Landscape Juice

Harlequin Ladybird - Harmonia axyridis threatens insects

In just four short years it has arrived in the UK mainland and spread nationwide.

First recorded in Essex in 2004, the Harlequin Ladybird has now been noted as far north as Orkney. Scientists have warned of the devastating consequences of its spread saying that up to one thousand insect species are at risk from the predator.

Credited with being the most invasive ladybird on Earth and the fastest spreading in Europe the destructive beetle feeds mainly on, but not restricted to, aphids and will also devour other ladybird (Coccinellidae).

Garden retail up ten percent as grow your own surges

Figures from the Horticultural Trades Association's Garden Industry Monitor Retail Business Benchmark Survey reveal garden centre and nursery sales for the period March to May are up 10.2% on average.

Recessionary fears still remain going forward. Caroline Owen, Chairman of the HTA's Retail Management Group told the attendees to the recent retail management group meeting “Many garden retailers cut their costs earlier in the year in anticipation of tough times ahead. Now with an excellent sales season margins are currently looking very good.

Protecting and searching for images with idée Labs

Have you ever needed to protect an image or find an image to suit your website based on a colour theme?

This clever of tool from idée Labs lets you search through images on Flickr that are filed under creative commons from a predefined colour you have requested.

The idée Piximilar search tool takes a few seconds to scan through thousands of images that match the colour theme you are looking for.

Sourcing garden pots and containers

Claudia de Yong does the hard work for you in sourcing garden pots and containers.

Finishing touches to a garden often involves using pots and containers planted up with annuals, shrubs or topiary. There are so many options available from classic lead, faux lead, terracotta ,fibreglass, stone, hazel and willow and the list goes on.

Choosing the right pot for the right situation is quite important when designing a garden and making sure all the elements work together be it for a front porch, a driveway , a patio or even around a swimming pool.

Gardeners' World dumps organic ethos and gives environment the elbow

I would like to welcome John Walker to Landscape Juice.

Kew-trained John is a gardening writer and author with a special interest in exploring how gardening can become more ecologically sustainable.

He writes regularly for various magazines and newspapers. His 'digging deeper' column in Kitchen Garden magazine explores the impact of gardening on the world around us, and also investigates gardening 'greenwash'.

John won the Garden Media Guild Environmental Award 2007 and is currently making a new earth-friendly organic food garden in Snowdonia.

Level 2 sun UV warning issued by Met Office

The Met Office has issued a level 2 heatwave warning and it expects the temperatures for two consecutive days to remain high enough to create significant risk to health. The young and old are the most vulnerable. It is the first ever warning of its kind.

From the Met office website: Current watch level: Level 2 - Alert and Readiness in one or more regions of England and Wales Issued Monday 29th June 2009.

Les Mirandes owner Peter Fuller found dead

It is not everyday that a gardening website reports a murder but sadly, today, this is the case here on Landscape Juice.

Long time readers of Landscape Juice will recall that I was asked by local Englishman, Peter Fuller to help get his golf course up and running after a series of false starts.

My wife Donna works as a consultant in the oil and gas industry and Peter was on her list of potential engineers she was trying to place for a contract. At the time he was working on a pipeline project in Siberia.

Is gardening more important than God

I am sat at my desk with the television on and listening to the music of Michael Jackson in a tribute being aired on C4. I haven't chosen to listen but my daughter has switched the television on and then gone off shopping for food with her Mum.

News websites and personal blogs are crammed with Jackson 'outpourings' and there is a definite sense of loss. I suspect though that at times we all need to feel loss to relieve us of bottled up emotion. Americans may be feeling the same as the British did at the time of Diana's passing.

Its a distress that brings people together and focusses minds on what is good about life around you. Somehow distant family seems closer and friends feel needed.

Days four and five of the Hampton Court 'build up'

I am not sure how Jill is finding the time but here is her latest blog on days four and five from Hampton Court.

Jill writes...Day four arrived and a fellow exhibitor had it exactly right - she said that every day she is consumed by a new emotion and always ends up feeling as if everyone else's garden is better than your own. I would imagine the months of building the garden in your mind and running through the fine detail time after time, begins to take its toll.

There are some truly fantastic creations emerging and the workmanship and diversity knows no bounds. The team from Slovenia is making excellent progress with their traditional house and garden and is wowing us all with their attention to detail. Every piece arrived in one of two artic's and included every item from stone, plants and paint to bicycles pasta and pretzels!

Preparing the grass courts for the Wimbledon fortnight

Have you sat in front of your television screen in awe and envy of the grass tennis courts at Wimbledon?

The lawn is a British tradition and institution and over £400 million is spent every year - often in vain - on turf, seed, mowers, feed and pesticides trying to recreate the famous sward.

Here I take a little look at who and what it takes to make the championship turf so special.

Head Groundsman, Eddie Seaward has been in charge of nineteen courts (plus twenty two for practise) at SW19 since 1991 and oversees fourteen permanent staff. Total ground staff numbers swells by fourteen to thirty for the championships.