‘Houseplants make me happy’: Jamie Song’s urban jungle

There’s a lush who’s who of houseplants in the vintage retailer’s Insta-friendly home

Of all the dozens of plants in Jamie Song’s home, it is the heart-shaped, neon green leaves that colonise a wall of his living room everyone wants to know about. “What plant is it?” “How is it persuaded to climb?” “Is it simple to grow?” “Where can I buy one?” Song is more than happy to provide all the answers. His plant-packed home – and his willingness to share endless gorgeous and informative images and videos of it – have earned Jamie’s Jungle 172,000 admirers on Instagram.

The plant, a neon pothos (Epipremnum aureum ‘Neon’), grows from a self‑watering trough positioned on a stool behind the sofa, and transparent outdoor light clips secure the stems against the wall. That’s the practical bit, but what’s the magic potion that makes this and all his other houseplants grow so well? Song shrugs: there is no secret, he claims, no mystical green thumb, just a question of carefully selecting the plants that will grow well in his home.

Continue reading...

from Home And Garden | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2T6RkeZ
via IFTTT

Gardening tips: plant a Japanese apricot

Plus prune your shrub roses and visit Kew’s Colombia-themed orchid festival

Plant this One of the earliest-flowering trees for a small garden is the Japanese apricot, Prunus mume ‘Beni-chidori’. Its magenta pink, almond-scented flowers start emerging now, but it needs a sheltered spot in full sun to prevent frost damage to the blossom. This shrubby tree is ideal for a container.

Prune this You know it’s time to prune shrub roses, but the array of advice can be bewildering. Simplify it this way: first, snip away stems that are damaged or spindly. Then reduce the rest of the growth by about a third, removing the oldest branches at the base. Make your cuts just above an outward-facing bud.

Continue reading...

from Home And Garden | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2IvLxv7
via IFTTT

Get set, sow – it's time to start growing vegetables | Alys Fowler

It’s not too early to start chillies, tomatoes, leeks and more

Ready, steady, grow. It is time to start sowing. There’s no rush just yet; this is a gentle start. The only things worth sowing now are chillies, peppers, aubergines and tomatoes, as well as celeriac, brussels sprouts, sprouting broccoli, summer cauliflowers, celery and leeks.

Essentially, it’s time for either warm-climate vegetables that need to be well established by the beginning of summer to fruit, or long-season vegetables that need plenty of time to fatten up. The toms, chillies and aubergines do best under a heated propagator. All of them will do better under grow lights if you don’t have bright conditions. Outside, you’ll be able to get away with broad beans, hardy peas and perhaps parsnips – providing you fleece over after sowing if the conditions look anything less than favourable.

Continue reading...

from Home And Garden | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2TaPYj7
via IFTTT

‘Houseplants make me happy’: Jamie Song’s urban jungle

There’s a lush who’s who of houseplants in the vintage retailer’s Insta-friendly home

Of all the dozens of plants in Jamie Song’s home, it is the heart-shaped, neon green leaves that colonise a wall of his living room everyone wants to know about. “What plant is it?” “How is it persuaded to climb?” “Is it simple to grow?” “Where can I buy one?” Song is more than happy to provide all the answers. His plant-packed home – and his willingness to share endless gorgeous and informative images and videos of it – have earned Jamie’s Jungle 172,000 admirers on Instagram.

The plant, a neon pothos (Epipremnum aureum ‘Neon’), grows from a self‑watering trough positioned on a stool behind the sofa, and transparent outdoor light clips secure the stems against the wall. That’s the practical bit, but what’s the magic potion that makes this and all his other houseplants grow so well? Song shrugs: there is no secret, he claims, no mystical green thumb, just a question of carefully selecting the plants that will grow well in his home.

Continue reading...

from Property | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2T6RkeZ
via IFTTT

Gardening tips: plant a Japanese apricot

Plus prune your shrub roses and visit Kew’s Colombia-themed orchid festival

Plant this One of the earliest-flowering trees for a small garden is the Japanese apricot, Prunus mume ‘Beni-chidori’. Its magenta pink, almond-scented flowers start emerging now, but it needs a sheltered spot in full sun to prevent frost damage to the blossom. This shrubby tree is ideal for a container.

Prune this You know it’s time to prune shrub roses, but the array of advice can be bewildering. Simplify it this way: first, snip away stems that are damaged or spindly. Then reduce the rest of the growth by about a third, removing the oldest branches at the base. Make your cuts just above an outward-facing bud.

Continue reading...

from Property | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2IvLxv7
via IFTTT

Get set, sow – it's time to start growing vegetables | Alys Fowler

It’s not too early to start chillies, tomatoes, leeks and more

Ready, steady, grow. It is time to start sowing. There’s no rush just yet; this is a gentle start. The only things worth sowing now are chillies, peppers, aubergines and tomatoes, as well as celeriac, brussels sprouts, sprouting broccoli, summer cauliflowers, celery and leeks.

Essentially, it’s time for either warm-climate vegetables that need to be well established by the beginning of summer to fruit, or long-season vegetables that need plenty of time to fatten up. The toms, chillies and aubergines do best under a heated propagator. All of them will do better under grow lights if you don’t have bright conditions. Outside, you’ll be able to get away with broad beans, hardy peas and perhaps parsnips – providing you fleece over after sowing if the conditions look anything less than favourable.

Continue reading...

from Property | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2TaPYj7
via IFTTT

Homes with a perk for sale – in pictures https://t.co/lRvPnZB3ZS Solicitors & Estate Agents In One Just £899 + vat .. https://t.co/GmjoJxU3bM

Homes with a perk for sale – in pictures https://t.co/lRvPnZB3ZS Solicitors & Estate Agents In One Just £899 + vat .. https://t.co/GmjoJxU3bM (via Twitter http://twitter.com/conveyandmove/status/1099218965778313217)