Archive | June, 2009

Roof launched

30. June 2009

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Roof launched

We finished the main build last week in time for the launch party, which went splendidly. The roof garden is now up and running. Now the fun begins – we are working on an irrigation system and we have all the materials ready to build a keyhole garden. The sun last week dried our beds […]

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Thomas Hobyln embraces climate change

22. June 2009

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Garden designers are well aware of the challenges that climate change is bringing to our plants and gardens. This knowledge is crucial to the success of their vision for creating sustainable designs that will adapt as weather patterns change. Thomas Hoblyn is a designer who reflected this idea in his beautiful Silver Award garden at […]

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Monbiot on the Mediterranean

21. June 2009

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Monbiot on the Mediterranean

I have always admired George Monbiot  – his outspoken views on climate change are really worth reading on his blog. Over the past week, he challenged the notion that if climate change means that the UK becomes more like the Mediterranean with hotter summers and less rainfall then, what will the Mediterranean become? http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2009/jun/18/monbiot-climate-impacts “Do […]

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…in the sky

19. June 2009

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…in the sky

Big work this week – we moved the remaining 3 or 4 tonnes of compost into our storage area to be used later as we build more beds. Big thank yous to Sarah, Anna, Huw, Jessica and Saoirse. We brought the rest of the plants fully out into the weather last weekend. They’ve all responded […]

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The delight of Oriental Poppies

12. June 2009

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The delight of Oriental Poppies

One of my favourite plants at this time of year are the wonderful oriental poppies which raise their fabulous heads in all sorts of places  – they love poor soil and neglect which means they are ideally suited to drought gardening. The petals are thin and delicate like fine tissue paper, offer a range of […]

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Heavenly Hibiscus

11. June 2009

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Heavenly Hibiscus

These showy, tropical plants always transport me to the Caribbean where they are a very common site. I normally keep them under glass but they have done well on my south facing terrace in a very sunny spot this year – be careful to bring them in at night or offer some protection if temperatures […]

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Allotment in the Sky

10. June 2009

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Allotment in the Sky

The Bash Building near Old Street  is the site for the City’s hot new green gardening project. The aptly named Harrison Leaf, an innovative graduate in Food Anthropology and a fan of Urban Agriculture, is building an organic roof top allotment using only re-cycled materials together with 8 tons of compost donated from the North […]

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Eco gardening secrets from Africa

9. June 2009

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Eco gardening secrets from Africa

An excellent charity called Send a Cow, have developed a unique method of growing vegetables in a keyhole garden using knowledge from African Farmers. They won a silver medal at the BBC Gardeners World Exhibition with their display which aims to save water and grow vegetables in a small area such as a patio or […]

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US gardeners guide to global warming/ weirding?

8. June 2009

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The effects of climate change on American gardens varies enormously from one State to the next: http://www.nwf.org/gardenersguide/ Garden writer Anne Raver of  The New York Times was the first to label the trend as “global weirding”” http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2008-04-01/Hardiness-Zone-Changes.aspx

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World Environment Day highlights Climate Change

5. June 2009

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World Environment Day highlights Climate Change

The theme for WED 2009 is ‘Your Planet Needs You-UNite to Combat Climate Change’. It reflects the urgency for nations to agree on a new deal at the crucial climate convention meeting in Copenhagen some 180 days later in the year, and the links with overcoming poverty and improved management of forests. Visit http://twitter.com/unepandyou to […]

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