Author: James Anderson, FRSA, CMgr MCMI

When it comes to landscaping, simplicity equals good design and low maintenance. Low maintenance landscapes are designed so that every shrub, tree and flower-bed will all have definite functions.It is best not to over plant and to eliminate as many frills and flower beds as possible.Fewer, well placed gardens help reduce landscape maintenanceFewer, well placed gardens help reduce landscape maintenance. Arrange your plants in masses. Scattered plants need edging and weeding and can complicate mowing. Avoid planting grass where it is too shady, dry, wet or too steep to be safely mowed. Use ground cover or other plants in these…

A man has been arrested after several roads in Edinburgh were closed after a car crashed into scaffolding. Queen Street was closed between Frederick Street and Hanover Street in both directions after the crash at around 2.40pm on Friday.Hanover Street was also closed from Queen Street to its junction with George Street. It was reopened at approximately 4.15pm.Police said a section of footway on Hanover Street remains closed.There are no reported injuries, but traffic travelling west was temporarily diverted down Queen Street Gardens East.People were urged to avoid the area and a 33-year-old man has been arrested in connection with road…

The revolving door of being Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s publicist continues to spin with the confirmed departure of James Holt. The tally to have fallen by the wayside is now at twelve in the space of five years: a rapid turnover of just over two every 12 months.Only the likes of perennial manager sackers Watford Football Club can match that churn in staff (also 12) during the same period.  Mr Holt’s exit comes days after Meredith Maines announced she was leaving Team Sussex. Her tenure as Harry and Meghan’s PR guru is by no means the shortest, despite her lasting in…

There is no shortage of must-know tips for a perfect tile installation, but carefully considering your tile layout is probably the most important. Some folks may opt for a traditional side-by-side layout, especially for square tiles, while others prefer to offset their tiles. Many experts adhere to a one-third rule, especially when working with long, rectangular, and large format tiles. The one-third rule refers to a staggering technique; instead of off-setting each row of tile by one half, you should set them off by one third of the tile beside it.Overlooking the small variations between tiles is one of the mistakes many…

The Channel 4 show is now entering its 26th series, with previous episodes seeing everything from giant curved glass homes to mansions built out of clay and former water towers. Now, more keen builders are ready to take on the task, not for the faint-hearted, as Kevin travels around the UK to see the new builds in Grand Designs. TOMORROW: Fancy skipping the time-consuming, tortuous and messy processes of normal building, and having a near-finished house delivered straight to your plot?Surely nothing could go wrong? #GrandDesigns pic.twitter.com/jrDwv5RJVP — granddesigns (@granddesigns) October 7, 2025 Last week, artist Sarah kicked off the series with a radical super-sustainable…

A zoo has been carrying out its annual animal census to update its records and count the more than 800 mammals, birds, reptiles, insects and fish at the site.Drusillas Park, near Alfriston in East Sussex, says the annual stock is one of the largest tasks of the year with the census being carried out to meet licensing requirements.The zoo welcomed 22 new animals in 2025, including 17 “zoo borns” and a family of five Colombian black spider monkeys from Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire.Head keeper Gemma Romanis said: “Looking after the animals every day means we always know how many of…

Marks Electrical chief financial officer Josh Egan is stepping down from the company after more than four years. Egan is set to take up a new role at Roadchef following a “smooth transition” and supporting the business through its preliminary results in June. The specialist retailer said it has begun the recruitment process to appoint Egan’s successor and will update in due course. Marks Electrical chief executive Mark Smithson said: “Josh has made a great contribution to the transformation of Marks Electrical, bringing professionalism and rigour to the finance function and through wider support across the business. “Our financial controls,…

Improved facilities feature as part of proposals to create a quality multi-use concourse space that could see a roof return to Lowestoft station for the first time in more than 30 years. The images show how the town’s railway station could look with a reinstated concourse roof enabling better facilities for rail passengers and creating of what is hoped will be a tourist attraction. A view from the platforms of what the proposed station roof could look like at Lowestoft. Image: Wherry Lines CRP/Lowestoft Central Project (Image: Wherry Lines CRP) The Lowestoft Central Project and Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership…

As UK homes head into the colder, damper months, bathrooms quietly become one of the biggest mould danger zones. With windows staying shut and humidity levels rising, black mould around bath sealant is set to surge, and experts warn most people are tackling it the wrong way.Guy Chapman, Silicone Seal Specialist at United Silicones, says the root cause of recurring black mould is microscopic water penetration behind the sealant, and a £1 item can fix it. “Standard bathroom sealant looks solid, but over time it shrinks, stiffens and pulls away from the bath edge by fractions of a millimetre,” he said.“Moisture…

The story of a woman who dismantled her home and began to rebuild it 100 miles (160km) away is to be turned into a movie.May Savidge was in her late 50s in 1969 when she moved her 15th Century house brick-by-brick and beam-by-beam from Ware in Hertfordshire to Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk.Her amazing story was told by the BBC’s Nationwide programme in 1975, when she was 64.Fifty years on, a film company has bought the rights to tell the tale in cinemas. Read more here: Click Here