Sweet William Plants

I hate to mention autumn, especially as the weather has been like November recently! However, one major part of gardening is planning ahead, so it's worthwhile thinking about late summer colour. Sweet William annuals are a great choice.

Jersey Plants Direct are selling 160 plug plants for just £14.49! Enough to fill your borders with a carpet of pink, white and purple petals. Order HERE

Spectacular Orchid

Sheri Anne a reader of gardenandgreen.co.uk has sent in this pic of an orchid her father in law has grown. It looks like someone has green fingers as this is quite spectacular!

It's always nice to hear from readers. If you have an amazing plant, or have anything else relating to gardening, the countryside, nature, weather etc then please feel free to send us your pics via the upload form here. Copyright remains wth the sender;

http://www.gardenandgreen.co.uk/#/submit-an-article-pic/4532518753

B of the Bang

Following on from my little rant about the prospect of a huge modern art sculpture being dumped on Ilfracombe, news today that a £2 million pound piece of outdoor modern art has been sold for scrap and raised £17,000 for Manchester Council. The sculpture was Bof the Bang, which was a spikey looking thing put in place for the Commonwealth Games a few years ago. It had to be removed after great big metal spikes started falling off.

As I have said earlier these modern art sculptures are a really ineffective and expensive way of revamping areas. Just think what £2 million could have bought in ready to plant 8-12ft ornamental trees such as Olives, Yews, Yuccas, Acers etc. This would have been enough for a whole area and now a few years after the games is over the place would be looking better than ever, as the trees would be even more mature. The 2 million would be benefiting the area for decades to come, not just a flash in a pan like B of the Bang.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2168655/B-bang-Commonwealth-Games-sculpture-melted-scrap-metal-fell-apart.html

Damien Hurst Statue

I can't stand big modern art sculptures, they drive me mad. Why is it that we need these huge and expensive monstrosities everywhere to 'enhance' places. Elsewhere on this blog I wrote about some rubbish Weymouth modern art that was being installed, it was like something out of The Flintstones next to a roundabout. It was so expensive and I compared what the council could have planted in the town with the money to make it more attractive instead of one modern art installation. This latest one, designed by the bloke famous for pickling dead farm animals, is in Ilfracombe a place most people visit I'm sure to have nice quiet walks, an ice cream, play on the beach, enjoy the natural landscape, play in the rockpools, enjoy the tranquility and being away from the built up urban parts of the country. So in what way will some huge naked women holding a sword enhance this experience??

Ilfracombe please ditch the vanity sculpture and spend the money on trees, plants, keeping the beaches immaculate etc.

Don't underestimate the tourist appeal of being a place untouched, where not much happens.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2167025/Damien-Hirsts-67-foot-pregnant-Angel-West-The-landmark-set-tower-Devon-coast.html