We planted two apple trees in our garden four years ago, and last autumn they produced a disappointingly four or five apples. We had a strong windstorm blow through the west of Ireland the spring before, taking almost all the blossoms from the tre...

Winter in the Northern Hemisphere can be beautiful, as long as there’s snow on the ground and sunshine in the sky. But during those months when the sky is gray and cloudy, and when rain falls instead of snow, it can be downright depressing. Becaus...