Homes

Coloured popcorn sprinkled over or around plain icing on a child’s birthday cake looks pretty and doesn’t cost much.

Add a few drops of perfume to the water in the steam section of your iron whenever you are pressing clothes.

Australian horticulturist Phillip Johnson has claimed best in show at this year's Chelsea Flower Show with his ecologically sustainable Australian style billabong garden build in the heart of London.

Summer dining should be informal, friendly and relaxed – and where possible, done outdoors. While hosting a party is a fun experience, planning in advance means the night will be less stressful and an enjoyable evening for both you and your guests. The menu Keep it simple A great menu doesn’t need to be finicky. […]

Feeling overwhelmed by how fast Christmas is approaching? If you’re losing track of time and need help organising your thoughts, this Christmas Countdown timetable might just be the answer. Download this chart, print it out and place it on the fridge or in your handbag. It’s the ultimate Christmas checklist for every busy woman. Download […]

Crab apple trees are hardier than a cherry tree and the blossom lasts longer in our harsher climate, too.

Not long ago, a 'good' backyard vegie garden had neat rows of cabbages and lots of tomatoes. There'd be carrots and green leafed silver beet and cucumbers, and green beans. Vegie gardens are changing.

Daylilies are so named because each flower only lasts for such a short time — sometimes truly only a day, sometimes for a few days.

I think I had been writing gardening columns for about five years before a kindly subeditor pointed out that I couldn’t spell ‘fuchsia’. But grow them? Yes — any brown-fingered novice gardener can grow fuchsias. But exactly how? Fuchsia’s spelling comes from being named in honour of a German botanist called Herr Fuchs by a […]

The days are short, my toes are cold and all too many gardens are winter bare just now.