David Domoney

Author: David Domoney

  • 101 things to do in the garden this year: Outdoor living ideas

    101 things to do in the garden this year: Outdoor living ideas

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    Having a garden is fantastic. It’s your own little slice of nature right on your back doorstep.

    But sometimes it can feel like a constant chore. The grass needs cutting, shrubs could use a prune and weeds are popping up everywhere. Now, gardening jobs are important because they help you keep on top of the plants and stop them turning wild.

    But gardens are meant to be fun too! So here’s 101 ideas for you to do in the garden during the year. Some are practical, some are fun and some are plain silly. All of them should get you outside and enjoying the garden.

    1. Cut flowerscut flowers for garden table and leafy stems to display indoors
    2. Reuse household items in the garden, like tins and ceramic pots as planters
    3. Grow nectar-rich flowers to feed bees and butterflies
    4. Put up a garden statue – even a small one makes a great focal point
    5. Feed the birds (and put out fresh water for drinking and bathing)
    6. Make an insect hotel with this guide
    7. Have a snowball fight
    8. Organise the shed and clear it out
    9. Host a BBQ party
    10. Grow veg in pots – radishes and chillies are ideal
    11. Get birdwatching! Join the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch
    12. Paint your front door
    13. Put in a new climbing plant to cover unsightly walls or fences
    14. Grow herbs
    15. Freeze fruit, herbs and edible flowers in ice cube trays for decorative drinks
    16. Play giant jenga on the lawn
    17. Plant spring bulbs
    18. Build an obstacle course
    19. Bake lavender biscuits with fresh or dried flowers
    20. Plant a treeplant a tree
    21. Play golf
    22. Sow wildflowers
    23. Pick herbs to make herbal tea – mint and chamomile are great
    24. Install a hedgehog highway by making a hole in the bottom of your fence (13cm x 13cm)
    25. Sharpen the blades on your tools
    26. Host a street party and invite your neighbours round for tea, cake and plant chat
    27. Put in some new solar lights
    28. Plant a stunning hanging basket
    29. Hang streamers, decorations and candle holders from tree branches
    30. Collect seeds from your favourite plants
    31. Put in a little sand pit (great for kids and adults!)
    32. Move any plants that aren’t growing well to a new home
    33. Add an arch and grow beautiful climbers over it
    34. Sit out by candlelight on a night
    35. Put up sun loungers or deck chairs
    36. Add a water feature – even a dish of water will do
    37. Build a scarecrow
    38. Grow fruitblank like apples and strawberries and eat them straight from the tree
    39. Plant a rose bush – guide here
    40. Make garden art using prints and stamps, and stick down foliage and flowers
    41. Play Frisbee
    42. Hold an Easter egg hunt
    43. Have a competition to see who can grow the tallest sunflower
    44. Customise terracotta pots with outdoor paint – make your own designs!
    45. Set up a scavenger hunt with the children
    46. Plant a seasonal container and change the plants every season
    47. Pick edible flowers to decorate cakes and drinks
    48. Have a water fight
    49. Make butterfly feeders with sugar water and scouring pads in a Tupperware box
    50. Clean the lawnmower blades and oil them
    51. Have a picnic on your lawn
    52. Start a new garden game like boules or croquet
    53. Paint your woodwork to refresh sheds, fences and gazebos
    54. Put window boxes up and grow flowers you can admire from inside the house
    55. Fill the paddling pool and splash about (or just dip your feet in)
    56. MulchMulch around flower beds to improve soil and suppress weeds
    57. Put up a teepee – stand bamboo canes in a pyramid and drape them with sheets
    58. Grow cress heads on the windowsill by sowing seeds in egg shells and drawing on faces
    59. Plant a fairy garden
    60. Grow a new type of vegetable
    61. Take cuttings to make more plants for free
    62. Start a compost heap – get the guide here
    63. Decorate in summer evenings with solar-powered fairy lights
    64. Make perfume by heating water with scented petals like roses
    65. Put up a bird table or bird bath where you can see it from indoors
    66. Host a seed swap party
    67. Light a bonfire to burn garden waste
    68. Press flowers
    69. Take bark rubbings
    70. Make fat balls for birds in winter and spring with this no-cook recipe
    71. Personalise your wellies
    72. strawberriesCollect interesting leaves
    73. Put up summery bunting around sheds, gazebos, arches or even your house windows
    74. Grow trailing strawberries in a hanging basket
    75. Build a den or fort
    76. Make jam jar candles with tea lights
    77. Force bulbs for growing indoors in winter
    78. Get kids involved in a nature trail looking for bugs, plants and wildlife
    79. Host a coffee morning and cake sale to raise money for charity (try MacMillan Cancer Care’s coffee morning)
    80. Make a wildlife corner with log piles, insect houses and hedgehog shelters
    81. Cook something different on the BBQ like sweet potatoes in foil
    82. Sit out by firelight on an evening with a fire pit
    83. Draw, paint or photograph your garden flowers
    84. Plant a cocktail window box with strawberries, mint and edible flowers
    85. Make candleholders out of recycled tin cans by drilling holes in a pattern
    86. Plant new winter colour with evergreens
    87. Grow scented flowers like lavender and sweet peas
    88. blank Build a sundial
    89. Make or buy new cushions for your patio furniture – look for weatherproof if you can
    90. Toast marshmallows over an open fire
    91. Throw a garden cocktail party with herbal-infused drinks
    92. Spend a sunny Sunday morning reading the paper on the patio
    93. Put in a second seating area like a bench or bistro set
    94. Host a garden treasure hunt, hiding objects around
    95. Make a seasonal wreath with leaves, twigs, pine cones and seed heads
    96. String fairy lights or bunting from the parasol
    97. Put down beer traps to catch pesky slugs
    98. Take cuttings and swap them with friends and neighbours to get new plants for free
    99. Grow something new and wacky! Red sunflowers are a great place to start
    100. Cut flowers and hang them to dry – lavender and hydrangea are ideal
    101. Sit out at night with the lights off and stargaze. You need a dark, clear night with no moon for the best viewing. Keep an eye out for the famous Perseid meteor shower around August 12 too

    What do you think? Is there anything I missed? Let me know in the comments below.

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    For more garden planting ideas, check out my blog:

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    Or check out my Pinterest board for more ideas:

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  • How to recycle your real Christmas tree in January

    How to recycle your real Christmas tree in January

    christmas-tree-stump-trim-how-to-stop-christmas-trees-losing-their-needles

    January is a bad time to be a Christmas tree. It’s the star of the show throughout December, but finds itself unceremoniously dumped in the street come the cold light of the New Year.

    Of the six million real Christmas trees we buy every year, 90% of them are not recycled. They go into landfill, wasting the opportunity to put their nutrients back into the ecosystem.

    But most councils offer free recycling services. So here is how to recycle your Christmas tree and give it a fitting end to the festive season. Plus take part in the Christmas card recycling scheme to fund new trees for Woodland Trust!

    Contact your council

    How to recycle your Christmas tree in January! (UK)

    Most councils offer a simple Christmas tree recycling service. They shred the Christmas trees and use the chippings in parks and woodland, putting vital nutrients back into depleted soil.

    Some councils offer to collect the trees alongside your usual refuse collection, while others open up special services at the local recycling centre.

    Look out for flyers or notices that tell you when they can collect the trees. Alternatively, check out Recycle Now and use their postcode searcher to find out what’s on offer in your local area.

    You can also contact your council directly to find out what services they have. All London boroughs and large cities are now offering Christmas tree recycling services.

    What do I need to do?

    All you need to do is strip off any decorations and tinsel, remove the tree from its stand and put it outside. You may need to cut large trees in half – your council will have instructions for this.

    If you are taking the tree to the tip, wrap it in an old sheet to stop the needles shedding everywhere.

    How to recycle Christmas cards

    In fact, you can recycle lots of materials leftover from Christmas. Most of us will recycle empty bottles and cans, but what about Christmas cards? You can put them into the usual paper recycling bin.

    Or take part in the Christmas card recycling scheme from Woodland Trust. Simply drop off your Christmas cards at a Marks & Spencers store throughout January. For every 1000 cards recycled this way, M&S will fund the planting of a new tree.

    The scheme aims to recycle six million Christmas cards this year, meaning 6000 new trees! Special collection bins will be in M&S stores between 2 January and 31 January.

    Start the New Year by doing some good with leftover Christmas decorations.

  • 12 days of Christmas: My Christmas trivia pub quiz!

    12 days of Christmas: My Christmas trivia pub quiz!

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    How much do you know about Christmas? Test your festive trivia knowledge with this Christmas-themed quiz!

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