New homes in London's Zone 1 on a Zone 2 budget
Our exclusive research shows a "price wall" formed by the Northern line, with property values to the east less than half those in the west. We reveal the emerging lower-value districts in Zone 1 for buyers on a Zone 2 budget.
Embassy exodus returns acres of central London to its residents
As the embassies exit Mayfair and Marylebone, their former bases will free up stunning family homes. While the move of many embassies to Nine Elms at Vauxhall is creating a new residential quarter including thousands of new apartments.
Oxford spotlight
The small city of Oxford is famous for its university and honeyed stone architecture, but its huge range of property - from affordable new homes to luxurious Victorian houses - and one hour commute to London, are big attractions to home buyers.
Brighton spotlight
The East Sussex city of Brighton and Hove offers its residents the best of both worlds: a relaxed life at one end of the line within an hour's commute of London, and a good mix of Regency terrace houses, seafront apartments and family homes.
Clerkenwell Design Week 2013
Discover one of London's most creative neighbourhoods at this year's Clerkenwell Design Week. This three-day event showcases the hottest trends in design, architecture and cutting-edge furniture.
Find a rated tradesman
Want to add value to your property, make your house a home, or sell your place fast? With 1,000s of tradesmen nationwide, rated and recommended by previous customers, this is the smart way to find a reputable tradesman.
Buy of the week: Putney Hill, SW15
This glossy new apartment just off Putney Hill has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus a bright open-plan reception space with floor-to-ceiling windows and spectacular skyline views.
Out of town: Wigginton, Oxfordshire
This three-bedroom Grade II-listed thatch in the pretty village of Wigginton, near Banbury, is a tempting package of beams, wood burners and cottage gardens.
Life-changer: Tiverton, Devon
A five-bedroom house set in a valley at Cheriton Fitzpaine, Tiverton, surrounded by farmland and sweeping gardens, with B&B potential and a garage block ripe for conversion.
East Grinstead spotlight
East Grinstead in West Sussex is 30 miles south of the capital in the High Weald. The town's exclusive gated estates attract celebrity home buyers such as Tom Cruise, while London families are drawn to the area's good mix of period homes and modern flats.-
Buy of the week: Putney Hill, SW15
This glossy new apartment just off Putney Hill has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus a bright open-plan reception space with floor-to-ceiling windows and spectacular skyline views. -
Out of town: Wigginton, Oxfordshire
This three-bedroom Grade II-listed thatch in the pretty village of Wigginton, near Banbury, is a tempting package of beams, wood burners and cottage gardens. -
Life-changer: Tiverton, Devon
A five-bedroom house set in a valley at Cheriton Fitzpaine, Tiverton, surrounded by farmland and sweeping gardens, with B&B potential and a garage block ripe for conversion.
Property search
Gardening Q&A: crabapple trees
Horticultural advice from the experts at the RHS
Question: Where can I buy container-grown crabapple trees and how much do they usually cost? Which species is best? Answer: Crab apples are such a good choice of tree for gardens – they will grow in almost any fertile soil and will even put up with a little shade.
The choice is very wide, from growing habit, flower and fruit colour to eventual heights. For a classic red-fruiting cultivar, excellent for making jellies, go for ‘John Downie’, but for pure garden elegance, consider Malus transitoria. It is a small tree with white flowers, followed by branchfuls of small jewel-like orange fruits and striking autumn colour.
The RHS Plant Finder online lists suppliers: rhs.org.uk. The best size of tree to start with is really as small as possible, but a 1.8m tree in a 12 litre container will establish well and is likely to cost around £40.
Send your questions for the RHS to: gardenproblems@standard.co.uk.
Only a few questions per month can be answered. For further advice on handling problems in your garden, visit www.rhs.org.uk/advice/index.asp.
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Chelsea Fringe 2013
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Mary Berry's chocolate brownies
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Bargain news
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Perfect extensions
Londoners planning to extend their homes should follow a simple golden rule: go for quality, not grandeur.
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Mission possible: our Cornish home
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Bargain news
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A guide to Chelsea Fringe 2013: London's alternative garden festival
The shops, streets, galleries and gardens of London go flower-crazy as the alternative flower show, Chelsea Fringe, takes place. Don't miss any of the festival's highlights with out guide.
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Chelsea Fringe 2013
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Extending an Edwardian home
A family in Crouch End convinced their neighbours that extending their Edwardian home wouldn't block out light, and the result is a bright house with spacious living areas.
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