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Tag: horticulture
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Dobbies’ Edinburgh store unveils Afternoon Tea and Planting Experience
Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre, is inviting plant enthusiasts and foodies alike to a brand new Afternoon Tea and Planting Experience at its Edinburgh store, giving each attendee a planter worth £30, that’s created during the event, to take home.
Taking place on Saturday 13 and Saturday 20 April, at 3pm, this 90 minute event will combine the joy of hands-on creativity with the indulgence of a delicious afternoon tea.
Guests in Edinburgh can enjoy three tiers of sweet and savoury delights, accompanied by unlimited tea and coffee refills, and the option to upgrade the drink to a latte, cappuccino, mocha, hot chocolate or speciality tea at a small additional cost.
The first tier will include a variety of freshly made finger sandwiches such as smoked salmon and cream cheese; egg mayonnaise and watercress; and ham, rocket and wholegrain mustard.
The second tier includes Dobbies’ famed scones, served with Cornish clotted cream and a pot of jam, and the third tier will feature a delightful array of sweet treats, including a rainbow meringue kiss and lemon mousse.
After enjoying the afternoon tea, guests in Edinburgh will take part in an interactive workshop led by a member of Dobbies’ gardening team.
They will offer top tips and answer questions on how to plant up a container from scratch, and each attendee will have the chance to plant up their own, with a terracotta pot, seasonal bedding plants, hederas and heathers.
Adam Veysey, Dobbies’ Head of Food Development, said: “We’ve only just launched our brand new afternoon tea options and it’s fantastic that we’re able to offer this with an exclusive and new planting event for our customers in Edinburgh.
“We love creating a vibrant community at Dobbies where people of all ages and experiences can come together to give gardening a go, and having afternoon tea with a planting experience is the ideal combination.
“Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a beginner, everyone is welcome.”
Tickets for this new Afternoon Tea and Planting Experience are priced at £40 per person (with the planter valued at £30).
To making a booking visit: www.dobbies.com/events
Edinburgh’s Growing Together!
Housing estates are in store for a bumper harvest thanks to a number of new and growing community gardens in the Capital.
The Edinburgh Growing Together project, which began gardening last year after a survey of plots in 2021, has reported a busy summer with new planters and raised beds being built, water supplies linked up and composting facilities installed across community growing areas.
A lot of this work has been conducted by Growing Youth, a social enterprise supported by the council’s Additional Support for Learning Service (ASLS) that educates young people in horticulture and construction.
Located on City of Edinburgh Council housing land, work has started on three new growing areas in Hutchison, Broomhouse and Muirhouse. These will feature home grown fruit and vegetables alongside flowers. They will offer opportunities for tenants and local people to learn gardening skills, socialise and benefit from sustainable, affordable food.
At Hutchison, participants will soon start prepping the area for autumn planting of a forest garden, while over in Broomhouse volunteers have been preparing a wildflower garden.
Opportunities for local communities to enjoy and use space for food growth in greenspaces is part of the Council’s 20-Minute Neighbourhood strategy, which is designed to support people to live well locally and be able to meet most daily needs within a 20-minute walk or wheel.
On a recent visit to the community backgreens, the Council’s Housing Convener Councillor Jane Meagher and the Chair of Edible Edinburgh, Councillor Katrina Faccenda, met with local growers. They were joined by Greig Robertson, Founding Director of Edible Estates, which is delivering the Growing Together initiative of behalf of the council.
Councillor Jane Meagher, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “What better way to reinvigorate community council estates and work towards net zero carbon than with these beautiful, edible gardens?
“Edinburgh really is blessed with stunning greenspaces but this project is about helping local people to connect with nature and neighbours in their own communities. We have 46 community gardens across our council housing estates and, while many of them are thriving, others need a little bit of nurturing. That’s where the Edinburgh Growing Together project comes in.
“From upskilling local people in gardening to seeing community kitchens set up, our Growing Together project is making a real difference to tenants. It has been fantastic to check in on progress and to meet with volunteers in Hutchison.
“They are doing a tremendous job and I’m sure these gardens will deliver countless benefits for living well locally, in line with our 20 minute neighbourhood approach. Eating good quality nutritious food doesn’t have to cost us, or the earth.”
Councillor Katrina Faccenda, Chair of Edible Edinburgh, said: “These community gardens are a brilliant way to brighten up our estates while helping tenants access nutritious, budget-friendly ingredients.
“It links into the diverse range of work being undertaken by the council, our partners and the third sector to tackle food insecurity and improve the sustainability of food, and it’s a joy to see meet those involved in establishing and nurturing these new gardens.
“As part of the project, improvements are also being made to six existing gardens which are managed by the council plus nine gardens which are run by local community groups, with support also being provided to the remaining gardens in a variety of ways.”
These projects are being delivered by Edible Estates, funded by the City of Edinburgh Council, with support from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Greig Robertson, Edible Estates’ Founding Director, comments: “Community gardens are a valuable resource to communities, they support individual and community well-being, promote physical activity, create new connections between folk, and of course grow fruit and veg.
“They are a ‘place’ and an activity, and play an important role in the move towards establishing 20-minute neighbourhoods across the city. Amidst news of produce shortages and a cost of living crisis, community gardens provide skills and resources towards more resilient communities.
“The Community Garden Survey highlighted that gold-standard community growing projects can and do exist across Edinburgh, and showcased the potential for many more to develop with the right support provided through the Edinburgh Growing Together project.
“We are looking forward to continuing work with and supporting the fantastic organisations, groups, and volunteers behind each of the gardens, and more so to seeing how each garden develops over the coming years.”
The Easiest Houseplants For Beginners
Are you constantly struggling to keep houseplants alive? Perhaps you’re new to owning houseplants and looking for something simple to start off with.
If any of these sound like you, we’ve got everything you need to know right here.
Houseplant and gardening expert Fiona Jenkins at MyJobQuote.co.uk has compiled this list of the easiest houseplants for beginners.
In this list, you’ll find a range of houseplants in all different shapes and sizes – perfect for bringing a bit of variety to any space. Take a look at Fiona’s list below and bring some nature and greenery into your home today!
Snake Plant
Snake plants are very easy to care for and the perfect option for people who are new to caring for houseplants. Snake plants can survive in most light conditions – just don’t keep them in complete darkness or extreme direct sunlight.
Watering a snake plant is very easy. Allow the soil to dry out completely before watering. If you’re someone who often forgets to water plants, don’t worry. Snake plants are quite forgiving and won’t suffer too much from a lack of water. Just make sure to check the soil whenever you remember and top it up with water if the soil is dry.
You can keep a snake plant looking beautifully fresh easily by simply wiping any dust off the leaves. You only need to do this every now and again when you notice a dust build-up.
Devil’s Envy
Devil’s Envy is often sometimes known as Golden Pothos, Hunter’s Robe, or Ceylon Creeper. This is one of the most popular houseplants among people wanting to bring a bit of greenery into their homes.
This plant can quite happily live in darkness and shaded areas, so it’s perfect for an indoor plant. It makes a great climbing or hanging plant.
This plant is quick to grow and tolerant of all lighting conditions. However, it will thrive in bright, indirect sunlight. You can easily tell when this plant needs a drink as the leaves will begin to curl.
Silver Vine
The silver vine is growing in popularity as a houseplant. Again, this is a brilliant climbing or hanging plant for beginners.
Although it is mostly accustomed to warmer climates, this plant can also cope well in cooler homes. The speckled leaves on this plant are unique and bring a lot of beauty.
Similar to the Devil’s Envy plant, Silver Vines will also tell you when they are thirsty as the leaves will begin to curl. This makes it an easy choice for people who may not remember when to water their plants.
Corn Plant
Corn plants, also known as Dracaena Fragrans, can grow very tall in the wild. However, you won’t need to worry too much about it growing out of control when it’s in a pot in your home.
This plant is very easy to grow and is also considered to be a symbol of reason and good fortune.
Similar to a Snake plant, simply allow the soil to dry out before watering this plant. If anything is wrong with the plant, it will let you know in plenty of time. However, these plants are pretty hardy, and it’s rare for any issues to occur. To keep the plant looking beautiful and fresh, give the leaves a wipe every now and again.
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera plants and other succulents are perfect for people who are new to caring for houseplants. These plants are fine if you forget to water them and can usually withstand neglect.
The Aloe Vera plant is also very useful. The gel that oozes from the leaves is great for soothing and healing minor burns and cuts.
Aloe Vera plants are quite hardy but are best placed in an area of indirect sunlight to prevent them from becoming scorched.
MyJobQuote is one of the UK’s top trades matching sites that helps individuals find a reputable tradesperson in their local area.
MyJobQuote also has a wide range of experts with extensive knowledge in interior design, cleaning, gardening, property, construction and more. MyJobQuote’s experts have been featured in over 700 publications, including Woman and Home, The Times, House Beautiful, BBC News and more.
Dalkeith Guerrilla Gardeners are Dobbies local Helping Your Community Grow winners
Dobbies’ Edinburgh store has announced its local Helping Your Community Grow winner, seeing Dalkeith Guerrilla Gardeners receive gardening products, advice, and support to enhance their outside space.
Dalkeith Guerrilla Gardeners is a community initiative run by volunteers who aim to make a difference in the local area from gardening to litter picking.
Dobbies will provide the group with watering butts, plants, bulbs and seeds, alongside support from its horticultural experts to help bring this project to life.
Dobbies’ own-brand peat-free multipurpose compost, recycled and recyclable containers, UK-sourced plants and safer pest control products are among the many products the garden centre will donate to its winner.
Jenna Bavidge, General Manager at Dobbies’ Edinburgh store said: “We are delighted to be supporting Dalkeith Guerrilla Gardeners this year and look forward to seeing the community garden project come to life with our support.
“We’ve been truly overwhelmed with the response to our campaign in Edinburgh! The team and I would like to thank all the worthy causes that got involved in the application process and our customers who helped us crown our Helping Your Community Grow winner by voting.”
Dalkeith Guerrilla Gardeners said: “We are thrilled to have been crowned the local Helping Your Community Grow winner for Edinburgh and would like to thank those members of the public who voted for us.
“Dobbies’ backing will allow us to brighten up our local area in a sustainable way, and we can’t wait to see Dalkeith bloom.”
In addition to the local win, Nest Nurseries Garden Project located in Keston has been crowned the national winner for the initiative and will receive additional funding and support to help their garden project thrive.
This will include advice, gardening products and plants to help young children explore the outdoors, learn about nature, improve their physical development and better understand the world around them.
For more information on Dobbies’ Helping Your Community Grow campaign, visit Helping Your Community Grow | Dobbies Garden Centres
Announcing … Community Supported Agriculture Veg Boxes!
Members of the Community Supported Agriculture veg box scheme will get a weekly share of the harvest from the Market Garden during the growing season.
If you are interested in becoming a member and getting veg from the farm, please click here to register your interest: http://bit.ly/EACCSAform
You’ll also find more details about the veg boxes from there, and answers to FAQs (and you can chat to us in person at upcoming events).
Community Supported Agriculture is a partnership between farmers and local communities. It is one of the best ways to create a fairer and more regenerative food system. We are excited to start providing veg boxes, and we hope you will join us!
Inch Nursery opens on Wednesday
The city council’s Inch Nursery is getting ready to welcome customers back to its base in Inch Park after a long winter closure.
The Nursery will reopen on Wednesday (7 April) with Covid safety measures in place and will be open five days a week, from Wednesday to Sunday, 10am – 2pm. To ensure safe shopping, customers will be required to book a time slot by email ahead of their visit.
Culture and Communities Convener, Cllr Donald Wilson said: “Now that it’s spring and the weather (hopefully) warms, the re-opening of the Nursery is a great opportunity for Edinburgh’s green-fingered residents to stock up from our wide range of quality plants at sensible prices.
“If you have not visited the Inch Nursery you will be pleasantly surprised at the variety of horticultural delights on offer.
“The pandemic has given us all renewed gratitude for the great outdoors – and for many it’s unearthed an appreciation of gardening, discovering all the benefits, both mental and physical it can bring.”
Culture and Communities Vice Convener, Cllr Amy McNeese-Mechan, said: “We’re very much looking forward to welcoming visitors back to the Nursery next week.
“Gardening benefits the mental health and well-being of so many people isolating at home and I believe that whilst the ongoing lockdowns have put limitations on us, looking after and growing plants helps us to look forward with hope to better and brighter days to come.
“So, if you’re in the market for shrubs and herbaceous perennials, please get in touch with the team to book your spot!”
Janice Peter, Acting Inch Nursery Team Leader, said: “After a long cold winter we are looking forward to opening our doors and welcoming our customers back.
“The last year has allowed people to rediscover their gardens and develop a passion for plants and we are really pleased that we can once again supply quality locally grown plants to the people of Edinburgh.”
Existing customers will be contacted directly but for any queries or new customers who would like to book a shopping slot, please email the team.
Visitors can expect social distancing and hygiene measures to be in place, including two- metre queuing points at key areas, sanitising stations, cashless payments only, and additional cleaning measures.
Getting the most of your garden space this Spring
If you’ve recently moved into a new-build home, you’ll have a garden that is a completely blank canvas for you to create your idyllic outdoor space. With spring finally here and with many people still based at home for the next little while, it’s the perfect time to start!
You may already have newly laid lawn or some paving and have started to think about the type of plants or trees you would like for your dream garden. But there’s also plenty of other issues to consider.
Giles Wilson, Standards and Policy Manager, at NHBC, the UK’s leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes explains: “We know that despite the continued impact of the pandemic, confidence in the housing market, particularly for newly-built homes, has remained strong.
“With many people deciding now is the time for a new home and in a lot of cases relocating to somewhere more rural, it’s wise to think about the small steps that could make a big difference to your outside area if you are planning on, or have just moved.”
Read on for some practical tips to help you make the most of your new garden at your new home:
- With remote working now more common-place, most of us are all looking for ways to get some much-needed peace and quiet – or a change of scene – when working from home. A garden office provides a dedicated space to concentrate on work in a productive and inspiring setting, while also providing outdoor space for family and friends, so take extra care examining garden / outdoor dimensions and sightlines.
- In clay soil, plant trees well away from your home. Find out how tall the mature tree will be and make sure it is positioned at least three quarters of this distance from the house.
- The level of soil around your home should be kept below the damp proof course (generally 150mm or two brick courses). Paths should also generally be kept around 150mm or two brick courses below the damp proof course, except where these have been designed to provide level access into the home. If you are not sure where the damp proof course is, ask your builder to show you. Where air bricks, permanent ventilators or perpend vents are provided, they should not be blocked or covered by soil or paving.
- If you’re planning to grow your own fruit – a favourite lockdown pastime of course, order your fruit trees as soon as you can to plant before summer, and continue planting trees and shrubs while they are still dormant.
- High water demand trees should be planted no closer to the home than one-and-a-quarter times the mature height. High water demand trees include elm, eucalyptus, oak, poplar, willow and some common cypress species.
- Avoid planting climbers such as Ivy and Virginia Creeper against house walls, as they hold on using suckers, twining tendrils or aerial roots which could damage mortar and may cause damp. Plant these at least three metres away from your home.
- Allow enough room for trunks and large roots to grow safely. Be particularly careful if planting near drains or lightweight structures.
- Although you do not need to, when planting new trees in your garden that will also be near you neighbour’s house, be considerate and ask your neighbour if this is ok. As you could be liable for the cost of repair if the trees you plant cause damage to their home.
- Regular pruning of fast growing, thirsty trees such as Cypress Leyland, will help to reduce the amount of water taken from the soil.
- Inspection chambers and rodding eyes are there to provide access the drainage system below ground so that blockages can be cleared. It’s important these are not covered by soil, turf or paving. Ask your builder for further information regarding this.
- And last of all, although the UK is fortunate to have plenty of rain, do ensure trees and shrubs are watered sufficiently to give them a good start in life especially those that maybe sheltered by other structures. If you haven’t got one already, consider purchasing a water butt ready for the summer. Rainwater is particularly useful for watering acid-loving, ericaceous plants as opposed to tap water which is often slightly alkaline.
Further advice for homeowners on property maintenance and other issues can be found in NHBC’s useful publication, A Guide to your new home – a practical guide to looking after your new home, freely available at www.nhbc.co.uk/homeowners.
Winter: Is it time for a prune?
Winter is coming, and for responsible householders and landowners this is the time to take stock of trees on their property and to make sure they are healthy, well maintained and, above all, safe, writes KEITH GALLACHER.
While trees are without doubt one of nature’s greatest gifts, many people regard them as a hazard, posing a significant risk of harm or injury. This is an understandable fear, but largely unfounded.
The most up to date research shows that some six people a year were killed in the UK by a tree, or parts of a tree falling. With a population of 60 million, this would equate to a one in in 10 million chance, by any standards a low risk.
But it remains prudent to be aware of the state of trees in your ownership, and to keep an eye out for dangerous or defective branches or decaying of the trunk which may lead to a sudden failure and collapse.
The onset of winter provides the best opportunity to undertake this kind of inspection, since the foliage of the tree has gone and the underlying structure is clearly visible. Pruning and maintenance now is also less likely to cause disturbance to nesting birds.
Apart from removing potentially dangerous branches, pruning in winter can be used to improve the structure of a tree, to reduce shading, to make it less vulnerable to wind damage or just to clear branches away from a building or wires.
Trees are dynamic, living organisms, which use the miracle of photosynthesis to create their building blocks, and cutting them – if not expertly done – can leave wounds through which infection can enter, reducing their vitality.
And cutting branches, especially at height, is a dangerous business and should only be undertaken by a trained, insured and professionally-equipped specialist.
As well as maintaining trees in domestic garden settings, specialists are routinely called on to deal with issues in public areas or for site clearance work in spaces scheduled for construction activity.
Part of the planning process ensures that wildlife is fully protected during such operations and arborists will call on the services of a suitably qualified ecologist to advise on when it is safe to proceed with operations.
This is an area which goes largely unpoliced in the domestic arena, and householders should be sure that any tree operatives they employ in their gardens will carry out the appropriate checks before any work commences.
Foremost among these checks should be awareness of Tree Preservation Orders, which are made by local authorities to protect individual trees, groups of trees of woodlands which have a particular amenity value or contribute to the landscape or townscape.
While it might be expected that large, stately deciduous trees would have TPOs, the most unexpected varieties can also be protected. I recently discovered that there was an order on a Sitka Spruce we had been asked to fell – one of the commonest commercial trees in the country.
Potentially dangerous limbs can, in theory, be removed without permission from a tree with a TPO on it, but the penalties for breaching the legislations, inadvertently or not, can be severe.
With all tree work, safety is of primary importance and if branches larger than your wrist need to be removed or if ladders are necessary, a professionally qualified trees surgeon or arboriculturist should be engaged.
Keith Gallacher is Director of Complete Weed Control Scotland.
Twenty garden trends for 2020
Sustainability and creating multi-use spaces are two of the biggest gardening trends for the new decade. Continue reading Twenty garden trends for 2020