10 of the UK’s best gardens to explore

Old roses, hidden temples, forgotten orchards – find peace and beauty in these romantic idylls

Colin Firth described this National Trust-owned garden in the foothills of Snowdonia as “spellbinding and wonderfully peaceful” after shooting scenes there for the new film adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s children’s classic, The Secret Garden, released later this year. Among the garden highlights making their big-screen debut were the laburnum arch, a 55m walkway beneath a canopy of golden flowers, and an idyllic stream that runs through a gorge garden, where the Mary Lennox character goes swimming in the film.
• Open daily. Booking essential. The shop and cafe are currently closed. Admission: adults £8, children £4, family £20, nationaltrust.org.uk/bodnant-garden

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10 of the UK’s best gardens to explore

Old roses, hidden temples, forgotten orchards – find peace and beauty in these romantic idylls

Colin Firth described this National Trust-owned garden in the foothills of Snowdonia as “spellbinding and wonderfully peaceful” after shooting scenes there for the new film adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s children’s classic, The Secret Garden, released later this year. Among the garden highlights making their big-screen debut were the laburnum arch, a 55m walkway beneath a canopy of golden flowers, and an idyllic stream that runs through a gorge garden, where the Mary Lennox character goes swimming in the film.
• Open daily. Booking essential. The shop and cafe are currently closed. Admission: adults £8, children £4, family £20, nationaltrust.org.uk/bodnant-garden

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August, month of plenty on the plot | Allan Jenkins

Fewer of us will be taking holidays abroad this summer, but the garden is full of things to do and delight in at home

So, August. Most usually the month of summer holidays, when harvests and watering rotas are shared around with payment in courgettes. Or more likely, marrows if you miss them. I fear, though, long breaks away will be less likely this year.

I may have said almost this last month, but we are deep in the time of now or never. It is near too late to plant out cauliflower, kale or any broccoli still in pots. It is still just OK to sow carrots, spring onions, spring cabbages, red-leaved chicories, summer and winter radishes, and to add autumn crops such as corn, salad and land cress. Stick with the ‘oriental’ leaves, adding winter purslane, plus mustard greens if your garden is in a good spot.

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August, month of plenty on the plot | Allan Jenkins

Fewer of us will be taking holidays abroad this summer, but the garden is full of things to do and delight in at home

So, August. Most usually the month of summer holidays, when harvests and watering rotas are shared around with payment in courgettes. Or more likely, marrows if you miss them. I fear, though, long breaks away will be less likely this year.

I may have said almost this last month, but we are deep in the time of now or never. It is near too late to plant out cauliflower, kale or any broccoli still in pots. It is still just OK to sow carrots, spring onions, spring cabbages, red-leaved chicories, summer and winter radishes, and to add autumn crops such as corn, salad and land cress. Stick with the ‘oriental’ leaves, adding winter purslane, plus mustard greens if your garden is in a good spot.

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What to do if your home isn’t selling: Five top tips Nottingham Estate Agents

Waiting for your home to sell can be incredibly stressful. Here OnTheMarket agent Austin Gray suggests five ways you can help get the ‘ball rolling’ The idea of selling your home, especially for the first time, can be a daunting one, let alone if the property isn’t selling. No sale period is the same so […]

The post What to do if your home isn’t selling: Five top tips appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.

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Weapons rooms, fake windows and a $3m price tag: inside a luxury doomsday bunker

Afraid of nuclear war, natural disasters, economic meltdown? The Survival Condo could be the answer

“Mechanical level”, “medical level”, “store level” the voice announces as the lift descends into the earth. I’d entered at parking lot level, the building’s apex. I am travelling through an inverted skyscraper, the floor numbers ascending – third, fourth – as we plumb the building’s depths. A hulking man in his late 50s called Larry Hall stands next to me, whistling, black shirt tucked into blue jeans.

When the doors open, I can’t suppress a laugh. In front of us, four storeys below central Kansas, is a supermarket complete with shopping baskets, cold cabinets and an espresso machine behind the counter. Hall smiles.

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Save the world: grow beans and peas | Alys Fowler

Legumes are not only good to eat, they’re great for the planet, too

Legumes might just save the world. Stuff all this lab-grown meat and those cricket burgers: legumes are what we should be banking on. The protein-rich seeds of beans, peas and lentils are nutritious, easy to grow and leave the world in better shape, thanks to their relationship with soil bacteria.

These bacteria are known as rhizobia. They take atmospheric nitrogen, which is useless to plants, and turn it into forms the plant can use, such as ammonia. They also make the phosphate in the soil, which is essential for plant vigour, soluble, and produce hormones that help the plant develop and fine-tune its pest defences. In return, the plant houses the bacteria and ensures there is a good supply of oxygen and plenty of raw ingredients such as carbon and nutrients.

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