Playing golf has been a big part of several lives here at Ashridge, until things like hip replacements and families and enthusiasm for gambling forced us to move on with our lives. It is a tribute to golf course greenkeepers that I had never heard of Dollar Spot Disease, being blissfully unaware of the battle… Continue reading Dollar Spot Fungal Disease Devastates Golf Course Turf
Free Plants Forever: Pay With Your Lives!
The garden centre industry is a wonderful one, full of great people working in it and great customers intent on making their street that much more beautiful. But maintaining a lush border of beautiful plants, penguins, and a specimen polar bear does not come cheap according to HortWeek: I know what you all are thinking:… Continue reading Free Plants Forever: Pay With Your Lives!
Cut Hedges in October
Cut cut cut: that’s what it’s all about being a hedge owner. With a typical hedge plant such as Hawthorn, Beech, or Yew, you are fundamentally maintaining a plant that wants to be a tree as a bushy shrub by cutting it regularly. One of the most common questions we get asked is when to… Continue reading Cut Hedges in October
Fine Dining al Fresco: Shrubbery for Two
The other day we mentioned Cornwall’s Million Pound edible hedge project, and, we assume in response, the RHS updated their list of edible flowers, along with a Country Living article adding a few more on top. We know that most garden owners are not breakfasting in the bushes, brunching off branches, or dining on their… Continue reading Fine Dining al Fresco: Shrubbery for Two
Save the Darwin Oak: Free Oak Trees for All
Julia Buckley MP has presented Parliament with a petition to save the newly famous Darwin Oak from being removed for Shrewsbury’s new North West Relief Road. Good for Julia Buckley MP helping a 500-year-old tree who doesn’t even vote. Our interests here are horticultural, not political, but perhaps they overlap when we point out that… Continue reading Save the Darwin Oak: Free Oak Trees for All
Walnut and Banana Bread Recipe
There’s something incredibly rewarding about harvesting ingredients straight from your own bit of Britain! If you’re lucky enough to have walnut trees, the experience of picking fresh walnuts, cracking them open, and incorporating them into your cooking adds a unique, personal touch to your meals. One of the best ways to use these homegrown gems… Continue reading Walnut and Banana Bread Recipe
Troon Church Garden Approved by South Ayrshire Council
This post is not sponsored by the South Ayrshire tourist board, but we are willing to accept gifts of any value over fifty Scottish pounds, or ten haggis in today’s money. South Ayrshire is part of the most beautiful scenery on our island, facing out onto the Firth of Clyde and the magical Isle of… Continue reading Troon Church Garden Approved by South Ayrshire Council
Using Epsom Salts in the Garden
Don’t bother. Using Epsom Salts in the garden is a waste of time and money: may my grandparents (and renowned scientific journals like The Mirror) forgive me for contradicting them like that. Since the dawn of time, the Epsom Salt industry has had one overarching vision for mankind’s destiny: to consume even more product by… Continue reading Using Epsom Salts in the Garden
Aerate A Lawn This Autumn
Taking care of a lawn is like having a big green pet. She needs you to exercise her (which is better exercise for you, or your gardener) and do a bit of grooming, or she gets mangy, the poor thing. The most important factor in lawn health is being mowed every 2 weeks or so… Continue reading Aerate A Lawn This Autumn
Ash Tree Dieback Disease Hits Somerset
It Doesn’t Seem Real Until it Happens to You Yes, folks, it finally happened to us. We had a good run, but the dieback got us, right in the Bridgwater Road, which will be closed for five days this October to take down infected Ash trees. Ash saplings infected by the Chalara fraxinea fungus were… Continue reading Ash Tree Dieback Disease Hits Somerset