Landscape Juice

How to become an organic gardener

Organic need not just be a buzz word for saving the planet it really can make a difference to how your vegetables taste and how your plants grow.

Personally I am not an organic gardener because I will use Round up as a weed killer on areas where I just do not have the time to manually pull out the weeds or hoe.

But that need not mean I am not organic and here are ten tips on starting down the organic road.

Greenkeeping at Loch Lomond

Prestigious jobs in certain industries do not come along that often and for a very lucky greenkeeper that opportunity is now.

A job is available on the greenkeeping staff at the Carrick on the banks of Loch Lomond and if you are quick you might make the short list.

Loch Lomond is all a buzz at the end of June and traditionally played the week before the British Open and quite frankly I cannot think of a more beautiful setting in which to do your work.

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So young, but labelled an entrepreneur

I love stories like this.

Thanks to Richard over at An Oasis for highlighting this creative success story on his website.

Fourteen year old Charlie Artingstoll is busy producing wooden plant labels from his garden in Cantebury and selling them to local garden centers and now it seems the world.

I am sure we have all come across those pesky white plastic plants labels? Well Charlie has given us a choice by producing a wooden alternative called Timbertags.

Richard has interviewed Charlie and posted on his site.

Stewarts Wall Art, hanging out near you.

Rembrandt or Da Vinci might not need to worry about their place in history but Wall art creators might need to look over their shoulder.

Stewarts Wall Art, the new kids on the commercial art block, have launched their new service offering either prints or wall hung canvasses bearing Wildlife, Flowers or Livestock.

Whether you are looking for something to adorn your house or maybe to grace the foyer of a managing directors office then Stewarts might just have what you are looking for.

It matters not if you desire their work for commercial or private use and judging by the presentation and examples on their website it looks like there is some extremely professional photographic artwork for sale or hire.

Full details can be found on their website.

The Wimbledon grass is the only fan of the rain

I am certain there is a only one grateful recipient of the copious precipitation at Wimbledon - Yes, the grass.

I watched some old footage of the tournament this evening spanning several years and in nearly all clips the grass is worn bare after the constant pounding by the male and female bi-ped pummelling the velvet green rubber ball to and fro.

I remember the lecturer at Merrist Wood telling us, if the boffin's could produce a leafless grass it would be the ideal way for the cricket and Tennis groundsman to present a perfect playing surface to the players.

How to take box cuttings

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Do you want to save yourself a very small fortune and grow your own Box hedging?

It really could not be any simpler than taking cuttings and rooting them yourself.

It may well take you a little longer than buying plants from a nursery but with it comes huge satisfaction and what's more, the money stays in your pocket for other stuff on your wish list, like a garden chair to sit and relax in.

Turfcare is turfcare in any language

Are you interested in sorting your lawn out this Autumn after a really heavy season of use?
It will be business as usual for industry professionals but with the right machinery, renovations need not be a chore.

This You Tube video gives a great glimpse of how a Vertidrain machine works and demonstrates what good aeration can do for your lawn or indeed any grass surface.

I cannot explain what the commentator is saying but the video itself is interesting.

This is what I love about gardening blogs

I spent some time looking around the net this morning looking for inspiration and something to form a topic for a post.

I have not written about blogs for a while so I did a little search. I felt like Phileas Fogg but didn't take the full 80 days to circumnavigate the world. More like 80 seconds, oh how times have changed!

Take a look at these stunning photo's of the Cypripedium acaule, the pink lady slipper Orchid. Isn't nature a joy to behold?

I hope Gardenista does not mind me reproducing the photo here? If this is the kind of quality you can expect from the blog it is worth logging it into your favourites.

Adding Nasturtiums to your salad

I wrote yesterday about collecting easy seeds on your travels to provide free annuals flowers the following season.

One of my favourites is Nasturtium but how many of you know that they are great in salads?
You can eat the flowers and the young leaves so I thought I would add this little recipe.

If you are growing this South American native then make the most and give it a try. The leaves and flower taste a little of pepper or mustard.

Lavender is not new to the UK

I am getting a little peeved with the media bandwagon that blames anything and everything on either the government or global warming.

I was drawn today to a piece in the Mail about Lavender being produced on a Gloucestershire farm. There is a fantastic photo of the Lavender in bloom with a young lass skipping along the rows.

It is a cheerful sight but the closing sentence "It is likely lavender will become a more common sight in Britain's fields as the warming climate makes conditions more suitable." made me wonder if journalists ever do any research?

If they were to do a Google they would quickly understand that Lavender has been grown in the British Isles for decades. Long before global warming was ever heard of.

Lavender was first harvested at Norfolk Lavender in 1933 and its oils were blended to make perfume.