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If you’re looking for ways to keep your garden lush and green through the spring and summer months, we’ve got an expert’s insight into the best tips and tricks to use this season

Growing a lush, thriving garden isn’t just about mastering the basics. Many green-fingered enthusiasts encounter problems like exhausted soil, pests, or limited space.

However, with a few savvy tips and tricks, you can easily overcome these hurdles and transform your garden into the verdant haven of your dreams. Here are some top tips from gardening guru Fiona Jenkins at MyJobQuote.co.uk that can enhance your garden’s health and productivity – and the best Amazon products to shop for that are sure to take your garden set up to a whole new level.

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Wasting water is detrimental to your garden and the environment. Fiona points out that sophisticated watering techniques can conserve water, ensure plants receive exactly what they need without wastage and overwatering, and maintain healthy roots.

Drip systems gradually supply water directly to the roots of grass, trees, and plants. Setting up timers means you don’t have to water manually, and these systems use significantly less water than traditional hoses.

Check out this MIXC Irrigation System on Amazon (£19.99), which boasts a flow rate of 6.7-7 L/Hour and a maximum spray diameter of 0.3m. This irrigation system can save up to 70% of water compared to manual watering, and it comes equipped with two water outlet modes (columnar and misty), which make it easy to adjust the water flow to your plants’ needs, waving goodbye to the woes of overwatering.

This drip irrigation kit can be used for a variety of outdoor areas, including agriculture, lawns, gardens, greenhouses, and conservatories. It provides a cool and refreshing environment for your plants, helping them thrive without the hassle of manual watering. Plus, it comes with an automatic timer, so you don’t have to worry about your plants’ needs throughout the day. Or, if you’re looking for a larger set-up, B&Q offers this 60-piece set for £38.

Fiona also notes that you can use greywater to sustain your plants, a more environmentally friendly option. Greywater is water used in baths, sinks, or washing machines. If you filter it thoroughly, you can repurpose it for plants. Be sure to steer clear of water with harsh chemicals or soaps that could damage plants or soil life, and always check local regulations before using greywater.

Another investment worth making involves the modern tools on the market, which make gardening simpler. For instance, using sensors and apps can help you better comprehend your garden’s needs. Sensors can inform you precisely when your plants require water or fertiliser, preventing waste and keeping plants healthy. They can also provide real-time data on soil conditions.

Specific apps and software can also assist you in planning planting schedules, setting reminders, and tracking growth. They’re a fantastic way to enhance your gardening knowledge and keep everything in order.

Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps had us in stitches for years – but a rumoured reunion still hasn’t been planned. Here’s everything you need to know about where the cast is now

There was one go-to TV series in the early-Noughties that still lives rent-free in our heads. And despite fans clamouring for years for a reunion, the cast of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps are still holding out on us.

The BBC sitcom revolved around the friendships and love lives of five twenty-something pals. And given the show’s title, a lot of the action revolved around their local pub in glamorous Runcorn, Cheshire. First airing in 2001, Two Pints quickly became a cult classic, with many viewers considering it one of the all-time best British comedies, and others finding it a guilty pleasure.

Across nine explosive series there were fights, cheating and a tear-jerking death of a main character that had us all in floods of tears after he was eaten by a shark. There was even that ground-breaking episode where viewers got to decide whether Gaz should be with Donna or Janet.

Excitement had been building for a potential reunion for years… but unlike other classics like Friends and Gavin & Stacey, Two Pints still hasn’t given us closure.

In 2019, actor Will Mellor revealed he had been speaking to show creator Sue Nickson about a reunion after fans got in touch on social media.

Will told fans: “Well, I have been listening and reading your messages and I think we are going to get a Two Pints special off the ground.

“I spoke to Susan Nickson (the show’s creator) and we are hopefully going to try and get a Two Pints special going. Just to say thank you for all the support of people who love the show and got behind it.

“Watch this space, just got to dot the ‘i’s and cross the ‘t’s and hopefully a Two Pints special will be on the way.”

But dreams of a comeback were crushed because one cast member wouldn’t pick up the phone (more on that below).

Here’s what happened to the Two Pints cast after the show wrapped.

Will Mellor – Gaz Wilkinson

Mechanic Gaz was your typical bloke who loved beer, booze and babes, as well as having a soft spot for Hollyoaks and Monarch of the Glen.

Gaz had some strange habits, like only using bread from the middle of the loaf, and was an avid collector of pornography.

He was madly in love with Donna but the pair split when he had a one-night stand with her best pal Janet.

They got back together after a road accident and finally got married in series 7, but on their wedding day, Gaz discovered he was the father of Janet’s son. Donna left so Gaz and Janet could be together, but then returned in series 8, with viewers voting for Gaz to choose Donna.

He was left in a year-long coma after a car accident then decided to travel the world, but Donna revealed she would not be coming after a heartbreaking discovery.

After Two Pints, Will played a womanising salesman in EastEnders and made guest appearances in Merlin and Waterloo Road. He starred in White Van Man, Broadchurch, In the Club, Death in Paradise and Line of Duty.

Will, who is the voice of the Funky Pigeon ads, was also a frequent panelist and guest judge on Celebrity Juice.

“They were the best times, it wasn’t like hard work, it was like being with your friends,” said Will as he reminisced about the show. “We’d go out at weekends and be together everyday, we were a lot younger and had no responsibilities so we could have a few drinks and wake up fresh every day, but now if I have a few drinks it takes me three days.”

During the Covid lockdown, he and Ralf launched their podcast, Two Pints with Will & Ralf, after hearing from fans that they were loving watching reruns of the sitcom.

“Nostalgia is a big thing, people grew up with that show, and we did have a script called Two Pints, Last Orders,” he revealed in 2024. “Susan Nickson, the original creator, wrote it, and the BBC said they didn’t want to revisit it. So there is a massive hunger for it.”

And Will said he could see himself signing up for a reunion special if it was in the works. “People are begging us to really bring it back, and I would always be up for going back there and revisiting it, whether it be a documentary or a one-off special, because it was a massive part of my life and people loved it,” he added.

Sheridan Smith – Janet Keough

Janet was the homely girl who loved “things that go bleep bleep”, having a Cheeky Vimto down the pub and rich tea biscuits. Having been with Jonny since the start of the show, Janet realised she wasn’t in love with him after they got engaged and dumped him.

But she got jealous after seeing him with another woman and persuaded him to get back together – with the pair marrying in series 5. They had a son, Corinthian McVitie Keogh, but tragedy struck when Jonny was killed in a horrifying shark attack.

She realised that she loved Gaz but he chose to be with Donna, so she moved away to Milton Keynes. Sheridan Smith is the most famous star to come from the show – with her career sky-rocketing thanks to her talent.

The actress has received critical acclaim for her performances in a string of TV dramas including Mrs Biggs, Cilla, The C Word and The Moorside. She is also known for her comedy roles in Gavin & Stacey as Smithy’s sister, Benidorm, and Jonathan Creek.

As well as the telly she is a star of the stage, performing on the West End in Little Shop of Horrors, Legally Blonde, and Joseph.

Sheridan won two Olivier Awards, a BAFTA, an NTA and received two International Emmy Awards. But after her late father’s cancer diagnosis, the talented star was embroiled in a series of scandals.

She had a public “meltdown” in 2016 while starring in the West End adaptation of Funny Girl, amid reports of missing curtain calls, appearing on stage under the influence of alcohol, and disappointing the audience. Eventually she took a leave of absence from the show from “stress and exhaustion”.

Sheridan admitted hearing Graham Norton make a joke about her being a drunk while he was hosting the BAFTAs was her lowest point. “I was so humiliated,” she told an ITV documentary in 2020.

“It’s a room full of your peers, people you want to work with or have worked with. That night, for me, was like the final straw before my brain totally went off the deep end.

“Here I was in unbelievable distress, and a room full of people in my industry were laughing at me.”

But with therapy and tackling her drinking, Sheridan managed to recover and even discussed in 2021 wanting to be a part of any potential Two Pints reunion. “It would be quite funny to see where Janet ended up,” she mused at the time. “She’d probably have about 20 kids or something, still in the pub!”

It would have been music to the ears of her former co-star Will, who had claimed in 2020 that Sheridan hadn’t spoken to him in three years, and there would be no reunion if she wasn’t available.

Speaking on The Morning After With Paul Danan podcast in May of 2020, Will said: “Sheridan just won’t talk about it. She’s not spoken to me in over three years now. It’s like she just won’t pick up the phone about it. There is just no point in going down that route.

“I don’t know what happened, we last spoke about three, maybe four years ago and since then she won’t reply to my calls or text messages at all. I wanted to be there but she’s just not interested so there is no point in going there. We can’t get a Two Pints reunion together without her.”

Natalie Casey – Donna Henshaw

Loud-mouthed Donna was Gaz’s long-term girlfriend and then wife. Not afraid to say it how it is, Donna had a vicious temper and once killed an ex-boyfriend’s budgie.

Donna and Gaz briefly split after he had a one-night stand with her best pal Janet, during which time she considered plastic surgery, but they got back together after his accident. They finally married in series 7 but then Donna got a job in London and left Gaz. He then chose to be with her when she returned in series 8.

Donna had quite a tragic ending as she cancelled plans to travel the world with Gaz after finding out she may have cancer, but didn’t tell him the heartbreaking reason and waved goodbye at the airport.

Another former Hollyoaks cast member, actress Natalie Casey co-presented Big Brother’s Little Brother with Dermot O’Leary.

She went on to have a successful theatre career, starring in The Vagina Monologues, The Wedding Singer, Fame, and Legally Blonde. She has become a popular narrator and was the voice of Dinner Date. Since 2022 she has narrated Cash In The Attic.

Ralf Little – Jonny Keogh

Daytime TV lover Jonny had some very bizarre tastes, including eating cat food, desiccated coconut and a Jammy Dodger fetish. While Johnny had a secret obsession with Titanic and kids’ cartons, he struggled with his feminine side and lashed out at anyone who mocked him.

Unemployed Johnny, who described himself as a “lazy gobs***e”, tried to do best for his son and wife Janet. In a cruel twist at the start of series 7, Johnny was killed off-screen. Janet discovered he had been eaten by a shark after winning a shark-jumping competition in Hawaii.

Since his character’s demise, actor Ralf Little has appeared in BBC series Robin Hood and in 2019 was confirmed as the new lead star of Death in Paradise. At the start of lockdown, Will got together with Ralf to bring back the spirit of Two Pints with a new project.

In May 2020 they released a brand new podcast, Two Pints with Will & Ralf, to talk about the old days and have some pub banter while at home. Off the back of that success, the pair landed themselves a TV series, Will & Ralf Should Know Better, which has just announced it has been recommissioned for a second series.

Will said: “I’m so happy to be making a second series of this show with Ralf – we had so much fun filming series one and it seems the public loved it just as much as us. The reaction to series one was overwhelming.”

And Ralf added: “Somehow, they’ve let us do this again! I’m buzzing to be back with Will for round two — more adventures, more questionable decisions, and probably more moments where we ask, “What on earth are we doing?”. I’m incredibly grateful for the response to the first series, and I can’t wait to get started on the next.”

Ralf also filmed a travel series with former Royle Family co-star Ricky Tomlinson.

Kathryn Drysdale – Louise Brooks

Ditzy Louise was best known for that incredible high-pitched voice, which barmaid Kelly said “chills her to the bones”. She was always on the hunt for the man of her dreams but was always clinging onto her childish side – having a love of Sylvanian Families, Steps, and the Disney Store.

Louise was once arrested and charged with incitement to GBH after changing Johnny’s profile at the Office of National Statistics to that of an armed criminal, which resulted in him getting shot.

Louise got pregnant by Donna’s younger brother, Dion, calling her baby girl ‘Louise Louise Brooks’. She left Runcorn to join a “weird moon-worshipping cult” at the end of series 8 after meeting a new popstar boyfriend.

Louise was supposed to come back for the final series, but didn’t because actress Kathryn Drysdale was busy filming Benidorm.

She also appeared as Taylor in the first St Trinian’s movie. Kathryn has made guest appearances in Death in Paradise, Horrible Histories and Plebs, before landing the part of Meghan Markle in The Windsors.