we'd recommend adding more garden plants that thrive on neglect in your space. They'll establish themselves very easily and require very little maintenance to thrive in your space.

Only just recovered from the last heatwave? Well, the bad news is that there's another one on the way, but the good news is we've got the tips and tricks from a gardening expert to help you prepare your plants for the hot weather.

Even when you've been keeping up with your summer gardening jobs all season, one heatwave can easily come and leave all your plants withered in its wake. And whilst it's not advised that you water your outdoor plants every day in hot weather, when particularly high temperatures hit, there are some things you will need to do immediately to keep your plants happy and healthy.

To ensure your garden survives the next heat wave, we asked garden design expert and garden influencer Ish (@gardening.with.ish on Instagram) what you can do for your plants to prepare them.

Things you need to do to prep your garden for the heatwave

There's no escaping it: summers are getting hotter each year, and that means our gardens need more help coping with the heat. Luckily, there are steps you can take to ensure you won't have to help your garden recover from the heatwave.

"Modern garden design needs to take plant spacing and mulching far more seriously. Planting some species a little closer together not only shades the soil, reducing moisture loss, but also helps suppress weeds," starts Ish.

"Likewise, while peat-free compost is much better for the environment, it doesn’t retain moisture as well as peat-based alternatives. A generous layer of mulch helps compensate for this, keeping the soil cooler and reducing evaporation throughout the year—not just during heatwaves," he continues.

If you struggle with keeping up with the best timing to water your garden during these hotter temperatures, or don't want to be out in the heat, then having automated watering systems is a great idea.

"Direct-to-ground irrigation has become an essential part of my own garden. I collect rainwater in large storage tanks, which are raised off the ground and connected to a timer and a network of soaker hoses," explains Ish.

"Each evening, the system automatically runs for around 15–20 minutes, thoroughly soaking the soil where it’s needed most. Because the soaker hoses are buried 2–3cm below the surface, evaporation is dramatically reduced, the plants receive a deeper watering, and I have much more free time," he adds.

When it comes to keeping cool in the garden during summer, both for you and your plants, incorporating garden shade ideas in your space has to be a top priority.

"Finally, we need to think about shade and mobility. One of the biggest complaints I hear is that large pots are simply too heavy to move. Fitting castor wheels beneath containers and planters makes repositioning them much easier when the sun becomes intense," Ish suggests.

"We should also consider incorporating sliding shade screens or retractable canopies into pergolas, porches and other garden structures. Most modern homes are designed to retain heat, which is fantastic during winter but far less welcome in July," he says.

Shadescaping your garden is a real saviour when the heatwaves hit and can make a huge difference to the overall temperature in your outdoor spaces.

"By shading windows and outdoor spaces before the sun reaches them, we can help keep both our gardens and our homes cooler without having to shut ourselves away behind closed blinds," finishes Ish.

As much as we can avoid making common summer garden mistakes, ensuring our plants survive these rising temperatures starts with prevention.

"Heatwaves are quickly becoming a normal part of the British summer, and it’s time we started designing our gardens to cope with them, rather than simply reacting when they arrive," explains Ish.

Summer is a great time to be out in the garden tending to plants. With so much new growth, there's lots to be done to ensure your leafy friends truly thrive, and this includes thinning your seedlings.

Whilst you may know how often to water your seedlings to ensure they establish, plants at this stage need a little more attention to help them grow to full adult size. Especially with your veggies and fruits, which need a little more encouragement to produce those tasty home-grown foods.

Sharing his seasonal advice on BBC Gardeners' World, gardening professional Monty Don explains that now is a great time to start thinning out your seedlings.

Now this practice might seem rather wasteful, but much like with pruning tomato plants, the sacrifices you make now will ensure bigger and better growth further down the line.

Whilst you're sorting out your garden this month and tending to your plants, young or old, you might want to add this to your list of July gardening jobs.

"Sowing seed directly into the soil can save a lot of time, and when the weather is warm, the seedlings will pop up in no time," says the Gardeners' World experts via their Instagram @gardenersworldtv.

"But to get nice healthy plants, they’ll need room to grow, so it’s a good idea to give them a thin before they get too big," they add.

Growing your plants from seeds is a great way to keep costs down in your garden, and although it does mean a little more work, once you learn the basics, it's a walk in the park.

“Any seedlings sown in rows will need thinning. I’ve got wallflowers here, but it applies to any seeds you might sow and at this time of year, particularly vegetables," explains Monty.

"Thinning the rows themselves from the edges, just removing any clumps and groups so you’re down to one single line," he continues.

"Then in a week or so, as the seedlings grow bigger, you can start to thin them to the required spacing,” Monty finishes.

If you do want to keep the discarded seedlings, you can plant them elsewhere or even add them to seedling trays, but they might not establish. Otherwise, adding them to your homemade compost heap will ensure their organic matter isn't wasted.

Thinning your seedlings should be on your summer gardening jobs list; however, even plants sown for autumn and winter growth will need the same attention when the time comes.

Learning how to propagate and take cuttings from your plants is a great way to grow your garden and introduce new additions without spending extra money. And Acers are a great candidate.

Not only are acers one of the best patio container plants, but they're also a brilliant plant for autumn colour when the rest of your blooms wilt away after summer. Whilst acers aren't always expensive, if you do want more of them, why not use a completely free method and one you can do over and over again?

"If you've ever wanted to propagate your own Acer, and you don't want to take cuttings, there's a really easy way to do it whilst keeping the Acer still attached. It's known as air layering, and it's incredibly simple to do. I'm going to be able to see if I can do it all in one go," says Ish, garden design expert and garden influencer on Instagram @gardening.with.ish.

Whether you're looking for ways to keep costs down in that garden, or want to try out some Japanese garden ideas, propagating your own acers is a great choice.

"Now, what you want to do is find a pretty healthy branch with a slightly woody part. So this branch is absolutely great, we've got life there, we've got a nice woody bit here," explains Ish.

"You want to take some secateurs and just ever so slightly rest it on so it starts breaking the bark and just wiggle it around like this. Then go about an inch higher and do the exact same thing," he adds.

Make sure your secateurs, an essential gardening tool, are sharp and clean to avoid stressing your plant or spreading disease amongst plants.

"Once you've done that, just make an ever-so-slight slit along the line here, and you should just be able to really easily, there we go, peel away the bark. The next thing you need to do is make a nice container for it where you're going to allow it to root," Ish instructs.

If you've taken a plant cutting before, you'll recognise the following step and what you need to help establish roots with cuttings.

"So, get a nice bit of tin foil here and put some ericaceous compost right in like that, and add a little bit of water on too. Make sure it's nice and hydrated, but not too soggy. Get a little bit of rooting powder and just stick that directly on top, you'll end up with something like that, and you just want to take this and wrap it right around that part of the tree," Ish says.

"You can also use a little bit of cling film just to hold that in place and wrap that around. Once that's in place, you can leave that there for about two to three months, and after a couple of months, you start to notice that roots have now appeared exactly where this is," he continues.

"Cut below exactly where the roots are, put it in a pot, and you've got yourself a brand new Acer. For best results, make sure you do this in spring or early summer," finishes Ish.

As one of the best trees for a pot, growing multiple acers is a great way of adding moveable shade to your garden. Whilst you can shadescape your garden with other things like parasols and pergolas, using plants to cool down your garden in summer keeps costs down and is great for the environment.

In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s been hot in the UK lately. And temperatures are meant to soar again soon. While some love it, the heat has thrown up some obstacles for the garden - from concerns about your potted plants surviving to the surprising dangers of watering your grass during hot weather.

The heat might have most of us running inside during the afternoon hours, but as it cools down in the evenings, we want to get out and enjoy the efforts we’ve put into the garden – which makes the idea of an outdoor cinema set up for relaxing with friends under the twilight skies on warm summer nights absolutely perfect.

We’re taking inspiration from gardening expert and author Michael Griffiths, who recently showcased how you can create an outdoor entertainment space that will surely become the hottest ticket in town this summer.

Sharing on his Instagram, Michael (author of The Easy Garden) shows how he set up an enchanting open-air cinema for his nearest and dearest to settle down for a night under the stars watching a film. And it's as simple as setting up a projector and getting some chairs and blankets out.

There are so many smart projectors to pick from these days that can connect to your home streaming apps, including Netflix, which allow you to browse a full library of titles just like you would on your TV.

Some even come with the option of connecting a DVD player or an Amazon Fire Stick, so you'll have no trouble keeping yourself and your guests entertained all summer long.

Open air cinema essentials: under £100

What we’re really taking note of, though, is how Michael’s set-up has considered the neighbours. Instead of playing the movie out loud, Michael's guests are given their own set of headphones. No more noise complaints!

Responding to a follower's comment, Michael explained that he was able to pick up a set of second-hand Silent Disco headphones for a bargain price, advising people to check the likes of eBay to do the same.

These headphones come with a special transmitter that allows multiple devices to connect to the same source. This is necessary if you have a lot of guests coming over, but if you just have between two and four, you can also use a multi-point Bluetooth transmitter (such as the Avantree AudiCast Plus). Connect the transmitter to your projector's audio out port, and pair up to 2-4 compatible headphones to it.

Don't forget the special finishing touches to your garden, as well as the technical details. Subtle details like adding fairy lights around for a warm glow, setting up a help-yourself 'picky bits' station or moving your fragrant potted plants closer to the action will elevate the occasion.

Whether it's a romantic couple's night under the stars or you invite your friends round to watch a classic together, soak up the cool evening air and make the most of your garden all summer long.

It's no secret that Kelly Hoppen CBE has strong opinions when it comes to styling cushions, and this week her dislike of one particular finishing touch led to her appealing directly to homeowners to 'stop'.

So what is the offending styling habit she has a strong aversion to? Chopping cushions. Aside from the controversial cushion mistake that leaves your bed looking 'undressed', the simple art of making your cushions look slouched or 'relaxed' is a styling crime in the eyes of the famous interior designer.

Kelly has expressed her strong feelings around the art of 'chopping' cushions in a social media video earlier this week: "Never chop a cushion. I don't know who invented it, but it just never ever, ever should happen."

"If you're doing this in your house right now, stop," Kelly pleads with her social media followers in the viral clip. The act of trying to shape cushions so they look anything but square is unacceptable in her opinion.

And another thing..."Secondly, a relaxed cushion? What is a relaxed cushion? One that is just on its side and looks relaxed that's even as bad as a chopped cushion."

"Really, your cushions should be square, flat and not chopped and certainly not relaxed."

As someone who has never chopped a cushion, it's safe to say I agree with Kelly, but mostly because I don't like my cushions to look too slouchy in general.

I'm that person who immediately plumps the soft furnishings on the sofa the minute I stand to leave the room. I can understand the notion of wanting a house to look lived in, less like a show home, but I think 'relaxed' cushions look too dishevelled.

It seems I'm not the only one who agrees with Kelly; the entire team at W&H is left baffled by the concept of chopping cushions "My only thought when I see this done is 'WHY THOUGH???" says our entertainment writer Lucy Wrigley.

"Who has the time?!" asks our celebrity correspondent, Ariana Lonston. "My old housemate used to do it and it drove me bonkers," says Luisa Rossi, w&h's social media editor.

Amassing 488 comments in the first 24 hours, the video Kelly posted on Instagram has certainly proved to be a conversation starter – with mixed opinions.

"Thank you for saying this Kelly! I've never liked my cushions chopped or squashed and messy, so I always keep them square and straighten them up," writes one appreciative fan.

"Oh, I wholeheartedly agree Kelly. Also, what is this nonsense about ‘relaxed cushions’? How can cushions ‘relax’?" asks another.

While at the other end of the debate, one follower unapologetically admits: "Can’t stop, won’t stop."

"I don’t like a full chop, but a semi chop gives it more texture", writes another.

And just like that, we're all suddenly questioning every cushion we encounter.

Are your strawberry plants looking a little empty this summer? Don't fret, there are several things you can do to encourage more fruit growth, deter pests and keep your plants growing all summer long.

Not only are strawberries some of the tastiest fruits you can grow at home, but they're also great ground cover plants for filling large areas. They are usually easy to grow and maintain; however, it can feel frustrating when they are failing to produce as much fruit as you expected. This can be for multiple reasons, but the good news is that you can fix it.

Whether you're looking to grow edible plants in pots or are learning to vegetable garden as a beginner, here are the three steps to take for an impressive strawberry yield. Just in time to serve them with cream for Wimbledon watching.

Strawberries are not only fantastic patio container plants, but they're also great to grow in your balcony garden, too. But if you want to get the most out of your plants, there are a few steps you should take to encourage extra fruit growth.

"Let's talk about how to get the best out of your strawberry plants, with a little help from Cherry Lane Garden Centre. You can actually get your strawberries to produce even more fruit throughout the summer, and it's really easy to do. You've just got to make sure you follow the right steps," starts Ish, garden design expert and garden influencer on Instagram @gardening.with.ish.

"First of all, you need to make sure you're giving them the right feed. Strawberries like a good amount of feed every couple of weeks," he continues. "There are two things you can either go for a dedicated strawberry feed or, if you're looking for slightly higher potassium, go for an organic tomato feed."

Forgetting to feed your fruit and veggies is a summer gardening mistake that's best avoided if you want to grow enough of your own produce. Aside from feeding, some tactical pruning can also help with fruit production.

"Another thing you need to look at is the runners. Now, the runner is exactly what it says it is: it's the length here that's running away from the plant, and it's trying to make another one," Ish says.

"Which is fantastic if you want to create brand new strawberry plants, but if you're trying to grow strawberries, that's a waste of energy. So cut them at the base and let them focus on the strawberry growth," he adds.

Use sharp, clean secateurs to do this, an essential gardening tool, as this will help avoid any disease spreading or stress on the plant.

Once you've given your strawberries all the nutrients and pruning they need, the next step is to protect the fruit you're trying to grow. Whilst it's great to attract birds to your garden, they tend to love stealing a berry or two.

"Now, when you've successfully managed to get more strawberries, you need to protect them from being eaten by birds and even your pets. All you need to do is take four bamboo canes and get some simple garden netting, which will only cost you about a quid or so to do this. And all you do is wrap it round the pot," Ish states.

"By doing this, you'll introduce air and light so these will still thrive, but all of a sudden, birds, squirrels, your dogs, they can't get to your strawberries. So, if you wanna have more strawberries this summer, now you know how," finishes Ish.

Want to grow your own strawberries next year? They're one of the fruits you'll need to plant in April for a summertime harvest.

Zoe Ball and Jo Whiley, just like the rest of us who toil away in our gardens, know the effort that goes into it and how important it is to enjoy it.

We spend our hours making sure our potted plants are thriving, and our grass is as green as can be, not to mention curating gorgeous garden trends like cottage gardens.

And all that hard work feels so worth it when you get to properly enjoy it and show it all off to everyone else. On the latest episode of Dig It, their successful podcast, Zoe Ball and Jo Whiley share some of their favourite essentials - from mood lighting to comfy furniture that can accommodate a crowd at any time.

Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball's tips for getting a garden guest-ready

What's great about their choices is they’ve been designed to swerve some of the typical garden accidents or issues one might encounter. From safety concerns for those visiting with pets or children, to an accessory that can do more than one thing so you don’t need to clutter your spaces, these clever additions can really make a big difference.

As Zoe shared, "I love anything in the garden that does more than one job. You can use it as a little side table for your drink, a book or your phone while you’re relaxing outside, or pop a plant on top to give your garden a bit of height and interest."

Explaining her reasons for choosing flameless candles, Jo explains: "With Goose [Jo’s dog] constantly wandering around my garden, it’s nice not to have to worry about open flames, things getting knocked over, or the wind blowing candles out every five minutes. They create a really lovely glow when you’re sitting outside in the evening and instantly make the garden feel a bit more special."

Jo also swears by Richard Jackson’s Premium Lawn Magic Grass Feed - and it’s a perfect shout for anyone who has a lot of lawn to look after. You can plan all the right plants and get all the newest furniture in, but a lacklustre lawn will really ruin the vibe.

As Jo explains, “Investing in your lawn is essential. A lush, healthy lawn is one of the secrets to a garden that looks idyllic all summer long, regardless of what’s happening in the borders.”

Shop more of Zoe and Jo's edit

With even more heatwaves coming, now is the perfect time to plan long summer nights with friends and family - and with the right finishing touches, the garden you’re already so proud of becomes the ultimate hosting space.

It seems everyone's growing tomatoes this year, and it's no mystery why. They're easy to grow, can be grown in small spaces and deliver high yields, but they do sometimes need a little help to produce more fruit.

From knowing how to prune tomato plants to ensuring you're watering your garden properly, there is basic knowledge that is key to getting fruit from your plant. Luckily, tomatoes are particularly easy to keep happy and healthy, but they sometimes need a little encouragement to produce fruit out of their yellow flowers.

So if you are looking to get more fruit out of your tomato plants this summer, here's a rather unusual pollinating trick that's been making waves online - with gardeners using electric toothbrushes to get results.

Whether you're learning vegetable gardening for beginners this year or are always on the hunt for ways to get more out of your plants, this hack is certainly one to add to your list.

Sharing the hack on her Instagram (@thekwendyhome), Wendy explains, "Apparently, this is a gardening hack. Use an electric toothbrush to pollinate tomato plants to yield 2-3x more tomatoes. Just gently place your electric toothbrush head (in my case, this is my cleaning tool) on the flowers to help release pollen so they grow into tomatoes."

Even when you add lots of plants for pollinators into your garden, it doesn't always mean every flower on your tomato plant will be visited by a bee, butterfly or other insect.

However, by manually pollinating each flower or groupings of flower heads, fruit is more likely to be produced instead of the blossoms simply drying up and falling off.

Now, while Wendy has used her electric cleaning brush and others opt for an electric toothbrush, the concept of hand pollination is not new.

In fact, you can actually purchase special hand-pollinating products to add to your essential gardening tools. They're inexpensive and great for when you don't have an electric toothbrush lying around.

You can, however, use your hands for the same effect, but it won't necessarily thoroughly pollinate each flower.

As you can see with Catherine's post (@catherine.gardens on Instagram), you can also use your hand to tap tomato blossoms.

"Tap your tomato blossoms! Tomatoes are self-pollinators, and tapping them helps distribute the pollen and increase tomato production. Some folks even use an electric toothbrush on the blossoms," she says.

So if you're saving money in the garden this season, a simple manual tap will do the trick too.

Another way to ensure your tomatoes provide an impressive harvest is to make sure you know how often to water them. The better they're watered, the bigger the fruit will grow.

There are many desirable design features in Jennifer Aniston's stunning garden, but the easiest to achieve is her captivating rain chain. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, but it's also hugely practical.

Rain chains, known as kusari-doi in Japanese, have been around for centuries and act like traditional downspouts, using decorative cups or links to direct rainwater into your chosen vessel to store.

The fact that they can come in decorative and statement designs, making them a perfect addition to any aesthetic, is just one more bonus – demonstrated perfectly in Jennifer Aniston’s stunning Japanese-inspired garden.

Our edit of the best rain chains

In Jennifer's case, as shared by her architectural designer, Stephen Shadley, she uses a clever contrast of wood with a metal rain chain, creating a stark balance and statement feature.

However, the real reason to consider them is how they merge form and function. By turning something as commonplace as rainfall into a visual and auditory water feature in your home, you can get the soothing, soft trickle of a water feature while collecting rainwater for future use.

After days of scorching weather and heatwaves, the idea of harvesting rainwater has never felt so timely. From helping keep your potted plants alive to having enough water for any future heatwaves, it’s not only green and sustainable, but it’s also a useful system to introduce to help nurture our gardens during the summer.

Jennifer's rain chain hovers directly over a collection of trees which appear to be cycads or agave, meaning they won't need plenty of water - which makes sense for their Californian climate - but any rainfall that does hit, they'll get the benefit of a direct water source.

When it comes to installing your rain chain, you also have a few options to make it more efficient while still enjoying all the aesthetic benefits.

One idea is positioning the rain chain over a water butt. Great for harvesting rainwater, which you can then use to keep your plants flourishing and your lawns immaculate, water butts are any gardener's friend.

By pairing one up with a rain chain, you can make sure that the maximum amount of rainfall is being funnelled right into the water butt.

You can also choose to have your rain chain siphon the water directly into some plants. This might be a better option if there’s a particular dry spell with the odd shower, as you don’t want to drown your plants during times of heavy rainfall.

Unlike other downspouts, rain chains are often easier to install, simpler to move about and less effort to clean, too. Other pipes and spouts can be blocked by debris, reducing the flow of water. Because of the open, light design of the chains - which typically come with a simple hook attachment - you can remove and clean as needed.

Feeding birds is a great way to help your garden thrive and feel full of life; however, putting out food for your feathered friends can often bring in some unwelcome visitors, too.

Even when you're up to date with the latest bird feeding advice, it can be all too easy to make mistakes when feeding wildlife. So whilst you may be doing everything you can to keep rats out of your garden, something as simple as your bird feeding method can be undoing all your hard work.

Along with sorting your garden out regularly and being careful with what you compost, keeping rats away can be a full-time job. Which is why we wanted to share this warning about how your bird feeder can be attracting these unwanted visitors.

Common bird feeder mistake that attracts rats

If you're looking to attract more birds to your garden, providing them with seasonally appropriate food is the best way to do it. It does, however, come with the potential risk of attracting other, less desirable wildlife.

John Whiteley-Wilkson, pest control expert at Acorn Environment Services, says, "Bird feeders themselves are not the problem. The issue is when large amounts of seed are allowed to build up underneath them.

"Rats are opportunistic feeders and will happily take advantage of any readily available food source. If they discover a reliable supply of bird seed, they are likely to return regularly and may begin nesting nearby," he continues.

Should you be particularly worried about rats making their way to your home, you might be curious as to why bird seed poses such a risk.

"Bird seed is particularly appealing to rats because it is highly nutritious and often available in large quantities. Many homeowners may not notice the issue developing because rats are primarily active at dawn, dusk and overnight," explains John.

"A lot of people assume that because they never see rats during the day, they don't have a problem," he continues. "However, rats often visit gardens under the cover of darkness. By the time homeowners notice signs such as burrows, droppings or damaged plants, the rodents may have been using the garden for weeks."

It's not dissimilar to when you're trying to get rid of moles in your garden, more often than not, they've already set up shop before you've had a chance to prevent them.

So, what can you do to only attract the wildlife you want? It can be hard to pick and choose what visitors your garden gets, especially if you're into the rewilding trend, but certain things will keep the rodents away.

Along with regularly checking the area beneath bird feeders and removing any excess seed that has fallen to the ground, you can buy specialised feeders that are designed to produce less mess or spills.

John added, "You don't need to stop feeding birds altogether. The key is to manage feeders responsibly. Regular cleaning, avoiding overfilling feeders and removing excess seed from the ground can significantly reduce the risk of attracting rats while still allowing garden birds to benefit."

It's also key to simply keep up with your garden maintenance, declutter your shed and don't place your feeder near possible sheltered rodent hotspots.

It's also important you know the things you should never put in your garden waste bin, as these can attract rats, mice and flies, all of which are unwelcome in your garden.

Scuff marks, like bits of dust when you’ve just finished cleaning, just have a way of showing up when you least expect. Whether you accidentally scrape a wall and leave a mark or endure endless wear and tear, these marks might seem insignificant, but dealing with them usually requires applying a fresh coat of paint.

And if you’ve invested in some of the latest interior paint trends, you might not always have the time, patience, or money to be repainting all the time. But with this savvy tennis ball cleaning hack, you don't have to.

We're always looking for simpler ways to clean – from Nancy Birtwhistle's unconventional oven cleaning tip to expert-approved viral hacks. Now, we can add this clever trick to having your walls look like new, which requires nothing more than a humble tennis ball. Yep. Forget Wimbledon. We’re serving up the real winner with this simple but effective trick.

How to clean your walls with a tennis ball

It’s as simple as it sounds – all you need is to wet a tennis ball and then buff away the stubborn marks and stains. This is actually even better for your walls than using chemical cleaners that might remove obvious patches of paint or leave bleached spots.

It’s understood that the friction from the ball's felt material is what makes this so effective, easily lifting even the toughest of marks – a free alternative to a magic eraser sponge. While any tennis ball will do, it’s best to use one that has its felt still intact and, of course, don’t use an unclean tennis ball. You don’t want to rub in grit or mud.

While this is great for your walls, you can also use this trick on hardwood and vinyl flooring. To save your back and avoid scrubbing on your hands and knees, you can safely slice an X into a surface with the ball, then place it on your mop or broom.

There are a couple more surprising ways you can use a tennis ball in your household chores.

For any pet owners who struggle with hair sticking to their sheets, clothes or other laundry, popping a couple of clean tennis balls into the washing machine can act as a natural lint roller. The friction of the felt ball will help lift hairs or loose bits of lint. Just make sure to use a cooler washing setting.

Similarly, tennis balls in the dryer are thought to help bulkier items like duvets or towels dry more evenly. They are thought to act similarly to dryer balls to speed up the tumble dryer process, helping to distribute air evenly so you don’t end up with damp corners or missed spots.

If you’re unsure about popping tennis balls in your washer or dryer, you can still use this method by hand.

For any clothes or furnishings that have dog hair or lint you just can’t remove, rub a clean tennis ball over it with some speed. It’ll create static that should help lift any stubborn fluff.

Having these nifty hacks on your side can make cleaning your home much less stressful, especially if your household is particularly busy and good at scuffing walls.

With high temperatures and lots of repotting being done, this time of year can sometimes lead to some rather sad-looking plants. Luckily, just because your potted plant might look dead, it doesn't mean it actually is.

It can be heartbreaking, seeing your favourite patio container plants seemingly perish the second you repot them. And whilst you can do everything possible to keep your potted plants happy in the heat, sometimes they just don't take to their new pot kindly. Which often means you're left with a plant that looks destined for the garden waste bin.

However, before you completely lose all hope, your plant might still have some life left in it. Follow these tips and tricks from garden design expert Ish (@gardening.with.ish on Instagram) to give your plant a second chance at thriving.

If you've been sorting your garden out this weekend, you may have noticed that some of your newly potted plants might not be in the best shape. Don't panic yet, there's still something to be done.

"What if I were to show you that this plant isn't actually dead at all. In fact, it's perfectly fine, let me explain," starts Ish.

"It can be incredibly disheartening when you've spent quite a bit of money on a plant, especially like this eucalyptus, and then a week later, it's turned into this crumbly mess," he continues.

"You'd think well, that's the end of it, I'm going to throw it away, I gave it my best shot. But chances are, it wasn't something you did; it's something to do with the plant itself, and that's known as transplant stress," Ish adds.

In the same way, when you repot a houseplant, your garden plants will take some time to acclimatise to their new containers. But there are things you can do to help them along the way.

"Now, you can minimise this as best as you can by keeping it well watered, giving it a nice, rich feed a couple of weeks in. But chances are, it's still probably going to do it and don't worry too much, it's actually really easy to fix," explains Ish.

"First thing to do is a very simple scratch test. So, when it starts to look like this, give it a scratch at the bottom of the base, and you can see just there, there's green still on the bark, the plant's alive. But what will happen, especially with eucalyptus and other smaller plants, like hydrangeas, is that they'll start regrowing once they've settled in," he adds.

"So as you can probably see right there, actually, I've got loads of life bursting through and even on the stems here, I can see new shoots coming through. So the best thing I can do is actually remove any of these dead stems by either clipping them off or just peeling them off," Ish points out.

You may have heard of the scratch test when checking if your plants have survived the winter, but it's great for general health checks too.

"Do the scratch test up the stem. If it's starting to look brown, that's where you chop it off completely, because that's where it's died, but the rest of it is perfectly fine," he says.

"Once you've pruned off the dead stems, you're left with all the healthy stems, and whilst it may not look like much right now, this is going to regrow, and it will do absolutely fine," finishes Ish.

Just like that, you'll have a happy, thriving plant back to its full health in no time.

Should you have a few unhappy-looking plants, cutting them back should be added to your June gardening jobs. This will then give them plenty of time to regrow and properly establish themselves in their new pot.

When it comes to gardening tools, we're all aware of the usual suspects: spade, rake, secateurs. However, if you're starting your gardening journey this year or want to level up your space, these non-obvious tools need to be on your radar.

Whether or not you've collected all the essential tools every gardener needs, more often than not, it's the more niche things that really help get the job done. And whilst we're all for lowering costs in the garden, investing in a couple of nifty tools can make completing your summer gardening jobs so much quicker and more efficient.

So, beginner gardener or not, here are five obscure gardening tools to add to your collection this summer to streamline your tasks and help make stretching your green thumb significantly more fun.

With so many jobs to get done in the garden this June, we're all for finding ways to speed up the process and make the tasks easier. Which is why when I spotted one of my favourite online gardeners had shared her obscure yet essential garden tools, I had to shout about it.

"Secateurs, a hand trowel and shovel are all obvious, but what about the more obscure garden tools I reach for every day?" starts Chloe Plumstead, blogger and gardening influencer.

"Tampers, for pressing down soil to create a nice even surface, especially useful for seeds which need to be surface sown," she explains.

If you're trying to transform your garden on a budget, then you'll probably be quite a fan of sowing your own seeds. Along with the tamper, this genius duo can make the process from sowing to potting out seamless.

"Seedling widger and dibber. The widger makes lifting seedlings from trays so much easier! And the dibber is great for potting on, particularly for longer roots," Chloe continues.

Whilst we're a huge fan of secateurs, especially the Bosch EasyPrune secateurs, an alternative that can make various garden jobs easier is a garden knife.

"A garden knife for pruning plants, cutting twine, opening bags of mulch or compost, etc. Very handy," Chloe says.

Whether you're trying to deadhead plants properly or are tired of your scissors getting rusty and breaking, a garden knife is a real saviour to carry around with you when completing your garden tasks.

There's no hiding from how frustrating it is to get rid of weeds in your garden, especially when they're popping up around your favourite plants or even in your patio containers. Having the right tool with you can make the eradication of the stubborn plants so much easier.

"A grubber or hand rake, I use these for weeding. The hand rake catches the weeds to pull them up directly, and the grubber disrupts the soil to make it easier to pluck them out," explains Chloe.

Decluttering a shed is a task that most of us dread doing, especially when you've been particularly bad at hoarding heaps of seed packets and sad-looking bulbs. What makes it even harder is when all the labels have been worn away, and you're left wondering what everything is.

The same goes for labels in your veggie patch; it's all too easy to mistake a young dandelion for an early lettuce head.

"A permanent marker, after many plant labels with washed-away names, a permanent marker is essential (I like a white one, too)," finishes Chloe.

If you're vegetable gardening as a beginner this year, you certainly don't need to blow the bank on buying a shed full of tools. But investing in affordable tools can help you achieve impressive results and enjoy every step getting there too.

Every gardener, from the flowered expert to the budding enthusiast, dreads the day they go to check on their crop and find something’s been helping itself to the leaves.

Pests are known to eat away at the leaves and flowers, often ruining your dream of a sprawling cottage garden or a meadow of wildflowers. However, there’s a reason you should think twice before reaching for the pesticides and insect repellent chemicals.

While some insects are pests, others are not. Like the humble leafcutter bee. Former Bake Off winner Nancy Birtwhistle has delighted her audience by filming the leafcutter bee in action, sharing why it’s important to let them do so, and why they don’t actually damage your plants at all.

Taking to her social media, @nancy.birtwhistle on Instagram, Nancy shared an insightful video detailing the journey of the solitary leafcutter bee.

She explained why, when growing roses in the garden, she resists spraying chemicals to ward off insects. “I resist spraying because greenfly is a food source to insects and birds. If you look at your leaves and you think, ‘Oh, something's been nibbling that, I need to get the spray gun out’, then don't because you might be lucky enough to have a leafcutter bee.”

Leafcutter bees, unlike the honeybee or other social bees, are solitary. Working alone, each female bee builds a nest. This nesting process, as caught on film by Nancy’s fascinating video, includes the bee using her strong mandibles to cut pieces from the edges of leaves.

She then carries these leaf pieces back to her nest, which is typically set up in dark holes or cavities, such as hollow stems, holes in wood, or, in Nancy’s case, garden furniture. Some even make bee hotels for leafcutter bees to use.

After lining her nest with the leaf pieces and forming a structure inside that will act as a series of cells for each of the future offspring, the female bee deposits a mixture of pollen and nectar. She then lays a single egg on top of the pollen, sealing the cell with another leaf cutting, and repeats the process until the nest is full.

The leafcutter bee is not dangerous and will rarely sting. Moreover, for anyone worried about their rose bushes or other plants, the clever leafcutter bee tends not to damage the plant in question.

Their neat, circular leaf cuttings leave behind purely cosmetic damage rather than threatening the plant's health or ability to keep on flowering and growing. They are more likely to cut from plants with soft, tender foliage such as roses, lilac, wisteria and peas.

However, if you have plants that need to be aesthetically pleasing - perhaps you’re growing them for a show, or you’re growing plants for an event - you might not want chunks missing out of them.

Per Gardeners’ World, you can simply try to identify the solitary female bee and swish her away. If that doesn’t deter her, try moving your plants and leave something else in their place that the bee can use.

Do not spray chemicals; the leafcutter bee is a friendly and beneficial insect.

Celebrated pollinators, the leafcutter bee can provide benefits to everything from carrots, blueberries, tomatoes, Dahlias, sunflowers, mint and wildflowers. Because they carry dry pollen loosely on their fuzzy abdomens - opposed to the honeybee that carries them on their legs - they easily cross-pollinate every flower they touch.

Growing your own veggies this year, but not impressed with how your tomato plants are performing so far? Here's some expert guidance on the three things you should be doing to ensure an impressive harvest.

Even when you know how often you should water your tomato plants, they can be particularly stubborn about providing you with fruit. Whether you're a vegetable gardening beginner or not, it can be really confusing watching the plant itself thrive but not produce any actual tomatoes.

Luckily, gardening expert and influencer Ish (@gardening.with.ish on Instagram) has shared the three rules to follow to make sure your tomato plant is full to the brim of delicious tomatoes this summer.

When you've made sure to plant out your tomato plants at the right time and done all you can to keep them growing, it's frustrating to see they're not producing fruit. This can be down to various reasons, and luckily, all are easily fixed.

"If your tomato plants are thriving but not growing any tomatoes, then there are a few things you can do to remedy this, because chances are it's just one simple mistake that's stopping them from growing. So let's delve into at least three of them," starts Ish.

"First of all, make sure they're well watered, you want to keep the ground fairly moist and don't let it go wet, dry, wet, dry. This will stress it out, so it won't grow any tomatoes, and if it does, they'll split. So, you don't want that," he adds.

Watering your garden plants properly is absolutely key this time of year, but it's especially important for your plants that produce food, as they need that extra hydration.

"The second option is making sure you get a good tomato feed. Now you want to do this every week or two when it comes to summertime, and it really is super simple," continues Ish.

There are heaps of different ways you can use tomato feed; it's not just tomato plants that reap the benefits from this nutrient-dense food.

"Just a cap full in about four or five litres of water, in it goes there. Give it a good shake and then stir it directly into the compost, and that should give it a high potassium feed, which again, should encourage it to grow more tomatoes," he explains.

If you've not been pruning your tomato plants correctly, then this can have a significant impact on how well they produce fruit.

"The third thing is actually pinching out excess stems. Now, what you might not be able to see, we'll close up, is that this will produce a shoot here and then a side shoot. And these side shoots want to grow and grow, which is fantastic, but it's taking all the nutrients for growing and not focusing on growing any tomatoes," he says.

"So, all you want to do is take your fingers or some secateurs and pinch them off. By doing all three of these, the chances are you're going to have the best tomatoes this year," Ish finishes.

Simply follow these three rules, and you'll have an endless supply of ruby red tomatoes in no time.

Struggling with your tomatoes not ripening? There are a few ways you can ripen green tomatoes so that they're ready to be added to your salads, sandwiches and salsas!

Heading into the garden this weekend? You may have noticed your wooden garden furniture has seen better days, but panic not, Nancy Birtwhistle has shared her genius method for reviving weathered wood.

Whether you're sorting the garden out this weekend or are prepping to try a new garden party idea, you'll no doubt be checking over your furniture. Even when you invest in some of the best outdoor furniture, it will experience wear and tear over the years, and it's important to know how to properly maintain it.

So if you've noticed your wooden furniture has taken a bit of a beating over winter, this solution from homes expert Nancy Birtwhistle is just what you need.

Knowing how to clean your wooden garden furniture properly is the key to it lasting longer and staying in good condition. And with the usual algae, bird poo and dirt build-up that happens over winter, summer is a good time to get the job done.

"I've got a garden seat here that's looking a little bit neglected. So after the winter, I've got bird poo stains, I've got sort of water stains, it's really quite grubby," starts Nancy.

"Wash down with vinegar solution, this removes algae, bird poo, cobwebs, dust and winter grime. Then leave to dry," she adds.

For the cleaning solution, Nancy recommends mixing one tablespoon of washing-up liquid in hot water, then adding three tablespoons of white vinegar and five drops of tea tree oil. Then all you need is a bucket and a scrubbing brush.

Once you've cleaned with white vinegar and got your furniture looking sparkling again, it's time to treat it.

"A can of wood treatment's going to cost about £10, but you can make your own for a couple of pounds. That's the shed I did last year, still looking gorgeous, and this was left over from a big batch that I made, and it's just been on the shelf absolutely fine," Nancy continues.

"So I'm going to use it to do this seat. No harmful chemicals, and wash your brush in soapy water," she says.

For the treatment solution, Nancy provides the following recipe:

• 130ml grapeseed oil (or vegetable, olive, sunflower oil)
• 50ml white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp brown food colour gel
• 2-3 drops of eco-friendly washing-up liquid
• Glass jar with screw top
• Rubber gloves
• Soft brush or cloth to apply

Nancy does recommend leaving the first coat to completely dry first before adding your second, then you'll have a thoroughly stained wood, which helps it to become waterproof too.

Making your own treatment solution is just one example of how you can reduce costs in your garden and help stop creating more waste.

Cleaning your furniture is not the only way you can use white vinegar in your garden; the natural cleaning agent is also a great weed killer and pest control solution.

Sara Davies is the ultimate host, but she’s never quite had the right space for a summer garden party. Until now.

Sharing the transformation journey she’s gone on to create a garden and an outdoor space that is fit for whatever the British summer can throw at her – from heatwaves to unexpected showers, Sara hit on something likely relatable to many of us out there - just how do you get started when you’re a beginner?

We’d all love a dream oasis in the garden, whether your aesthetic is more cottage garden cosy or perhaps a meadow of wildflowers and colour. When you have the big ideas but none of the expertise (yet), one should take a lesson from Sara - tap into someone who does. In this case, her 'Mam'.

Get started with some gardening essentials

Posting to her social media, Sara wrote, "A lovely garden was definitely on my list for 2026, and there's nothing better than doing it together with your mam! I had plenty of ideas about how I wanted it to look, but absolutely no idea where to start.

"Luckily for me, my mam loves gardening and knows exactly what she's doing…"

In the video, we then see how Sara and her mum make great use of their space, adding a simple plant border between her grass and the stone path with some raised beds. In her social media video, the pair are then seen tending to the plants with ease, made even easier by their accessible height.

Sara's caption continued, "Over the last few weeks, we've planted salvia, freesia, peonies, lilies, cosmos, astilbe, dahlias and hydrangeas, with sweet peas at the bottom of the rose arch, and it's already starting to come together thanks to her!

She continued, "I've genuinely loved having a project to work on together” before adding her mum has made no qualm about pointing out her “disappointing planting skills”.

But that’s perhaps the lesson we should all be taking away from Sara’s post. While we love perfecting our gardens with clever tricks and gorgeous trends, the real joy lies in just getting outside and trying. And it's proven to have mental health benefits, too.

Not every garden will, or should, look like an RHS Chelsea Flower Show plot. And freeing yourself of that pressure is what will make it so much better when you get out, invite friends or family over, and get stuck into a new hobby.

Whether you’ve got a sprawling garden, a little patch or an allotment, Sara has proven one thing – you don't need an expert green thumb to start. You just have to start and grow from there.

Even if you're not a fan of Prime Day 2026, it's nothing but good news if you're in the market for something for your outdoor oasis this summer, because so many items on your list could be temporarily reduced.

From some form of garden shade to a new BBQ that you can actually rely on, perhaps you're after something to keep your drinks cold all day long? Or maybe it's outdoor entertainment for the kids. It's all there.

While there are thousands of deals live right now, most of these savings will end at midnight. To save you the hard work, I've sifted through them, and these are the 3 must-haves I currently have in my own garden that are all on sale with significant discounts. So, whether you fancy a nose or you're hunting for a bargain before all of the best buys sell out, here are my top picks.

My 'luxury garden' summer hero buys

1. My must-have pergola for shade protection

I recently invested in a pergola for my south-facing garden, and I wish I'd done it years ago. This one from OutSunny is sizeable, waterproof and very sturdy.

While assembly took some time, the manual was easy to read, and it was up and ready to use within 1.5 hours. With a retractable roof for sun protection, this has holes to allow water to drain when it rains. Its sides also zip to protect you from the wind and rain, too.

Choose from khaki, beige or light grey and place it on your grass or decking, since you can choose to drill it into your floor or pin it into softer ground. Ours sits on our decking, protecting our sofa area, dining space and barbecue from the sunshine.

2. My electric BBQ for faff-free outdoor cooking

I've officially been converted to the dark side, and in this case, that is an electric barbecue. Before you ask: it's the same as the real deal (charcoal) without the faff of cleaning or waiting for your barbecue to preheat.

This one from Weber has seen me through almost 2 summers and has cooked for everything from 2 to 6 people. It heats up incredibly fast, and its grates are dishwasher-safe once cooled.

For use on a tabletop, or with a compatible stand you can purchase separately, you could even use this portable barbecue for camping, provided you have access to power. I love that it offers temperature control and a gauge on its lid, so that you can cook your food to perfection. You can also use it to smoke food, too.

3. My Ninja cool box on wheels – for easy access to cool drinks and snacks

A cool box is something that you might not necessarily think that you need – until it arrives and you wonder how you lived before without one. Think parties, football games and whatever else you usually host friends for, as a cool box like this one from Ninja oozes convenience, especially on a hot summer's day.

It saves space in your fridge and provides the perfect outdoor fridge without requiring power, and better yet? It's on wheels for easy moving.

I love the fact that it can be used to store drinks and snacks since it has a hidden drawer for things like yoghurt pouches, fruit, and anything else you want to eat cold.

There's heaps of space for drinks, whether bottles or cans, and I've used mine for countless parties and get-togethers, to ease the pressure from my tiny under-counter fridge. It can keep ice for up to 5 days, BTW...

My job is to test products. And not just any products, mostly kitchen appliances, garden buys and bedroom must-haves (like mattresses and fans), all of which you can normally find at Amazon, so it's my job to send shoppers in the right direction for the best discounts when they pop up.

Most households will have a hot water bottle stored away for winter, but it's time to dig it out to try this latest viral cooling hack by filling it with cold water and freezing it.

I know I'm not the only one struggling to sleep in the heat right now, as record-breaking temperatures continue to make conditions uncomfortable. And despite knowing plenty of savvy ways to keep cool, I've somehow overlooked this simple hot water cooling hack.

When looking to keep a bed cool in summer, we often recommend freezing bottles of water to put in the bed to lower temperatures or freezing bed sheets, but there's a more effective hack that feels far more logical – a frozen hot water bottle. Genius.

Trying the frozen hot water bottle hack to stay cool

Many videos are circling on social media, but it was this one that caught my attention and reminded me of this easy method for keeping cool – as it did for this thankful follower: "Omggg how did I not think of this!!! BLESS YOUUUUU."

All you need to do is fill your empty hot water bottle with water, only fill it half to 3/4 full to allow for the water to expand as it freezes. Pop it in the freezer for at least 4 hours, and voila, you have a cold comforter to pop in your bed to keep it cool.

If you are using it on your skin, to cool pulse points, it's best to pop the cover back on to avoid harming the skin. In fact, you're best to pop the cover back on to forget your sheets or clothing from the perspiration. Obviously, if you have a furry, winter-style cover, we recommend wrapping it in an empty pillowcase instead.

"This is genius", writes another social media user, while one enthusiastically comments: "I WILL be using this tomorrow, we have a hot water bottle we never use, and I've always wanted to use it. This is a great idea. Even just cold water going into it will help tomorrow." It's safe to say this cooling hack is going viral right now for a reason; we are all desperate to do whatever we can to keep cool in the extreme heat.

While the best cooling fans can help keep a room cool without AC, many can't sleep with a device on because the noise is counterproductive to getting to sleep. This simple hot water bottle cooling hack is the easy way to cool your body down to help you sleep, rather than the room.

And why is that important? Our w&h health editor, Grace Walsh, explains: "A drop in core body temperature is an important trigger for sleep. Before we drift off, our body temperature naturally drops by about one degree. Our heart rate and blood pressure lower, and our brain starts to wind down. When we're too hot, this can't happen, and our sleep starts to suffer."

I've already got mine in the freezer, ready to help me keep cool later, not just for bed to be honest – I'll be hugging that frozen comforter all afternoon at this rate.

With Wimbledon officially kicking off on the 29th of June, now is the perfect time to get prepared to make the most of the summertime sporting event. And what screams Wimbledon more than an elevated picnic?

Whether you're trying a new tennis garden party idea ahead of the first matches or are heading to a watch party, a picnic is the best way to celebrate the upcoming championship. Strawberries and cream, gallons of Pimm's, and your favourite finger food are all top priority, but what about the blanket and dishware?

It's not a true Wimbledon picnic without a glimmer of green and white, pinstripes and of course, a little kitsch memorabilia. So with that in mind, we put together a little collection of must-haves for your next picnic; the balls are in your court now.

If your picnics have previously consisted of an overly-used blanket and an incomplete cutlery set, now is the perfect time to elevate your set-up and add some newness. And whilst we're all about updating your outdoor living room, why not invest in your mobile dining set-up instead?

Even if you're not a massive tennis fan, there's no hiding from the buzz that is alfresco dining this summer. With Marks & Spencer's specialist 'Picky Bits' serveware range and endless outdoor dining accessories being sold from our favourite retailers, picnicking is the undeniable way to dine this season.

Investing in outdoor dining essentials this summer has never been easier, and with sporting events like the World Cup and Wimbledon, you'll get so much use out of your dining items with watch parties and celebrations happening everywhere you look.

And if you are looking to refresh your garden space too, we recommend adding some new soft furnishings to your space. It's a great way to get a new look for the summer without blowing your budget.

The summer heat has well and truly arrived. And whether you're making the most of the sun or are jetting off elsewhere where there's a pool, your potted plants are going to need a little extra help to survive the weather.

There's much to be done to keep your garden healthy while you're on holiday, but if you add a heatwave into the mix, then preventative measures couldn't be more important. Especially concerning patio container plants and pots of veggies dotted around the garden. They often dry out much quicker and need more attention than bedding plants.

So with temperatures passing 30 degrees, this advice from BBC Gardeners' World couldn't be more timely...

Even when you've worked hard to create a drought-tolerant garden, some plants, like potted ones, still need extra help when temperatures soar. Unlike your planted bedding plants, they don't have access to natural moisture from the soil, so they dry out quicker.

They need even more help if you're planning a trip whilst the hot weather is here, to make sure they survive until you get home.

"Some of you are gonna be going off on your summer holidays, and all those beautiful containers that you've put together? You're worried about. So a little tip is to collate them all together, maybe somewhere that's a little bit more shady and protected by a wall," starts Arit Anderson, professional garden designer and writer.

"A good thing to do is deadhead them because, of course, you're not gonna enjoy them whilst you're away, but you will want them when you get back," she adds.

Just be sure you're not chopping any of the plants you shouldn't deadhead during summer, as this can cause unnecessary stress for certain species. Aside from a good chop and move around, you'll need to know how to water your garden plants properly to ensure there are reserves for them to pull from, too.

"Give them really good water. Some of your pots that may have been on feet before for drainage, now you want moisture to stay, so take them off their feet," adds Arit.

"And if you have saucers, it's a good idea to put the containers with a saucer underneath, you can fill that up with water as well. Keeping them together keeps them nice and cool, creating a little microclimate. You have a great holiday, they have a great holiday, everyone's happy," she finishes.

You could also try this DIY irrigation hack if you're away for the weekend or longer. It's pretty much free and will provide your plants with a slow-release source of water.

If you are going on holiday, you'll be happy to know you don't need to water outdoor plants every day in a heatwave. However, if you are particularly worried about your plants, then it can be a good idea to ask a friend or family member to come tend to them while you're away.

There's no hiding from it; the heat is here, and it's a lot. And whilst you might be keeping up with your watering routine out in the garden, the intense temperatures will start posing more risks than you might realise.

Even when you've worked hard to create a drought-tolerant garden, your plants will need a little more attention when the hot weather hits. And with temperatures surpassing the 30-degree mark, you'll no doubt be panicking trying to help your plants recover from sunburn and scorching.

However, before you run for your watering can or hose to water your garden plants properly, garden writer Simon Akeroyd (@simonakeroydgardenwriter on Instagram)has highlighted the risk of stationary water containers and how they can damage both your plants and you.

Outdoor plants don't need to be watered every day during a heatwave, so your harvested rainwater can sit in the sun for quite some time before it's used. This can be quite the silent danger with the heat being as intense as it is.

"Beware of scalding hot water left in your hose pipe if left out in the sun. If left out in the sun, the residual water in your hose could burn your plants, pets, children and you," starts Simon.

"Instead, run the hose first to allow the scolding water out. Also, be careful with boiling water left in your watering cans in the sun. Please be careful of burns when watering in extreme heat," he adds.

Whether you've completely rainscaped your garden or have a humble water butt attached to your gutter, you'll need to proceed with caution when collecting and using water sitting in these dispensers.

Buying lighter colours watering cans and making sure your hoses are always stored in the shade are efficient precautions that will ensure any residual water isn't reaching a dangerous temperature.

You can also use some more garden shade ideas, which will not only protect you and your plants, but also the essential gardening tools you use every day over summer.

Although it's incredibly important to be made aware of these possible summertime dangers, prioritising prevention is the key. Shadescaping your garden so intense heatwaves don't have such a negative effect will make your life much easier and keep you and your plants safe.

Summer is such a wonderful time of year – sunshine, holidays, longer days, everyone in a good mood. The only downside? Flies. Open any door or window and, within seconds, my house is full of them. They have no problem getting in. Getting back out, however, appears to be a mystery they've yet to solve.

On the hunt for a natural solution, I came across these magnetic fly doors, which use velcro (and push pins if needed) to quickly attach securely to door and window frames.

The magnetic closure allows both people and pets to push through with ease, but strong enough to pull back together immediately after to stop pesky bugs following you in. And the mesh fabric lets a constant flow of air through, helping to keep the house cool. Trust me, they are a game-changer in the heat.

More fly solutions

For the first five years of use, I chose the white option as I wanted to keep them as discreet and the interior as light as possible. However, I switched to black about two years ago because they got quite dirty, despite being machine washable and regularly cleaned.

They come in a range of sizes, so you can use them on windows too, which is ideal for warm evenings. The velcro attachments are discreet and very easy to remove, and it has straps to pin each side of the screen open should you want to.

And it's not just flies it's great for keeping out. The screens mean you can leave the door open in the evening with the lights on, and no moths or other light-seeking bugs can invade your space.

A long-time user, these screens are on multiple windows and doors in my home, and I now wouldn't be without them in the summer months. They help keep me cool, but most importantly, really deliver on keeping the flies and bugs out (and me sane!).