Landscape Juice

Catching up with comments

I have been a little lackadaisical with responding to the recent comments so I thought, as you have taken the trouble to participate, I would respond by linking back to the comments.

Starting with "The great Garden Monkey Exposé"

VP Wrote "Hi Phil,

I've cast my vote - after a great deal of thought I've gone for No. As you know I don't use my name on my blog - that's because I'm nervous about personal details and t'internet. In GM's case I think it's just so he can say what he likes without any constraints. If we don't like all or some of the content we can a) not read the blog anymore and/or b)give feedback directly via a Comment.

Has poor Easter confirmed a 'crisis' for garden centres

One of the most important and profitable weekends of the gardening year has come and gone with retailers reporting up to 50% fall in sales - source Hort Week.

It may be the weather that gets the overall blame with snow, wind and heavy rain deterring even the hardiest of garden centre fanatics, but it is never the less missed sales, that will have to be clawed back at a later date, if garden centres are to meet their 2008 targets.

Tips on controlling Rabbits in the vegetable patch

Imaging that you have spent a whole weekend, breaking your back digging over the vegetable garden and preparing the soil for your seeds and transplants, and looking forward to the day the first signs of life sprouts upwards?

(If you are a non gardener, I cannot begin to explain the feelings a gardener gets when a new shoot emerges from the soil and starts to develop.)

Day after day, whilst continuing with general maintenance and perhaps sowing further varieties through the season, you watch with pride and awe as the leaves begins to unfurl and develop.

The blog wins hands down over glossy mags

After running a poll on my post titled 'Is the Horticulture printed publication industry in deep trouble?' asking how gardeners prefer to take their gardening news, I failed to follow up with the results.

Well, it wasn't a particularly well supported poll, but I feel the question has clearly been answered - 80% of gardeners [who clicked the poll] prefer to take their news via a blog or website.

Ratings 'soar' for Landscape Juice

I have to say a big 'Thank You' to all of my regular readers for your support of my blog. I have to say also, thank you for the encouragement from the many private emails and chats I have with several of you via email and Skype. There are times when I wondered if it was all worth the effort and now I know it is.

I am still not going to reveal the numbers but you can see from the graph, Landscape Juice monthly stats continue to rise impressively and the last three months especially has seen fantastic growth.

The Strasberry makes a comeback

I hope I can be forgiven for my ignorance when I admit to the fact, but I have to say I have never heard of a Strassberry until this morning.

Waitrose has started selling the fruit, said to taste in between a Raspberry and a traditional Strawberry but still having a unique taste of it's own.

They look to me like the little woodland strawberries - which I remember picking bowl loads of in a small grass clearing in a chestnut wood in the Loire many years back.

Listen to music while you work ........and die!

I have just read, with interest, the article by James Alexander-Sinclair on the BBC Gardeners World Blog, about how music can be an essential part of the working day.

Music does indeed help one to relax and even help melt into the task you are doing. Music is also inspirational and I am sure can help most creative people take their work to another level.

However, as an employer, I would be now more than concerned at how music could lead to staff to become pre-occupied and not concentrate on their work, leading to serious accidents - even death!.

Scarifying your lawn - cut the grass first

I think we can all be forgiven for thinking that it is in fact January rather than the beginning of May so Spring lawn treatments will still be tucked right back on the 'to do' list of many gardeners.

However, if you haven't already done so, you would be wise to consider your plan and think about getting some lawn maintenance under way.

One job, if you have not given your lawn a good once over last Autumn, is to scarify out all of the dead grass (thatch), lateral growth and moss so that the grass can recover without having to struggle through a deep layer of debris before poking the leaf blade tip into the big bad world.

French Horticulture student seeking work placement in the UK

I had a comment left yesterday by a French horticulture student who is looking for work experience and a four week job placement in the UK this summer.

Her name is Elodie Delwarde and she left all of her details as a comment on Landscape Juice yesterday. I have edited out the personal details for obvious security reasons, but I am happy to accept enquiries to pass on directly to Elodie for her consideration.

If you are interested, please email me philipvoice@gmail.com

All the details, together with Elodie's CV are in the bottom part of this post.

Easy gardening with the Earthbox

Has anyone seen the new product from Harrod Horticulture called Earthbox?

As a concept the Earthbox isn't anywhere new but reading through the literature, I can see how easily it will be to introduce this space saving planter into the average greenhouse, conservatory or even patio with little fuss.