Cheshire Independent Issue 197

FEBRUARY 2025 16 Independent HOMES & GARDEN GARDENING is well known to be good for body and soul – it keeps you physically active and is a natural mood booster – and sometimes it’s the simple things that bring a smile to the face. Watching bumblebees in early spring, digging up potatoes – one of life’s great adventures – or catching the scent of sweet peas on a sum- mer’s afternoon can make your garden or outside space into a place of natural contem- plation and joy. Research carried out at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2022 identified the top three plants in the UK that are most likely to put a smile on your face Start the new year with a smile MANY of the jobs are preparing the garden and plants for the growing season to come. Here are top tips for themonth fromthe RHS: • Prune apple andpear trees • Clean pots, greenhouses and cold frames ready for spring • Keep an eye onwatering house plants • Plant now to boost the winter fragrances in your garden • Keep an eye on figs and olives - guard against frost by fleecing in frost • Plan your vegetable crop rotations for the coming growing season • Keepputting out food and water for birds • Summer bulbs, seed potatoes and onion sets are available to buymid-month • Prune soft fruit bushes such as currants and gooseberries, plus autumn raspberries JOBSTODO THISMONTH – Lily of the Valley, Sweet Pea and Jasmine – so they might make good additions to your garden or containers this year. Lily of the Valley is a great choice for shady area ground cover, but can be toxic to pets so be careful where you plant it. A good alternative at this time of year could be the ten- derly fragrant snowdrop. Galanthus ‘Atkinsii’ is one of the earliest flowering snowdrops. Honey scented and loved by pollinators, this snowdrop flowers in January and February and is a vigor- ous grower with distinctive long and slender outer petals. Each inner petal has a green, heart-shaped mark at its tip. Planting snowdrops in the green is the most success- ful planting method. Simply lift snowdrop plants just after flowering and before the foliage has turned yellow, and replant elsewhere. You can buy snowdrops in the green from garden centres or online. They like well-drained soil in light shade – but if you have heavy soil then add a little grit to the planting hole. Once snowdrops are established there’s no maintenance required – just let foliage die back naturally to ensure the nutrients from the leaves are returned to the bulbs and divide established clumps every few years. Another fragrant plant that also provides great ground cover and is robust enough for UK winters is thyme. A compact evergreen shrub with small aromatic leaves thyme is easy to grow in a warm, sunny spot, in free-draining soil or in con- tainers. It’s also drought tolerant and needs little main- tenance once established. Known widely as a culinary herb, thyme has been used in complementary and alterna- tive medicine for centuries. A thyme herbal tea infusion can help soothe sore throats and relieve coughs thanks to its anti-inflammatory and anti- bacterial properties. THE new year sparks a new beginning, and the vision of a well-organised and clutter-free home is high on the list of priori- ties for many. In collaboration with The Declutter Hub, housebuilder Barratt Homes has compiled a list of top tips to help people put their best foot forward. Ingrid Jansen and Lesley Spellman from The Declutter Hub have nearly 30 years’ experience helping to moti- vate and support people over- whelmed with clutter. Here’s their five-point plan. TAKE IT EASY Clutter accumulates quickly and is far harder to get rid of, so residents shouldn’t expect it to disappear overnight. If things take longer than first thought, it’s okay. The trick is It’s time for a clear-up! emotional rooms like a kitchen, bathroom or linen cupboard can be beneficial. There may still be some tricky items that are harder to let go of, but normally these rooms are more straightforward. Once the decluttering muscle has started to flex, it’s easier to move onto more tricky cat- egories like books, paperwork and sentimental items. INCORPORATE DAILY RESETS Every day, sometimes sev- eral times a day, everyone will need to reset. A morn- ing reset and an evening reset are essential. The more they’re done, the less time they take. A reset is a combination of tidying and cleaning and includes a list of non-negotiables. Non-negotiables might be putting on one load of laun- dry a day, wiping down work surfaces, unloading the dish- washer, sweeping the floor. Everyone’s non-negotiables are different, but they need to be just that - not negotia- ble! Once resets become a habit, chores become part of daily life and not an addi- tional stress. Ingrid and Lesley say: “This is the perfect timeto think about decluttering, but don’t expect it to hap- pen overnight. “Planning and break- ing down jobs into realis- tic chunks means you’ll be motivated by progress as you go, and your goal of hav- ing a more organised home in 2025 will become much more achievable.” Declutter: Start the year as you mean to go on www.mollymaid.co.uk Trust the domestic cleaning experts at MOLLY MAID Call for your free in-home estimate now 01565 889900 • Our uniformed staff are thoroughly trained, fully insured and their work is guaranteed • Free in-home estimate • No contracts • Totally secure • All materials supplied • Regular or special cleans • More affordable than you may think That’s what tens of thousands of people around the world do... not to berate themselves and celebrate even the small vic- tories to help boost a positive mental attitude. SET GOALS The biggest mistake most make is jumping headlong into a project without a plan for the outcome. Taking time to vision the big picture whether the project is turning a dumping room into a home office, or sim- ply making space in a ward- robe is crucial. Keeping that vision firmly planted in their heads while carrying out the project is another great way to stay motivated. START SMALL, ONE CUPBOARD AT A TIME When tackling a project, homeowners need to think about their energy levels, how much time they have and what other tasks might come their way. They need to make sure to declutter when their energy is at its best. If they’re not a morning person, leave the decluttering to later in the day. Also, they need to break it down - one hour at a time works for many but there is no need to overdo it. BUILD UP DECLUTTERING MUSCLE Starting with easier, less