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The Potted Blog
Notes from Robin on growing in small flats — opinions, mistakes, and what's actually worked.
- Seasonal
Hosepipe Bans 2026: What They Mean for Your Pots
Nine UK water companies have hosepipe bans in force this summer, covering most of southern and eastern England, London and the Thames Valley. What that actually means if you're growing in pots, what you can and can't do, and the workarounds that keep everything alive.
LIGHT 3 of 3SPACE All spacesDIFFICULTY easy✓ TESTEDREAD 9 min - Wildlife
How to Help Garden Birds in a Heatwave: Water First
The RSPB changed its bird-feeding advice this year, and it matters more in a heatwave than most people realise. What to put out, what to stop putting out until autumn, and why water is far more urgent than food right now.
LIGHT 2 of 3SPACE Balcony, windowsill or gardenDIFFICULTY easy✓ TESTEDREAD 9 min - Plant Problems
Why Trees Are Dying in This Heatwave (and Why Your Patio Tree Is at Real Risk)
Even mature trees are struggling in this heat. What that means for the tree you actually have — the patio fruit tree, the standard bay, the olive on the balcony, the young ornamental in the small garden — and what to do about it this week.
LIGHT 3 of 3SPACE OutdoorDIFFICULTY easy✓ TESTEDREAD 9 min - Seasonal
Small-Space Plants to Cut Back Now, or Lose Next Year's Flowers
Mid-July is the last honest window for cutting back a handful of pot-friendly shrubs and perennials. Miss it, and you'll be cutting off next spring's flowers. The plants worth checking, and how to do it properly.
LIGHT 3 of 3SPACE OutdoorDIFFICULTY easy✓ TESTEDREAD 9 min - Seasonal
What to Plant in Pots in July
It isn't too late. What to sow and plant in containers this month — fast salads, a last window for carrots and dwarf beans, autumn brassicas to start now, and the flowers you sow in July for next spring.
LIGHT 3 of 3SPACE Outdoor · containersDIFFICULTY easy✓ TESTEDREAD 9 min - Houseplants
Keeping Houseplants Alive When Your Home Hits 30 Degrees
Indoor heat is a different problem to outdoor heat — no breeze, no rain, and a window that can magnify the sun like a greenhouse. How to keep houseplants alive when a room is genuinely over 30 degrees.
LIGHT 3 of 3SPACE IndoorDIFFICULTY easy✓ TESTEDREAD 9 min - Seasonal
Do I Need to Water My Lawn in Summer?
Short answer: no. Why a brown lawn in a heatwave is dormant, not dying, what watering it actually does wrong, the one thing to do instead, and how to tell dormancy apart from disease.
LIGHT 3 of 3SPACE Outdoor · lawnDIFFICULTY easy✓ TESTEDREAD 8 min - Plant Problems
Why Is My Hydrangea Pink? (And Can I Turn It Blue?)
Hydrangea colour isn't the variety — it's your soil. Why pink hydrangeas mean alkaline soil, the science of aluminium and pH behind blue flowers, and how to actually shift the colour if you want to.
LIGHT 2 of 3SPACE Border or large potDIFFICULTY easy✓ TESTEDREAD 9 min - Seasonal
Should I Cut Back My Roses in Midsummer?
The short answer: mostly deadhead, don't hard-prune. What to actually do with hybrid teas, climbers and once-flowering roses in midsummer, the correct technique, and the mistake that costs you your next flush of blooms.
LIGHT 3 of 3SPACE Outdoor · border or large containerDIFFICULTY easy✓ TESTEDREAD 9 min - Seasonal
How to Water Your Plants in a Heatwave
Watering in a heatwave done properly: when to water, how deep, why pots may need it twice a day, and the midday wilt that fools everyone. Plus what to prioritise when you can't save everything.
LIGHT 3 of 3SPACE All spacesDIFFICULTY easy✓ TESTEDREAD 7 min - Edible
Why Your Windowsill Basil Keeps Dying
Supermarket basil is built to die — it's two dozen seedlings crammed in one pot. Here's how to keep windowsill basil alive: light, water, warmth, pinching, and the rescue trick that turns a two-week plant into months of leaves.
LIGHT 3 of 3SPACE WindowsillDIFFICULTY easy✓ TESTEDREAD 8 min
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