Both the Woodland Trust and The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) have stressed that work must be stepped up to protect UK trees and plants.

The two associations have published replies to the report from the Tree Health and Plant…

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More needs to be done to protect the UK's trees and plants from invasive pests and diseases, a government backed report has said.

The report from the Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Expert Taskforce, calls for tighter…

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Standardising rates of payment for land management is a grey area. And whilst the FC guidance lists for standard rates is a good guide to costs re forest operations it is just a guide and a very useful one at that. But the recognition of the constraints on individual sites is all important and it is the realm of the practitioner to decipher these constraints and apply them to the quotation for possible work.

In May last year, the Woodland Trust published the report ‘…

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Spring is almost here and for us who have sandy soils they are starting to become lighter which enables us to get onto the soil earlier than other types of soil.

We took on an allotment last July and have spent the time since bringing it up to scratch as it had been let go which involved basically removing loads of old carpet which the last owners had used to control weeds and had failed and digging through and removing loads of grass weed.

Its quite a hard way to start an…

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One of my favorite aspects of my job is tree work, I love looking at trees, the form of their branches, the shape of their crowns.

When I am pruning a tree it is a job that engages my brain, I'm not just following a lawnmower for a few hours lost in my own thoughts, I study the tree and think about each cut and what shape the cuts are…

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I want to grow some fruit trees, but where do I start? I don't understand pollination groups or rootstocks, or the difference between a stepover and a cordon and a maiden and a bush. Help!

It's a familiar cry. Folk quickly get bogged down when they're shopping for fruit trees, as there are so many varieties and options open to them if they want to do things properly, rather than nip down to the nearest B&Q and end up with the wrong plant. I'm faced…

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It is virtually impossible to write a brief summary of fertilisation requirements and nutrient deficiency with regards trees. The subject could amount to a 300 page book with regards one species and still be non exhaustive. It is however one of those issues which any arborist or silvicultural surveyor needs to understand at a glance and as with so many aspects of tree care this combines experience with a knowledge of the location. As such based on my experience and the locations I have…

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The Chosen Trees

Two shapely and proud Small-leaved Limes, ( Tilia cordata ), stand in the middle of a small field at Duncannon, Stoke Gabriel, Devon. Overlooking the Dart Estuary, these trees formed part of a Devon hedge which was removed many years ago, leaving the trees and a remnant stretch of the ancient hedge standing alone in the field.

For my …

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A Plane Tree in Paris.

Paris has a close relationship to trees far beyond the scope of understanding to similar aged cities of equivalent size and importance.

The vast woodlands surrounding the expanding Paris boundaries have expanded outwards as the city grew. The trees felled to make way for the spreading City have left behind a legacy of a…

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My contract team were due to start on site at a Nursery School in Kent today. They spent 21 hours on the roads yesterday, trying to get to site to set up. They got within 5 miles before making the call to turn back and then spent the next 18 hours getting home. As always, challenges bring opportunities - team building on the side of the road at 3am, skidding along on the ice like kids is not your usual manager-led activity, but it was effective!



The current 'extreme weather event' is… Continue

This week I had a brilliant surprise , I looked for orders on my Gmail and Got one from BGS

Graeme Mann- that was really great as the week was really empty from orders on my webshop.



It was even better to see Graeme name there. At least I got many orders for olive plants from the E-bay listings!. No wonder as they looks great , full of black olives on.



I am excited to get the next stock of them in just few days.



Not many people know how hardy olive tree can… Continue

Phytoremediation and Bioremediation referred to in an earlier blog are not the best words to start anything you want others to read. But bear with me as the title to the blog is closer to the mark. For many years now the rest of the world has been progressing dramatically in the science of using plants and trees to treat contaminated and polluted sites. I hate to say this but the UK lags behind significantly and whilst the technology is accepted and used in the UK, it is still in it's… Continue

The house I live in is built directly onto solid rock and there are no foundations whatsoever. The rock, which is a white limestone is great for building on and probably one of the reasons that the house was built in the first place - because materials were freely available.



Every time the… Continue

''The part of the trees that was less researched is the roots-why because that involved with hard work of digging'' we were told in the course of tree biology in extremely interesting lecture about roots.



As I was writing this week about the use of root barrier -It made me think about my knowledge and experience about roots. Trees rots are very interesting as they are so varied with their size, smell, big ball of tiny roots or small ball of thick roots, sometimes very deep and… Continue