Welcome to the Blogs

When the sun comes out, lawn-based leisure pursuits are pretty much top of everyone’s list. Whether it be sun-bathing, a game of five-a-side, playing with the kids or even a spot of croquet, a luscious lawn spells fun for everyone – though mowing it is quite another story!

What with the ever increasing amount of bins needed for recycling, twice weekly collection and general household refuse, our gardens can end up looking more like a dumping ground – and that is before the excesses of Christmas wrapping paper, food and bottles. Luckily House Recycling is on hand offering these decorative screens. Sourced from sustainable timber, and priced from £50 for a one sided screen, these help keep all the clutter out of sight.

With the dark winter nights upon us, it’s worth ensuring that your home and garden are safe from unwanted intruders.

A good one for smaller back gardens or balconies, this New England Four Seater Patio Set from Argos comes in an elegant white painted finish, and is priced at just £499. Made with long-lunches in mind, the set includes four cushions for added comfort. And   Argos is offering to give one of these sets away to a lucky Really Useful reader. To find out how to enter the draw, just log onto homesandbargains.co.uk ,  click on Bargains  by Email and sign up for the free weekly newsletter before 16 May 2007.

The approach of Compost Awareness Week (6-12th May 2007) has served as a timely reminder that standard household rubbish such as vegetable peelings, garden and plant cuttings, egg shells and pet hair can all be used to the benefit of your garden. Worried about the smell?

Turfandstuff.com provides turf, slate, chippings, top soil and more – and you can order your Nordmann Fir trees here at Christmas

It takes a bit of searching to find the best bargains sometimes, but time invested is money saved when you stumble across discounts like this. Whilst other companies are taking advantage of the high demand for outdoor furniture around this time of year, Crocus is offering a massive 50 per cent off while stocks last. And this is quality furniture that we’re talking about. This four seater Worcester set is made from premium TFT approved yellow balau hardwood, folds up easily for storage and arrives fully assembled. It was £699.99 but is now only £349.99 – now that’s a bargain.

If you grass looks less than inviting following  last winter, it’s worth knowing that Homebase can now deliver turf direct to your home. The first national retailer to carry out this service, customers can order in store or over the phone. Turf is delivered every Friday and is available all year round in half pallet (40 rolls; 40 square metres) and full pallet (80 rolls; 80 square metres) options, with prices starting from £118.99. A satisfying job for the weekend. Call 0845 077 8888 for your nearest stockiest.

A fun and surprisingly handy website, Yahoo! Answers provides an interactive platform to indulge in one of man’s best virtues; curiosity.

With helpful categories such as the home and garden, health and computers to the more adventurous and opinionated such as politics, social sciences and parenting, Yahoo!

An impromptu lunch can be more than a hastily put together sandwich with the Galzone BBQ Grill Set from Hometemptations.com. Taking the form of a small bucket with little feet to keep it stable, this sits discretely on the table and is the perfect tool for plate-side grilling. Or why not make use of the BBQ’s handle and take it on a picnic?  Great value at just £15 – this is an all round star buy for summer.

Give your barbecue the edge this summer with these fragrant outdoor firelighters from coxandcox.co.uk. Beating your average innocuous lighter by a stretch, these come in little pots – each filled with bay leaves, thyme, rosemary and chilli ,  to give a rich, aromatic smoke, and your food a fabulous flavour. Just light the wick and your barbecue will be ablaze in minutes. They’re only £10 for a set of twelve, and it’s well worth browsing the rest of this site – a melting pot of clever and tempting products.

If you grass looks less than inviting following winter’s worst, it’s worth knowing that Homebase can now deliver turf direct to your home. The first national retailer to carry out this service, customers can order in store or over the phone. Turf is delivered every Friday and is available all year round in half pallet (40 rolls; 40 square metres) and full pallet (80 rolls; 80 square metres) options, with prices starting from £118.99. A satisfying project for Bank Holiday weekend. Call 0845 077 8888 for your nearest stockist.

The kind of social business initiative we should all sit up and take notice of, Hammersmith & Fulham Mind has just launched Look Interiors (interior decorating), Time To Green (gardening and landscaping) and Sweep Kleen (carpet cleaning). A professional trio of services operating across London, these all plough any profits made back into assisting those with mental health problems. It will also provide training and work opportunities for people recovering from mental health issues, allowing them to gain skills, on-the-job experience and financial remuneration.

Some of us have magnificent views from our homes; others are not so lucky. But for those looking onto a brick wall – Insideout Garden Art provides a creative solution with an arresting collection of weather-resistant works of art that hang outside. From flowers and foliage to modern and contemporary, you can even use your own photographs or drawings. The perfect lift for less exciting parts of your exterior; or use the images for high moisture areas such as swimming pools and wet rooms. Prices start from £50.

Work all day? Young kids?

No garden or balcony? Sick of staring out at buildings?

Most garden furniture covers are pretty unsightly, but before you break your back lugging that expensive barbecue or marble topped table in and out of the potting shed, check out these chic camouflage covers from The Camouflage Company.com. Designed to blend in with the surrounding grass and foliage of your garden, these offer a discrete and easy way to protect heavy garden furniture or equipment when it rains. Prices start at £12.50 for a parasol cover, with this Chimenea cover priced at £16.25 (exc. VAT).

A garden makeover doesn’t have to cost the earth, and, as with home improvements, a little can go a long way. A cost, time and effort effective way of updating the look of your garden, Border Stone offers a wide range of different stones including pebbles, cobbles, chippings, slate and more. Whilst edging stones can offer an excellent way to give borders, lawns or paths definition, larger rockery stones are a great way to build water features. At the same time, smaller polished pebbles or slate provide a low maintenance way to keep large areas or pathways looking neat.

When the sun does finally decide to show its face this summer, I for one, will be celebrating with a long picnic – and I wont’ be forgetting my favourite picnic accessory, the Steady Stick from Gilbert’s Food Equipment. Helping protect bottles, cans and glasses from the inevitable spillage, the Steady Stick will hold your drink above the grass, ensuring that your expensive Champagne or Chardonnay does not get spilt. Available in packs of two (approx £8.95).

There’s a whole host of attractive furniture, gifts and accessories at Gardeniron.co.uk – all created for the greater aesthetic good of your garden. Whilst you can find a tempting selection of stone decoration and more modern mesh furniture, its speciality lies in the collection of iron products – chairs, tables, planters and more ornamental pieces such as this Wall Deco Vase in rusty iron (£15) – which all bring a touch of the rustic and rural to even the most urban of gardens.

Fancy a cheeky mojito?

One of the major advantages of summer months is being able to dry your clothes outside, but washing lines can often take up more space than you’d like. An ideal alternative for the smaller outdoor space, this WallFix laundry dryer from Brabantia fixes unobtrusively to your outside wall. Whilst a simple one-handed pull extends the dryer to a substantial 2.5 metres; when the guests come round, you can tuck it all away discretely. Buy the WallFix (£74) by calling Brabantia on 0870 240 7641.

Premium grade teak garden furniture doesn’t have to set you back a fortune – particularly when you’re privy to Kings Hall Furniture.com. It offers a wide range of premium teak garden furniture, sold direct to the public at up to 30 per cent less than equivalent high street prices. Vastly superior to other hard woods, teak is hard-wearing and durable, standing up well to all sorts of weather conditions.

An ingenious new fencing system that is secure, good looking and low maintenance, Colourfence offers a practical alternative to traditional wood fencing - and it’s environmentally friendly too.

Made from steel and with a tough painted finish, Colourfence lasts many times longer than wood and, unlike wooden chemically treated fencing, is completely recyclable. It won’t warp, corrode or fade and can stand up in winds of up to 130 miles per hour.

When homeware haven Cargo hosts a summer sale, you know you’re in clover. As part of the seasonal promotion it is offering up to 50 per cent off across a selection of bedroom and garden furniture, kitchen pieces and leather upholstery. Henley Kitchen Trolleys down from £99.99 to £79.99; Tiverton double beds reduced from £599 to £499 and garden furniture such as this Rimini Extending Table (250 x 85cm), which is slashed in price from £349.99 to £249.99. There are also some great multi-buy offers in store.

When it comes to your balcony or terrace, hardwood decking is always a popular choice – but can be costly in both time and money to have installed. Happily there’s a high quality easy fit alternative in the form of Eco Decking Tiles™.

This innovative new DIY modular decking system simply clicks together, instantly transforming any existing hard surface into a gorgeous hardwood deck - no fixings, no mess, no hassle. 

A one off opportunity – Drummonds is selling off a cast iron and glass conservatory, the last ever to be made by the company, at a heavily discounted rate.

Most gardeners know the value of conserving water, but not every gardener wants an unsightly plastic water butt in the midst of their pride and joy. But Hellenic Garden has the perfect solution: wooden water butts crafted from oak or beech barrels by artisan coopers in rural Greece.

The kind of social business initiative we should all sit up and take notice of, Hammersmith & Fulham Mind has just launched Look Interiors (interior decorating), Time To Green (gardening and landscaping) and Sweep Kleen (carpet cleaning). A professional trio of services operating across London, these all plough any profits made back into assisting those with mental health problems. It will also provide training and work opportunities for people recovering from mental health issues, allowing them to gain skills, on-the-job experience and financial renumeration.

Some of us have magnificent views from our homes; others are not so lucky. But for those looking onto a brick wall – Insideout Garden Art provides a creative solution with an arresting collection of weather-resistant works of art that hang outside. From flowers and foliage to modern and contemporary, you can even use your own photographs or drawings. The perfect lift for less exciting parts of your exterior; or use the images for high moisture areas such as swimming pools and wet rooms. Prices start from £50.

The long-awaited Daily Telegraph/House & Garden Fair (27th – 30th June) starts today at the Olympia Exhibition Centre (tube: Kensington Olympia) offering a showcase of the UK’s finest contemporary interior and garden designs. There’s masses to see but it’s well worth keeping an eye out for Amy Kent and her bespoke hand-knotted rugs.

If you’re going away this summer and are worried about leaving your plants, it is well worth investing in a Wet Pot from Wet Pot Systems. Since its launch last year, this has taken off across Britain with folk as far afield as LA hailing it the latest homeware hit of today.

Whilst your average parasol is often difficult to assemble, and provides limited shelter from the sun (or rain!) round the lunch table, an Appeal awning can be extended or retracted via remote control in a matter of seconds, and will offer ample protection from all the elements. Better yet, when you’re not at home, the awnings are fitted with sensors, which allow them to extend automatically when it’s sunny and retract in high wind conditions – assurance that your awning is safe – even when you’re not at home.

It may seem like a daunting task getting your garden ready for summer and the customary array of BBQs and family get-togethers but don’t panic, Black & Decker® is here to help.

Most little girls dream of having their own pony but, if you live in London, or just can’t spare the time or money part and parcel of owning one, this Lucus Garden seat is a respectable second best. Hand-crafted from a recycled tyre and fashioned in the shape of a horse, this comes complete with flowing mane and can be used in or outdoors. Each swing comes with a rope and full fitting instructions, and is priced at £69.99 from Lucas Garden.

The latest and the finest of the UK’s contemporary interior and garden designs will be on show at this year’s Daily Telegraph/ House & Garden Fair at London’s Olympia. From the bazaar to the bedroom, lighting to lifestyle, fitness to furniture and more, this is an excellent source for ideas and inspiration, and a fun day out.  And, as a special offer to readers, Really Useful Blog readers can buy a special advanced rate ticket for £13, with a second ticket then available for just £7.

Just in time for the better weather, fair trade and environmental paragon Fairwind has launched its new range of garden gifts. Decorative glass ornaments (from £3) and wind chimes (£7) to hang from your trees plus glass and nickel shimmering tea light holders (£18) offer an inspiring and affordable source for presents this summer, whilst pieces such as this Bee Nester (£12) offer shelter and the perfect nesting environment for our dwindling bee population.

 Just when I thought I’d long grown out of bean-bags, I find these tasteful bean bag chairs from Ambient Lounge. Beating the slouchy, dumpy bean bags remembered from my teenage years, and a great way to save space, these bean bag “conversion loungers” can transform from chic, tailored chair to full body lounger in a matter of seconds. Better yet, as well as being available in a choice of premium weave fabrics, they also come in a choice of weatherproof styles – making these an ideal buy for this summer. From £99.

With the Chelsea Flower Show just over and the gardening season in full swing, those frustrated by a lack of green fingers might benefit from a perusal of The Cheap Lazy Gardener. A lighthearted book aimed at non-gardeners and bad gardeners, this is filled with new ideas and short cuts plus a wealth of information on recycling, plant placement, water features, tough plants for drought and much more. There are 50 free copies (£9.99 each) for the first 50 readers that call 0845 371 1193 mentioning this offer and, for those not quick enough off the mark, there’s a special price of £8.99.

 Digging, weeding, mowing and pruning - but taking care of your garden doesn’t have to be all about the hard slog. Well, not when these unusual Aerator Sandals form part of your shoe collection anyway.

 Whilst they may not be the most elegant of footwear, they do provide an easy way to aerate and revive your lawn; just attach the sandals to any mid to large size shoe, and simply stroll around the garden.

The British climate can be unpredictable at the best of times and, whilst we might grumble about another rainy weekend, it’s your seedlings and small plants that really suffer. But these Baby Victorian Bell Cloches can offer the perfect protection.

Made from high grade UV stabilized plastic, and with an adjustable air vent on top, these help capture the maximum amount of sunlight whilst directing rainwater and moisture into the surrounding soil. Each pack of three bells (£11.95) comes with a 12 ground pegs to anchor them securely to the ground.