Landscape Juice

Transplanting self seeded woodland trees

I spend an awful lot of my working week and some of the early evenings on the computer reading, researching, writing and administrating the network - I like to do something a little different at the weekends. Last year, the vegetable patch didn't really get going as I spent a lot of my spare time trying to get our barn turned into a kitchen. Since Christmas I have built fitted cupboards, made a bed for my daughter and built stairs to replace the set of ladder stairs that we inherited when we took over the farm. I now just have... Read more →

When is it officially springtime in the UK?

Hands up how many of you are desperate for a bit of sun on your backs after what seems and endless, cold and frustrating winter of discontent? Here yesterday, the sun warmed us to a glowing 17 degrees centigrade with barely a puff of cloud all day. It felt very spring-like and although we can still get severely cold weather, the clock is ticking down to official spring - but, how many people actually know when the spring equinox is? "2009 Perihelion Jan - Equinoxes Mar 20 11.44 Sept 22 21.18 Aphelion - July - Solstices June 21 05.45 Dec... Read more →

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh was first founded in 1670 beginning life as a physic garden. The gardens were started by Doctors Robert Sibbald and Andrew Balfour who, after meeting in France leased a piece of land near Holyrood Abbey. With the help of local physicians who help with the costs, they imported plants from around the world. With the onset of the British Empire, the collection grew so large that it outgrew its site and the gardens were relocated in 1763 to an 'out of town' area on the high road to Leith. Eventually, the gardens were moved to... Read more →

Exbury Gardens spring opening times

Exbury Gardens opens its doors for the first time in 2009 on the 7th March. This is the ninetieth year that the gardens have been in the de Rothschilds ownership so it is somewhat tinged with sadness that Edmund de Rothschild (Mr Eddy), who passed away suddenly in January, will not be around to enjoy the fruits of his labour. By the time the park opens the hundreds of Camellias are expected to be in flower together with swaths of Daffodils that fill the meadow right down to the Beaulieu river. Head gardener John Anderson said: “There’s plenty to see,... Read more →

Landshare - linking growers with spare vegetable plots

The first (Escape to) River Cottage started in 1998 and in my opinion, was the best. It is one of my favourite programs and a couple of Christmas' ago, I spent a whole day watching the repeats on television. The Original Victorian cottage in an idyllic location with a stream passing the door and set in the middle of the Devon countryside. It was everyone's dream and the atmospherics of the location, coupled with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's easy to listen to voice made it great viewing. Little did we all know but it was probably the start of a self sufficiency... Read more →

Donald Trump files Chapter 11 - Menie project in doubt?

The RSPB, the Scottish Wildlife Trust and locals, not to mention golfers, will waiting with bated breath to find out if the massive thirty six hole golf complex planned for the Menie Estate will go ahead, after it was announced today that Donald Trump's Trump Entertainment Inc. had filed for protection under Chapter 11 in advance of a petition being presented at court by its biggest bondholders. Trump, who reported to have quit the board of Trump Entertainment four days ago was set to build a new super golf complex on a site of special scientific interest around the sand... Read more →

The Gardenmakers win top APL award

The Gardenmakers, a Banbury based landscaping company has received the Supreme Winner Accolade for 2009 in the Association of Professional Landscapers annual awards. The firm also scooped the award for a project over £50,000 beating fifty five other projects that had been submitted by firms across the United Kingdom. The impressive £200,000 terraced garden was designed by Stratford-upon-Avon based designer Sally Hopkinson and was chosen by the judges because of the attention to detail and the craftsmanship, especially with the riven Yorkstone paving and its detailing. APL vice chairman Mark Gregory said: "The Gardenmakers is clearly a company with good... Read more →

Landscape Architect required for Alexandra Park

Manchester City Council are looking for a Landscape Architect to lead the resoration on Alexandra Park in a £400,000 project staring on 18th May 2009. Alexandra Park was the first park of its kind to introduce both sporting and ornamental features in one place with the serpentine lake acting as a skating rink in the winter. The park was designed by Alexander Hennell and opened in 1870 after being purchased by the Manchester Corporation from Lord Egerton for £24,000 in 1864. Landscape architect practices who are interested in being involved with this project should contact Senior Project Manager Ian Taylor... Read more →

The Landscape Institute makes some tricky decisions

The landscape Institute (LI) has passed its budget for the 2009/10 financial year having recently announced that it had to make savings, in order to safeguard its future. In a meeting held on the 12th February 2009, the LI Council agreed the budget and considered responses to motions which had been passed at an EGM that had been held on the 22nd January. Savings of £750,000 will need to be made, representing an overall spending cut of 33% from its budget. Redundancies of over one third of the workforce have also been confirmed but the LI did not reveal any... Read more →

The perils of designing on your doorstep

Today's guest blogger is garden designer Dawn Isaac. Dawn lives in a tiny Cambridgeshire village with three small children but it used to be so different - Dawn says on her about page: "Once upon a time I led a glamorous life. I designed gardens for fabulous clients on big budgets. I created an award-winning Chelsea Flower Show Garden. I wore clothes that weren’t decorated with baby vomit. Then I had a family" Here, Dawn describes challenges of designing a tiny plot on zero budget and in full gaze of the whole village..... Well, the sun's started to shine today... Read more →