Landscape and garden news, tips and advice

Elm disease in Britain's forests overwhelms them

There were stories in the early 1970s about the changing British landscape, saying that it would not be the same again, that an epidemic was sweeping the country.

That epidemic was Dutch elm disease which killed 25 million trees.

Only a few pockets survived, one around the Brighton and Hove area, relatively protected by the English Channel and South Downs.

Today a new battle is taking place to save the British elm tree that requires 'an emergency sanitation programme of tree-felling' according to journalist Mark Seddon in the Telegraph, who's been tracking the current state of the elm tree in recent reports, Carol Miers writes:

Rural Coalition, saving the countryside communities

With many eyes focused upon the actions being taken by the government, keeping the British landscape and way of life as it is will require more than simply sitting back according to a recent report titled The Rural Challenge by the Rural Coalition.

The report makes no less than 38 recommendations, and includes useful case studies, saying 'sustainability cannot be achieved by how we currently live our lives'.

According to the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) this report calls for fundamental change in order to prevent the loss of village life as we know it.

Deer collision hazard warnings - a matter of life and death?

Colliding with a deer is not something anyone wants to do, and it's far from ones thoughts when driving through beautiful countryside. The warning triangular sign of a deer with red outline, can seem overcautious when no deer are to be seen. But the danger's always there.

At certain times of the day, such as at dusk or dawn, animals come out into the open to cross the roads. Vegetation camouflages animals as they approach the road leaving little or no time to avoid them, by Carol Miers.

Deer are shy creatures and we aren't used to their habits. Although they move quickly, it is not always fast enough.

What can be done to reduce the risks of accidents?

Ornamental oak garden mushrooms

About two years after arriving in France, I forged a new friendship with another English chap who lives about five miles away; our wives met at the local horse stables and by pure coincidence, Mark Rogers and I share so many interests - mainly woodwork and football - we met up and have become great friends ever since.

Both Mark and I intended to work with wood but life's taken a different route than anticipated; whilst I'm to be found (for longer than I should) sitting in front of my computer, Mark is putting the last seven years of French building experience to good use and has set up a small building enterprise - sometimes that involves woodwork, other times it might be putting up plasterboard or paving around a swimming pool.

Woodland Trust walk and wood finder

I bet you are itching to get out and about this weekend: another minute closed in with dogs and kids is enough to drive anyone to distraction.

If it's fresh air and exercise you are looking for then why not devise a long walk - before or after a hearty Sunday roast - at one of the Woodland Trust's hundreds of woodlands across the United Kingdom?

There are over a thousand sites to choose from - from rich ancient woodlands with gnarled tree roots to brand new plantations.

Rammed Earth is a sustainable landscaping method

'Sustainable' is becoming a very cheap word. It is now so overused that I am finding it hard to distinguish between reality and marketing hype.

There really are too many materials, production methods, packaging and foods that are called sustainable but are clearly costly in terms of resources consumed to get them to market, that their sustainability 'label' is devalued by a lack of carbon neutrality.

I am always on the lookout for methods of landscape construction that would allow the consumption of materials without a high cost or heavy impact on the environment.

The Royal Show signals the end of traditional showground events

The show organiser of GLEE and Saltex should pay careful heed to what the organisers of the 170 year old Royal Show have said as the very last show kicks off at the Stonleigh show ground in Warwickshire.

A BBC news report has just stated that the culture towards the traditional show has changed both geographically and demographically.

Exhibitors are more content with attending much smaller and intimate shows in areas that cater to their specific need.

How to make wild nettle soup

I am going to give the credit for this post to Francoise Murat because she has posted her recipe for making nettle soup on the Landscape Juice Network.

I thought that it would be a good idea, while the topic was still fresh and of course while the nettles were in tip top shape, to have a go at making the soup, trying it for lunch and letting you know, in my honest opinion, what it tasted like.

A pictorial view while walking the dogs

I wish I could produce a scratch and sniff, feel and sense post for you so that you can get some of the atmosphere of my little walk with the dogs in the mornings.

Here are just a few of my views today.

This first picture is of a bumble bee that had taken refuge in a cranny of our outside wall. Looks like it is waiting to warm its wings ready for a foray into the wild.

 

Keeping deer out of your garden with a fence

Having worked in the countryside all of my life I have often come across a lot of gardens that have been all but destroyed by some kind of feeding animal.

Whether it is rabbit or hare gnawing the bark from the bottom of young trees or the leaves from the lettuce in the vegetable patch or woodpeckers or crows tearing up the lawn in search of chafer grubs there is never really a garden that is safe.