New items added today at John Lewis

Samsonite X Blade Soft Wheeled Travel Bag £109.00
Lightweight, durable and packed with essential features. The new X’Blade boasts a superior slender design in hard-wearing polyester and multi-tasking storage inside Reinforcement in most vulnerable areas. Expandability. Smart organisation. TSA lock. Dimensions: 65x40x24cm Weight: 5.48 kg

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If you have lawn damage caise by dry weather then what is the solution?


Leave it alone apart from perhaps water it! In hot dry weather grass can appear very yellowed and scorched. It normally recovers well as soon as it’s started to rain again. If after a month of rainy weather it’s not recovered them it might well have died – but it does take extremes to do this – months of no rain.


If you want to help your lawn avoid being damaged then there are some hints you can use;


Don’t lay turf in hot dry drought weather.

Don’t lay turf during a hosepipe ban.

Don’t expect grass to look green during a drought.

After a prolonged period of dry weather the grass will stop growing.

Cut with the grass box off so the grass clippings can be used by the lawn as it’s own mulch.

Stop cutting the lawn in very hot weather.

Give it a water if you really must – but watering by hand is tedious and time consuming.

All the plants you’re pulling up at the moment because they’ve finished flowering can go in the compost bin! The only things that shouldn’t are nasty weeds like dandelions that will carry on flowering and leave their seeds in the compost, or their nasty thick tap roots which won’t rot down.

Put leaves into leaf sacks though as they take longer to rot down. You can get wire baskets for these but a bag is just as good and can be stacked neatly away in a corner out of site. Leaves take at least 3 years to break down – but when they do it’s a lovely fine compost.

Your normal compost bin can have all the kitchen peelings too – don’t put cooked meats in though or bones.

Ideally you’ll have a couple of compost bins so you can leave them to rot down and start filling another. If you don’t have room then you might have to empty out and turn the compost and put the unrotted stuff back in.

Empty the compost bin in January when you’re digging runner bean beds and it doesn’t matter whether it’s all rotted down or not!

Have whatever style you like of compost bin – wooden or plastic. Entirely up to you. Put it in a shady corner of the garden! No point wasting a sunny spot with it – besides which if it gets too hot in the sun it’ll all dry out and not rot down as well.

Use a container for kitchen waste so you don’t have to pop down each time you peel some veg. Throw in coffee grounds and tea bags. Some people think the paper doesn’t break down quickly enough but they can always be picked out at the end if you spread compost on your beds.

Compost bins at Dobies

Earthmaker Compost Bin £144.95
A unique three chamber compost bin which uses gravity rather than hard labour to produce a great compost, allowing a continuous input of kitchen and garden waste in the top and providing a continuous source of compost from the bottom. Just slide out the removable floor of the top chamber every month or so and the contents tumble into the middle chamber, becoming mixed and aerated in the process, before maturing in the bottom chamber. It’s compact, odour-free, has a push-on door at the front and comes with an integrally stored ‘push-pull’ tool. Ideal for all ages and levels of mobility. Can digest 1000-1500kg of waste per year, and provide 20-30 litres of compost every month! Diameter 78cm (31″), height 113cm (3’8″); opening size 41cm (16″) wide, 32cm (13″) high.

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Cheap sheds and tool stores at Focus DIY! Keeping your garden tidy means you need tools and a lawnmower – where do you put them? You can’t keep a lawnmower in the house, and keeping gardne tools inside is messy and dangerous – so a garden shed is essential. Buying a new tool store can also mean you empty out your garage or cupboards and give your garden a smart new building!
A new shed needn’t cost a fortune either. This selection starts at under £100 and offers great value for keeping your tools tidy and safe.

Midi Compact Shed £74.99
Outdoor storage cupboard ideal for tools, garden accessories, etc. Designed for easy assembly. Maintenance free and UV-resistant. Guarantee: limited 2 year warranty Doouble door, with padlock hasp (lock not included) Internal shelf Doors incorporate internal pegboards for hanging small tools Floor panel, to keep rain and pests out

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Blooming Direct has a huge selection of lavender plants available. Lavender is a highly scented plant that looks fantastic in the summer with lots of beautiful blue or purple flowers. It’s a lovely plant to have at the borders of your garden or next to paths where you’ll get the smell of lavender from just brushing past.
It needs light pruning to keep it in shape. You can cut and dry the flowers and either use them in dried flower decorations or collect the flower heads and use in pot-pourri and lavender bags. Throw a few flower heads into your bath to release the essential oils and give your bath a relaxing touch!
Lavender is a lovely cottage garden plant that the bees love too!

4 Mixed Lavender x 20 Plants £19.95
The connoisseur’s lavender collection! This great value pack of 20 young lavender plants includes 5 each of English Hidcote, French Kew Red, Munstead and Rosea. Plant together to make a stunning lavender display or spread the beautiful scent around the garden! We offer FREE delivery on all orders!

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Garden Buildings Direct have a range of more expensive sheds for your garden. These are the poshest sheds available and they’re called log cabins! They are really excellent for using as an extra room. They are stunningly good to look at and offer you a whole new way of using your garden! The massive village hall log cabin has an internal area of 19.34msq (44mm) and 18.89msq (70mm) – this is big enough for the home office, gym, workshop or even playroom you’ve always needed!
It’ll free up space inside your house and enable you to enjoy being outside so much more. Be right out in the garden – think of the fun you can have with it as a craft workshop for painting or pottery! You’ll be the envy of the neighbours!

Log Cabin BillyOh Village Hall 44mm Double Glazed 5.5m x 4m £3399.75
The Billyoh Village Hall Log Cabin 5.5m x 4m Log cabin comes in 44mm and 70mm cladding. There are also options for veranda and double glazing for this Log Cabin . Constructed from solid 44mm timbers, with a 70mm option, this elegant, well-ventilated Log Cabin is a fantastic addition to any garden. This Log Cabin is distinguished by a verandah, and a striking gable feature above the generous double doors, making it an attractive, versatile addition to your garden.

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Garden Buildings Direct have a huge collection of sheds for your garden. Here’s their cheapest selection. If you’ve got a garden you’re bound to have stuff that needs putting away – whether it’s the barbeque and summer furniture, the kids toys, or the lawnmower. A garden shed is a god-send to those who have a garden and you’ll find it so useful that you’ll wish you’d got one sooner.
When you’re on a budget you need to get the cheapest price shed possible.

Wooden Shed Billyoh Traditional Economy Apex 5′ x 3′ £129.95
The BillyOh Traditional Economy Apex comes complete with a styrene glazed fixed side window that allow a generous amount of light that is needed for any storage shed. A single door to aid in the self assembly process and allow access to the building. Full fixing kit including felt and instructions are included.

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Reduced price on products today at Focus DIY

Flymo – Electric Hover Mower was £36.99 now £33.29
This unique design makes Flymo hover mowers light and easy to use. They float on a cushion of air. Ideal for frequently mowing smaller lawns and difficult areas Ideal for small sized lawns 28cm cutting width 2 different cutting heights 1000w power Lightweight for easy carrying Cuts in any direction for quicker mowing Folds flat for easy storage

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Garden Centre Online has cut the price of these products

Campanula – Canterbury Bells Cup & Saucer Mixed was £1.79 now £1.49
Campanula Medium Flowers the year after sowing. Cup and saucer shaped blooms for borders and cutting. Cottage garden favourite for early colour. 30in/75cm 650 seeds S: April-July F: May-July

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Garden Centre Online just added these new products

Californian Poppy Monarch Art Shades £1.99
Eschscholzia californica Easy and quick to grow, bright, cheerful, mainly double and semi-double blooms. 12in/30cm 500 seeds S: March – May and August – October (O) F: June – October

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