Blue Daisy Blog

I took part in the Certificate in Water Conservation prototype e-learning course last night on behalf of the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA). The first module open and available to take part in was 'Planning the Site'. After completing the course we had to give feedback so they can fix any glitches and make improvements before they role it out to other Horticulturists.

It looked at elements that can have a bearing on the site for example, average rainfall for the area and how to conserve that or manage excess. It was a great memory jog and I learnt a few things too which I will certainly use in the planning stage of garden designs going forward.

I'm happy to say I passed the first module and I'm hoping that we'll have the opportunity to take the other three in the near future.

I've had a really interesting morning visiting Stonemarket this morning to see their new product range for 2014.

There are some beautiful pavers and I'm really liking the new range on display. The larger paving stone is becoming very popular lately and suits a contemporary setting.

They have 1m x 1m pavers which are huge, it'll take a few people to get them in situ and level but the effect is amazing!

We also looked at their grouting solution which while it seems expensive it will save the knees of landscapers, speed up the job and it isn't weather dependent - that has to be a winner

I was reading an article in ProLandscaper the other week about the new eco-friendly bus roof top garden that has been designed by Marc Granen.  Aiming to absorb harmful CO2 and O2 emissions in Spain’s choked cities I’m generally loving the idea for its quirky but practical solution. The system, dubbed PhytoKinetic, uses a lightweight hydroponic foam that retains humidity but not water which should reduce the weight of the gardens in rainy periods and for those long hot Spanish seasons the garden is watered via the condensation generated by the bus’s air con system.  The hotter the weather, the more the air con is used and the more water the garden will get which, of course, is also when it needs it most.

Spring bulb displays can be spectacular and there’s likely to be a new destination on the spring bulb display calendar next year and for the foreseeable future as Sidmouth in Devon embarks on a ‘Plant a Million Bulbs’ challenge in response to a £2.3 million legacy gift that was made by a Canadian banker, Keith Owen, who was originally born nearby, and whose mother had retired to Sidmouth.  

Mr Owen died of lung cancer but made arrangements to leave his retirement fund, his pension and some properties to Sid Vale Association with instructions that his gift should be spent locally keeping Sidmouth beautiful. One of his specific suggestions was to plant a million bulbs in verges, gardens, lawns and borders around the town.

I was talking to a new client the other week and I just wanted to share with you this little anecdote about why he's convinced climate change is a reality: he told me.

"When I was learning horticulture at secondary school in 1962 we had a 'passion fruit' (Star of Bethlehem) which in the dutch greenhouse, excited us with 2 flowers (no fruit). This was in West Yorkshire. 

In my back garden in 2007 (in Coventry) I had a rotting timber garden archway with Passion Fruit growing vigorously with around 200 flowers, and fruit growing on it just as though it was native to the UK."

We're going to keep coming back to this topic but I just wanted to introduce it with someone's perception based on their experience.  There is plenty of scientific debate and big business talk about whether or not it's really happening but I think that climate change is already changing gardening practices here in the UK.  The bottom line is if you're working in gardens regularly the reality is hard to ignore. 

Thanks for sharing David - so how about you? What's happening in your garden that convinces you that climate change is a reality and how are you adapting your gardening to cope?