Foxtail Lilly

I was just skimming through a plant catalogue in a newspaper and WOW, did these foxy numbers stand out. Foxtail Lillies Eremurus robustus will add real height and colour to a border!

Flowering Period:June, July
Position:full sun
15 bare roots, 5 of each colour £14.97

Buy from Van Meuwen CLICK HERE

What is a NIMBY?

You might of heard of this word before, and no doubt some of you will be wondering what does it mean, or perhaps you know why the word is used but not aware of what it stands for. It's an acronym, where the letters are from the first letters of words in a phrase. Not In My Back Yard - Nimby.

A nimby is someone who objects to a development near to their home, so for example someone campaigning to stop a housing development on farm fields next to their house would be considered a Nimby.

There is of course nothing wrong with being a nimby, who would want a mobile phone mast yards from their front drive, or a new housing estate at the end of the village, where there is a wild meadow?! HOWEVER, a lot of 'nimbys' are hypocritical, they complain about something being built near them, but if you look closer you find their actions do not match their objections. So for example, a village might have voted for the last ten years for Labour, despite knowing they allowed huge immigration of 3 million people, they continued to vote for them. Of course, a booming population, where net immigration was 250,000 increase each year, a city the size of Nottingham, means more housing is needed to cope with all the extra new households, people can't live in rabbit warrens. If a 'nimby' has on the other hand wrote letters complaining about mass immigration, has voted for parties who are anti mass immigration, they can be a nimby without being a hypocrite. However, all those waving banners against the consequences of what they voted for, really are someone who is only concerned about their back yard and just want the houses built next to someone elses village.

WIN a Morgan 3 Wheeler Sports Car

I'm always amazed at the number of interesting environmental and nature charities in the UK. The latest one I have recently came across is the British Horse Loggers Charitable Trust. The clue is in the title, they are an organisation that promotes horse logging in Britain. You might wonder, why on earth in this modern age there will be any demand for horses that pull felled logs through forests, like the Victorian era. However, if you visit their website you will soon learn like I did of how they can be used to save money by not requiring tracks to be built, they can work on steep unsteady ground and leave a very light footprint on the areas they have been to. They also can be used for flattening heather and cutting meadowland.

The news is that Morgan, a traditional British car manufacturer who still uses wood for its frames is sponsoring an apprenticeship scheme so these traditional skills can be passed on. They have donated a Morgan 3 wheeler for a raffle. Tickets come in books of 5 and are £10 per ticket. So entry to win this eye catching little motor is £50, although you could get a few friends to each buy a ticket, reducing the price to £10 per person.

TICKETS AVAILABILITY:

By post from Doug Joiner, Hill Farm, Bosbury, Ledbury, HR8 1HE, send an S.A.E. and cheque for £50 payable to 'British Horse Loggers Charitable Trust' for each book of 5tickets.

FULL DETAILS

http://www.britishhorseloggerscharitabletrust.org/pages/morganraffle.htm

February Wasp!

I was sitting by the window today and it was open due to the really warm weather. It was about 16 or 17 celcius. Then I heard a buzzing, at first I thought it must have been a fly, but it was a really angry buzz. I looked up and there was a big wasp nearly coming in through the window. I can NEVER in my life recall seeing a wasp so early in the year!

Walmart GM Sweetcorn

I was just skimming through some of the tweets on www.twitter.com/gardenandgreen and one from @margaretroach caught my eye. It was a link to a story about Walmart the American supermarket giant who own Asda here in the UK, who according to the article will soon be selling Monsanto GMO Sweetcorn in their stores.

If you read the full article it claims that the sweetcorn has been genetically modified to include a toxin found in poisonous catepillars. The idea is that the insects eat the corn then the toxin kills them without requiring pesticide.

It is unknown what effect consuming a plant that produces this toxin will have on humans, however lab rats that fed the Bt corn suffer from organ failure.

The Walton family who own Walmart are one of the richest families in the world, so I would like to know to put everyones fears to rest will they publically eat a large bowlful of this sweetcorn at one of their supermarkets?

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/wal-mart-to-sell-monsanto-gmo-corn-this-summer.html#ixzz1nbpEcdCa

All Alone

There is an article on the Daily Mail website showing how far we have scanned space for aliens using radio frequencies. We have sent them out 200 light years in all directions, which is a blip of the Milk Way, we would need to send them out 118,000 more light years to cover our own galaxy then there is countless more beyond. So, we might as well get used to the idea that if there is life out there, they are well out of our reach and will probably never be found. We need to focus on what life there is here on Planet Earth and look after it. Every species of plant, insect, bird, fish and mammal is the life that is out there. Who needs ET anyway when we've got Dolphins sharing our planet?!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2107061/Earth-calling-Tiny-yellow-dot-shows-distance-radio-broadcasts-aliens-travelled.html

Can UK wildlife cope with drought?

The BBC website have produced a good article about the possible impact on wildlife if there is drought conditions this year. Already the water levels are below that of the same time in 1976, which was one of the hottest years ever in the UK. To this day my parents and their friends are convinced that the heat frazzled my 6 month old brain along with my friends, as the class of 76 were renowned for being daft as brushes and mad as march hares, compared to our siblings born in years before and after. Haha ;0)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/17130206

Wildlife that could be affected include newts and the rare Natterjack toad, whereas other species like snakes thrive in the drier conditions.



The film above is a Natterjack toad in Slitere National Park in Latvia, here in the UK they can be found in parts of the South of England and the coastline of Cumbria and Dumfries. http://slitere.lv/

CWGC - Director of Horticulture

A wonderful opportunity for an experienced plantsman/women. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission which looks after war cemetries around the world and has kept them as beautiful oasis' of peace and tranquility for our war dead are on the look out for a Director of Horticulture.

The job is based in Maidenhead, Berkshire, but no doubt there will be travel involved to various sites on different continents. Each cemetery looks similar with the distinct headstones and Lutyen designed architecture, however the plants are chosen for the climate, so a war cemetery in Normandy might have Lavender, roses and Dianthus, etc whereas those in North Africa have palms, olives and cacti.

The Director will be in charge of managing the gardeners throughout the world, training, horticultural plans etc so no doubt the CWGC will be looking for someone with great experience and training. Full details here;

http://www.cwgc.org/about-us/our-organisation/job-vacancies.aspx

Gardens to Visit - Barnsdale Gardens

The latest 'Gardens to Visit' page is about Barnsdale Gardens. They were created by former BBC Gardener's World presenter Geoff Hamilton, who sadly died in the 1990's.

There is loads of different styles of gardens, such as a Japanese garden, cottage garden, allotment garden, and a formal pond and knot garden to name just a few so visitors can get loads of ideas and inspiration for their own gardens.

Here is the link;

http://www.gardenandgreen.co.uk/#/barnsdale-gardens/4561041212

and here is the full list of garden to visit pages;

http://www.gardenandgreen.co.uk/#/gardens-to-visit/4542227103

If you work for, own or volunteer for a garden that is open to the public and would like to be featured just email gardenandgreen@hotmail.co.uk and I will email you the info. As an editorial page it is FREE to set up.

Ice Age Flower Blooms Again!!

WOW! This story is sensational. A team of Russian scientists have used plant matter from a squirrels burrow frozen since the Ice Age to grow a new plant. It is the first time it has grown since the last ice age over 30,000 years ago!!!!!!, and has flowered and produced seeds.

What an amazing achievement, next stop Jurrasic Park! You can see a picture of the plant in flower via the link below;

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46456116

Honk the Litterbugs!!

A couple of years ago I was driving on a dual carriageway when some bloke in a lorry in front decided to casually wind his window down and throw out his junk food litter. A gust of wind carried the plastic bag right onto the bonnet of my car, and nearly covered the window!

People who just drop litter like that really get on my nerves!! Even at the age of 6 I used to carry all my sweet wrappers in my trouser pockets until I could put them in a bin,they were always full of Chewit and Curly Wurly wrappers. So I just can't understand why grown adults just treat the place like an open air dump.

Today at a roundabout a sports car pulled up, I was going straight over and the women in the car was waiting to turn left. She just wound the window down and dropped some paper onto the road, without a care in the world. Within a split second I give a good honk of my horn, if nothing else you get a good laugh because It's funny to see the persons reaction. (It was so obvious she knew what the honk was for) So the next time you see someone dropping litter, give them a honk and lets keep Britain tidy!

Drought Declared in parts of the UK

In 1976 there was 54 million people and there was a drought, now in 2012 the population is past 62 million, another 8 MILLION people daily flushing toilets, washing up, showering etc. Last year alone 560,000 people moved here, 310,000 Brits moved away, resulting in an increase in 12 MONTHS of 250,000 people, a city the size of Nottingham. The same thing has been happening for over a decade. So, were more reservoirs built? was it worked out what population our water systems can actually cope with? Environmental Imact Assesments are done if a small housing estate is built, the impact of noise, traffic, pollution etc. So, did the govt study what the impact might be of millions more people moving here, resulting in predicted population of 70 million within another 10 years. The media, politicians and charities are saying shower less, dont water your flowers, and are ignoring this huge factor. Follow www.gardenandgreen.co.uk in the coming months as we try and find out the truth about the impact of mass immigration on the environment.

Bumblebee Conservation Trust

Speaking of bees, here is an interesting interview with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust;

http://www.gardenandgreen.co.uk/#/bumblebee-conservation-trust/4550045559

Also here is a video about a project they have been working on in Scotland to improve Bumblebee habitat.

Puffins

Here is the latest British birds fact page. The Puffin resides on the grassy cliffs of the British Isles during the spring and summer months.

http://www.gardenandgreen.co.uk/#/puffin/4557890846

Sarah Raven's Bees, Butterflies and Blooms

Heres a good BBC programme about wildlife friendly gardening and how to attract bees and butterlfies to your garden. It's fascinating to see how just changing the types of flowers used in borders can attract so many more butterflies, bees, and hoverflies.

Sarah Raven visits Harrogate, who always do well in Britain and Bloom and arranges for the gardening teams to trial some beds using nectar rich plants rather than the standard bedding plants such as Begonias. When the Britain in Bloom judges are visiting they are in a park with various beds, and the one which has been planted with the nectar rich plants such as single head Dahlias is buzzing with activity, whereas just a few metres away beds planted with the usual displays are bee free zones.

It all comes down to nectar and by the time you have finished watching, I'm sure you'll be inspired to think about adding a few nectar rich plants to your garden this coming season.

WATCH ON BBC IPLAYER VIA LINK BELOW

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01c89vp/Bees_Butterflies_and_Blooms_Towns_Gardens_and_Britain_in_Bloom/

Sperm Whale Plastic Bag Poisoning

Tragic story about the effects plastic bags are having on Sperm whales. What a beautiful photo.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2096142/Sperm-whales-How-plastic-bags-poisoning-planets-greatest-predators.html

Hosepipe Ban?!

It's only February and there is already predictions of a housepipe ban! Ardingly reservoir in West Sussex is only 42% full. I really think water is going to be a BIG issue in the next few years due to huge net yearly immigration of approx 250,000 people per year for over ten years (Thats ten cities the size of Nottingham!). Have they built new reservoirs to match the booming population? Did they work out if our water systems and rivers would cope with this huge new population. Probably not. No doubt they will start saying we have not got enough water and start imposing restrictions. No. We have plenty of water, the problem is we have a population that is too high to live in Britain sustainably without doing great environmental damage lowering the quality of life and of course putting great pressure and strain on our water resources.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/301172/Icy-weather-could-lead-to-hosepipe-ban

BBC Weather

Reading the news online it is warned temperatures could fall to -11. So I checked the BBC weather website and the 5 day forecast for the North East says it will be about 4 degrees Celcius, falling to about -2 on one of the nights. So, it's always worth checking what the weather will be in your exact area for your gardening and outdoor plans, as relying on headlines is a bit unreliable.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather

Ten Gardening Tips for February

The gang at the Eden project have made a nice vid about what to do in your garden during February. It's all about getting prepared for the gardening season ahead.

So here it is, and don't forget to visit their website to find out more about their work and plan a visit.

http://www.edenproject.com/

The Snow Was a NO Show

I must have been able to feel the lack of snow clouds in my bones, as my prediction for North East England was correct. No major snow fell, a mere dusting, like something you might see on top of a Victoria sponge cake. It wasn't even that cold, considering the newspaper websites were making out we were about to enter a new ice age.

I know it snowed it down south a bit more, hope you had some fun with snowballs and sledges. Now can we just get on with Spring, as I'm raring to go!

Winter Notes

I keep reading about sub zero temperatures, freezing seas, and how we're expecting a white out. Well here in Newcastle, it hasn't been that cold. I was out last night and I could have worn a T shirt, but then I am a Geordie! ;0) But seriously the weather as yet has not been matching the news reports even at 14.49 pm all I can see out the window is a bit of feeble sleet. So perhaps, in a few hours I might be eating my words if there is a huge dump of the white stuff, but as yet I think this is way over hyped.

I've enjoyed the mild winter, OK, so their has been no pretty snow scenes like last year, but who cares as it means a lower gas bill!

Even if it does snow now, I say do your worst Mother Nature, as it's February so it's getting slowly lighter and in only a few weeks it will be Spring!! CANNOT WAIT. ;0)

Buddleja 'Flower Power'

A new variety of Buddleja. These hardy plants are renowned for their ability to attract butterflies to your garden. In fact they are often called butterfly bushes. This 'Flower Power' newby goes according to T&M "deepest violet to rich butterscotch yellow for an enchanting kaleidoscope of colour." The plants grow to 2 metres tall. Easy to maintain just prune back in spring, then dead head flowers to prolong flowering throughout the growing season. Two plants for £10, saving a fiver!

Click here to order via Thompson & Morgan

Clematis x aromatica

Another new Clematis for 2012 is Clematis x aromatica Old Man's Beard. As you can see the unique feature of this Clematis is the long strands known as stamens in the centre of the flower. So exotic looking. Imagine having this climbing plant covering the side of a boring old garage or shed!

3 plants just £11.99

Click here to order via Thompson & Morgan

Clematis 'Saphyra Indigo'

Another plant that comes near the top of my favourite list is Clematis. The variety of colours, the shape of the flowers, the way they turn boring walls and fences into a blaze of colour. Here is Thompson and Morgan's latest Clematis, very nice. Love the blueness, however, if you go to the website via the link below and watch the short video clip you will see the flowers seem more purplely than the photo indicates.

Hardy perennial.

1 Clematis plant is £10.99, you can also get 3 plants for £18.99.

(They're such a good company for giving good discounts for multiple purchases! ;0)

Click to order via Thompson & Morgan

Dahlia XXXL

Look at these HUGE Dahlias new for 2012. Blooms are 12 inches in size, and just look at those fiery colours! Seriously, get these and put them in some containers on your decking or patio. They will look superb and are easy to care for. Also, they flower from July onwards which is early for Dahlias traditionally assosciated with late summer.

Height: 120cm (48”). Spread: 60cm (24”)

1 Jumbo plug is £8.99, but Thompson and Morgan have an amazing offer, 4 jumbo plug plants for just £9.99 in total. That is one serious horticultural bargain for these tough economic times.

Click here to buy from Thompson & Morgan

Hibiscus 'Hardy Giants Collection'

I'm a big fan of huge plants and flowers, especially types of Sunflowers, Dahlias and Chrysanthenums. These monster dinner plate sized Hibiscus blooms certainly caught my eye! I think they will appeal to many gardeners, they really will be jaw droppers in your front garden and will get plenty of passing admirers.

They are 18.99 for 3 plants of varying colours. They are a hardy shrub and require full sun.

Collection comprises:
Hibiscus moscheutos 'Cranberry Crush' - Huge, crimson red flowers.
Hibiscus 'Kopper King' - Candy cane pink flowers produced against a backdrop of striking copper red foliage.
Hibiscus moscheutos 'Old Yella' - Gently ruffled primrose yellow flowers.

Click here to order via Thomson & Morgan

Thompson and Morgan New for 2012

I was looking at the Thomson & Morgan website yesterday and WOW they have some great new additions for gardeners in 2012. The following posts feature my favourites from their new plants.