Archive | October, 2009

End of an Insect Rich Summer

By on October 30, 2009 in Environmental Gardening

Most of the aerial insects have gone sleepy and dwell for longer on the few flowers that have survived through to October. Beneath stones, leaves and fallen logs, caterpillars and spiders are busy building cocoons in which they lay masses of eggs. Slugs burrow deeper into the soil to stay warm through winter. Turning or [...]

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Bonanza of Nasturtium Flowers

By on October 27, 2009 in Books, Flowers and Plants, Tips Hints and Ideas

It is very backendish now as October begins to give way to colder nights. The Nasturtiums are still flowering strongly as they clamber up this wall but one good frost will see them turn soggy and die. As Nasturtiums are good at self-seeding I will doubtless get many new plants next year without any effort. [...]

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Cheap Perennials

By on October 26, 2009 in Environmental Gardening, Flowers and Plants

Keep an eye out for new plants for your garden at reasonable prices as garden centers sell off old stock. I got 5 plants in 2 liter pots for a fiver at the weekend. It is a better form of recycling for me to renovate the plants for next year rather than see them composted. [...]

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Colour Temperature in the Garden

By on October 26, 2009 in Environmental Gardening, Garden Design

The quality of light can have a strange impact on the way flowers and plants look in both the garden and photographs. Light levels may change with the seasons, weather or surroundings and a cloudy sky will produce a different effect to a clear blue, early morning sky. The greatest single effect is caused by [...]

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Fallen Leaves Good for the Environment

By on October 24, 2009 in Environmental Gardening, Garden Equipment Tips

The fallen leaves of Autumn are a sign of the the hope and regeneration of future seasons. You can pick up inspiration from the sight of golden brown and russet coloured leaves. Who has not been enraptured, at some stage in their life, by the scent of damp leaves or the rustle of crisp, dry [...]

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Blackthorn and Sloes

By on October 23, 2009 in Fruit, Vegetables & Herbs, Trees and Shrubs

Blackthorn is a multi branched, deciduous tree or bush that can grow up to 20 feet tall (the Blackthorn in this photo was 7 feet tall as were the ferns!). The stem is dark to black and the small branches create thorns hence the name Blackthorn but in Latin Prunus Spinosa. Like its relative the [...]

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Tree Paeonia Autumn Leaves

By on October 22, 2009 in Flowers and Plants

Some Paeonia plants are grown for the size, colour and scent of the flowers. This picture caught my attention with the dark red leaves on the three year old tree turning a magenta red offset by the orange red of the Geum Mrs J Bradshaw. Tip Select your Geums with care as many of the [...]

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Eucalyptus Trees in Britain

By on October 22, 2009 in Tips Hints and Ideas, Trees and Shrubs

Eucalyptus or Gum Trees are fast growing shrubs and trees best noted for their attractive scented leaves and stems. They tolerate a variety of soils preferring a deep loam. The leaves on this young tree are still coin shaped but will develop as the tree matures. Gardeners Tips You can grow Eucalyptus as a short [...]

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Decorative Bark

By on October 19, 2009 in Trees and Shrubs

As the leaves fall you get a chance to inspect the bark on your trees and shrubs. Some bark is outstanding and worth growing for it’s own sake. Five Trees for Decorative Bark Acer griseum, paper bark maple, the outer bark peeling in papery flakes to show the copper-colored inner bark; opening leaves bronze colored, [...]

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Purple Flowers Attract Insects

By on October 17, 2009 in Environmental Gardening

Are insects attracted to colours or do some purple flowers have more nectar and pollen to attract insects in the first place? Anne Bebbington quoted in Science and Plants for schools says ‘You need to take into account that different sorts of insects see colour differently. Most insects except for some butterflies do not see [...]

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