AN expert gardener has revealed how even complete beginners can create their dream outdoor space by following three simple steps.
Cillian McDonald, based in Dublin’s family-run Windyridge Nurseries, said more people are keen to try their hand at planting in the height of summer.
The landscape gardener shared insider tips on how to get the green thumb if you’re a newcomer to the hobby, if you’re on a tight budget, or if you only have a small outdoor space.
Cillian told The Irish Sun: “I think the biggest mistake people make is they don’t understand their space, so if you just know I get lots of sun in that spot, I get lots of shade in that spot, it’s that simple.
“But the problem is people arrive and they just grab colours they like, oh I like that, I like that, I like that.
“So then there’s different areas, some things will only survive in a shady spot, some things love sun, if you know your space or even show someone on Google Maps, they’ll be able to say, ‘okay this is what you’re dealing with, this is your aspect’, and even again some people mix up their aspect and they think they’ve got a south facing garden but it’s small and it’s walled in, so you’re south facing but not full sun.
“Just understanding your space is the biggest thing.”
Cillian advised those first taking up gardening to ask for advice in a local garden centre before buying.
He explained: “For complete beginners, come to a garden centre, say this is what I’ve got, this is what I like, that’s the easiest way.
“The most important thing is to know what your plants do and don’t like, it’s like asking a fish to go in a dog bed, it’s not going to work.
“If you put a shade loving plant in a sunny spot, it’s dead.
“A lot of people consider watering plants as far as the can goes, you need to drown plants, all plants.”
And he said the top three tips are “feed, water, and deadhead”.
Cillian said: “If you do those three things, you’re away.
“Cut all flowers to encourage new growth, water well, not just a little bit, you need to water deeply, especially in pots.
“People have this idea, it’s getting loads of water from the rain, the leaf will block off 90 per cent of the water coming in there.
“Water, feed, deadhead, if it’s feeding, it’s once every two weeks in the growing season, but you don’t need to feed once it’s below 12 degrees.
“Knowing your plants is the biggest one and knowing your compost, a lot of people just think throwing a load of multi purpose in, and a shrub doesn’t like multi purpose, it’s a vast area, but a lot people just say loads of bags of multi purpose, and it’s actually not fit for purpose.
“Different soils do different things, it’s a vast vast area.”
Cillian advised any new gardeners not to overreach by buying more plants than they can look after.
He said: “So any beginner, don’t take too much on. You want to go slowly and steadily.”
And he said there’s a common misconception that gardening is an expensive hobby.
In reality, a beautiful outdoor space can be created on a budget if gardeners buy the right plants at the right time.
Cillian explained: “If you’re talking about budget, buy young, so say if you bought lots of plants earlier in the season they’d be a lot cheaper, so buying them in the height of the season they’re in their biggest size, they’re therefore the most expensive.
“Buy early, buy young plants, they’ll establish better in your garden, they’ll be happier in the long term.
“There are some plants that are worth investing in like trees, tree ferns, stuff that’s very slow to grow, it’s worth investing in them because they show almost instantly and take a very long time to establish.
“But annuals, perennials, buy them young.
Expert plant grower Cillian said to focus on these five things:
“If you have a good pair of pruning shears, gloves and a trowel, there’s not much else you essentially need.
“It’s like any hobby the more you get into it, but you don’t need to buy every tool in the tool shed, a good bypass secreteurs (pruning shears), a trowel, will get you where you need to go.
“Thinking permanently will always save you money, I would always say that’s the thing, a lot of people do temporary solutions, in gardening you have to think long term, especially in small gardens, that’s the trick really.”
Another top tip is: “Think right plant, right place.
“You buy one plant and put it in the right place and it will go forever, you won’t need to do it again, that’s the real trick to saving money.”
Cillian also explained how those with a balcony or small garden can make the best of their space.
For those who live in cities or built up areas, thinking outside the box to find what works for your garden is key.
Cillian said: “Do your research.
“If you buy young plants that are going to grow into the right size, that’s the real cheat, understanding your garden and buying things to the right scale.
“If you’ve got a small garden, buy dwarf.
“If you’re in an apartment you need to know that your plants are gong to dry out really really quickly because of wind, not because of sun, even if you’re in a shady spot, the wind will dry them out really quickly.
“There’s a good rule actually, thriller, filler, spiller, if you’re doing your pots, so one thing is a thriller it’s called, a big kind of showy plant in the centre, a filler, something surrounding it, and a spiller, your ivy, coming out.
“If you keep that in your head while planting your pots they will always at the very least look interesting.
“And then water well, think right plant, right place, water well.
“Small spaces, definitely understanding the scale of your plants when you put them in, you can get into design, mirrors are your friend for sure, hiding boundaries is always a really good idea, if you’ve got four walls and you don’t know where it ends and the plants fill the space, you don’t know that you’re in a small space.
“Think vertically as well, get climbers, that’s another one in small spaces.”
The following plants will work for beginners, in a small space, or on a budget:
Pattaya is setting its sights on Japan as a prime tourist market. The city recently hosted the Pattaya Variety Roadshow to Japan 2025 in Osaka, aiming to boost its appeal and showcase its attractions to Japanese travellers. Led by Thitiphan Petchtrakul, Deputy Mayor of Pattaya, the event aimed to showcase the city’s tourism offerings and …
The story Pattaya targets Japan: Roadshow in Osaka aims to boost tourism as seen on Thaiger News.
DUNNES Stores shoppers are set for a frenzy over a new summer dress – and it’s perfect for any event.
The retailer has been bringing out a range of summer essentials, making sure everyone is ready for the season.
The latest addition comes in the form of a beautiful summer dress, that is sure to sell out.
If you’re looking for a summer dress to take you from day to night, and is perfect for a range of events, look no further.
The Embroidered Cotton Poplin Midi Dress is set to be a major hit with fashion fans.
The dress is retailing for just €25, and is available in sizes 8 to 22.
Shoppers can get the dress in two colours – black or white.
The black option would suit any occasion, and could be paired with a number of styling options.
Or, pick up the white option for a pop of colour while on holiday.
The dress features a fitted waist with a flowing skirt, making it perfect to accentuate your figure.
The bottom of the skirt has a beautiful lace detailing to add another bit of style.
But the chest is the real eye-catching area, with an elegant plunging square neckline and a tie in the middle.
The short sleeves are perfect for the summer weather, with lace detailing above the shoulders.
The bottom of the sleeves are open, allowing for some breeze in the hot weather.
In the official item description on the Dunnes Stores website, fashion chiefs said: “Crafted from a lightweight cotton poplin, this midi-length dress features delicate embroidered trims with intricate perforated detailing.
“It is finished with a notch neckline complemented by self-tie accent.”
It is perfect to wear into the office if you have drinks planned after, or to a summer barbecue.
Or, pick it up in either colour to wear on your sun holiday.
It could also be an option for any brides-to-be getting married this summer, offering the perfect wedding dress on a budget.
The dress is available both online and in stores now, but is set to fly off the shelves quick – so shoppers should be fast.
DUNNES Stores opened its first store on Patrick Street in Cork in 1944 - and it was an instant hit.
Shoppers from all over the city rushed to the store to snap up quality clothing at pre-war prices in Ireland’s first ‘shopping frenzy’.
During the excitement, a window was forced in and the police had to be called to help control the crowds hoping to bag founder Ben Dunne’s ‘Better Value’ bargains.
Dunnes later opened more stores in the 1950s and began to sell groceries in 1960 – starting with apples and oranges.
The retailer said: “Fruit was expensive at the time and Ben Dunne yet again offered Better Value than anyone else in town.
“Over time, our food selection has grown and that spirit of good value has remained strong.
“Now we offer a wide range of carefully-sourced foods from both local Irish suppliers and overseas.”
The retailer’s first Dublin store opened its doors in 1957 on Henry Street and a super store on South Great Georges Street was unveiled in 1960.
They added: “In 1971, our first Northern Irish store opened, and many others soon followed.
“Expansion continued in the 1980s in Spain, and later into Scotland and England.”
Dunnes now has 142 stores and employs 15,000 people.
A WOMAN was rushed to hospital today after being shot at home in the early hours.
Cops raced to the scene in Dudley, West Midlands early this morning when reports of two shots came in.
The incident occurred in Dudley, West Midlands, on July 3.
A spokesperson West Midlands Police said: “An investigation has been launched after a woman was shot at an address in Dudley.
“We were called to reports of a firearms discharge at an address in Priory Road, Dudley, just after midnight today.
“Two shots were fired at an address, and a woman was hit by one of the shots.
“She was taken to hospital with serious injuries, where she remains.”
The road has been closed by police who will be remaining in the area.
Reassurance patrols will also be deployed in a bid to make residents feel at ease.
Now, cops are appealing to anyone with information about the incident.
A spokesperson for the force said: “Anyone who witnessed the incident, or may have dash cam or doorbell footage, is asked to get in touch with us via 101, quoting log 66 of 3 July.”
They added that Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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IT’S the food recycling scheme that aims to reduce waste.
And loads of people have had epic wins on their Too Good to Go bags, nabbing hundreds of pounds’ worth of goodies for a fraction of their original price.
So Florence decided to take a gamble and get one from her local town – although the only options were from Greggs or Asda.
As the Greggs ones were sold out, she went for Asda, and thought it was her lucky day when she was given two massive bags, each of which was packed full to the brim.
“I got two bags for life full of food for £4.40 and I was like, ‘Yeah it’s gonna be amazing. It’s gonna be fabulous!'” Florence said.
However, when she got home, she soon realised that she’d made a mistake.
“It’s ALL salad,” Florence sighed.
She then unpacked the bags in a video on her TikTok page, as she pulled out iceberg lettuce after iceberg lettuce.
There were also some boxes and bags of prepped salads, which Florence joked “made a change”.
While she hoped that the second bag had something other than salad in it, she quickly discovered it did not.
“It’s more salad!” she exclaimed.
Florence concluded her video by sharing a look at her kitchen – which ended up being “just lettuce”.
“I’m actually gonna cry,” she despaired.
She captioned her video by tagging Too Good to Go and adding: “What is this!?”
People in the comments section were quick to advise Florence to complain about the bags, with one writing: “Too Good to Go is supposed to prevent food waste – they can’t possibly imagine you could use all that salad.
“Taking the p**s and making a mockery of the scheme.”
“A lot of that looked vile too, like proper rotten,” another added.
“It’s supposed to be ‘too good to go’, not ‘good riddance’!”
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“Completely defeats the point of TGTG, as now 90% of that will go to waste,” a third said.
“Companies shouldn’t use it a glorified waste collection.”
“And you can’t even freeze any of it!” someone else pointed out.
“Cheaper for them to let you dispose of it,” another added.
“And they make a quick pound as well while showing the general public how ‘eco friendly’ they are by preventing food waste,” someone else said
“I live in London and bought a Tesco Too Good to Go bag just after Christmas and it was literally just 5 bags of brussel sprouts and a load of mashed potato – all with an expiration date of TOMORROW,” another sighed.
“I think its just become a way for grocery stores to offload their produce that’s going off on to the customer.”
“I tried Too Good to Go from some bakeries and couple of times hoping for some sweet buns or cakes and ended up with 12 slightly stale bread rolls and a mini baguette,” someone else wrote.
“Never again!”
However, another commented: “It’s not that hard to understand.
“It’s left overs; food before it becomes food waste. You get what you get; if you’re not prepared for that don’t use Too Good to Go.”
“They’re meant to give you a variety of stuff, 2 bags of leafs is a joke,” Florence hit back.
The committee behind a prominent temple in Phetchabun has dismantled a religious building after a decade-long dispute. The founder of the building offered a different perspective, stating the centre was established today, July 3. A Facebook user posted a video showing an excavator demolishing structures at the religious centre within a temple in Na Chaliang …
The story Phetchabun temple dismantles building after decade-long dispute as seen on Thaiger News.
ONE of the world’s most beautiful museums has finally reopened after a €466million (£402million) four-year restoration project.
The Grand Palais in Paris, France, has undergone a grand restoration over the past four years – marking the most important restoration phase in the site’s history since the 1900 Universal Exhibition.
One of the building’s most iconic features – the glass roof – was restored in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics and has now been fully integrated with the rest of the building.
The rest of the restoration included reopening and reconnecting the main interior of the building for the public, creating a new public entrance, adding restaurants, modernising galleries and planting over 60,000 plants.
In addition, 40 lifts have been added alongside the building’s existing 30 staircases.
One visitor commented on Tripadvisor: “One stairway makes you feel like you’ve ‘arrived’ as the honored guest of a major fashion show.”
Another added that the museum has “one of the most beautiful staircases I’ve ever seen”.
Statues, balconies and other ornaments have been restored throughout the building too, in addition to 150 of the Grand Palais’ windows.
The Grand Palais will also offer more cultural events including art fairs, public installations and fashion shows.
New spaces have been added for families too – with games, creative workshops, interactive features and an exhibition trail to explore.
In the Children’s Palace – below the Rotunda of the Palais de la Découverte – there is a new, fully restored interactive area for children aged between two and 10-years-old with scientific machines and hands-on experiences.
According to Dezeen, the architects behind the project – Chatillon – said: “Our aim has always been to ensure these stunning areas meet their full potential by linking them together, creating new visitor services and access routes that will transform the way the building works and is used, creating a new experience for the next generation of visitors.”
The Grand Palais was originally built for the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1900 and since, has been widely considered as one of the French capital’s most iconic landmarks.
The Universal Exhibition was a series of events and exhibitions that showcased France‘s cultural and technological advancements – and the Grand Palais was one of the impressive structures to feature.
Since then, the site has been used for many different events over the decades including exhibitions, salons, festivals, the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics fencing and taekwondo events and even a huge ice rink.
It was even used as a military hospital and rehabilitation centre during World War I.
It’s iconic glass roof – which is one of the largest in Europe – was built using 9,400tons of steel and 15,000square-metres of glass.
The architects added that the renovation has meant that the museum’s capacity has increased by 140 per cent.
The Grand Palais was also named on Prix Versailles’ World’s Most Beautiful Museums List in May of this year, reports Bustler.
According to Tripadvisor, over two million people visit the Grand Palais each year.
Tickets to the Grand Palais vary in price depending on the exhibition you want to see.
The UK’s newest national museum is more like an Ikea store – and Kate Middleton is already a fan.
Plus, the UK’s oldest museum has revealed a new £11.6million redevelopment plan.
AN iconic sports car manufacturer is reportedly considering axing 400 jobs after saying it had no plans to end production in the UK.
The factory set to lose 30 per cent of its work force in Norfolk has been open since the 1960s.
Lotus has reportedly become the latest car manufacturer to look at slashing its UK workforce.
The move comes after the brand held emergency talks and fellow motor manufacturer Nissan said it would be slashing 250 jobs from one of its UK sites.
A report in the Daily Mail claims that the sports car specialist is considering cutting 30 per cent of jobs at its plant in Hethel, Norfolk.
Of the 1,300 staff at the site up to 390 could now be facing down the prospect of losing their job.
A decision on the job losses is expected from the brand in the next few months.
Recent reports that the brand was considering closing its factory in Hethel and moving production to the US were denied by the firm.
Majority owned by Chinese carmaker Geely, Lotus adamantly rejected the claims, saying in a statement: “The UK is the heart of the Lotus brand—home to our sports car manufacturing, global design centre, motorsport operations, and Lotus Engineering.
“It is also our largest commercial market in Europe.
“Lotus Cars is continuing normal operations, and there are no plans to close the factory.
“We are actively exploring strategic options to enhance efficiency and ensure global competitiveness in the evolving market.
“We have invested significantly in R&D and operations in the UK, over the past six years.
“Lotus remains committed to the UK, and its customers, employees, dealers, suppliers, as well as its proud British heritage.”
The reports of imminent closure however sparked intervention by the government with company executives meeting business secretary Jonathan Reynolds.
The meeting on Sunday, June29, reportedly saw the group discuss possible support measures.
Fears were raised that the brand would fall victim to Donald Trump’s import tariffs.
These were reportedly not addressed by the news that the tariffs would be reduced from 27.5 per cent to 10 per cent.
Despite the emergency meeting, the offer of government support and the reduction in tariffs, the brand is still said to be set to cut a huge number of jobs.
The Sun has approached Lotus for comment.
Lotus – founded by engineer Colin Chapman in 1948 – began production at Hethel in 1966.
It has shifted hands multiple times over the years in various bids to stave off financial instability.
Geely bought a majority stake in 2017, before investing £3 billion in UK production, but later switched much of its focus to a plant in Wuhan, China.
The manufacturer announced 270 job cuts in the UK in April and said last week sales for the first three months of 2025 had fallen 42%, racking up a net loss of $183 million (£134 million).
CRISTIANO RONALDO has paid tribute to Diogo Jota following his tragic death.
The Liverpool star, 28, died alongside his brother in a car accident in Spain.
Ronaldo has shared a heartfelt tribute to his Portugal team-mate.