Last year's was an unusual apple harvest, with some trees producing nothing at all and others a bumper crop ripe three weeks early. The latter situation called for a period of neighbourly largesse followed by the careful business of storage, with the apples individually spaced on slatted timber shelves in the silent sanctum of a dark and frost-free shed. Remember to go and look over the little dears periodically, not only to bring them in for eating (above) as they ripen (each cultivar has its season), but also to remove any that rot before the pestilence spreads to the rest.
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‘Its loss became a cautionary tale, and a rallying cry for architectural conservation’: The rise and fall and renewed interest in Ireland’s remarkable country housesLesley Bond traces a brief history of Ireland’s country houses and questions whether you can ever separate the house from the history it represents.
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Alan Titchmarsh: 'I am so weary of seeing Lutyens-style benches and chairs absolutely everywhere'A strategically placed chair doubles as a focal point and a spot to rest — but we need to move on from Lutyens-style ones says our regular garden columnist.
