Dede Sophie

Volkswagen have released details of their new large electric car, the ID.7 which will go on sale in Ireland towards the end of this year, writes Brian Byrne. The car is a saloon in format and will be the flagship of the brand’s electric car range. A rated range of up to 700km is claimed for the ID.7, which also features a brand new electric motor system and furthers VW’s stated ambition to be selling only electric cars in Europe by 2033. Volkswagen say they have emphasised a high quality appearance, and the car will have a new style of display. Very smooth aerodynamics will contribute to the ID.7’s range efficiency. Pricing will be revealed closer to launch here. 

Yes it’s true, you can grow a tropical garden in 6 months. However you will need to purchase the right plants at the right time and plant them in a position with conditions that will best suit their environmental needs. Ok, that can sound quite daunting but with the majority of cold hardy tropical plants require not much more that full sun and free draining soil. It is a lot easier than you might first think – there are of course some exceptions. So welcome to English horticulturist Lorna’s cold hardy tropical garden. Planted 6 months ago to when this video was taken, it is now a mature, lush corner of the garden filled with colour and architectural foliage. We have specifically chosen large-leaved specimens, brought in a few specimen plants from our old garden – just two in fact, the hardy banana Musa basjoo and the Tetrapanax ‘Rex’. Most other plants are herbaceous plants we have propagated through division or late spring or summer flowering bulbs b...