Parking officials in parts of Kent, including Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Malling are pocketing their full public sector salaries despite thousands of workers across the country being furloughed.

John Brayshaw was passing time in the garden at his home in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire before stumbling across what appeared to be a Ford Popular.

The former Real Housewives of Orange County star and her husband, Botched doctor Terry Dubrow, own a lavish mansion in Southern California.

Amanda Holden celebrated her fundraising success with a stunning garden photo shoot, before slipping into a bikini and enjoying a glass of rosé on Saturday.

Gymnasts around the world have been trying to stay fit amid tough restrictions during the COVID-19 crisis, and Italy is no exception.      With the country's gym clubs and training facilities closed for more than two months as part of government measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus, gymnast Marco Lodadio, a silver medallist in the rings event at the 2019 world championships, turned his garden into a fitness studio.      Without the sophisticated faci

The Mughal Garden will be in full bloom with over 10,000 Tulip bulbs, 138 types of roses and 70 different kinds of about 5,000 seasonal flowers.

Can't step out owing to the coronavirus scare? Don't worry, here are some beautiful images from Srinagar's Tulip Garden.

Captain Tom Moore had resolved to complete 100, 25m laps before he turned 100 at the end of April.The 99-year-old, who has captured the imagination of the public with his heroics, finished the last few steps of his 2,530-yard walk at his home in the village of Marston Moretaine in Bedfordshire with a beaming smile.

Gymnastics: Italian Lodadio cultivates his garden to stay fit

Spending time in a beautiful garden can be transformative. In fact, some visitors to the Smithsonian’s Mary Livingston Ripley Garden in Washington D.C. have taken […]

The post Monarch Butterflies Make the Most of the Smithsonian’s Gardens appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

At the corner of Glendale and Glenfeliz, Jeff Harmes created an art garden completely from scratch. ; Credit: Alana Rinicella

On the median on the Atwater Village side of the Hyperion bridge, Jeff Harmes built a garden. It's an act he calls "taking nothing and making it into something that everyone can get something out of, that can inspire everyone."

Having lived on the streets for 30 years, Jeff says grew to hate litter. He used to sweep street gutters with a piece of cardboard and remove trash packed into the forks of trees. He thought of them as small acts that would go mostly unnoticed.

On a whim last spring, he started tilling the median — or "the island," as he likes to call it ... although "oasis" is more like it, now. He made rock sculptures from stones he scrounged out of the L.A. River. In celebration of spring, he made a peace sign out of flowers. 

He says he doesn't know much about gardening or landscaping. He learns as he goes and looks to commuters for suggestions. In the absence of running water, he relies on rainfall.

Vibrant succulents sit next to kitschy items like gnomes and plastic flamingos. Intricate formations of seashells and stones contrast starkly against the neatly patted dirt. A young girl even donated her seashell collection for the peace sign. 

Recently, though, a vandal smashed the peace sign and wrecked Jeff's plants, including his squash crop. With help from the neighborhood, Jeff has been able to rebuild the garden. New plants have sprouted and the stonework has been repaired.

Jeff says his new goal with the garden is for people to draw something positive from it. "I want hate to be transferred into something beautiful," he said. Moving forward, he hopes to expand it down the island. 

(Note: This post has been edited. The original called it a "meridian," which is an invisible geographic line. "Median" is correct.)

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Using 'gardening' techniques to actively restore endangered coral reefs is ecologically sound and economically feasible, according to recent research.

City dwellers who grow their own fruit and vegetables may be consuming high levels of pollutants. In a recent study, researchers found that vegetables grown on plots in Berlin, Germany, often contained higher concentrations of some heavy metals than shop-bought vegetables, with those grown close to busy roads containing the greatest quantities.

Rooftop gardens in cities could provide more than three quarters of the vegetables consumed in them, a case study from Bologna, Italy, suggests. If all suitable flat roof space was used for urban agriculture, rooftop gardens in the city could supply around 12 500 tons of vegetables a year whilst also providing a range of ecosystem services, the researchers say.

Gardens are good for biodiversity, according to a study of intensively managed farmland in Sweden. The study has found that abundance and species richness of pollinating bees is higher near domestic gardens, with the pollination of a native plant also greater at these sites. Domestic gardens play a role in complementing 'natural' habitats for pollinators in impoverished environments.

Urban development is changing the composition of the natural landscape. A recent study has highlighted the importance of connecting fragments of green space, such as gardens, with ecological corridors to improve biodiversity and help spiders and beetles disperse within the urban landscape.

Urban gardeners in Barcelona, Spain, identified 20 ecosystem service benefits, from pollination to environmental learning, in a recent study. Cultural ecosystem services — mainly related to the opportunity for residents to interact with nature — were the most common and highly valued of the ecosystem services identified.

A recent study has found that bumblebees in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany are more successful at pollinating urban areas than agricultural land. Urban areas also had higher flower diversity and more potential nesting areas for bees compared to agricultural areas. However, the abundance of bee parasites was also higher in urban areas, although this was not found to negatively impact on pollination. This demonstrates the value of urban green spaces as habitat for pollinators.

City dwellers who grow their own fruit and vegetables may be consuming high levels of pollutants. In a recent study, researchers found that vegetables grown on plots in Berlin, Germany, often contained higher concentrations of some heavy metals than shop-bought vegetables, with those grown close to busy roads containing the greatest quantities.

Grey has an iMac Pro, Myke has thoughts about vlogging, and they both have Yearly Theme updates.

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The rejuvenated Yunnan Garden, a sprawling open space of greenery, waterscapes and heritage landmarks, will officially open at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) on 13 February 2020. The 9-hectare heritage precinct – bigger than 12 soccer fields – preserves the Garden’s legacy while enriching it as an educational and recreation hub, making it a go-to place not just for the NTU community, but also for the residents who live in the wider Jurong neighbourhood....

The USDA has updated its planting-zones map for the first time in 22 years, reflecting a warmer U.S. where many southern crops are expanding north.

Reconnect with the wild in these magic Celtic gardens.

44 different types of organic herbs and vegetables are growing in the middle of Chicago's busy international airport.

Actress Joanna Lumley is behind an urban park/footbridge project in London that's, well, absolutely fabulous.

In addition to surreal garden installations, the Hampton Court Flower Show hosts talks and demonstrations focusing on environmental issues.

Will bookable-by-the-hour private garden spaces encourage more cooped up urbanites to step outside?

The enchanting yet highly controversial 'magical new green space' has many Londoners fired up over issues of funding, aesthetics and accessibility.

Here's how to keep up your momentum when you've just about had it with weeding.

Potters Fields in England is a perfect example of how to use design elements to make the landscape shine in the colder months.

These nutritional powerhouse vegetables can flourish in your yard or in containers.

Here's our list of royal gardens to consider adding to your Best-of-Britain tourist itinerary.

There are many ways to map an area's sunlight exposure. Here are a few tips to make sure your plants get their moment(s) in the sun.

I had no idea the Mother's Day gift idea I came up with some 16 years ago would've been such a hit with my mom.

So that you don't wind up gifting an awesome mum something too sentimental and/or last minute, a few singular Mother's Day gift picks ...

One of our lucky Facebook followers will have an organic backyard food garden created at their home by professionals.

Those herbs in your backyard can spice up so much more than just your dinner menu.

More and more independent restaurants are going hyper local by growing their own.

Are aphids and other pests wrecking your garden? Partner up with ladybugs to stop the carnage.

France bans the use of pesticides in public parks and the sale of chemical pest-control solutions to amateur gardeners.

These gardens epitomize a balance between beauty and conservation, promoting smart water practices and boosting honeybee populations in the area.

Grey water — water from kitchen or bathroom sinks, bathtubs, or washing machines — can safely be captured and rerouted to the garden. Here's how.

The space agency is trying to understand what vegetables may thrive on the red planet, and how to help them do so.

Critics of the Via Verde project in Mexico City argue that making a busy beltway more aesthetically pleasing only encourages motorists to keep driving.

From the man who brought you the giant tetrahedron on 57th Street...

No matter your budget, we've got something to help your mom indulge her green thumb.

A lawn can be both kinds of green: eco-friendly and lush.