Archive | May, 2009

Oh what a beautiful morning!

29. May 2009

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Oh what a beautiful morning!

Woke up at 5.30am with the sun streaming through the window and the garden beckoning. Outside the wildlife was already up and working  – the flowers busy with bees and butterflies taking their early morning nectar.We really need a hot summer to help boost the butterfly population who have found it hard to reproduce in […]

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Guardian shames the peat offenders

28. May 2009

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Let’s name and shame the peat offenders A peat bog on the North York Moors. Photograph: Alamy Another year, another Chelsea, and I’m asking myself, why does the RHS still tolerate peat at its garden shows? Especially when climate change was again a prominent theme at last week’s event. Not only are peatlands important habitats, […]

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Flower Power beats the gym

28. May 2009

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Its official. Gardening is good for you. It will rank alongside sport to meet a government target to make Britons more active ahead of the 2012 Olympics. The 2008/2009 Active People Survey is being conducted via a telephone poll of 18,000 Britons who will be interviewed about their physical activity – to register you have […]

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RHS Grow their Own underwear at Hampton Court Show

26. May 2009

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Bras, briefs and boxer shorts donated to Chelsea Flower Show By Louise Gray , Daily Telegraph Bra Photo: RHS The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) asked visitors to the Chelsea Flower Show to donate clean unwanted bras, boxer shorts and jockey pants for its summer Grow Your Own campaign. Dozens handed in old underwear which will […]

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Rainwater harvesting – Indian style

25. May 2009

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Rainwater harvesting – Indian style

If climate change means more monsoon style rain then rainwater harvesting will need to become part of everyday life. This amazing video shot in India sums up the simplicity of rainwater harvesting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWnhYIIKY0U We need to harvest rain for our gardens but in India the rain provides food needed to survive. Find more info and […]

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The other Chelsea Flower Show

24. May 2009

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The other Chelsea Flower Show

The Chelsea Flower Show may have ended yesterday but if you walk round any British town or village or down any street there are simply hundreds of beautiful gardens bursting with wonderful flowers and innovative design ideas.There really is nothing like an English garden on a sunny day: The gardens above use traditional and mediterranean […]

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Feeling the heat on the allotment

24. May 2009

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Feeling the heat on the allotment

Temperatures reached 22c this afternoon when I visited The Village to see how Steve’s veg planting is going. The seedlings started life in pots in his courtyard garden back in April but he is gradually putting them out into the ground now the risk of frost has gone. The runner beans are on their way […]

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All in a days work on the allotment

23. May 2009

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All in a days work on the allotment

I am beginning to understand why allotments are in high demand. Have just spent a great couple of hours on my hands and knees weeding Steve’s veg beds in The Village.It was both relaxing and hard work  – I came away with aching limbs, a sore back but a real sense of satisfaction at having […]

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Bank Holiday Green Gardening

23. May 2009

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Bank Holiday Green Gardening

This Bank holiday weekend sees a huge increase in the regular round of law mowing, watering and obsessive gardening habits that are synonymous with the english summer. Here are some interesting facts that might help us re-think gardening habits over the Bank Holiday? We use 70% more water today than we did 40 years ago […]

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Chelsea Climate change garden used at Heathrow

20. May 2009

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Here is a great way to make use of a Chelsea Flower Show garden: Greenpeace take RHS Chelsea Flower Show to Heathrow by Matthew Appleby HortWeek.com 20 May 2009 Greenpeace are protesting about Heathrow airport expansion by planting landscape designer Thomas Hoblyn’s Chelsea garden near the runway. Chelsea Flower Show is being transplanted to Sipson, […]

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