Insta cheer for the darkest winter days | James Wong

There’s not much to do for the garden except plan, so it’s time to start scrolling through social media for inspiration

I don’t know about you, but, as someone with an obsession with the botanical world, the dark days of December are always a source of huge frustration for me. It’s not just that as plants slide into dormancy and you don’t get to see as much growth and life around you, but you have only a few fleeting hours of daylight in which to do so. Add to that the fact that the ground is often so sodden that stepping on it can damage soil structure, meaning whole swathes of most gardens become no-go zones, and it can feel like living with your hands tied behind you.

Fortunately, technology has come to the rescue for me. Thanks to the amazing connectivity of Instagram, even when it is soaking wet and pitch black outside, I can learn fascinating horticultural techniques, discover new plants I had never heard of before and drool over the work of the world’s best garden designers. I feel it has democratised garden media in a way never seen before, opening us up to all sorts of global influences. So here are my current favourite accounts that are “must follows” this winter, to inspire you for the spring.

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The darkest day and the promise of returning light | Allan Jenkins

It’s the winter solstice, so the days may not get warmer but they will get longer, and plans for spring can begin

We are finally at the winter solstice (4.19am today to be precise, when the North Pole is tilted farthest from the sun). This then is the shortest day, nearly nine hours less light than in high summer.

Enough science. Suffice to say, the dark is downhill from here. Yes, there are many weeks of winter still to come – February, not April, is the cruellest month for me – much rain, maybe sleet, perhaps snow. But at least later there is also more light. The first potatoes can go in in late February if you live in the south; early nasturtiums and calendula.

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The darkest day and the promise of returning light | Allan Jenkins

It’s the winter solstice, so the days may not get warmer but they will get longer, and plans for spring can begin

We are finally at the winter solstice (4.19am today to be precise, when the North Pole is tilted farthest from the sun). This then is the shortest day, nearly nine hours less light than in high summer.

Enough science. Suffice to say, the dark is downhill from here. Yes, there are many weeks of winter still to come – February, not April, is the cruellest month for me – much rain, maybe sleet, perhaps snow. But at least later there is also more light. The first potatoes can go in in late February if you live in the south; early nasturtiums and calendula.

Continue reading...

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Buying a listed building? Expert advice to ease the process Nottingham Estate Agents

Owning a piece of Britain’s history can add to the stress of buying. The Listed Property Owners Club (LPOC) offers advice for potential buyers of listed homes While buying a house can be daunting and stressful at the best of times, what if your dream home purchase came with the responsibility of owning a piece […]

The post Buying a listed building? Expert advice to ease the process appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.

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Modern history: a modular home in Camberwell

This immaculate single-storey house is still bursting with the design details that made it a 1970s classic

When interior designer Jason MacLean discovered an original 1970s California-cool modernist house for sale in Camberwell in 2006, he jumped at the chance to buy it. “I came to view the house on the Saturday and bought it on the Monday,” he recalls. “The week before, I had been to Palm Springs. I love the period architecture there and I had visited the Eames House, too. So when I saw this place I fell in love with it.”

Built and once occupied by British architect Martin Crowley in 1979, the single-storey compact house with a flat roof is a classic piece of infill architecture. It’s set on a back street where it is virtually invisible, tucked away between a row of garages. The black-painted front facade is largely blank, save for a bright orange door through which you access a cobbled courtyard. Here, Douglas Deeds white fibreglass pots are dotted around underneath a black I-beam frame that extends out from the steel, glass and brick structure of the house. A bamboo garden helps to screen the towering Georgian terraces behind.

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Modern history: a modular home in Camberwell

This immaculate single-storey house is still bursting with the design details that made it a 1970s classic

When interior designer Jason MacLean discovered an original 1970s California-cool modernist house for sale in Camberwell in 2006, he jumped at the chance to buy it. “I came to view the house on the Saturday and bought it on the Monday,” he recalls. “The week before, I had been to Palm Springs. I love the period architecture there and I had visited the Eames House, too. So when I saw this place I fell in love with it.”

Built and once occupied by British architect Martin Crowley in 1979, the single-storey compact house with a flat roof is a classic piece of infill architecture. It’s set on a back street where it is virtually invisible, tucked away between a row of garages. The black-painted front facade is largely blank, save for a bright orange door through which you access a cobbled courtyard. Here, Douglas Deeds white fibreglass pots are dotted around underneath a black I-beam frame that extends out from the steel, glass and brick structure of the house. A bamboo garden helps to screen the towering Georgian terraces behind.

Continue reading...

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What are the Conservative’s plans for stamp duty?

With a brand-new majority government, the Conservative Party now has the mandate to carry out some sweeping reforms and this could well include an overhaul of stamp duty. Last summer, Boris Johnson repeatedly spoke about the possibility of reducing the Stamp Duty tax. However, these plans were not a part of the Tory manifesto this […]

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