Posted August 18, 2014 by Rosina Ayling and filed under News
Easy Shed have put together the best Gardening headlines from last week.
Monday 11th August
Meet The Self-Confessed ‘Plantaholic’ going for gardening gold-Brian Young opens the garden gates to his home as he gets set to try and win a trophy at the Ayr Flower Show later this month.
A love of gardening was something Brian Young picked up early, growing up on a farm in the beautiful Ayrshire countryside.The self-confessed ?plantaholic? was brought up to appreciate and explore the outdoors and now he will be competing at the Ayr Flower Show, being held on August 22-24.Brian, 36, of Holmes Farm Plants, Drybridge, near Irvine, said: ?As a young boy growing up on a farm I was always encouraged to go out and pick fruit and vegetables. My hobby has now become full-on.”
‘It’s sickening’ Inmates claim Rolf Harris is given sought-after gardening job in prison- PRISONERS have reacted with anger after claiming that Rolf Harris was given a sought-after gardening job.
Harris, 84 – who has been convicted of 12 indecent assaults – is said to be being paid to look after the vegetable patch for several hours a week.But fellow prisoners inmates have claimed he has jumped the queue to get the job. One, who said he had been asking to take on the role for a year, told The Sun: “Harris should be cleaning the toilets after what he did, it’s completely unfair. “It’s sickening to see him roaming around in the sunshine this summer.” Harris is believed to be on a wing holding around 190 sex offenders at Bullingdon Prison in Oxfordshire.
Tuesday 12th August
Out & About: Strictly?s Anton du Beke to open Southport Flower Show- STRICTLY Come Dancing star Anton du Beke will be hoping to pick up gardening tips from the experts when he opens Southport Flower Show.
Dubbed ?the RHS Chelsea of the North? by television gardener Christine Walkden, it opens on Thursday, August 14, for four days at Victoria Park on Southport?s Esplanade. The Lancashire event will have a Brazilian theme to its 14 show gardens and the North West Food Festival will also be open in the park. The Grand Floral Marquee will feature displays from 65 exhibitors and the show will host the largest amateur growers competition in the UK.Among the Garden Roadshow experts will be the One Show?s Christine Walkden, and fellow television gardeners Carol Klein of BBC Gardeners World and Matthew Wilson of Channel 4?s Landscape Man.
Ditch the holiday blues- Gardeners who went on holiday confident that friends and family would water, deadhead and harvest their crops in their absence must be feeling pretty smug.
But what about those of us who didn’t have the luxury of a mate to water the garden while we were sunning ourselves elsewhere? What about those who just didn’t find time to install an automatic irrigation system? Well, you now have to look at the mess that remains and consider what’s worth saving and what isn’t.
Wednesday 13th August
Are young people really ‘hooked on gardening’?- a survey suggests that far from being addicted to their smartphone 20-25 year olds are rolling up their sleeves and getting in the garden.
It’s often said that young people are more interested in their smartphones and video games than the outside world- but new research has suggested that 20 and 30 somethings are just as likely to be found harvesting tomatoes in the garden as on Twitter. A survey found that the average 25-35 year old spends 12-15 hours in their garden a month, with the average couple set to spend £518 this summer on their garden.
Gardening Calender: cut back lavender and harvest courgettes- Sarah Raven shares her to[ garden tasks. This week; plant biennials and sow parsley.
1. Take pelargonium cuttings
2. Cut back lavender
3. and propgate
Thursday 14th August
Paedophile Rolf Harris ‘draws signed cartoons for fellow inmates in bid to win them over after he was given gardening job’-Rolf Harris is reportedly handing out signed cartoons to fellow prisoners, reports that he is trying to win over convicts after he landed gardening job. Prisoners said to be calling drawing sessions ‘Rolf’s Prison Cartoon Club. Name is a reference to his 1990s television show ‘Rolf’s Cartoon Club.’
Paedophile Rolf Harris has started sketching cartoons for fellow inmates in an attempt to win them over after he was handed a cushy prison gardening job, it has been claimed. The 84-year-old is reportedly handing out signed drawings to convicts who queue outside his cell at Bullingdon Prison, Oxfordshire in the hope of securing one of his sketches. One prisoner has claimed the entertainer turned down offers of cash for his drawings, according to The Sun while other inmates have dubbed the drawing sessions ‘Rolf’s Prison Cartoon Club’ in reference to his 1990s television programme.
How to grow cacti in a cold climate- there are some prickly problems facing cactus lovers in Britain.
What are your chances of growing a cactus outdoors in Britain? I mean permanently outdoors, all year round? Slim, I would guess, although hardiness itself is not the problem.
Friday 15th August
The Scratch n Sniff Nursery- Becky Groves encourages visitors to get up close to plants grown for scent, colour and wildlife at Little Groves nursery in Beaminster, Dorset.
Ambra Edwards meets Becky Groves, a herb expert with a feel for the exotic and a nose for the unusual. They say that gardening is in the genes, so perhaps there was no escape for Becky Groves.
Making Plum Vodka- For the last 10 years, my mum has made plum vodka for the Big Boxing Day Family Party, using plums from her Victoria plum tree.
For the last 10 years, my mum has made plum vodka for the Big Boxing Day Family Party, using plums from her Victoria plum tree. Despite being a relatively short-lived tradition, the family embraced it: we talked of vintage years, lamented the cold spring of 2012 that killed the blossom and made us go thirsty that Christmas, and teased my mum for her refusal to do anything about the brown rot. It mummified an increasing number of plums each year and made harvesting quite unpleasant.
Saturday 16th August
Oxford College is transformed into floral paradise- Leading florists and designers are taking part in Flowers@Oxford, which will see Lady Margret Hall decorated with spectacular displays.
A million cut flowers will transform one of Oxford’s most beautiful colleges into a floral oasis next weekend for the floristry worlds answer to the Chelsea Flower Show. Leading florists and designers will be taking part in Flowers@Oxford when Lady Margret Hall and its grounds will be decorated with spectacular displays and host dozens of demonstrations and workshops.
Alan Titchmarsh: Think ahead: Get growing daffodils in time for next spring- If there?s one thing that?s irritating about so-called gardening experts it?s their tendency to be thinking ahead. You see, here you are, enjoying your summer beds and borders in full fig and here am I about to tell you to plant daffodils.
Have I lost the plot? No, I just don?t want you to lose out on the pick of the crop. If you have ever speared an underground daffodil bulb with an errant fork in August you will have noticed that it has already started to put out roots. That?s nature?s way of reminding you that the sooner you get them in the ground the better. Now don?t worry. If you don?t plant them until September or even October, it is not the end of the world. But the sooner you can get them in the ground the better, provided that the earth is not dust-dry and as hard as nails. Bulb merchants (yes, we still have them, Victorian as the term might sound) have catalogues made of paper, but they also list their treasures online, almost always with delightful illustrations which make the longings of the child in the sweet shop pale into insignifcance. Oh, you will be tempted! But give in ? it won?t cost you a fortune, and you can make sure that your garden has daffodils and narcissi (the name we give to the smaller trumpet kinds) in flower from February until May.
Sunday 17th August
Mary Berry’s recipe for gardening success- Mary Berry is just as at home in garden as in the kitchen.
Mary Berry, Great British Bake Off presenter shares her tips for how you can garden your way to an active and happy old age.
Emma Townshend: ‘How to deter burglars? The experts recommended something prickly – but that didn’t suit my honeysuckle fantasy’.
Exactly two years ago, I got burgled. I went out at 11am to walk the baby around the block until he fell asleep, and walking back down my road, my first thought was, “Where’s the car?” And then, “Oh dear, I really am sure I did leave it right here?”
Popular Posts
Recent Posts