Bloom Magazine UK

Looking ahead isn’t always easy. We can jot down big dreams in journals, make small plans in organisers and map out our days, months and even years, but we can’t really see where we’re going or where we’ll end up. The only thing for it is to keep mov

Cleansing and healing, elegant and architectural, eucalyptus stems are made for cutting. The plant’s oil-packed foliage has long been used for its antiseptic and calming qualities, but the silvery green-blue leaves have recently seen a flush in popul

It’s early morning and low winter sun is filtering through a veil of mist, lighting up branches festooned with mistletoe in the cider orchard at Breach Farm on the edge of the Somerset Levels. Many of the cider apple trees on the farm, including old

These two birds are often mistaken for one another as they swoop and call high above the ground in summer months, but you’ll have to wait until spring to perfect your identification, as they’re off for some winter sun. Swallows (pictured) and swifts

Collect together things that you love or that make your heart sing – these could be pictures from a magazine, textiles, crockery or even a piece of music. You can then use these things as a starting point for your design. Think about the structure of

Willow is wonderful – it bends and flexes and can be persuaded to become a basket, border, fence or den. It also roots very readily when stuck in the ground, meaning you can create sculptures and structures that will burst into life, growing and chan

The key conditions for a successful compost heap or garden compost bin are good airflow, a mix of waste and, ideally, heat. Microorganisms and worms help break down the waste. If you have the space, you can build a compost heap yourself – it could be

Lawns can be hugely uninspiring. It can actually involve less time and hassle maintaining a mixed border than a pristine lawn. The initial work of lifting a lawn might be hard, but one of the joys of planting up a previously grassed area is that the

Stepping out into the garden to see what’s for supper is one of the greatest pleasures of growing your own food – it makes my heart sing and my tummy rumble! Much gardening advice is about how to sow and grow your veg, but rarely explains how to know

Creating paints and inks from the plants that grow around you, or waste that you would otherwise throw away, not only reduces the impact on the planet, but can be a very connective experience. There is something enriching about picking up fallen leav

In the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, refugee camps pepper the landscape. Domiz 1, one of the largest settlements, houses more than 30,000 residents in concrete and tented shelters that stretch grey and grim as far as the eye can see. Tens of tho

In 1804, the first steam locomotive journey was made in the industrial town of Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales. It took nearly two hours to travel nine miles, but it may as well have been lightning speed given the revolution it inspired. By the middle

Beneath the shade of a spreading tree, amid the fragrance of the balmy flower, surrounded on every hand with the noble works of art, the imagination is robbed of its gloomy horrors, the wildest fancy is freed from its debasing fears.’ So quotes the S

Kimchi, sourdough starter, sauerkraut… given the current vogue for fermentation, you may well have one of these quietly fizzing away in a jar right now. But what about IMO-4, WCA, FPJ or OHN? These unguessable acronyms are the kefirs and kombuchas of

All over the UK, there are thousands of public green spaces where plants and animals flourish, biodiversity abounds and rare species find a home. They’ve got great access too, but you might not want to start packing that picnic just yet. Roadside ver

In a wooded Cornish valley, streams trickle through moss and ferns and splash down waterfalls next to ruined buildings swamped by ivy. Birds rest on rusted iron cogs in the sunshine, while by moonlight bats flit through the beech trees. Kennall Vale

Poisonous plants hold a deadly fascination. Best known as the hard-to-detect killers in police dramas, headline-grabbers in real-life murder plots and the subject of ancient myths, their sensational uses have left them with a bit of a bad rap. In rea

The retired Reverend Robert Boughton has long delivered pastoral care to the citizens of Gilead, a fictional small town in Iowa. He’s seen old farmsteads with berry patches cede ground to modern life and witnessed the birth of the automobile era, yet

Dried flowers have always played an important role in my floral arrangements. Not just in late autumn and winter, when fresh seasonal flowers from the garden become more scarce, but throughout the year too, when their muted colours and twisted, prese

Jerusalem Artichoke and Tofu Dumplings MAKES 3 • 350g firm tofu• 3g dried kombu (kelp)• 2 pieces dried shiitake• 300ml water• 1 tbsp cooking sake• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce• 200g Jerusalem artichokes• 1 tbsp powdered potato starch• 1 litre vegetable oil•