Landscape Juice

Having a BBQ this weekend? Think about where and how the charcoal is produced

If you are enjoying a BBQ this weekend, stop and ponder how or where the charcoal you are burning, is produced. Many might think that by burning charcoal they are using a sustainable fuel that provides much needed jobs for British people in rural areas, as well keeping traditional skills alive. However, only 70 per cent of the charcoal used in Europe is imported. Namibia is the UK’s biggest supplier. A recent report by FERN - claims that for the production of charcoal, trees are being harvested on a vast scale and at an alarming rate. There are also concerns... Read more →

George Monbiot eats a squirrel on national television

Whilst George Monbiot concedes that they are a problem, he is opposed to grey squirrel culls. Monbiot prefers for the pine marten population to eat all surplus grey squirrels instead. However this wacky environmentalist isn't opposed to feasting on grey squirrel. Monbiot went on Newsnight to and butchered a dead squirrel for presenter James O'Brien to taste. He hopes it's a craze that will catch on. Read more →

What should you expect to pay per metre for timber decking?

First of all, how long is a piece of string? Experience in all walks of life tell us that there are many factors that dictate the price of anything we buy. The quality of materials used - in the case of decking, think hardwood, softwood or synthetic and/or reclaimed materials. Then you have to think about the intricacies of the build itself and the time it will take the installer to create the decking. Also, what access does the artisan have to the area that they will be working in and what are the ground conditions like? There are so... Read more →

Can a tree grow a second set of leaves in the same year?

The simple answer is yes. Trees can defoliate during the normal growing season for a number of reasons. Pests, disease, drought and lack of nutrient are just a few of the reasons why a tree may lose its leaves mid-season. I have two trees that are currently growing a second set of leaves. The first is a Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) the second is Henry's Lime (Tilia henryana). Both trees have shed their leaves through the summer due to drought related stress but with slightly different symptoms. Horse Chestnuts are one of the earliest in the year to lose their... Read more →

Russia burns Dutch flowers amid infection concerns

A week after angering many in Russia by burning illegally imported Western food, authorities have started feeding Dutch flowers to the flames. Officials say blooms from the Netherlands, which supplies much of Russia's $2.5 billion flower market, pose safety risks because they may be infected. Critics say the "flower war" marks a new low in relations with the West and is Moscow's retaliation for a Dutch investigation into the downing of a Malaysian airliner over rebel-held east Ukraine in July last year. Whatever the reason, ordinary Russians, already struggling with unemployment and inflation, can expect higher flower prices in the... Read more →

Machinery thief caught in the act - do you know this man?

Do you recognise this man? If so, you are in for a reward if it leads to a successful arrest. He is thought to be responsible for a break-in and theft of garden and forestry equipment from a premises at 12.08am on Friday 21st August 2015 in Haigh, Barnsley, Yorkshire. Stihl MS362c Chainsaw - 18 inch bar Stihl MS362c Chainsaw - 16 inch bar Stihl 201T - Top handle chainsaw Husquavarna 550xp chainsaw - 15 inch bar Stihl HS81 Hedge cutter Stihl HS82 Hedge cutter More photos and details here Read more →

Insight into the work of the gardeners and stonemasons of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission care for cemeteries and memorials at 23,000 locations, in 154 countries. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission owes its existence to the vision and determination of one man - Sir Fabian Ware. Neither a soldier nor a politician, Ware was nevertheless well placed to respond to the public's reaction to the enormous losses in the war. At 45 he was too old to fight but he became the commander of a mobile unit of the British Red Cross. Saddened by the sheer number of casualties, he felt driven to find a way to ensure the final... Read more →

Secret Garden colouring-in book sells 3m copies in China

Three million copies of Johanna Basford’s adult colouring book Secret Garden have been sold in China in less than three months, its publisher has announced, dubbing Beijing the “adult colouring-in capital of the world”. As the Beijing international book fair takes place this week, Laurence King Publishing said that Secret Garden had sold 6.8m copies around the world, with 3m of these sales in China, where it was published on 1 June. The title has also been a major hit in Brazil, where it has sold just over 1.1m copies, said Laurence King, with 650,421 copies sold in the US,... Read more →

Weakest annual house price growth lowest since June 2013

UK house prices rose by 3.2% year-on-year in August, according to the latest survey from mortgage provider Nationwide. That is the weakest annual pace since June 2013, and it marks a slight slowdown from July. Month on month, prices rose by 0.3% in August, compared with 0.4% the month before. The average house value in August was £195,279, according to the Nationwide house price index. Source: BBC Read more →

Neonicotinoid pesticides pose a greater risk to bees than thought, EU experts warn

Three pesticides banned in Europe for their potential to damage bee populations could pose an even greater threat than was thought, according to a new assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa). Already proscribed for seed treatments and soil applications, the Efsa analysis says that clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam also pose a ‘high risk’ to bees when sprayed on leaves. The UK is currently facing a legal challenge to an emergency exemption it granted, allowing use of two of the substances, after protests by the National Farmers Union. Source: Guardian Read more →