Archive | January, 2012

Snow hits UK

28. January 2012

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Snow and freezing temperatures are hitting the UK this week.Not good news for many plants that started to flower after such a mild winter.  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/9047479/Snow-to-hit-Britain-as-freezing-temperatures-sweep-country.html  However, predictions are that by the 2050s London temperatures will exceed the official definition of a heatwave – 32C by day with 18C by night – for more than a third of the summer.http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24031213-london-facing-killer-summers-in-climate-peril.do Where […]

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New USA Hardiness Zone Map reflects warmer climate

27. January 2012

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At last Americas 82 million gardeners can now use accurate climate information to select the plants they will grow. Launched on 25th January 2012, the new Arbor Day.org Hardiness Zone Map separates America  into ten different temperature zones  and reflects that many areas have become warmer since 1990 when the last USDA hardiness zone map was published. Significant portions […]

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Capital Growth for Urban Food Growing

26. January 2012

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Capital Growth are  on target to have 2012 grow your own spaces in London by the end of this year.They have just announced an impressive number of workshops to help reach this target.Courses include Organis Gardening and Gardening for Schools at four training sites  – click on the link for further details: North London -The Regents Park, […]

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Olympic Meadows for London

23. January 2012

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London in Bloom want to use the 2012 London Olympics as a catalyst to improve the number of meadows and wild flowers growing in london.  The aim is to promote the celebration and creation of both wildflower meadows and nectar rich plantings in order to encourage community engagement, enhance the local environment and increase biodiversity. http://www.londoninbloom.co.uk/news.phtml

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NASA reports 2011 9th warmest on record

22. January 2012

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 NASA has announced that the global average surface temperature in 2011 was the ninth warmest since 1880, according to NASA scientists. The finding continues a trend in which nine of the 10 warmest years in the modern meteorological record have occurred since the year 2000.  http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/2011-temps.html Time to consider different trees/plants to plan for a warmer yet unpredictable […]

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Australian weird weather

21. January 2012

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Love this report on weird weather in Australia during January 2012

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BBC highlights climate change gardening

20. January 2012

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BBC highlights climate change gardening

Here what the BBC have to say about climate change gardening: The impact of climate change on gardening is likely to have far-reaching effects on the average domestic garden and also the many historic gardens around the country. The predictions made by scientists are not just some sci-fi view of gardening for future generations. Gardeners […]

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2012 weather

19. January 2012

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 2012 weather has so far continued to be as weird as it was in 2011. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2012/jan/12/weird-weather-2012 Europe and the Americas are experiencing extreme conditions, Arctic ice is almost at its lowest extent ever recorded in midwinter, disastrous droughts and searing heat have hit Africa and Latin America, and one of the world’s biggest insurance companies is warning that […]

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Bake your lawn

18. January 2012

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Finding ways to engage children in sustainability is a constant challenge but this looks like a brilliant idea to encourage kids to understand that bread can be grown from seed to sandwich. On Monday 23 January, Real Bread Campaign ambassador and star of Channel 4’s The Fabulous Baker Brothers, Tom Herbert sows the Bake Your Lawn challenge […]

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Dungeness under threat

17. January 2012

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Europe’s largest expanse of shingle beach and one of the most beautiful seascapes at Dungeness  is in danger of being destroyed by a botched attempt to shore up its beach defences, say local residents An application has been submitted to Kent County Council seeking consent to excavate shingle from this precious corner of the coast for […]

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