The AnswerBank Articles

Warding off the worst of winter from the garden

By Tom Gard THE weather is doing its level best to test gardeners up and down the country to the limit. After what seemed like months of continuous rain and mud the icy fingers of real winter01:00 Mon 15th Jan 2001

Steering clear of the cowboy builders

By Tom Gard IT is the stuff of nightmares and fly-on-the-wall docu-soaps. The firm of builders you hire to work on your house turns out to be a bunch of cowboys, emptying your bank account and01:00 Mon 15th Jan 2001

Get spruced up for next Christmas

By Tom Gard THE decorations are coming down, the hoover is clogged with needles and now you're facing the annual poser of what to do with that balding Christmas tree. If your not one of the lucky01:00 Wed 03rd Jan 2001

Under the influence

British weekly music bible NME has put the cat well and truly among the pigeons by polling a highly selective group of musical movers and shakers to see who merits the title of The Most Influential01:00 Thu 21st Dec 2000

Grow your own edible garden

By Tom Gard THERE is little better than eating your own home-grown vegetables, straight from the ground onto the kitchen table. However, many of us with small gardens don't feel we can afford the01:00 Sun 31st Dec 2000

Gardening for a new climate

By Tom Gard FROM bananas in Birmingham to palms in Perthshire, climate change is opening up a world of planting possibilities to gardeners. But is global warming really good news There is no01:00 Sun 17th Dec 2000

A home away from home

FLOODS, fuel crises and travel chaos. It's little wonder that at this time of year so many of us start dreaming of owning a little corner that is not forever England. The number of people either01:00 Sun 17th Dec 2000

The need for trees

FOR a nation that prides itself on its green and pleasant land, it is a shocking fact that Britain has less woodland per acre than any of our European neighbours. So, what can we do to improve this01:00 Sun 17th Dec 2000

Heart of Oak

By Tom Gard OAK-FRAMED houses usually conjure up pictures of quaint seventeenth-century cottages or barn conversions with all mod cons. But, the timber-framed house is enjoying a comeback. So, why01:00 Sun 17th Dec 2000

Spruce up for Christmas

IS your Christmas tree the kind you drag out of the loft and plug in every festive season, or do you insist on the real thing, needles and all Artificial trees may be convenient, and01:00 Sun 17th Dec 2000