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Five plants you should get in the ground this weekend to glow up your garden for New Year – with one costing just £1

IT’S that part of the year that no matter how excited you are about what your 2025 garden will bring, when we look at our actual outside space, a lot of it’s looking, well, a bit cr*p. 

It’s no surprise – our lives seem ridiculously busy, and when the jobs are mainly leaf raking, cutting back slimy remains and pruning spikey roses – chocolate and a Christmas film suddenly sounds very appealing.

Close-up of pink cyclamen flowers.
Alamy
Pink cyclamen is a no brainer to bring bright colour to your garden[/caption]

But there are ways to glow up your outside space – including some beautiful winter blooms. 

And – top tip – a lot of them thrive in pots – so you can keep them elsewhere – and move them into the limelight once they really start to shine.

Here’s five Christmas crackers to add festive cheer to your garden. 

CYCLAMEN

A true winter gem, cyclamen is a hardy flower that thrives in the cold months. Available in some incredible shades of pink, red, and white, these delicate flowers bring a pop of color to any garden. Plant them in shaded spots, and they will bloom from late autumn through to early spring – just make sure you’ve bought the hardy variety – coum not persicum. Buy a set of three for £4.50 from Homebase.

Mass of pink cyclamen flowers.
Alamy
A mass of pink cyclamen[/caption]

HELEBORES

Known as the “Christmas Rose,” hellebores are a must-have for winter. With their beautiful nodding flowers in shades of pink, white, and even deep purple, these perennials bloom through the colder months, and thrive in partially shaded areas. Plus their leaves are great ground cover.  Buy for just £1 at Gardening Express

Christmas hellebores.
Supplied
Hellebores are the perfect way to add elegance to your garden[/caption]

WINTER JASMINE

Winter jasmine’s bright yellow flowers bloom from December through to March, and although it doesn’t look exactly fabulous the rest of the year – you can forgive it anything when it adds that  cheerful burst of fragrant sunshine to those dreary winter days. It’s a climbing plant, so hide it at the back to grow up fences and walls. B&Q are offering a 20-30cm pot for £12.99

Winter jasmine flowers.
Getty - Contributor
Winter jasmine brings the sunshine to your outside space[/caption]

CLEMATIS ‘ADVENT BELLS’

This is a new (ish) hybrid evergreen climber that produces lovely bell-shaped blooms with cream petals with purple-y spot and splashes. Great for a sheltered wall. Its on sale at Suttons Seeds for just £10.

Close-up of Clematis cirrhosa 'Advent Bells' flowers, creamy white with maroon speckles.
Alamy
This Clematis flowers from November to February – and looks fab[/caption]

CALLICARPA ‘BEAUTY BERRY’

This has fabulous almost neon purple berries at this time of year – giving a disco vibe a bit like verbena  bonariensis. Plant near a path – mines by my front door – or outside a window  so you can enjoy for the longest time. You get the most fruit  if it’s south or west facing. Currently on sale at Hayloft for £15.

Snow-covered purple beautyberries.
Alamy
Bring the disco to your yard with the bright purple berries.[/caption]

ALSO IN VERONICA'S COLUMN THIS WEEK...

Poinsetta alternatives, top tips and a lawn mower competition

POINSETTIA’S scream Christmas. But they can be an incredibly fussy plant – so if you don’t fancy splashing out for a flower where you’re lucky if it holds out for the Big Day – then there are some lovely alternatives. 

AMARYLIS – half the excitement is planting the giant bulb in December and watching it grow – until it explodes into bright tropical trumpet.  Great for a festive family competition to see who’s blooms first. £10 at Ornamental Trees.

CHRISTMAS CACTUS – looks like a firework with beautiful pink tips when it blooms any time between late November and early February – just needs the occasional water year round. Buy for £1 from Gardening Express.

INDOOR CYCLAMEN – its a thing and they look just like the outside ones – but warm and cosy inside with you. Just £9.09 at Crocus

RED ORCHIDS – symbolising passion and love, they’re a great alternative Christmas houseplant – and if you’re lucky – they’ll carry on for years. Bunches have sprays for £27.75

NEWS! DON’T worry if your holly is looking a bit bare of berries – they’re ‘taking a year off’. Experts knew that after such a bumper crop last year – there would be much less berries this year. It’s due to – a bit like a new mum – the bushes feeling a bit exhausted, so they give themselves a rest. Holly farmer Nick Coller, from the edge of the Norfolk Broads, said his takings would be a fifth of what they usually are.

NEWS! Check out gardening websites right now for some incredible bulb sales – it’s not too late to get them in. Suttons Seeds and Thompson & Morgan are offering 80 per cent off, while J Parkers are half price. 

WIN! Webb Garden Machinery are giving one lucky Sun Gardening reader a Cordless Rotary Lawnmower worth £159 and a Cordless Line Trimmer worth £79.99. To enter visit www.thesun.co.uk/webbcomp or write to Sun Gardening Webb competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone. UK residents 18+ only. Ends 23.59GMT 4.1.25 T&Cs apply.

SAVE! Protect your plants with a roll of gardening fleece – B&Q do a 2x5m packet from BLOSTM for £14.99, or Amazon’s Takzuaa 2x5m version for £6.39

JOB OF THE WEEK Cut back all the rotting crocosmia, thin out any yellowing leaves from any surviving Geranium Rozannes, rake your lawn and cutback anything else that’s completely collapsed. Fleece your less hardy plants.  

TOP TIP! To give your Poinsetta a fighting chance –  don’t buy from places that display them by the door or a petrol forecourt – they’ve been too exposed to the cold and they won’t last.

Follow me @biros_and_bloom

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Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk 2: UK start time, TV channel, live stream, undercard and PPV prices for TONIGHT’S rematch

TYSON FURY and Oleksandr Usyk will battle once more TONIGHT to wrap up a stunning year of heavyweight boxing!

The two juggernauts went head to head in the first heavyweight undisputed fight this CENTURY – with Usyk winning a brilliant contest by a split-decision.

Tyson Fury at a weigh-in.
AP
Tyson Fury weighed in at a career heaviest of 20 stone[/caption]
two men in boxing gloves one of whom has the word tyrone on his shorts
Getty
Oleksandr Usyk won by a split decision in May[/caption]

And in a bout fit for that mantle, Fury and Usyk played out a thrilling battle with both fighters in control and also struggling at various points in the fight.

Usyk started on top before showboating Fury won the middle rounds and appeared to be well on top.

However, a brutal ninth-round volley saw Usyk badly rock Fury and swing momentum back his way by forcing a standing eight count.

With four major world titles up for grabs, both men gave it their all in one of the best fights in memory.

It went to the judges with the fight ending in a controversial split decision going in the Ukrainian’s favour – 115-112, 114-15, 114-113.

Now, seven months later, they brace to do it all over again back in Riyadh, and Fury has weighed in at a career heaviest.

But the IBF belt will not be at stake this time as Usyk was forced to vacate it to proceed with the contracted re-run.

TYSON FURY VS OLEKSANDR USYK 2 TIPS AND ODDS

When is Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk rematch taking place?

Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk 2 is taking place TONIGHT – Saturday, December 21.

The Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is hosting the big fight.

The ring walks are expected at a slightly earlier time of 10pm BST – this is 1am local time.

Watch Fury Vs Usyk 2 live on DAZN

*If you click on a link in this boxout we will earn affiliate revenue.

How to Watch Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk 2 live on DAZN

Get ready to rumble with Fury vs Usyk 2 live on DAZN Pay-Per-View! Here’s how:

  1. Buy the PPV: Get access to the fight by purchasing the PPV on DAZN.
  2. No Commitment, 7-Day Free Trial: With your PPV purchase, you’ll also receive a 7-day free trial of DAZN. Enjoy all the action and explore DAZN‘s sports lineup with no extra cost!
  3. First Month Free: Monthly DAZN subscribers can get their first month for free when signing up!
  4. No Subscription Required: The PPV price is all you need to pay. There’s no obligation to continue after your free trial ends.

Don’t miss the biggest fight of 2024! On December 21st “Gypsy King” Tyson Fury takes on “The Cat” Oleksandr Usyk for a second time in what promises to be the rematch of the century — order now and start your free DAZN trial today!

What happened at the weigh in?

Wearing several layer of clothing, Tyson Fury weighed in at a career heaviest 282lbs – 20lbs heavier than in the first fight between the pair.

While Usyk tipped the scales at 226lbs, that’s only slightly heavier than the 223.5lbs last time out.

However just like Fury, Usyk weighed in fully clothed.

There was only a very brief stare off, nothing like the ELEVEN-minute showdown from the night before at the press conference.

What channel will the fight be on?

  • DAZN PPV, TNT Sports Box Office and Sky Sports Box Office will all be broadcasting Usyk vs Fury once again.
  • The cost to purchase the PPV on TNT and DAZN is £24.99, while the event is priced at £24.95 on Sky Sports.
  • Usyk vs Fury 2 on TNT Sports Box Office can be watched on discovery+, EE TV, Virgin Media TV and Prime Video.
  • You do not need to be a TNT Sports subscriber to buy this event.

Who are the trainers?

Fury is coached by Sugarhill Steward – nephew to the legendary trainer Emanuel – with former world champ Andy Lee assistant.

And there is NO room for Fury’s dad John, who came under-fire for his advice in the corner in May.

Usyk’s head coach, meanwhile, is Yurii Ivanovich Tkachenko.

Boxer and trainer in the ring.
@tkachenko_yurii
Yurii Ivanovich Tkachenko is the head trainer of Usyk[/caption]

Will all heavyweight titles be on the line in the rematch?

This time round, however, it will NOT be an undisputed heavyweight title fight.

This is because Usyk vacated the IBF title following his win so the mandatories for the belt could get their shot.

Daniel Dubois was upgraded to the IBF heavyweight champion, and has since defended it in dominant fashion – knocking out Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium in front of a British record 96,000 crowd.

So it is only Usyk’s WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight titles up for grabs.

Fury vs Usyk 2 - top stories

READ MORE on all the build-up to the blockbuster fight in Riyadh..

All the info:

News, features and interviews:

Fury vs Usyk full card

As well as Fury’s rematch with Usyk, there are seven other fights on the card.

Israil Madrimov, who narrowly lost to Terence Crawford in August, takes on Serhii Bohachuk.

Brit heavyweights Moses Itauma and Johnny Fisher face challenges in Demsey McKean and Dave Allen respectively.

The undercard gets underway from 4pm GMT.

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Motorcyclist killed in Pattaya crash with minivan and pickup truck

A tragic accident occurred in Pattaya yesterday, December 20, resulting in the death of a motorcyclist following a collision involving a minivan and a pickup truck. Bang Lamung police, accompanied by rescue workers from the Sawang Boriboon Foundation, arrived at the scene of a fatal road accident at 11.30am yesterday on Sukhumvit Road near the …

The story Motorcyclist killed in Pattaya crash with minivan and pickup truck as seen on Thaiger News.

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Bangkok bust: 6 Chinese arrested with 200k SIM cards

Police in Bangkok have dismantled a major call centre gang, arresting six Chinese nationals who had set up their operations in a luxury condominium in the heart of the city. The suspects were found with an astonishing 208,652 SIM cards and 286 SIM boxes, alongside other electronic equipment. Entering Thailand on student and tourist visas, …

The story Bangkok bust: 6 Chinese arrested with 200k SIM cards as seen on Thaiger News.

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Girl killed in Chon Buri hit-and-run sparks search for dark vehicle

A tragic accident in Chon Buri has spurred an online search for a dark vehicle involved in a hit-and-run that claimed the life of a young girl and left her mother severely injured. The accident occurred when a motorcycle sidecar was struck, causing the child to be thrown from the vehicle. The event unfolded yesterday …

The story Girl killed in Chon Buri hit-and-run sparks search for dark vehicle as seen on Thaiger News.

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Adams’ ex-aid Ingrid Lewis-Martin hosts NYC toy drive, sings Beyoncé’s ‘Cuff It’ — day after she was hit with bribery charges

One day after Lewis-Martin was charged in a scathing indictment and slapped with cuffs after surrendering to authorities, the embattled ex-top aide was spotted at her decked-out holiday toy drive at the Paerdegat Yacht Club dreadfully belting out the lyrics to Beyoncé's “Cuff It.” 

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