Francine also writes a weekly column for the Sunday Telegraph Life section, interior features for Country Living Magazine and Garden articles for Gardens Illustrated.  


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THE TELEGRAPH - 12TH JANUARY 2015

Top tips for recycling in the garden

A green guru shares the secret of eternal life for your old junk

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THE TELEGRAPH - 21ST DECEMBER 2014

Christmas decorations: ideas from Japan

Opt for a Japanese decoration style this Christmas: low-key, laid-back and with plenty of beautiful greenery

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THE TELEGRAPH - 10TH DECEMBER 2014

How to make alcoholic gifts for Christmas

With a glut of fruit and the party season looming, now is the time to turn garden produce into a festive tipple

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THE TELEGRAPH - 7TH DECEMBER 2014

Unusual winter herbs to try over Christmas

Winter herbs will not only give your food an extra zing, they can also bring your home alive

 

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THE TELEGRAPH - 26TH NOVEMBER 2014

How a stretch of urban riverside became a glorious garden

A post-industrial landscape on London’s River Lea is being turned into a green corridor

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THE TELEGRAPH - 17TH NOVEMBER 2014

How to grow and dry your own flowers

Dried flowers are shaking off their dusty, old-fashioned image and re-emerging as stylish, decorative home highlights

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THE TELEGRAPH - 19TH OCTOBER 2014

How to grow sweetpeas: fill your garden with amazing scent

Sow them now and fragrant sweetpeas will grow bigger and more beautiful next spring

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THE TELEGRAPH - 30TH MARCH 2014

Dazzled by all the tints of magnolia at Great Comp

Sevenoaks’ Great Comp garden is the place to visit this month to see 83 examples of 52 types of magnolia in full bloom

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The Telegraph - 17th March 2014

Enjoy cut flowers from the garden all year round

Grow your own florist shop in the garden this year, with a mix of bulbs and easy annuals - simple and so rewarding

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The Telegraph - 9th March 2014

The art of indoor gardens

The recent garden-unfriendly weather has sparked a new interest in interior horticulture

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The Telegraph - 5th March 2014

Urban gardening: how to go green in the city

Even the smallest of urban nooks and crannies can become a productive green patch

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The Telegraph - 23rd February 2014

Garden with your children, and sow the seeds of a life-long love

If gardening is part of family life, especially eating from plant to plate, children will embrace the outdoors

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The Telegraph - 19th February 2014

The best seeds to order in 2014

Here are some tempting seed ideas from the best nurseries and catalogues

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The Telegraph - 13th February 2014

Herbs: make the most of nature's medicine cabinet

Discover for yourself the healing properties of herbs that have been an open secret for centuries

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The Telegraph - 4th February 2014

I'm potty for second-hand garden equipment

Eco-friendly and good for your purse, buying second-hand pots and planters is a gardener’s guilty pleasure

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The Telegraph - 26nd January 2014

Sweet-smelling plants for winter months

During the down season, clustering fragrant containers and pots around your home’s entrance welcomes visitors and augurs spring

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The Telegraph - 19th January 2014

Hellebores: winter's most colourful guest

The underrated Hellebore is about to make a well-deserved comeback. No garden should be without one

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The Telegraph - 16th January 2014

Colourful plants to lift the winter gloom

Ever-dependable amaryllis is the drama queen that can brighten the home after the emptiness of Twelfth Night

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The Telegraph - 8th January 2014

Food photography: how to make a meal look dishy

Want to capture your food on camera? Seek professional advice on how to make your meals look their most appetising

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The Telegraph - 14th December 2013

Magical winter gardens to visit

Take a relaxing walk around one of the many gardens open over the Christmas holidays.

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The Telegraph - 9nd December 2013

Francine Raymond's top Christmas gifts for gardeners

Buying presents can be a daunting business so here are some tips.

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The Telegraph - 2nd December 2013

How to make a beautiful Christmas wreath

Celebrate this Christmas with a homemade wreath full of vibrant berries.

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The Telegraph - 27th November 2013

The 16 best Christmas books for gardeners

Our gardening writers pick the best books to give to green-fingered friends and family this Christmas.

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The Telegraph - 17th November 2013

Gardening Against the Odds 2013: the winners in full

A sanctuary for the vulnerable, a garden with a violent past and a prison scoop the top honours in this year's Gardening Against the Odds Awards

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The Telegraph - 11th November 2013

How to make alcoholic gifts for Christmas

With a glut of fruit and the party season looming, it’s the perfect time to turn garden-fresh produce into a festive tipple.

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The Telegraph - 05th November 2013

Nut trees: are they all they're cracked up to be?

As well as yielding tasty treats, nut trees provide sweet-smelling wood and make a fine focal point in any garden.

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The Telegraph - 30th October 2013

How to grow your own grapes for wine

The world is said to be running out of wine - so there's no better time to start making your own.

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The Telegraph - 15th October 2013

The best figs to grow in your garden

There are several varieties of this luscious fruit, but choose wisely which figs to grow and you’ll benefit until season’s end.

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The Telegraph - 8th October 2013

Wonderful winter squashes to grow in your garden

Great Dixter is the place to go this weekend to meet the leading nursery men and women from across Europe.

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The Telegraph - 1st October 2013

Why Great Dixter is top of the plant fairs

Great Dixter is the place to go this weekend to meet the leading nursery men and women from across Europe.

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The Telegraph - 24th September 2013

Why fennel is the gardener's friend

The Romans believed that fennel made them strong; the Greeks used it as an appetite suppressant. I just like the taste of it.

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The Telegraph - 10th September 2013

Damsons and plums are a most welcome sight

There’s nothing like a damson or plum, either raw or in a jam, when one is in need of a restorative.

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The Telegraph - 03rd September 2013

Summer on a plate: grow your own tomatoes, peppers and aubergines

There’s nothing like tomatoes, aubergines and peppers to round off the growing season in the best possible taste.

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The Telegraph - 26th August 2013

Alnwick: welcome to a duchess's garden

The Duchess of Northumberland sets an example by opening up her Alnwick garden to the community, says Francine Raymond.

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The Telegraph - 26th August 2013

Preserves: how to bottle the true taste of summer

The time-honoured skills of curing, smoking, bottling and pickling emphasise the value of food.

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The Telegraph - 17th August 2013

Summer 2013: great children's gardening activities

Pass on a love of gardening to the kids with summer trips to places like Kew Gardens.

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The Telegraph - 7th August 2013

Gardening study days: where to go for sage advice

Study days can reinvigorate your gardening enthusiasm, whether it’s for a flower plot, herb garden, or for cider-making.

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The Telegraph - 30th July 2013

Cherry pick a perfect day out

It’s midsummer at the National Fruit Collection in Kent where no further proof is needed that life is just a bowl of cherries.

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The Telegraph - 23th July 2013

Open gardens: a gate into the souls of villages

The fine tradition of open gardens allows thousands of people to nose around plots while quaffing tea and aiding local causes.

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The Telegraph - 16th July 2013

Elizabeth David: the cook who put flavour on our table

We must thank Elizabeth David for introducing southern European vegetables to the English diet.

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The Telegraph - 09th July 2013

Grow currants for a perfect pudding fruit

Whether black, white or red, currants make the most delicious, indulgent desserts and add a tasty kick to wine.

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The Telegraph - 25th June 2013

Strawberries are delicious – but don't neglect the gooseberry

Be it the often overlooked gooseberry or ever-popular strawberry, a berry is at its best straight after it’s been plucked, fully ripened, from the plant.

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The Telegraph - 18th June 2013

The cordial pleasure of elderflower

Although not a native, the elderflower has long been the taste of British summer, giving us flavours that can enhance a sunny day.

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The Telegraph - 11th June 2013

Grow your own mint for the taste of summer

Mint is a wonderful herb that can be put to use in teas, cocktails and even flower arrangements.

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The Telegraph - 4th June 2013

Chelsea Flower Show 2013: a world of change

100 years of Chelsea and so much has changed for the post-war gardener, not least saving native species.

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The Telegraph - 25 May 2013

Chelsea Flower Show 2013: top 10 picks

From big green eggs to the Homebase garden: Francine Raymond picks her highlights at this year's Chelsea Flower Show.

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The Telegraph - 28th March 2013

How to get hens to hatch eggs

Want to increase your flock of chickens? Buy some fertile eggs and encourage your hens to hatch them.

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The Telegraph - 27th March 2013

How to garden into old age

Despite changes in health, wealth or the weather, there's plenty of ways to make sure you can still potter about in a garden.

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The Telegraph - 19th March 2013

There's lots to learn from wild flowers

Wild flowers can teach us a thing or two about how to make the most of our own gardens.

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The Telegraph - 26th November 2012

Francine Raymond's Christmas gift guide for gardeners

From presents for budding gardeners to little gifts for houseguests, a little planning goes a long way.

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The Telegraph - 9th October 2012

How to choose hens for your garden

Choosing hens is as much about beauty as laying ability, says Francine Raymond.

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The Telegraph - 15th June 2010

Uprooted for a new life in a new garden

Francine Raymond, author of How to Keep Hens in your Garden, is heartbroken to leave her beloved 'Kitchen Garden', in Suffolk, for pastures new.

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Daily Mail - 15th February 2010

How to... keep hens and harvest your own eggs in the comfort of your garden

Do you hate buying mass-produced eggs? Well, why not harvest your own supply from the comfort of your garden? 

FRANCINE RAYMOND, author of Keeping A Few Hens In Your Garden and host of hen-keeping courses, offers her expert advice for newbies...

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East Anglian Daily Times - 23 January 2009

Time to bring hens back to the garden?
With food prices unpredictable and folk increasingly keen to know what they're eating, people are growing their own. But what about taking a tip from the past and keeping a few chickens, too? Is it a way to combat the recession? And is it easy? Steven Russell seeks advice from 'The Hen Woman' ..........
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Daily Mail - 3rd July 2008

This Life
Francine Raymond on the chequered career that led to her love affair with chickens
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Daily Telegraph 21 December 2007

Natural Christmas Decorations
Elspeth Thompson has some ingenious ways to brighten up Christmas using natural ingredients......

I love to bring some of the garden inside when decorating the house for Christmas, but I was feeling rather stuck in a rut with the swags of ivy, evergreen leaves and berries that I've been snaking up the stairs and along shelves for the past few years.

Somehow, it all feels too dark and heavy and old-hat for the look I want now. For inspiration, I turned to Francine Raymond, who runs a company called the Kitchen Garden from her cottage in Suffolk, and is a dab hand at natural decorations.
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Smallholder 5th December 2007

Ten good reasons to keep hens
Francine Raymond lists the benefits she derives from her flock of free-range poultry.
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