If you have to self-isolate… then why not self-propagate, too

Three easy ways to clone your houseplants

For those of us who have to self-isolate in the coming months, gardening can be a great escape. A growing body of research suggests that being around plants can reduce stress and anxiety, thus gardening can provide not only a welcome distraction from the headlines, but much-needed signs of growth, new life and positivity.

The best news is, you don’t even need a garden to get these benefits. The beauty of houseplants is that even people like me, who might otherwise be looking at four walls and Netflix for weeks on end, can benefit from horticultural therapy. So, in that spirit, here are a range of houseplants you can propagate at home right now to lift your spirits. Home propagation is also an excellent way to get new plants for free.

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Brassica, lettuce and tear peas… inspiration from Sanlúcar

A trip to the sun yields plenty of ideas – but can I grow anything this good?

Late February, Henri’s birthday trip to Sanlúcar in Andalucia. We first discovered the ancient city by accident when disappointed by Jerez. A cab to the coast, the old fail-safe. A place to fall in love.

Here, magical inner courtyards echo the Moors: plants in pots, painted tiles, water, cooling shade. There is a small vegetable plot outside our window. I am shamed by its perfection. Six raised rows, generously spaced: one of brassica, the rest a crisp green lettuce and another redder leaf. There are bitter-orange trees and bulbous lemon, fragrant blossom.

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Brassica, lettuce and tear peas… inspiration from Sanlúcar

A trip to the sun yields plenty of ideas – but can I grow anything this good?

Late February, Henri’s birthday trip to Sanlúcar in Andalucia. We first discovered the ancient city by accident when disappointed by Jerez. A cab to the coast, the old fail-safe. A place to fall in love.

Here, magical inner courtyards echo the Moors: plants in pots, painted tiles, water, cooling shade. There is a small vegetable plot outside our window. I am shamed by its perfection. Six raised rows, generously spaced: one of brassica, the rest a crisp green lettuce and another redder leaf. There are bitter-orange trees and bulbous lemon, fragrant blossom.

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Rolling back the years in the East End

Working only with ancient techniques, a paint specialist has lovingly restored his Georgian house in Whitechapel

The basement table of Pedro da Costa Felgueiras’s east London home looks like a still-life painting. A glistening triangle of membrillo on a wooden board, two enamel mugs and a silver teapot sit atop a utilitarian cloth. The only concession to modernity is Felgueiras’s laptop (he’s studying an online course in agriculture). The table itself is 18th-century and was found in the basement when he bought the house 12 years ago.

I was steeped in this aesthetic from an early age and it stuck with me

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Rolling back the years in the East End

Working only with ancient techniques, a paint specialist has lovingly restored his Georgian house in Whitechapel

The basement table of Pedro da Costa Felgueiras’s east London home looks like a still-life painting. A glistening triangle of membrillo on a wooden board, two enamel mugs and a silver teapot sit atop a utilitarian cloth. The only concession to modernity is Felgueiras’s laptop (he’s studying an online course in agriculture). The table itself is 18th-century and was found in the basement when he bought the house 12 years ago.

I was steeped in this aesthetic from an early age and it stuck with me

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How to grow bugles | Alys Fowler

It’s a seriously good bee and butterfly plant that doesn’t mind poor soil, thrives in shade and grows quickly

I have fallen for a very ordinary sort of plant; the small woodlander, Ajuga reptans, or bugle. It’s a native that’s fond of damp forest floors, where it creates a dense carpet of small blue flowers that are delightful: not showy or spectacular, just rather lovely and flowering right through to early summer.

It’s not just any ajuga that has caught my eye. Ajuga reptans ‘Rosea’, as its name suggests, is a pale rose-coloured form. I have planted it under one of my apples, near a bench that catches the first of the morning sun and is perfect for a quick coffee as I take in the blossom before the day starts. The blush-pink apple blossom is mirrored in a pool of pink below; I have never been so shamelessly romantic.

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Gardening tips: plant pasqueflowers

Then invest in a Japanese gardening tool and prune winter shrubs

Plant this The purple goblets of the pasqueflower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) start emerging now, bringing colour to gravel gardens and food for hungry pollinators. This British native with ferny foliage prefers chalky soil, sharp drainage and full sun. Height and spread: 20cm x 20cm.

Buy this Whether weeding, planting bulbs or transplanting perennials, I wouldn’t be without my hori-hori – a Japanese gardening tool that has become popular around the world. Its heavy-duty blade is serrated on one side for slicing through roots and soil, and is definitely not child-friendly. Available from niwaki.com.

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