The Let’s Grow School Campaign ...
I remember back in the days of ‘slate & chalk’ growing plants at school – I must have been about 9 and I can still remember after all these years the Sensitive Plant which I got to take home – and whenever I have a new Sensitive Plant it takes me back to those school .

Growing Schools ...
The government has now put a new initiative in place ‘Growing Schools’

“Every young person should experience the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of learning and personal development. “

“I welcome the efforts businesses are making to support Learning Outside of the Classroom Manifest and Growing Schools initiative by encouraging young people to get actively involved in outdoor learning activities such as growing or gardening. I hope young people and their teachers use these resources to grow their own food at school and at home.”
Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners

Morrisons Sowing The Seeds For Schools To Grow ...
If you watch television I’m sure you’ll have seen the new advert by Morrisons, fronted by Diarmuid Gavin (gorgeous – he can do my gardening any day of the week!) in which parents, friends and families are encouraged to collect ‘Let’s Grow’ reward vouchers when they spend over £10 at Morrisons. Available between 15th September until 6th November all you need to do is hand the vouchers in at your local participating schools.

In January 2010 schools will then be able to exchange these vouchers for seeds and gardening equipment so they will have everything they need for the start of the spring growing season in March.

With over ten thousand schools already registered to take part in the ‘Let’s Grow’ scheme thousands of packets of seeds will be given free to schools – that’s enough seeds to grow around 1.5 million salad leaf plants for six million salad bowls!

Angus Maciver, Morrisons Director of the ‘Let’s Grow’ scheme said
“This is something children can really get stuck into and by getting their hands dirty planting, growing, pruning and picking, develop a real passion for produce. ‘Let’s Grow will get thousands of children out into their school gardens, learning about where fresh food comes from, how to grow their own and, hopefully, enjoying some tasty fresh fruit and veg as well, What could be better than that?”

Growing Annually ...
This is the second year Morrisons have run their ‘Let’s Grow’ scheme – in 2008 more than 15,500 schools across the country took part.

“The phenomenal success of last year’s ‘Let’s Grow’ scheme shows that our children love to get their hands dirty and grow their own product. It’s a terrifically fun but effective way to teach them how fresh food is produced.”
Angus Maciver, Morrisons Director of the ‘Let’s Grow’ scheme

The range of gardening equipment has grown this year to include biodegradable pots, soil testing kits, smocks and sun hats, together with the most eagerly anticipated piece of equipment – a Wormery! These are in addition to the existing range of seeds, spades, trowels, hosepipes, wellington boots and even greenhouses.
This year the scheme has been extended to include nursery schools – so getting children involved from a really young age.

Expert Support ...
A team of gardening experts provided by community garden specialists, Federation of City Farms & Community Gardens will visit many of the participating schools to give hands-on support.

Growing Knowledge ...

“By encouraging school kids to get green-fingered, we can help them learn more about fresh fruit and veg.
Planting seeds and tending them to spring up and sprout is great fun and very rewarding.
Who knows, having grown and picked their own, they might even get a taste for eating their greens too!"

Diarmuid Gavin, garden designer and TV presenter

It’s quite scary looking at the results of research into what school children know about growing / gardening and crops.

25% of children between the ages of 4 – 13 years have never grown anything at home

8% of children think that bananas grow in UK gardens

75% of children are not getting their five portions of fruit and veg a day

10% of children didn’t know you could grow your own potatoes or carrots

After these scary results we can only hope that by encouraging children to grow their own plants they will learn that vegetables aren’t just available from supermarkets and encourage them to try new vegetables.

Winning Show Gardener Banned ...
For Being A Winner???

I don’t know Barry Micklethwaite but what I do know is that we all like to win. If you win something for the first time it’s really exciting, once you’ve won something for the third or fourth time the pressure is on to keep winning ... but one shouldn’t be stopped from having a go!

It Can Be Hard Being A ‘Good’ Winner ...

There’s even etiquette helping you be a ‘good winner’ (basically not annoying the losers):

“Think about what you’re winning” – you should react differently depending on what sort of situation you’re in.
“Smile appropriately” – not a cheesy grin
“Look Confident” but don’t look arrogant ... it’s also a good idea not to laugh (unless you want the crowd to throw things – tomatoes maybe??)
“Don’t Brag About It” once you’ve won – people don’t like it if you keep saying you’re the best thing since sliced bread!

Back To The Story In Hand ...

Barry Micklethwaite is a winning gardener, who has been growing giant veg to show for decades. But when he tried to enter his local show in Sheffield he was denied a schedule.

“I was gobsmacked but when I asked the secretary for a reason he just said that according to the society rules the committee could ban who they wanted without giving a reason and that’s what they were doing.”
“But A know the reason it’s because I might be a bit too good. There is no real secret to my success it’s all about spending time with the veg and using top quality seed.”

So that’s Mr Micklewaithe’s side to the story ... here’s the other side ...

The secretary of the South Yorkshire National Vegetable Society said “His vegetables are phenomenal. He is a very successful grower and he could exhibit in the top national shows and win prizes but he doesn’t like to lose so he won’t show there.”
“The main reason is that he just can’t accept a decision. The fact that if he loses he objects and I don’t know why because he is such a good grower.”

And Mr Micklewaithe’s response ...

“That’s silly. Nobody likes to lose – but I take it like any other man.” And he’s so cross that he’s off to get some legal advice.
“If they had been honest and said they wanted me to step down and give somebody else a chance I would have done that. But they refused to give a reason so I am determined to fight the decision.”

What Do You Think???

A Case Of Split Personality?

This extremely rare chrysanthemum has been found by William Underwood, growing in his garden in Cavendish, Suffolk.

Noticed by the 73 year young pensioner on Monday 17th August, William said

“What makes it unusual is it is just one flower and not two different coloured flowers growing on one stem. The rest of my chrysanthemums are yellow so I think this one is trying to escape back to its original state.”

Incredibly Rare …
This type of bloom – where the colour of the flower is split straight down the middle – is extremely rare, occurring in Britain around five times a year.

Botanist James Armitage of the RHS explained

“Bi-coloured flowers are an abnormality and while we take tens of thousands of calls here every year we don’t hear of very many.
The phenomenon probably occurs at a very early stage of the flower’s development, probably when it consists of just two cells.

As the cells divide, half are of the new colour and half are the standard colour. This results in a very odd-looking flower with a definite demarcation line down the middle.”

Are They Heading This Way???

“da da da da da da da da” I’m humming the Dambusters theme as I write – although it’s not from Germany that we can be expecting an invasion but France!

Made In China ...

Apparently these Chinese Hornets – or Vespa Velutina as they liked to be called – booked an excursion to France in 2004 (researchers think they arrived in a boat carrying ceramic goods) and since then have set up camp, with recent studies recording 1,100 nests across France, with established colonies near Bordeaux and spreading as far north as parts of Brittany in north-western France.

Quentin Rome, a researcher at the National History Museum in France explained “They multiply quite quickly, and they settle in a new department (administrative division) every year.”

It’s Not Who You Are It’s Who You Know ...

These Asian hornets are no more dangerous than their European cousins – however it is the size of their colonies which can make them more dangerous. They can build nests up to one metre in height where thousands of the hornets will reside – rather than the smaller nests of the European hornets which normally house a few hundred.
Never attempt to destroy one of their nests yourself as if the inhabitants feel threatened they will charge as a group – so call in the specialists.

Lets Put A Face To The Name ...

Eek!

Recognisable by their orange head and yellow feet, these hornets will grow up to 3cm in length. Not only will these hornets attack you if they feel threatened, they will also attack honey bees – it’s been recorded that just a handful of Asian Hornets can destroy up to 30,000 honey bees in just a few hours. It’s also believed that these hornets will also attack other insects “Nobody can say what damage the Asian hornet has done outside of our hives. What is certain is that last autumn there were less insects than before” said Richard Legrand, a bee keeper from Bergerac.

No Need To Panic ...
Don’t Panic! Don’t Panic!

Stuart Hine, manager of Insect Information at London’s Natural History Museum said “You would expect it (hornets) to move up France slowly, and there is no reason why it shouldn’t reach the UK ... but added “The Channel is still quite a good barrier. There is no need to panic.”

Bee Afraid ...
Bee Very Afraid ...

(sorry – very poor insect humour!)

Peak Week For Wasps...
This is the week which you need to be especially carefully when buzzing around outdoors – as according to the Home Emergency Insurance Compact ‘Homeserve’ the last week in July is the peak of the stinging season. This is the most popular week for customers to call out pest controllers to deal with emergencies relating to stinging insects.

And it’s not only us that need to be wary ... although a wasp will sting us where it can find abit of bare flesh, so your dog the most likely place it will get stung is in its mouth – curiously stung the dog and all that as the poke the noses into places they shouldn’t!!

What to Do If You’re Stung ...

Wasps don’t have barbed stingers like bees – this means they can sting you more than once and there is no ‘stinger’ to remove. When a wasp stings you the venom is alkali so you can try southing the area by applying a mild acidic solution, such as vinegar.

Bee Wary ...
If you kill a wasp it will release a warning pheromone from its body which alerts all the rest of its waspy friends that there is a potential danger – so you could well be set upon by a whole colony of wasps as a result. At this time of year the number of wasps in a colony is at its highest – there can be as many of 10,000 wasps occupying just one nest.

How To Avoid Being Stung ...
If you are surrounded by a swarm of wasps you should move out of their way slowly – don’t try waving them away as fast movements will make them more aggressive and more likely to sting you. And you should never try to remove a wasps nest yourself – if you do disturb them they will attack so always call in professional pest controllers is you do find a nest in your garden.

Other things you can do to avoid being stung include wearing light coloured, long sleeved shirts, long trousers, socks etc – so there is less bare flesh available to sting – although when it’s hot this can be abit of a tall order! Avoid wearing strong perfume if you’re going to be spending a lot of time outdoors – smells as well as bright colours will attract wasps.

What Can and Has Happened ...
After a wasp nest was disturbed near Merlins Bridge, Haverfordwest in Wales, they attacked a 64 year old gentlemen and he suffered a severe allergic reaction to the wasp venom. Although he managed to get back to his car emergency services found him dead when they arrived. This attack happened in the last week in July – ‘wasp week’.

In another case, a man was hospitalised after he was stung more than 200 times by wasps. He was attached after he fell onto a wasp nest – the wasps swarmed around him and stung him in excess of 200 times.

Alan Titchmarsh
(a ‘God’ in my eyes although I tend to fall asleep during his Radio 2 programmes …)
MBE (appointed in the 2000 honours list),
VMH (awarded in 2004 this is the Victoria Medal of Honour from the RHS for outstanding services to horticulture)
has been appointed as a new Vice President for the RHS. Not only is Alan one of the country’s best known gardeners, he is a keen supporter of the RHS Campaign for School Gardening (CSG).

Joining alongside Alan is
Lord Heseltine,
CH, former Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of the Haymarket Media Group which includes the publications Garden Retail and Horticultural Week.
A keen gardener, Lord Heseltine’s arboretum in Oxfordshire contains one of the most important private collections of tree specimens in the UK with over 3000 different trees and shrubs.

The third new Vice President is
Dr Kiat Tan,
a former Director of Singapore’s National Parks Board and a leading authority on orchids – under his direction the National Orchid Garden in the Singapore Botanic Garden became a major tourist attraction.

These three new Vice Presidents join an array of existing Vice Presidents all of whom make a significant contribution to the achievement of the RHS ai8ms and objectives and exercise influence on behalf of the Society.

“ If you ever watched a butterfly,
You would think the same;
To call him rather "flutterby",
Is more a fitting name.
For what he has to do with butter
I cannot understand.
But he can surely flutter better
Than any insect can!”

Attracting butterflies into your garden may take time and patience, but if you want to ‘build’ your own butterfly it will take just minutes – ideal for the little ‘flutterbies’ in your life …

Click here to start building … Enjoy!

“Just living is not enough,” said the butterfly,
“One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”

Hans Christian Anderson

This week sees the launch of a Butterfly Conservation campaign which aims to highlight the problems facing the country’s butterfly population and raise awareness of those species which are particularly under threat.

Last year the number of British butterflies dropped to a three decade low – five native species have already become extinct and of the remaining 60, 12 experienced their worst year, with populations decimated by heavy rainfall and low temperatures – these conditions make it hard for butterflies to find food and reduces the chance of successful breeding. One of the other main reasons for butterflies declining is the destruction of meadow habitat. Since the 1970’s 97% of the UK’s meadows have been destroyed together with ancient woodlands, peat bogs and downland.

In 2008 the Butterfly Conservation Survey - conducted by 1,500 volunteers counting butterflies across 920 sites – made grim reading with the High Brown Fritillary having less than 50 colonies left in the UK.

Save Our Fritillary …

To save the High Brown Fritillary (which for some reason reminds me of Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall – although I don’t think he’s becoming extinct is he?*?) a new conservation initiative has been launched. With £430,000 being invested by Butterfly Conservation (with nearly £250,000 of this coming from Landfill Tax via GrantScape) and a further £80,000 in woodland grant packages from the Forestry Commission work has already begun.

With activity taking place in the Morecambe Bay Limestones, an area on the Lancashire and Cumbria Border where the High Brown Fritillary butterflies still have a stronghold. This area includes limestone pavements, scrub, coppice woodland and herb-rich grasslands – emphasis is being placed on opening up larger tracts of the area to make them sunnier and more welcoming to butterflies. Contractors have already widened hundreds of metres of tracks, cut back dense vegetation and cleared stunted trees and bramble.
David Wainwright, Morecambe Bay Limestones Project Officer, said the butterfly is expected to make a comeback “Without all this effort there is a great danger of losing the High Brown Fritillary. However, the project is going well and I’m sure we’ll turn things round. We are expecting to see a large increase in numbers next year.”

A Few Fritillary Facts…

Name – High Brown Fritillary, scientific name ‘Argynnis adippe’

Family – Nymphalidae

Flight Time – late June to mid August

Colour – golden orange upper wings with streaks and black spot markings and a pale chequered fringe, underside is orange with rows of silver spots and row of red ringed spots towards the outer margin

Wingspan – between 60 (male) to 67mm (female)

Altitude – 0-2100 metres

Habitat – dry clearings, steep slopes

Foodplants – the caterpillars main foodstuffs are common Dog Violet, together with the Hairy Violet and occasionally the Heath Dog Violet and Pale Dog Violet, but the butterfly will look for the nectar on thistles and brambles.

Lord of the Butterflies …

What could be better in life than being the world’s only millionaire property developer butterfly entrepreneur? Well that best describes Clive Farrell, with his ever-expanding lepidopteran empire that includes over a 100 acres of woods, tropical greenhouses and meadows together with his farm in the jungle of Belize that breeds 3,000 butterflies a week, his co-ownership of butterfly centres in Stratford-upon-Avon and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

We can now look forward ‘Butterfly World’, the dream of Clive Farrell and expected to be completed in the Spring of 2011. With the assistance of John Calvert, director of the Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm which they co-own, Clive has taken the concept of a butterfly house to a whole new level. Butterfly World will combine the world’s largest walk-through butterfly house (the dome) with 26 acres of restored native butterfly habitats.

The first phase of the 27 acre site is already open to the public. This phase consists of the UK’s largest international wildflower meadow and ‘Future Gardens’, 12 competition gardens by international designers, plus a tropical butterfly house with 250 butterflies. Here is just a taste of what you’ll see if you visit …

Leaf Gardens

Imagine you’re the size of an insect and the ‘Through the Flowerpot Garden’ will give you an insect eye view of plant pots and other garden tools.
Whilst the ‘Spangle Gall Garden’ named after the galls left inside leaves when a wasp lays its eggs, you can enjoy the scattering of magical installations throughout the garden designed to look like galls within a leaf.
And finally the ‘Theatre of Insects Garden’ will leave you brimming with ideas on how you can turn everyday household objects into habitats for our native wildlife.

Tropical Butterfly House

A taster of what is to come when the tropical dome opens, the Tropical Butterfly House is 85ft long and is full of beautiful tropical butterflies and plants.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Edible Garden

Wow! An absolute must!! Designed in honour of Eric Carle’s children’s book ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, this garden is full of pesticide-free vegetables and plants.

Walkways & Meadows

These walkways have been designed to take on the shape on butterflies. The Antennae Walkways are raised beds of chalk shaped like the feelers of a butterfly. Planted full of nectar-rich annuals the raised beds will attract masses of butterflies. Whilst the Proboscis Walk looks like the curled up mouthparts of a butterfly or moth called a proboscis. The spiral walkway is surrounded by flowers.

The Ring

The Ring is a 100 metre diameter garden with a chalk butterfly in the centre which covers the area the Tropical Dome will be sited. Designed to attract butterflies and moths it is surrounded by sunflowers and is a small taste of what will become Butterfly World.

The End Of The World Is upon Us …

They’ve Found Another Type Of Slug!!!!

Can you believe it!

As if we don’t have enough with your standard, common or garden slugs eating their way through everything in their path …

there’s now a CARNIVOROUS one which spends its’ nights sucking up earthworms like spaghetti …

The Ghost Slug …

With its’ blade like teeth the slug makes a quick meal of any earthworms it finds … even though it’s got no eyes to spot them with! These slugs have recently been found in Cardiff and specialist at the National Museum of Wales and Cardiff University have christened the slug ‘Selenochlamys ysbryda’ or ghost slug.

Don’t Be Afraid …

If you’re worried this slug may be moving into your neighbourhood then use the simple identification guide here to track the slug’s spread …

For Comic Relief ...

Well, actually that’s a slight exaggeration ... I’m growing green ‘cressy’ hair on my red nose (it’s the drink you know ... hic) I’ll let you see the pictures as it progresses ...

This is Gardeners World attempt (although I think they grew the cress first then stuck it on with glue!! but who am I to second guess Gardeners World ... I can hear the solicitors knocking on the door already ...)

Only If It’s Brad Pitt Working In The Garden Thanks ...

Unbelievably I came upon this news article earlier today ...

"Man charged with nude gardening ... A man has gone on trial accused of gardening in the nude ... 30-year-old ... appeared in York Crown Court on Tuesday, where the court heard claims that his neighbours were shocked to see him mowing the lawn entirely naked ... 'She could see the defendant out in the garden and he wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing. He was completely naked using the lawnmower,' said Howard Shaw, prosecuting ..."

My first thought wasn’t 'how awful, fancy living next to someone who gardens in the nude' ... but rather ... how has he managed to mow his lawn in the current weather conditions?? The past few weeks in Yorkshire you’re lucky if you’re not being blown over in the hurricane force winds, deluged in the monsoon style rains ... or knocked down by a rouge wheelie bin as it sales down the street in the mild, force 10 gales ...

But back to the news story ...
the accused claims "he had merely been mowing the lawn wearing a towel when, as he tried to fix a fault with the machine, his towel slipped off ..."

Hmm ... not in Yorkshire mate ... I know we’re hardy in the north but is it ever warm enough to go in the garden just wearing a towel ...

Are We Being Conned Into Buying Organic Food???

Well, according to Egon Ronay that’s exactly the case ...
Waking up this morning to the BBC 24 Hour News Programme (which I’m convinced is determined to brainwash us by repeating the same news again and again and again ... and again) I heard Egon Ronay being interviewed about organic food who is calling for the government to provide us with clearer information about organic food ...

Are We Confused???
Do you know what’s meant buy ‘organic food’?
Do you know why supermarkets charge higher prices for organic fruit or veg?

And Do You Agree???
Eating organic fruit and veg is better for me ...
Organic food has been grown without the use of chemicals ...
The ‘organic food’ I buy in my supermarket has been produced in the UK ...

I think many of us might believe all of the above ... whereas in fact the truth is anything but ... so maybe we are confused and that we should be standing behind Mr Ronay as he pins down Mr Milliband and challenges him to "spell out in terms that the public can clearly understand what is organic food."

I think Mr Milliabnd should be pinned down and challenged ... but if you saw Mr Ronay on the news report you might agree with me in that I think we’d be better getting someone else to hold Mr Milliand down whilst Mr Ronay does the questioning ... I suggest Ricky Tomlinson ...

In the meantime, I’ll stick to growing my own veg at the allotment ... at least I know what I’ve used to keep off the pests and help my veg grow ... it’s not costing me and arm or a leg ... and I know it's healthier for me 'cause I’ve kept fit digging the soil, planting and finally harvesting ... better than a work out at the gym I’m sure ...

A New BBC Gardening Programme Worth Watching ...

With so many ‘lifestyle’ programmes on the TV it can be a bit risky to sit down to watch a new programme ... but make an exception and tune in to ‘Grow Your Own Veg’ on Friday on BBC2 ... it’s fabulous!

Carol Klein is so down to earth that you can actually see yourself growing the same plants that she is ... she makes it look easy and her enthusiasm makes you want to try growing new varieties in the garden ...

If you caught the first programme you’ll have seen her planting Jerusalem Artichokes in her potato bed ... to act as a wind break (which we later learnt wasn’t too wise ...) but more importantly to get a long lasting root crop which would produce fresh crops year after year ...

Now, I’ve neither eaten nor grown Jerusalem artichokes myself but I’m quite keen to give it a go this year ... if anyone knows how they taste, have any good recipes or advice on growing them please let me know ...

In the mean time I’ve tracked down a supply at Marshall Seeds website (I’m sure they will be inundated with orders after Friday ...) so all I need to do know is decide how many tubers to buy ... and find a spare spot at the allotment for them. Then I can start dreaming of the yummy meals I’ll be able to enjoy later in the year ... mmm

A Few Lasting Effects ...

My visit to Hampton Court Flower Show yesterday (Tuesday 4th) has had some lasting effects ...

(1) When it’s very hot (over 30º) SIT DOWN – preferably by the side of a river with your feet in the water! Don’t spend 4 hours walking miles and miles through floral displays, show gardens and products stands ... it may be a feast for the eyes but it kills the feet!

(2) Driving in London is like no where else on this planet (luckily I wasn’t driving!) Basically motorcyclists have there own rules – whether that means weaving in between the traffic or whether it means simply going off the road and motoring down the footpath ... they just don’t care!

(3) There is just not enough money on this earth to buy everything you want to at the Flower Shows ... so set yourself a budget and get inspiration if nothing else!

(4) Remember you’ll be mixing with specialist growers – so if you’ve got a question to ask don’t be afraid ... plant growers are passionate about the plants they grow so are happy to spend ages answering your questions. This also means ...

(5) The huge marquees full of plant displays are often the best places to get your hands on new species if plants, hard to find varieties and certainly some really healthy plants for your house or garden. And because most – if not all – the plant growers have a display as well as plants to sell you can see exactly how the plants will look in a garden situated if grown to their best potential.

(6) If you can carry it – take your own food and drink. Flower shows may have loads of food stands but you do pay over the odds and have to queue for ages!

(7) Remember ... men have their uses and especially so at flower shows ... they can drive you there, carry the rucksack with your packed lunch ... and if well trained you can leave them somewhere to look after all the goodies you buy whilst you wonder around the show find even more things to buy!

I’m A Violet, What Are You?...

Find out what type of flower you are by visiting ‘This Garden Is Illegal’. The quiz only takes a few minutes and then you know what you are in floral terms ...

Apparently, I’m a violet ... with a shy personality ... hesitating to try new things or meet new people ...

It should have also said I’m suspicious, ‘cause I then went back and changed all my answers to see if it gave a different flower every time ...

A Really Cool New Website ... especially useful as we bake under the sun

I came across this new website – launched by Chris Beardshaw at Chelsea Flower Show – this week and it’s brilliant!

On the home page you can read a ‘Quick Tip’ from CyberChris ... for example, did you know
‘The yellow blooms of Marigold, when placed in the glasshouse, can be used to entice aphids and whitefly off your crops and flowers.’ ?
And every time you return to the home page a different ‘Tip’ pops up ... cool

Sounding very profound, Growing for Life says it’s ‘been created out of a passion for bringing people and plants together ... the desire to get back to the roots of gardening – to share knowledge, enthusiasm and more importantly to have fun’ ... gardening, fun ... sounds like my kind of thing ...

And wow ... there’s even a game to play ... you can become CyberChris and try to keep your plants alive in a virtual gardener ... I hang my head in shame as of the six sunflowers in my virtual garden, only two survived ... I can even kill plants in a virtual world!

If you want to try the game for yourself, click here ... and good luck

A Real Crowd Pleaser ...

If you weren’t able to visit the Malvern spring Show this year you missed a really good day out (note to oneself: add to diary for next year!) ...

I went down on Friday 12th, weather was excellent (only the sound of thunder ... no actual rain!), company was good (took my Dad ... a very enthusiastic gardener and a man who’ll chat to just about anyone) and the show was brilliant.

I’ll give you some brief highlights throughout the week of what I thought ... and would love to hear what your ‘best bits’ from the show as well ...

P.S. The picture gives you just a small indication of how busy it was ... you had to fight your way to the front of the stands ...

Encourage Young Gardeners To Get Planting ...

Everywhere I look at the moment children are being encouraged to take an interest in gardening. Not a bad thing, in my opinion ...

You’ll not only benefit from them using up some of their ‘endless’ energy outdoors ... instead of destroying the house indoors!

But if you’re lucky you can actually get them to eat some of the vegetables they grow (children all over the world are now ‘gagging’ at the thought that they might actually have to eat something that is green!).

Legoland have picked up on the trend and invited ‘Fifi and the Flowertots’ (used to be Bill and Ben when I was young, does ‘Fifi’ sounds more PC ??) to theirs for a weekend of workshops to encourage children into their gardens ...

Whilst you might think this is just a clever marketing ploy to get more people to visit (which of course it is!) if your child goes in fancy dress (garden themed) although you pay, they get in for free! Children throughout the country can now hail me as their hero as I’ve found them a real strong bargaining point for getting their parents to take them to Legoland (finally...)

Newly Trimmed ...

Thanks guys ... what a lovely surprise to come back to my front lawn trimmed to perfection ... maybe I should holiday more often?? (answers on a postcard please...)

Flying Back Towards The Weeds ...

There is one thing you can guarantee when you go away on holiday ... basically the weeds in your garden never do!

As I head back towards Manchester airport I know that I’m simply getting closer to the jungle of a garden which has been left un supervised for two weeks ... where’s the machete when you need it?

P.S. Swiss advertising let me down ... but the Swiss Chocolate mountain made up for it (especially as most of it is packed in my suitcase!)

Away From It All ...

Yes, you’ll be pleased to know I’m off on my hols ... goodbye work … goodbye garden ... goodbye weeds ...

And I’ve picked the best place to go for a single woman ... the place being advertised as being full of hunky, gorgeous men ... Switzerland!

Yes, hard to believe isn’t it? Switzerland brings to mind Heidi ... cheese ... chocolate ... but certainly not, I think, gorgeous young men? But, I am assured by recent Swiss advertising, that this is what I’ll find ...

I’ll report back later (but don’t hold your breath!) ...

Be Prepared ... place your order now

As every gardener knows, it’s best to be prepared. We plan our sowing, buying our seeds months in advance, we dig fertilisers into our soil to prepare the ground; we install automatic openers on our windows so our plants don’t fry in the heat of the summer ...

As news of the hosepipe bans continue, it seems like every gardener is preparing now so their plants don’t have to suffer in the summer months ... and that means getting a water butt or two into the garden.

With sales soaring, manufacturers are telling us they are working flat out to keep up with the massive increase in demand. Delivery lead times have had to be extended – with orders taking 2-3 weeks to arrive from manufacturers.

So, my advice is, get your order in now and be patient ... Even if you have to wait a couple of weeks for delivery, you’ll still have time to get it fitted and collecting rainwater before you’ll need to use the water in your garden.

The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit Is Real!

So, what’s next … King Kong sat on top of the houses of parliament (actually, not a bad idea) ...

It’s hard to believe the story that’s making headlines at the moment ... at least news didn’t break on 1st April! I’ve pulled together a few of the facts as they’ve been reported ... and I’ll let you make your own mind up.

Fact One – it can be found
In Felton, near Morpeth ... or vegetable growers wish it could be found but it’s proving illusive.

Fact Two – it can be identified by
Oversized paws ... grower Geoff Smith says "It is absolutely massive. I have seen its prints and they are huge, bigger than a deer. It is a brute of a thing."
One ear larger than the other
A cross between a rabbit and a hare

Fact Three – its’ favoured diet includes
Cabbages, carrots, turnips ... basically anything it can take a huge bite out of!

So, what do you think ...

I Have A Cunning Plan ...
The hosepipe ban is still big news, so I’ve come up with a few suggestions as to how we could alleviate the lack of water in the south of England and at the same time reduce the amount of water we have here in the north ...

Plan A - Sponsored Siphoning
As I drive into work I go over the river Ouse – which at the moment is hard to distinguish amongst the flooded fields on either side of it. So my suggestion is we get a massive length of hosepipe and run it from the flood water by the side of the Ouse down to the south of England. Then I just need a volunteer to start the siphoning process off ... I suggest someone with very strong lungs ...

Plan B - Bucket Brigade
Now, slightly more complicated and requires a huge mountain of buckets, a lot of volunteer bucket passes and a good sprinter who could run from the south up to the north with the empty buckets …
I’m not as struck on this plan, ‘cause we only need a Henry in the line with a hole in his bucket and the water will get wasted in the Midlands!

Plan C
I’m working on it at the moment ... could involve rolling a huge snowball down from Scotland and letting it melt over the south east ...

So, if you’ve got a better plan please send me the details ...

Yes, it’s official, ugly is good according to the National Trust. Although most garden shows focus on growing the biggest and best looking vegetables, the National Trust has launched ‘The Ugly Veg Competition’. A year-long opportunity for all of us – especially those frustrated by never winning at our local garden show...
So I’m off to dig out my packet of carrot seeds and get growing!