Landscape Juice

Plane crashes in London....... no, not a Heathrow bound jet

Another story to have caught my eye in the Mail on Sunday was the felling of twelve trees, around Whitehall for security reasons. Some bright spark, in their infinite wisdom decided that these magnificent specimens were a security risk and decided to install bollards instead! The London Plane (P. orientalis and P. occidentalis), with its palmate leaf brings a certain maturity to the London streets and stands very much like the elder statesman providing a welcome shelter to those that pass beneath its dappled shade. The Plane was first introduced to London in the late 1800's but most that exist... Read more →

Papaver somniferum, the unsung Heroine of the plant world?

There is a story in the Mail on Sunday about the shortage of Morphine within the National Health Service and how land is being used to grow the Opium Poppy - Papaver somniferum - to increase supply and ease the supply issues. Drugs company Macfarlan Smith has been granted a license by the Home Office to produce Diamorphine to help ease the chronic shortages. Farmers in Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire have already given over land to grow the crop. Neighbours Guy Hildred and Tom Allen of Ipsden Oxon. say that growing the crop is a worthwhile business and that Macfarlan... Read more →

Grow your own Sedum from cuttings

Do you remember I pruned my Sedum in mid season to avoid leggy plants and delay the flowering a touch? The cuttings which I placed in just a bucket of water have rooted and are ready to be potted up. Because Sedum is a succulent (i.e. mainly water) they will continue to take in large amounts of water and will quickly send out fine white roots in search of a supply. Sedum is extremely easy to grow, in fact the cuttings which were discarded were tossed in the compost bin and have thrown out shoots and roots (although blanched with... Read more →

Buying a new lawn mower

Buying a new lawn mower is not something to be taken lightly. Make the wrong decision and it could be many many pounds worth of lost money. I have compiled a simple check list (I am sure it is not exhaustive) of things to consider and have posted my thoughts on a separate page. Running a commercial maintenance business I was responsible for buying thousands of pounds worth of rotary and cylinder mowers. The decision making before we bought was critical but do you know what the over riding thought was for me? Cost - and that was not 'what... Read more →

A brief history of Sunflowers

I am growing 5 hectares of Sunflowers this year and with the sun out this morning it is a wonderful sight. But what are the origins of this magnificent flower and what uses does it have? The Sunflower is a native of North America where it grew wild on the Western plains and is thought do date back over 3000BC after being found and dated at archaeological sites. The seeds, which pre-date the staple serials would be eaten as they were, as a snack or roasted and ground to provide a flour for making bread or thickening soups or stews.... Read more →

Caterpillar Junction

The black leaves on this nettle caught my eye as I walked with the dogs down to feed the ducks this morning. As I got closer I realised that the leaves were not black at all. What made them look diseased or burnt were the hundreds of jet black Caterpillars writhing over the leaves and the stem. Strangely they gathered only in this spot and appeared nowhere else on this stem or any of the others next to it. I did notice a second lot a metre or so away but they were not black and I assume they were... Read more →

Wild Orchid? - Help needed for identification.

I have got to admit to wild flowers not being one of my strong points so I need the help of someone who has experience with Orchids. Indeed if this is an Orchid at all. The plant is about 6-8 inches tall (not sure if this is the maximum height it can achieve and maybe stunted due to the meadow being cut about 5 weeks ago) The flowers are small and range in colour to almost pastel weak white/yellow to a stronger yellow colour and remind me a little of Antirrhinam. I have checked out the British Wild Flower site... Read more →

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You might have noticed that there is a little box at the top left hand corner of the side bar. This is an email service provided by Feed burner. Using this method you will be emailed of any updates without feeling the need to keep clicking on your favourites or doing a search. As we do not hold your details here on any database you can subscribe in the knowledge that you will not be spammed with unsolicited advertising or offensive material. To subscribe, just pop the email address into the box to which you want the email notification to... Read more →

How to grow Strawberries

Growing your own Strawberries is both fun and easy and most of all rewarding. The first good thing about Strawberries is they can be grown in just about any soil. What they do not like is too much water because it will cause the fruit to rot so drainage is essential. If your soil is heavy it may be necessary to incorporate a little horticultural grit or sand together with some well rotted horse manure to create the perfect medium for the roots. Try to prepare your plot in spring time so that you are ready to plant your Strawberry... Read more →

Live Earth concert for Climate Change that changes nothing

It seems likely that the general public will never trust pops stars ever again when they stage an event in aid of a 'worthy cause'. Live Earth has shattered the start of what could have easily been a sensible campaign of change and education, but no, all that has come about is ridicule and derision from all quarters. How can a vastly over paid pop start justify jetting thousands of miles and then preach using, a song that was probably written during their drug fuelled 'angry years', to persuade governments and us mere mortals to mend our ways? The concert... Read more →