Landscape Juice

Tregothnan tea takes China by storm

There was an item on BBC breakfast television this morning about a small Cornish estate that is exporting fine English tea around the world. One notable destination is China.

Camellia sinensis is grown for the tea production in the gardens where also the first Camellias were grown ornamentally two hundred years ago.

BALI Membership fees and cost of joining

It is probably a little bit one sided that I should spend so much time looking at the Association of Professional Landscapers and up until now not really looked to closely at the offerings and benefitsof the British Association of Landscape Industries.

In time I hope to look into every aspect of BALI and what being a member does for a business and to start with the cost of joining up looks unfair and I believe needs some attention.

Badbury Avenue Beech trees get the 'chop'

Badbury Beech Avenue has stood to attention at the side of B3082 Wimborne to Blandford road since 1835 when William John Bankes gifted the 731 trees to his mother Frances.

Of course, at the time, the road would have only had horse and carriage pass them by and I am sure that there would not have been too much traffic on the drive up to the house on the Kingston Lacy Estate.

Sadly, now that the trees are nearing the end of their safe and useful life, a health and safety review has led to twenty one trees to be cut down - more are sure to follow.

The Association of Professional Landscapers responds

It is very fair to say that I am direct when I get my teeth into a particular subject and many followers of Landscape Juice will be acutely aware of the criticism I have heaped on the APL and my perception of their failings toward the UK landscape industry.

You have to remember, the APL formed itself so it isn't burdened with a legacy of a previous life - what you see is what has evolved from a fresh start so any problems it may have now are a direct result of the APL's management or perceived lack of it.

How to lay a lawn with turf this Autumn

It is very nearly turf laying season - OK, there is not really a proper season but I always steer clear of laying turf in the Summer if I can because of the difficulties in getting it established without shrinkage or die back.

It will only take one hour in bright sunshine and the turf shrinks and the edges turn up making it almost impossible to bring it back to life.

You can put a sprinkler on immediately and move it along as you work but there is a danger of getting your work area wet and sticky and creating a pudding that can damage well prepared root zones.

Three gardening jobs to do in August

Enjoy the summer by all means but do not get behind with essential gardening jobs or you may find it a little tougher later on.

Here are ten jobs that may need your attention right now.

1. Wisteria will have grown well this year (2008) and with so much rainfall mixed with some sunshine the shoots can be well over six feet in length.

Tie in any healthy shoots where you have gaps or wish to extend the climber. It pays to have already fixed wires, Pergolas or Trellis in advance. You will fins the wispy shoots easy to manipulate and direct to where you need them. Be careful not to snap or distress the softwood too much otherwise die back could occur.

An 'Open Garden' for Water Aid

I have to hand it to Chippenham resident Michelle over at Veg Plotting for coming up with a very novel way of raising money for the Water Aid Charity via 'The Sing For Water Challenge'.

Not content on just having a bring and buy sale on the lines of the old Blue Peter format, Michelle set about creating something a little different by opening here garden to view over the internet and has also set up a 'one off' blog called VP's Open Garden 'Day' for the purpose of helping to raise the funds.

Why Hort Week's Leslie Kossoff is two years too late

Yesterday evening I read with amazement the advice that Leslie Kossoff - Prepare today for the upturn - was dishing out to horticulture based businesses with respect to the present economic situation and gathering gloom.

Where has Kossoff been for the last two years? This situation has not just crept up on garden managers it arrived two years ago and that is the time the advice on page 27 of this months Hort Week should have been dished out.

Forget about dealing with the upturn, some garden business managers haven't even begun to manage the downturn or plan for the real effects of a long and deep recession.

Discovering Orchids in France

I do not consider myself an expert on Orchids but it is a subject that I take a very genuine interest in.

I have spent a fair bit of time photographing Orchids this spring and early summer in the meadows around Jean Blanc but I have nowhere near the same extensive photographic collection as Simon and Susan at the Days on the Claise blog.

The top five gardening and landscaping job sites.

Are you thinking of changing career and looking for a gardening or landscaping job?

I have put together my top five horticulture job sites with contact details.
I have also added the Landscape Juice jobs widget which draws together jobs from the different online jo sites.