Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris)
The Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris) is a robust and vigorous climbing plant, ideal for adding autumn charm to your garden. It thrives in shaded areas and can withstand temperatures as low as -20°C without special care.

In June, its stunning cream-colored flowers bloom in flat corymbs about 20 cm wide. The plant's deep green, heart-shaped leaves turn a brilliant yellow in autumn, contrasting beautifully with its dark red branches.

Cultivation Tips for Climbing Hydrangea
This plant excels on walls, tree trunks, and trellises, forming a lush, ornamental curtain of foliage that can reach up to 10 meters in height. It also serves as an effective ground cover for large trees. Thanks to its aerial roots, which securely grip any surface, it doesn't require additional supports, making it an excellent alternative to ivy for quickly covering shaded walls.

Climbing Hydrangea can be grown in large pots on a terrace or directly in the garden. It prefers locations shielded from direct sunlight to prevent soil from drying out and leaves from getting damaged. This plant is resilient to both cold and intense heat and thrives in slightly acidic, well-drained soil.

During spring and summer, keep the substrate consistently moist with regular watering. In winter, reduce watering to prevent waterlogging. Regular pruning of spent flowers and spring fertilization with organic fertilizer, repeated in autumn, will promote prolonged blooming.

An interesting aspect of Climbing Hydrangea is its ease of propagation by cuttings. At the end of summer, take a 7 cm cutting from the lateral shoots, root it in a mixture of peat and sand, and then plant it in a new pot.

Eliminating mealybugs from Dipladenia is crucial, as these pests can ultimately kill the plant. The lush, glossy leaves of Dipladenia are a tempting meal for various insects, especially the voracious cochineal.

Cochineals are tiny insects, about a millimetre in size, covered with a waxy shield that varies in colour from brown to greyish or white, depending on the species. Due to their small size, they are hard to detect, but their presence becomes apparent through the damage they cause - brown spots on the leaves and overall plant withering. Cochineals typically settle along the veins or branches, where they sting the plant to suck its sap. This feeding process slows the plant's growth, weakens it, and can lead to its death.

The mealybugs' metabolism retains the necessary proteins from the sap and excretes the excess sugars as a dense substance called honeydew. This honeydew attracts ants and can foster the growth of fungi, creating additional threats to the plant.

Using Animal Repellents: A Practical Guide

When living with certain animals becomes problematic, using a repellent can be an effective solution. Whether it's a kitten scratching an expensive sofa or dealing with situations like pigeons, repellents can help.

Pigeon Repellent: How to Use It

Pigeons can cause significant damage to homes and pose health risks. Their guano is highly corrosive, damaging cornices and terraces, and can carry diseases. To keep pigeons away from balconies, you can use mechanical solutions such as physical barriers, acoustic deterrents, or scarecrows. Additionally, natural repellents emit odours that pigeons find unpleasant. These can be applied to windowsills, balconies, terraces, gutters, and attics. Since it's a natural product, it must be reapplied regularly, especially in rainy weather and during the first few weeks when there are many pigeons.

With so many vegetables to sow in the spring garden, it's easy to feel spoiled for choice. Today, we present 10 must-have varieties—some are beloved classics that shouldn't be missed, while others offer new tastes and introduce unusual plants to our garden.

It's important to note that planting times can vary—either earlier or later—depending on outdoor temperatures and the type of cultivation. We also need to consider where to store the seedlings once we have sown them. Those that are more cold-tolerant can be sown in the greenhouse, while those requiring warmer temperatures should be grown indoors.

This allows us to start sowing even a month earlier. Once the seedlings have sprouted and temperatures have risen, we can transplant them into the vegetable garden or a larger pot.

POISONOUS AND TOXIC PLANTS FOR DOGS AND CATS: HERE ARE WHICH ONES TO AVOID

We are used to using poisonous plants in our gardens for many different purposes: for hedges, we can use plants such as Laurel or Yew, which are dangerous for our pets because of their leaves...

With so many vegetables to sow in the spring garden, it's easy to feel spoiled for choice. Today, we present 10 must-have varieties—some are beloved classics that shouldn't be missed, while others offer new tastes and introduce unusual plants to our garden.

It's important to note that planting times can vary—either earlier or later—depending on outdoor temperatures and the type of cultivation. We also need to consider where to store the seedlings once we have sown them. Those that are more cold-tolerant can be sown in the greenhouse, while those requiring warmer temperatures should be grown indoors.

This allows us to start sowing even a month earlier. Once the seedlings have sprouted and temperatures have risen, we can transplant them into the vegetable garden or a larger pot.

Watering Houseplants: The First Rule—There Are No Rules!

Watering plants once a week might seem convenient, but it's not always effective. This one-size-fits-all approach can lead to plant stress caused by our cultivation mistakes rather than pests or diseases.

...

Heat-loving plants thrive in sunny spots and can withstand drought conditions. Here are some top choices for a vibrant summer garden, suitable for both garden beds and pots.

9 heat-loving plants for a long green summer

1) Dwarf Begonias: These plants are unfazed by heat. For abundant blooms, add a liquid fertilizer for flowering plants to the irrigation water every 10 days.

2) Bella di Notte (Mirabilis jalapa): From June to October, this plant produces many small, fragrant flowers. It prefers full sun and needs frequent watering, especially in summer.

If you have a sunny balcony or terrace, growing tomatoes in pots will bring you great satisfaction. The delightful scent of the plant and the taste of home-grown tomatoes are incomparable. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you get started.

While slugs may be a nuisance, there are numerous natural remedies available to combat them in a vegetable garden.

Ask any gardener what are the worst pests they come across in the garden and it’s pretty much guaranteed that slugs will be up there. Let's explore some remedies to deal with them..

Slugs prevention

Slugs and snails need a very moist and water-rich habitat. They use a mucus veil to move around, which allows them to move quickly only on moist soils. In fact, they are most present in the wet, rainy months and tend to come out at dusk to nibble on young seedlings in our vegetable gardens. On muggy summer days they hide in the soil waiting for the rain to return. Consider these preventative measures: