Have you discovered a family of bats living in a house you want to buy? Estate agent Hennings Moir talks us through the implications of living with these uninvited guests. Dos and don’ts when it comes to bats Bats are an endangered species and are protected by law, which means it is a criminal offence […]
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Part fantasy escape and part futuristic vision, these desirable desert designs are a stunning blend of structure and landscape
Beloved by artists, mystics and hermits, the desert is a place for contemplation and coming face-to-face with oneself; a place to fully detox from the outside world and enjoy the purifying nothingness of a vast, barren, empty space. The desert retreats featured on these pages – the Glass Pavilion in Granada, Spain, and the Desert Courtyard House, the Desert Nomad House and the Levin Residence, all in Arizona – are an invitation to do just that.
These desert retreats are designed to help their inhabitants feel a sense of peace through connection to nature. Situation and design combine to turn the poetic idea of the idyll into reality.
Continue reading...Part fantasy escape and part futuristic vision, these desirable desert designs are a stunning blend of structure and landscape
Beloved by artists, mystics and hermits, the desert is a place for contemplation and coming face-to-face with oneself; a place to fully detox from the outside world and enjoy the purifying nothingness of a vast, barren, empty space. The desert retreats featured on these pages – the Glass Pavilion in Granada, Spain, and the Desert Courtyard House, the Desert Nomad House and the Levin Residence, all in Arizona – are an invitation to do just that.
These desert retreats are designed to help their inhabitants feel a sense of peace through connection to nature. Situation and design combine to turn the poetic idea of the idyll into reality.
Continue reading...Then plant laid-back lady’s mantle and listen to a lively gardening podcast
Try this Pots of strawberries can be planted now: they need fertile soil to produce juicy berries, so dig some homemade compost or soil improver into the ground first. Choose a sunny, sheltered spot and plant so the growing tip, or crown, is level with the soil surface: plant 40cm apart, with 75cm between rows. ‘Mara des Bois’ is a good choice for flavour-packed fruit.
Plant this Lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis) is the Bez of the plant world – so laid-back that you can put it in full sun or deep shade, and it will keep on dancing. Lime-green lacy flowers, that bloom from early to late summer, sit above scalloped leaves. Cut a few to enjoy indoors. Height and spread, 60x60cm.
Continue reading...Grow summer and winter squashes to feel prepared, says our gardening expert
My friend Birgit once told me that she didn’t feel truly happy unless there was some sort of cucurbit in the house, preferably a winter squash. I’ve come to understand that. There’s a comfort in having a store full of them. I start the winter with 15-20 fruit from five or six different varieties, and I’m still eating them well into May. I have pumpkins that taste of melon, others with a deep, sweet nuttiness, and thin-skinned, dense, beta-carotene rich ones. Sow salads, radishes and fast-growing greens like cime de rapa for quick rewards, grow courgettes and cucumbers if you want something for summer; but grow pumpkins to feel prepared.
Continue reading...Then plant laid-back lady’s mantle and listen to a lively gardening podcast
Try this Pots of strawberries can be planted now: they need fertile soil to produce juicy berries, so dig some homemade compost or soil improver into the ground first. Choose a sunny, sheltered spot and plant so the growing tip, or crown, is level with the soil surface: plant 40cm apart, with 75cm between rows. ‘Mara des Bois’ is a good choice for flavour-packed fruit.
Plant this Lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis) is the Bez of the plant world – so laid-back that you can put it in full sun or deep shade, and it will keep on dancing. Lime-green lacy flowers, that bloom from early to late summer, sit above scalloped leaves. Cut a few to enjoy indoors. Height and spread, 60x60cm.
Continue reading...Grow summer and winter squashes to feel prepared, says our gardening expert
My friend Birgit once told me that she didn’t feel truly happy unless there was some sort of cucurbit in the house, preferably a winter squash. I’ve come to understand that. There’s a comfort in having a store full of them. I start the winter with 15-20 fruit from five or six different varieties, and I’m still eating them well into May. I have pumpkins that taste of melon, others with a deep, sweet nuttiness, and thin-skinned, dense, beta-carotene rich ones. Sow salads, radishes and fast-growing greens like cime de rapa for quick rewards, grow courgettes and cucumbers if you want something for summer; but grow pumpkins to feel prepared.
Continue reading...