These damp, still days of late autumn, when the lawn is soft and green, are ideal for topdressing, a way of investing in its health after a year of trampling. Spike the lawn all over, then shovel a mixture of sand and shredded compost thinly and evenly over the whole surface. Using the back of a rake, the flat tines of a fork and a broom, work this mixture gradually into the holes and the base of the grass blades. Rain and earthworms, the true measure of a healthy lawn, will do the rest. It's very good exercise, too.
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A Buckinghamshire mansion built for the speech therapist who set Churchill on his path to greatnessPenny Churchill takes a look at Rignalls, a classic Arts-and-Crafts home that looks like it's stepped out of the pages of an EM Forster novel.
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Curious Questions: Why do golf balls have dimples? And why are tennis balls furry?As the weather picks up, millions of us start thinking about dusting off our golf clubs and tennis rackets. And as he did so, Martin Fone got thinking: why aren't the balls we use for tennis and golf perfectly smooth?
