Wild & free

Encourage insects and wildlife by building a bug hotel

6 Ways To Lower Your Blood Pressure

High blood pressure raises your risk of heart attack and stroke – as well as Covid-19 – but many of us don’t realise we even have it. Here’s how to keep yours as low as possible.

COPING WITH AN Irregular heartbeat

Spotting and dealing with atrial fibrillation cuts our risk of stroke, says Dr Melanie Wynne-Jones

LIVING WITH A Rare disease

Great support can be found if you know where to look, says Dr Melanie Wynne-Jones

The 7 myths THAT CAN RUIN YOUR SLEEP

Feeling sluggish? Trouble sleeping? Perhaps your routine is working against you

Time to get HEALTHY

Think you haven’t got the time – or the motivation – to improve your wellbeing? All it takes is a few minutes...

Smart-clean your home to STOP CORONAVIRUS

With a little expert know-how you can keep your house safer from viruses like Covid-19

COPING WITH… Scarlet Fever

This nasty infection is making a comeback says Dr Melanie Wynne-Jones

‘I couldn't BEAR anyone WORRYING

When Dame Julie Walters was diagnosed with cancer, she didn't just keep it from the public, but also from most of her family..

Can you REVERSE your diabetes?

Is obesity a factor? Does it affect Covid-19 risk? We answer your questions about Type 2 diabetes

And breathe...

Calm your anxieties and fi nd inner peace, without having to leave the comfort of your own home – thanks to our expert's advice

Top 10 Lavenders For Summer

There’s nothing like the sweet scent of lavender in the air on a warm summer’s day. Here are our favourite varieties to look for…

Plan Your Summer Garden

Richard Wilford, Head of Garden Design at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, gives this great advice

Boxing CLEVER

Brighten up your house front and bring cheer to your neighbourhood with eye-catching window boxes

Trash into TREASURE

This is a fun project to keep you busy on a sunny weekend. And it will put your empty tins to good use!

WONDERFUL water features

Water features attract wildlife and are a wonderful way to add an element of surprise to a garden

A WHITER shade of pale

Wherever they grow, white flowers will oblige with a glorious show

Wonderful WISTERIA

Is there anything more beautiful in a garden than the sight of a cascading wisteria in full bloom?

Planting for THE SKIN

Plants provide not just the food we eat, but the materials of our everyday lives. Their fragrances, sap and even their fi bres could be ingredients in your daily skincare products. Here are some of the horticultural heroes growing at Kew Gardens...

Peas PLEASE

Joe Lofthouse, Horticulturist at RHS Garden Harlow Carr with the essentials on growing the small, but mighty veg

A visual FEAST

Growing your own crops is dependent on the space available, as we describe four distinct styles, each one as attractive as it is productive

The power of COLOUR

As the monochrome memories of midwinter fade, foliage blankets soil, leaves cloak trees and flowers put smiles back on everyone’s faces...

Time to get ORGANISED

Reuse and recycle old pallets to make a handy storage area for your garden tools

TOP 10 flowers for seeds

Let self-seeding plants do the hard work – leave flowerheads to drop their seeds back into the soil and new plants will pop up all over

Chemical-free GARDENING

It’s possible to take a more holistic approach when dealing with unwanted visitors

Pretty FILLERS

Choose these speedy growers to fill your borders pronto with beautiful flowers

Blooming MARVELLOUS

Spring is Michael and Caroline Dedman’s favourite time of year and with tulips and blossom bursting into life it’s not hard to see why...

Fast Help For Your Hay Fever

Get on top of it before it gets on top of you, says Dr Melanie Wynne-Jones

10 Healthy UK Hotspots

We’ve trawled the country for some of the best places for your well-being. Here’s what we found…

Our Unbreakable BOND

Licensed to treat morning sickness, the drug thalidomide was withdrawn after an increase in babies born with deformities. Karen Braysher’s sister was one of them