Country diary: a jewel-eyed destroyer infests the knapweed

Romaldkirk, Teesdale: One common name for this plant is hardheads and thanks to picture-winged fly larvae some heads are harder than others

When I walked this stretch of the Tees Valley railway path last summer, the purple “shaving brush” flowers of common knapweed, Centaurea nigra, swarmed with bees, butterflies and hoverflies. It’s an ecologically important element of our native flora, so familiar that over 50 local names have been recorded for it, from iron knobs (Cheshire) to lady’s cushion (Kent). It’s also a useful plant for a wildlife-friendly garden. So, on a bitterly cold February day, I went back to collect seeds.

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The stamp duty reduction claim HMRC is cracking down on Nottingham Estate Agents

The temptation to try and claim for reduced stamp duty liability is great. Residential Stamp Duty Land Tax runs on a sliding scale up to 15 per cent, whereas the non-residential rate scale is pegged at a maximum five per cent of the whole purchase price. A new ruling has established that residential property buyers […]

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For flowers that last, the answer is cut and dried

It’s easy to grow your own flowers to dry – an affordable and sustainable way to create beautiful arrangements at home

My first exposure to dried flowers was as dusty, pastel-shaded posies on doily-covered tables. So when my floristry-expert mate Chanel told me that dried flower arrangements were back in vogue, my reaction was a judgmental eye-roll.

However, in their latest incarnation, dried flowers are simple and structural, in displays often of a single species, celebrating the forms of nature. The look is more “wabi-sabi” (the Japanese aesthetic appreciation for age and imperfection) than “potpourri” tweeness. Lasting for at least a year before they need replacing, they are, of course, far more sustainable, more affordable, and frankly less faff than buying fresh-cut flowers. I am now fascinated by the concept, especially as many species are at their most beautiful in their dried form. While the majority are bought ready-cut, most of them are easy to grow and dry at home, providing a steady source of new material with which to express creativity.

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For flowers that last, the answer is cut and dried

It’s easy to grow your own flowers to dry – an affordable and sustainable way to create beautiful arrangements at home

My first exposure to dried flowers was as dusty, pastel-shaded posies on doily-covered tables. So when my floristry-expert mate Chanel told me that dried flower arrangements were back in vogue, my reaction was a judgmental eye-roll.

However, in their latest incarnation, dried flowers are simple and structural, in displays often of a single species, celebrating the forms of nature. The look is more “wabi-sabi” (the Japanese aesthetic appreciation for age and imperfection) than “potpourri” tweeness. Lasting for at least a year before they need replacing, they are, of course, far more sustainable, more affordable, and frankly less faff than buying fresh-cut flowers. I am now fascinated by the concept, especially as many species are at their most beautiful in their dried form. While the majority are bought ready-cut, most of them are easy to grow and dry at home, providing a steady source of new material with which to express creativity.

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Today sounds the starter’s pistol for spring | Allan Jenkins

An exciting day for gardeners, but go slow – it’s still mainly about preparation but you can start sowing inside

March 1! The start of meteorological spring, beginning of the month the clocks go forward. What we lose for a short while when we wake we gain later in the day. Good news for gardeners. I know I’m not normally one to call for caution, but a word here to try to hold back. At least a bit.

Sow stuff indoors. In greenhouses, on windowsills, somewhere with good light. Most summer-fruiting veg needs a long season to ripen, so you can start sowing chillies inside, though I’d leave any tomatoes until the end of the month. March is the prime time of the north/south divide when what to sow outside depends on where you live in the UK. Scotland and the north in March are usually cooler and darker than Cornwall.

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Today sounds the starter’s pistol for spring | Allan Jenkins

An exciting day for gardeners, but go slow – it’s still mainly about preparation but you can start sowing inside

March 1! The start of meteorological spring, beginning of the month the clocks go forward. What we lose for a short while when we wake we gain later in the day. Good news for gardeners. I know I’m not normally one to call for caution, but a word here to try to hold back. At least a bit.

Sow stuff indoors. In greenhouses, on windowsills, somewhere with good light. Most summer-fruiting veg needs a long season to ripen, so you can start sowing chillies inside, though I’d leave any tomatoes until the end of the month. March is the prime time of the north/south divide when what to sow outside depends on where you live in the UK. Scotland and the north in March are usually cooler and darker than Cornwall.

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How much value does a loft conversion add to a property? Nottingham Estate Agents

If we cannot build out sideways, perhaps we should try building upwards? That is the thought process which more and more British home-owners are going through. In a crowded urban environment, building a large lateral extension to a property can sometimes be impractical or unlikely to get planning permission. But a loft conversion – provided […]

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