The Garden Minute: Aphids, Ancient Trees & Country Life Archives

☀️ Good morning Gardeners. Need a little Monday Motivation? Here's a round up of gardenspiration to set you up for the week ahead.

May 12, 2025

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✂️🌱 Curated Cuttings

A round-up of tips, tricks and news snippets on all things garden-related.

🌸 Enjoy your garden’s spring glories – while keeping an eye on late summer

🎨 the three colours to paint your fence that instantly make your outdoor space look bigger

🪲 Aphids plaguing UK gardens in warm spring weather, says RHS

⛲ 3 Ways to Use Water Features That Can Make Your Garden Feel More Private

🌿 Common garden weed is actually a superfood with numerous possible uses

🌱 Gardening experts show simple hack to keep plants watered while on holiday

☕ The Long Read

Down tools, grab a brew and get lost in a long read on your break

How To Build A Thousand-Year-Old Tree

In this piece for Noēma , Matthew Ponsford heads deep into Sherwood Forest to find some of the UK’s oldest trees, such as The Major, who “sprouted from an acorn here at least eight centuries ago.” Ponsford explores how these ancient trees provide vital habitats for diverse species and looks into how arborists are now deploying “veteranization” to younger trees to recreate these habitats as the ancients die out.

Spotlight on some of the gardening creators we’re loving this week

Struggling with your houseplants?

If you seem to chalk up more losses than wins when it comes to looking after your indoor plants, check out Jow Bagley, The Houseplant Doctor. His account is bursting with advice for nurturing and nourishing your houseplants.