10 newest articles RSS
Category Articles List
You are at : Home | Gardening - Page Number (2)
Add simple to use design tools in MS Office Publisher to your existing MS Office Home & Business software.
- Sculpture Gardens
By:-Joshua Ellison
We have previously discussed the recent RHS London Flower and Design Show, which I was fortunate enough to attend, and one of the exhibitions I saw was for ‘The Sculpture Park’, a Surrey based company that essentially serves as an outdoor gallery for developing sculptors. It is so important that, while we often get caught up in the planting side of our gardens, we are careful not to overlook the architectural elements which create dramatic focal points and add so much interest to our outside spaces. It is, after all, the structure of our garden that first dictates its creative direction and that’s why this article is devoted to the art of sculpture, and its place within the garden.
- London Orchid Show
By:-Joshua Ellison
A couple of weeks ago, the RHS celebrated its London Orchid Show in fine style, exhibiting the very best of England’s cultivars and awarding those of special merit. One of the country’s most prolific growers -The Chantelle Nursery - made quite an impact on the show with their Cattleya hybrids - a beautiful selection of vibrant colours, most notable among these were the golden variety ‘Hsiang Yu Beauty’ and the bright pink ‘Bright Sun’.
- Divided We Stand
By:-Joshua Ellison
Plant division is one of the most common, not to mention cost effective practices that ensures consistent propagation. This means you can get new plants that are true to the original for free, and now is a good time to do it for many cultivars. In this piece we will discuss the proper approaches, the do’s and don’ts, and a selection of perennial plants that can be divided in order to increase their numbers.
- Hi Ho Silver!
By:-Joshua Ellison
This week we have a list of silver tinted cultivars to brighten your borders. A quick word on the colour silver - while you won’t achieve a mirror effect no matter how diligent your maintenance routine is, you can bring a bright, shiny feel to your garden with shimmering silver foliage. It’s interesting to note the time of year these colours can be most effective too. For example, the golden plants we discussed last week might be most effective in the summertime, when the sun lights them naturally and accentuates their colour with its own, while the silvers in this piece might to be said to have their most dramatic effect in spring or wintertime, when the lighting of a cloudy sky matches their tone.
- The Bees Needs
By:-Joshua Ellison
In previous articles we’ve talked about the environmental influence that our indigenous bee population has - from flower pollination and, subsequently, propagation, to their agricultural applications - indeed they are one of the most critically needed insects that exist on earth today. But rather than give another tirade about their declining numbers, or the things we are doing wrong by them, we have compiled a list of plants most likely to attract the little fellows to your garden in the early spring when there is not much food about, and a preface concerning why these cultivars, in particular, are so successful.
- The New School Is Green
By:-Joshua Ellison
In recent news it has become a point of national pride that nearly half of Britain’s schools have not only actively encouraged their students to take an interest in horticulture, but that they have made a private space on their grounds a standard as much as the playground, or the assembly hall. This sociological brainchild began with, you guessed it, the RHS, who began their ‘Campaign for School Gardening’ as a means of familiarizing children with their natural environment on a local, as well as a global scale. They have made the press recently by reaching the 15,000th school on the program, which benefits from a persistent rewards system. Essentially, there are varying levels of accomplishment with every new garden, and the schools now race to be first to achieve each new level. The reward for this comes under the franchise of television horticultural personality Alan Titchmarsh, which grants the winners £200 worth of vouchers.
- There’s A Bright Golden Haze On The Meadow…
By:-Joshua Ellison
Continuing with last week’s instalment on colour based foliage, this time we’re continuing with the gold tinted medallists of our gardens. That’s right - it’s time for the amber leaves of our locality to rear their gleaming heads.
- More Than Just A Lawn
By:-Joshua Ellison
Grass - it’s one of the most common elements of any garden style, be it as a simple filler or part of a practical play space, or even an all-encompassing border to divide different plant types. The majority of gardeners will recognize its basic application - the lawn and, although this institution is fast being overrun by installation of paving, decking and gravel, it is still among the most frequent sights in the British garden.
- Flowers In Poetry
By:-Joshua Ellison
Since time immemorial flowers have been the subject of literature, paintings and poetry, not only for their beauty but more significantly the connotations that their individual appearances, uses and detriments evoke.
- Third Degree Shade
By:-Joshua Ellison
Defining the border between privacy and security is a particularly precarious balancing act, especially when you are situated in the close quarters of urban living. In our previous article concerning hedges we named a few species which could provide adequate measures of both, without completely segregating you from neighbouring areas. However, there are other methods, aside from hedging, that you can utilize as both literal and illusory shelter, whether by soft, or hard landscaping.
- Don’t Make A Folly Of Foliage!
By:-Joshua Ellison
Well it was inevitable – we have run out of colour schemes for your gardens bloomers, so natural progression dictates we focus now on the foliage of a garden and how this can be tailored to suit your colour choices. As with the floral side of planting, the hue of foliage is affected by the changing seasons, particularly with deciduous plants, so it is important to consider the colour scheme of your garden year round, rather than just periodically, when choosing your plants.
- Tulipmania
By:-Joshua Ellison
When it comes to the world of luxury, you can’t put a price on exclusivity, and horticulture is no different. Recently Thompson and Morgan made headlines and history in their successful bidding war for the world’s rare yellow variety of snowdrop, Galanthus woronowii ‘Elizabeth Garrison’. The cultivar in question, which moved for a pricey £725, nearly doubled the previous record of £360 that had been held by the ‘Green Tear’ variety. The unique bulb drew more than 30 bidders in what proved to be a fast and furious auction, however, it seems that with snowdrops being one of T&M’s top sellers last year (over one million units sold), they could not let opportunity get away from them.
- Black As The Night
By:-Joshua Ellison
We’re continuing this week with our regular editorial concerning the qualities of specific colour tones within the garden, how best to take advantage of them through your planting choices, and how properly to plant and then maintain the cultivars you select. This week’s colour is the elusive ‘black’, as whilst many appear black, most such flowers are really a deep shade of red or purple.
- Irrigation: What’s The Cost?
By:-Joshua Ellison
One of the key concerns that modern gardeners face is how best to utilize one of the most important resources to their projects, that is to say water. There are a of myriad different methods that deal with this problem and each has their own benefits and drawbacks, ranging from their basic efficiency, to their financial weight, to how quickly and thoroughly they get the job done.
- No School Like The New School
By:-Joshua Ellison
Following on from our previous article, we’ll be discussing the ‘New School’ of garden design, how it has been shaped by the current ecological climate, and also the aesthetic focus, and how this has been supplanted by the concept of the interactive garden.
- Green Roofing
By:-Joshua Ellison
Continuing the theme of the importance of sustainable gardens, here we will discuss what are known as ‘Green Roofs’, the different types available and why they have become such an integral part of modern horticultural planning.
- Five Snow Whites (no Dwarves)
By:-Joshua Ellison
Continuing our weekly periodical on colour based cultivars, we bring to you a selection of white and cream hued blooms to accompany those other tones we’ve already covered. The White Garden at Sissinghurst is a famous example of the use of this single colour scheme, although it is of course balanced with green foliage. As any interior design programme will tell you, the primary feeling the colour white provokes is that of space, however, in too great abundance this can translate to emptiness, coldness and sterility. It is important, should you choose to populate your garden with primarily white, that you maybe complement it with rich hues of red, dark blue and purple in order that you don’t lose all the warmth and welcome a garden should evoke. After all, the last thing one wants to be reminded of in their garden is a hospital, which can be a common connotation when white is over used!
- Gardens Through The Ages
By:-Joshua Ellison
As a pursuit built as much on our own foresight as it is on our creativity, it is important to reflect on the schools of thought that drove previous horticulturalists, because, as influential as the great painters and film makers are on our artistic heritage, so of course must be the gardeners that came before you and me. So we’ll use this article to pay some gratitude to, and hopefully learn the motivations behind, the green spaces of the past and how these reflect on those of the future.
- Hedge Your Bets
By:-Joshua Ellison
It can be a confusing affair deciding what varieties to use when planting hedges in your garden and the myriad of different species and their attributes can daunt the inexperienced gardener – we’ve all heard the nightmare stories of Leylandii disputes! The first point you should consider is the purpose of the hedge itself - is it to provide shelter and privacy, or merely a neat border to the edges of your garden? Having decided that, what kind of environment does your garden enjoy? And what kind of events does it entertain that might dictate the formality of your hedge?
- Don’t Soil Your Chances
By:-Joshua Ellison
The importance of soil types in the different areas of your garden cannot be overstated, as the ph level (alkalinity versus acidity), density and moisture retention can all serve as major factors in the success of the plants you try to cultivate. Aside from this you also have the fertility of your soils to consider - while the answer of ‘richer is better’ may seem the obvious one, this can be a dire misjudgement, as some cultivars will respond too positively to high levels of fertility and end up choking the more diminutive species you host. So, how to find out what type of soil you have?
- Where The Wild Things Aren’t
By:-Joshua Ellison
In an increasingly, and somewhat frighteningly, electronic culture it seems that children are becoming more and more disjointed from the great outdoors and this has given rise to a new term coined by author Richard Louv known as ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’. While not a clinically recognized term, the ramifications of such an absence of caring could be dire, as, logically a lack of connection with nature at a young age will lead to a negligence of the natural world.
- Emeralds And Evergreens
By:-Joshua Ellison
Green is the colour on the agenda this week and, with the last frosts of spring soon to be behind us, we can expect a lot more of it in the coming months. The primary connotation of green is, of course, its prolific occurrence in nature and this is the primary reason green is such a popular colour for interior design, as it evokes the presence of health and life. Its components blue and yellow, which denote cool and warmth respectively, thus green, itself strikes a balance between the two. Because of these connotations, green’s primary effects on your feelings tend to be of a calming nature, offering a sense of renewal and harmony whilst alleviating anxiety. Plant some of the species suggested below and see if they can offer you the same therapy.
- Clipping The Clematis – A Guide To Proper Pruning
By:-Joshua Ellison
Clematis are one of the most beautiful, versatile and, subsequently, popular additions to the British garden. Due to their ability to grow vertically on walls and trellis, in containers, or horizontally entwining with other plants and shrubs, it is no surprise that, once you have this cultivar established, you should want to maintain and ensure its growth for years to come.
- Orange Is Not Only A Fruit
By:-Joshua Ellison
Fortunately we’ve already seen the first snows of the year and can soon expect the last frost to fall, thus signalling the dawn of spring and all the colourful flowers that will bring. Our editorial, centred on the application of specific hues in the garden, continues this week with the vibrant colour orange.
- Britain In Bloom 2012
By:-Joshua Ellison
With the New Year, the Royal Horticultural Society ushers in a new batch of contestants for the annual ‘Britain in Bloom’ competition, where hopeful communities from all over England compete to be honoured as champions of Britain’s ecology.
( Page 2 of 103 ) 
