Horticultural aide memoire
No.43: Spike the lawn
The lawn is typically damp and squashy now, ideal for spiking. Take a garden fork and push its tines vertically into the ground by standing on it, then work it back and forth a little. Withdraw it, step back 4in and repeat the exercise. Keep doing this until the whole lawn is covered in a regular pattern of holes. This is one of the most beneficial lawn improvements: the lawn will drain more freely in the winter, and the process punches through the dense mat of thatch at the base of the grass leaves, improving root growth.
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The trench coat is a British fashion icon that’s been worn by everyone from brave World War soldiers to Sex and the City’s Samantha JonesThe trench coat did not originate in the trenches, says Amie Elizabeth White, but it was greatly influenced by the World Wars, and was sported by a host of film and TV stars.
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1,000 issues and counting: Editor-in-chief Mark Hedges on the Country Life PodcastMark Hedges has been editor of Country Life for 1,000 issues — and not far short of 20 years.
