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Dicksonia antarctica
As one of the most popular examples of this fascinating and fashionable group of plants, it is seen more and more available for sale. Appearing like a fern on top of a short trunk its slow rate of growth is reflected in its relatively high price. There is a lot of confusion over its hardiness…
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Garden Myths: Number 4
You can get grass to grow well in the shade. No you can’t. Grass will put up with a lot; how any plants will put up with being regularly cut down and walked all over? Like everything it has its limits and it is never happy in shade, needing full sun to do well. What…
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Garden Myths: Number 3
Garden ponds need a filter. Properly designed and planted a garden pond does not need a filter. Long ago when I was a child we had a garden pond, along with many other people of course, but no one had a filter on them. This was for a good reason; they didn’t exist for garden…
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Garden Myths: Number 2
Parsley seed must be soaked before you sow it. Some plants seem to attract myth and superstition and parsley is one. The truth is parsley is slow to germinate and gardeners can be impatient, so people have looked to ways to speed things up. To this end it is often said you need to soak…
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Succulents Simplified by Debra Lee Baldwin
First off I was kindly lent a review copy of this book by the publishers Timber Press. Its is clear from the book that Debra is a very knowledge and experienced grower of a group of plants which is often overlooked by UK gardeners, but non the less a very useful one. She does fall…
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Garden Myths: Number 1
You must water Rhododendrons, Azaleas and Camellias with rainwater. I’ve heard this many times in hard water areas, based no doubt on the fact hard water contains lime and lime is used to reduce the acidity of soils and composts. While it is true Rhododendrons and other ericaceous need acidic growing conditions the amount of…
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Bond, English
This is one of the commonest method of constructing a brick wall which is more than ½ a brick thick and consists of alternating courses of heads and stretchers.
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The minor wall building materials
Metal Though important in building is garden use is rather limited but can if used carefully can be very effective. The term metal encompasses a vast range of material, many used since ancient times, and the suitability of a particular one will depend on the individual use planned. Reinforced concrete This material combines concrete and…
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Taxonomic rank
This relates to the level within the hierarchy of plant names. The series of taxa for botany are set out in the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants. Not all plants have an entry for every taxa and above the level of genus there is often a great degree of disagreement as…
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The main wall building materials
Brick One of the oldest and most durable building materials; its variability, flexibility, durability and strength has made a ubiquitous walling material. Traditionally made from dried earth the centuries of use and development has lead to a very sophisticated produce now mass produced in millions each year in the UK alone. The earliest bricks were…
