August 2008 Blog Posts (21)

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Ooooo - Naughty Plant Show People

Plans went a bit awry today... originally, we had intended to motor up to Newby Hall for a large scale plant sale. Okay, seems a bit late in the season, but... have Volvo estate, have gardening husband (with map) and have some spare cash.... besides, there was a good chance of calling into Cascade Garden Centre for lunch (tip - Cascade Garden Centre near Ripon has the very best cafe in the North... and at Christmas, has the very best selection of ornaments... I also like a chance to go look at… Continue

Added by Cat Fereday on August 31, 2008 at 22:00 — 1 Comment


PRO Member A Roundup of landscape and gardening news

The Horticulture Week reports the banning of Sodium Chlorate by the European Commission (EC).

The Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) announced that the EC pesticides review committee voted in July was for non-inclusion of chlorates in Annex 1.



The Garden Forum also reports the slowdown at Marshalls in the domestic landscaping market.… Continue

Added by Phil Voice on August 31, 2008 at 9:30 — No Comments

Announcement - Autumn has arrived

I have been notified of the formal arrival of Autumn... by Fereday as he put the duvet back onto the bed... The following banter ensued....



Me: "You'll be fretting over chillblains soon...."

Fereday: "Already am...."

Me: "And it'll be all worrying about getting piles from sitting on cold stones...."

Fereday (absentmindedly because he's preoccupied with plumping the duvet): "hmmmm"

Me: Have you got your long sleeve vests and flannel pants on… Continue

Added by Cat Fereday on August 28, 2008 at 22:00 — No Comments

Gardening dividends for the petting zoo

Here I sit in my living room, which thanks to our three house rabbits has its own furry weather system at the moment...



You can see photos of two of the critters on my page... the other one is a bit shy! Our lounge is more petting zoo than tranquil oasis of calm and soft furnishings arranged around a big glowy box in the corner bathing all in a brain-rotting glow. But, we like it that way... or at least that's what we tell ourselves.



Two lounge dwellers are currently in… Continue

Added by Cat Fereday on August 27, 2008 at 19:30 — No Comments

RHS Gold and Best in Show

 

Surrey based designer Selina Botham won RHS Gold and Best in Show for her first ever Show garden at Hampton Court 2008.

 

 

 

 

 …

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Added by Selina Botham on August 27, 2008 at 16:30 — No Comments

"Blog about it"

A new rejoinder has been added to Fereday household dialogue.... immediately after I point out some new foible, Fereday responds, "Oh, just blog about it...." While admittedly this is much more polite than "stick it where the sun don't shine, sweetie", I've been so wrapped up at work this month that I've done hardly any blogging. (And just for clarity's sake, Fereday has never actually told me to "stick" anything, this classic phrase was prevalent during my uni years... and was usually voiced… Continue

Added by Cat Fereday on August 26, 2008 at 22:55 — 4 Comments

Hagthorne Cottage Nurseries Limited

Hi all,

This week marks the 5th anniversary of our unfair dismissal from our former employer, Hagthorne Cottage Nurseries Limited, Lucas Green Road, West End, Woking, Surrey.



Our former employer, for simplicity we will call HCNL decided to dismiss us, we do not know why. Steve worked for them between October 1987 and May 1995, and was invited back in June 2001 and employed as Nursery Manager. Tina was employed from July 2001.



As a part of being re-employed we were… Continue

Added by T & S Plants on August 26, 2008 at 11:45 — No Comments


PRO Member A rolling review of the British Landscape Industry

Correct me if I am wrong but I believe that Landscape Juice is the only publication, website or otherwise, that is determined to find a fair deal for all competent and capable businesses in the United Kingdom.



It is not uncommon for an editor to just report news as it happens and accept the PR nonsense of the representative who writes it. I like to look behind the flannel and try and paint a true picture of how it really is and what genuinely lies behind the shop… Continue

Added by Phil Voice on August 22, 2008 at 10:00 — No Comments


PRO Member The Assaociation of Professional Landscapers responds to criticism

It has taken two years and some pretty sharp words on the Landscape Juice blog, but finally, the Association of Professional Landscapers has responded to a letter I wrote at the beginning of August.



I understand that there have been a few people within the APL who have felt my comments personally which has never been the intention.



I sincerely believe that now, more than any other time in… Continue

Added by Phil Voice on August 21, 2008 at 16:29 — No Comments

Ayr Flower Show

I thought i'd better write this blog before it bcomes a distant memory as time has a habit of marching on. We created a courtyard garden in 3 and a half days and as always there is never enough time which in the end we ran out of. Awarded silver gilt and lost points on technicalities - Not enough of the fence panels, which were provided by the organisers, covered. Planting left to last and literally thrown in - not that the judges or the public seemed to notice - but the judges did comment on… Continue

Added by vhowe on August 16, 2008 at 17:18 — No Comments


PRO Member Advertise on Landscape Juice and get the first month free

If someone said to you that you could advertise on one of the most popular gardening and landscaping websites in the United Kingdom at absolutely no risk for one month with no obligation to continue you may feel that there was a big catch or a....but!



That is not the case if you wanted to consider advertising on either the Landscape Juice Blog or The Landscape Juice Network.



I want your money to work for you and I am prepared to give you and your company the… Continue

Added by Phil Voice on August 15, 2008 at 15:00 — 1 Comment


PRO Member DEFRA warns of Citrus Longhorn Beetle in the UK

Gardeners are being warned about an invasion of the Citrus Longhorn Beetle (Anoplophora chinensis) in UK that has been imported from China, via Holland in a batch Acer palmatum and distributed via mail order.



Whilst the beetle is know to affect the Acer it is able to damage oak, beech, ash, maple, apple, pear, willow, hibiscus, horse chestnut, hornbeam, hazel, birch, mulberry and rose.



The larva or pupa can remain undetected for up to three year before emerging -… Continue

Added by Phil Voice on August 15, 2008 at 13:30 — No Comments


PRO Member The Landscape Juice Network reaches two hundred members - twice!.

It literally seems like yesterday that I started the Landscape Juice Network and now we have reached our two hundredth member.



I am going to award the accolade to James Gardner and James Rowlinson - if you don't count me as a member then James Gardner comes in at 199 but when I am added James is number two hundred.



Similarly, if… Continue

Added by Phil Voice on August 15, 2008 at 13:30 — No Comments


PRO Member Provide .pdf help sheets to clients

.pdf help sheets to clients

THERE is a very interesting forum post developing on the site about the correct planting depths for plants.



I'm afraid I can't help with that question, but one of the points made a little later on is the idea of handing out a help sheet with plants you sell.



These could be printed off your own computer, but another simple option would be to prepare the document as a… Continue

Added by Craig McGinty on August 13, 2008 at 19:00 — No Comments


PRO Member Using a blog for your business

JUST a quick heads-up about a piece on the Daily Telegraph website that talks about using a blog and the internet to help your business - regardless of… Continue

Added by Craig McGinty on August 13, 2008 at 12:30 — 2 Comments


PRO Member Watering your lawn in the summer

It is easy to brand gardeners as wasteful when you can see a sprinkler unattended for long periods of time gushing watering liberally over borders and lawns.

For some reason, a lawn enthusiast will get much more stick for wanting to maintain their prized sward in tip top condition over a someone who is more interested in keeping their flower borders looking lush, fresh and turgid.



Lawn owners can reduce the amount of water that they need to apply by improving the soil… Continue

Added by Phil Voice on August 11, 2008 at 13:00 — 1 Comment

Design position in France

Phil I saw the email about the design opportunity in France and was wondering if you had more information about the clients definition of the right person for the job as I would love to be the right person! Should she be contacted outright? Thanks!

Added by Leigh DuFresne on August 11, 2008 at 1:23 — 1 Comment


PRO Member French holiday competition results

Firstly, I apologise for the result of the 'win a holiday in France' competition being released so late in the day but we had unexpected visitors just as I was processing the photographs and they stayed for an hour and a half.



I wanted the draw to be as fair and transparent as possible so I asked my daughter Fleur to pick three names out of a large bag.



Twenty… Continue

Added by Phil Voice on August 5, 2008 at 21:00 — 2 Comments

Zen and the Art of Garden Maintenance

There is an absolutely beautiful little blog post which I highly recommend to you all: Keeping Mulch and other BrownScapes Manicured



After clearing the "What colour is the zebra" question up for Fereday... it prompted me to think of other gardening-related zenism.....



Along the lines of "if a tree falls in the forest, and there is no one to hear it, does it make a sound", how… Continue

Added by Cat Fereday on August 2, 2008 at 9:30 — 1 Comment

Vegetable Trials in a Small Garden: August Update

It has been quite a while since I have blogged anything at all so I'm going to grab a little time and write an update on how things are going with the vegetable & herb growing. My thanks to Bella for enquiring how things were growing and spurring me into blogging again! So where to begin?



Back to the runner beans I suppose. They have been very good and well worth growing with lots of beans, mostly healthy. I must say that the mangetout and sugar snaps have been less generous. The… Continue

Added by Andrew Fereday on August 2, 2008 at 9:00 — No Comments

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