On my Christmas visit to Portugal I was rather taken by the florists’ displays at the Timeout Market in Lisbon and at the Forum in Almada…
Old School Ga
Archive for January, 2016
Before starting to lay foundations for a paved area, decide on the position of plants around a terrace or patio and in planting pockets within the space and leave the areas free of foundation material and paving (wooden shuttering can be used for larger areas). Once the works are over, replace the topsoil of the planting areas with John Innes number 3 compost (and grit if you’re putting in things like Thymes). This will ensure a weed free growing medium with the right nutrients so plants establish quickly.
Source: ‘Short Cuts to Great Gardens’- Reader’s Digest 1999
Old School Gardener
Double Daffodil by Cindy Dyer
This wonderful tree, native to the U.K., is often associated with Scotland. It certainly suits bird life as the profuse red autumn berries provide a lot of autumnal sustenance. As they are not regular in shape, the parent Rowan can be grown as a multi-stemmed specimen to achieve more uniformity of shape, or alternatively one of it’s clones, such as Sorbus aucuparia ‘Rossica Major’ can be used.
Common name: Rowan , Mountain Ash (due to the fact that it grows well at high altitudes and its leaves are similar to those of the ash, Fraxinus excelsior – however, the two species are not related). It’s latin name is composed of Sorbus for ‘service tree’ and aucuparia, which derives from the words ‘avis’ for “bird” and ‘capere’ for “catching” and describes the use of the fruit of S. aucuparia as bait for fowling.
Native areas: The Rowan can be found in almost all of Europe and the Caucasus up to Northern Russia and Siberia, but it is not native to Southern Spain, Southern Greece, Sardinia, the Balearic Islands, the Azores, and the Faroe Islands. The species was introduced as an ornamental species in North America.
S. aucuparia
S. aucuparia ‘Asplenifolia’
Fruit close up picture by Hekerui
Historical notes: Fruit of S. aucuparia were used in the past to lure and catch birds. To humans, the fruit are bitter but they can be debittered and made into compote, jelly, jam, a tangy syrup, a tart chutney, or juice, as well as wine and liqueur, or used for tea or to make flour. The robust qualities of S. aucuparia make it a source for fruit in harsh mountain climate and Maria Theresa of the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy recommended the planting of the species in 1779.
The colour red was considered to be the best colour for fighting evil, and so the rowan, with its bright red berries, has long been associated with magic and witches. Its old Celtic name is ‘fid na ndruad’, which means wizards’ tree. In Ireland it was planted near houses to protect them against spirits, and in Wales rowan trees were planted in churchyards. Cutting down a rowan was considered taboo in Scotland. The wood was used for stirring milk to prevent it curdling, and as a pocket charm against rheumatism. It was also used to make divining rods.
The tallest S. aucuparia in the United Kingdom stands in the Chiltern Hills in South East England. This exceptional specimen is 28 m tall and has a trunk diameter of 56 cm.
S. aucuparia leaves
S. aucuparia bark
S. aucuparia ‘Fastigiata’ autumn leaves
S. aucuparia flowers
Features: Sorbus aucuparia occurs as a tree or shrub that grows up to between 5 and 15 m in height. The crown is loose and roundish or irregularly shaped but wide and the plant often grows multiple trunks. The trunk is slender and cylindrical and reaches up to 40 cm in diameter, and the branches stick out and are slanted upwards. The bark of a young S. aucuparia is yellowish grey and gleaming and becomes grey-black with lengthwise cracks in advanced age; it descales in small flakes. Lenticels in the bark are elongated and coloured a bright ochre. The plant does not often grow older than 80 years and is one of the shortest-lived trees in a temperate climate.
Uses: Rowans are planted in mountain ranges to fortify landslides and avalanche zones. It is also used as an ornamental plant in parks, gardens, or as an avenue tree. It is well suited to wildlife gardens. Cultivars are vegetatively propagated via cuttings, grafting, or shield budding. Ornamental cultivars include:
‘Asplenifolia’, which has divided and sharply serrated leaflets
‘Blackhawk’, with large fruit and dark green foliage
‘Fastigiata’, an upright columnar form
‘Fructu Luteo’, orange yellow fruit
‘Michred’, brilliant red fruit
‘Pendula’, which is a weeping tree
‘Sheerwater Seedling’, upright and slender, has vigorous growth, good-sized leaves and reliable and plentiful berries. It has been used as a street tree and is ideal for sites with little sideways space
‘Xanthocarpa’ has orange yellow fruit
S. aucuparia ‘Fastigiata’
S. aucuparia ‘Sheerwater Seedling’ via Hillier Trees
Growing conditions: S. aucuparia is an undemanding species and can withstand shade It is frost hardy and can tolerate winter dryness and a brief growing season. The plant is also resistant to air pollution, wind, and snow pressure. S. aucuparia mostly grows on soil that is moderately dry to moderately damp, acidic, low on nutrients, sandy, and loose. It often grows in stony soil or clay soil, but also sandy soil or wet peat. The plant grows best on fresh, loose, and fertile soil, prefers average humidity, and does not tolerate saline soil or waterlogging. It can be found in light woodland of all kinds and as a pioneer species over fallen dead trees or in clear cuttings, and at the edge of forests or at the sides of roads.
Mature S. aucuparia autumn colour
Further information:
Wikipedia
RHS- Sorbus aucuparia
Sorbus aucuparia- the Woodland Trust
Growing S. aucuparia ‘Sheerwater Seedling’- Daily Telegraph
Barcham trees directory- Sorbus aucuparia
Old School Gardener
By Alice Marks
Skimming the eye across the colourful chart of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is easy to spot a couple which are intrinsically and directly linked to agriculture, but a closer look reveals that they are in fact all linked to agriculture. A healthy global agricultural sector underpins and supports so many aims of the SDGs that its development will be important for their overall success. As sustainable agriculture is essential for sustainable food systems and livelihoods, here is a breakdown of how agriculture, farming and nutrition fit into the first 7 goals
1. No Poverty
Over 70% of the world’s poorest people live in rural areas, and rely heavily on agriculture for their survival and livelihoods. According to the World Bank, evidence shows that GDP growth generated in agriculture has large benefits for the poor, and is at least twice as effective in reducing poverty…
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Image by Ventrilock from freedigitalphotos.net
As 2016 begins many international development issues are threatening to intensify – the crisis in Syria and the thousands of people now refugees, the growing global power of ISIS, and the World Bank’s recently released flagship report, Global Economic Prospects, which predicts a “perfect storm” of financial turmoil coupled with slowing of growth in emerging markets this year. A recent article named the 10 news stories most likely to dominate the news this year as being:
- The Syrian refugee crisis
- Climate change
- Data security
- The US presidential election
- Regulating drones And self-driving cars
- Gun violence
- ISIS
- Global internet access
- Regulating the sharing economy (companies such as Airbnb and Uber)
- Online social justice
And while news organisations are looking ahead to the events that will shape the world in 2016, others are focused on how we can prevent and solve some of these global development…
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Number six in this series of posts on what makes gardening is all about learning and giving. We can learn about gardening in formal and informal ways and ‘on the plot’, in the classroom and online. For many, if not most gardeners, learning is usually informally, from other gardeners and especially through visiting other gardens. So my chosen object is an annual booklet of the NGS- the National Gardens Scheme (I’ve selected last year’s Norfolk booklet out of local loyalty).
As the organisation’s website explains, the National Gardens Scheme has a rich and interesting history that is closely connected with nursing in the UK. The origins of today’s sister organisations covering England and Wales, and Scotland go back over a hundred years…
In 1859, William Rathbone, a Liverpool merchant, employed a nurse to care for his wife at home. After his wife’s death, Rathbone kept the nurse on to help poor people in the neighbourhood. Later, Rathbone raised funds for the recruitment, training and employment of nurses to go into the deprived areas of the city.
Later in the Nineteenth Century, based on the idea of local nursing set up by Rathbone, `District` nursing spread across the country. With support from Florence Nightingale and Queen Victoria, the movement became a national voluntary organisation setting standards and training nurses.
Then, in 1926, the organisation decided to raise a special fund in memory of their patron, Queen Alexandra, who had recently died. The fund would pay for training and would also support nurses who were retiring.
A council member, Miss Elsie Wagg, came up with the idea of raising money for charity through the nation’s obsession with gardening, by asking people to open their gardens to visitors and charging a modest entry fee that would be donated.
The year after, in 1927, The National Gardens Scheme was founded. Individuals were asked to open up their gardens for ‘a shilling a head’. In the first year 609 gardens raised over £8,000. A year later, the district nursing organisation became officially named the Queen’s Nursing Institute.
In 1980 the National Gardens Scheme Charitable Trust was established as an independent charity and since 2010, a different annual ‘guest’ charity has been chosen from recommendations from NGS volunteers.
We opened Old School Garden up to the public in 2013 for one day (not as part of the NGS, but with proceeds going to three local good causes), so I know how much hard work, excitement and enjoyment comes from doing that (we might have another go one day…). I’m also an enthusiastic visitor to other gardens, as you’ll have seen from many posts on this blog!
And the charitable impact of this sort of scheme can’t be overstated. Since its foundation, the National Gardens Scheme has donated over £45 million to its beneficiary charities, of which nearly £23 million has been donated within the last ten years (£15.2 million to Macmillan Cancer Support alone since 1985, being that charity’s largest donor).
So, the NGS is both a potent symbol of gardeners’ eagerness to learn – and to give.
Old School Gardener
Here’s Tim. Topiary Tim. He’s looking a bit sad. One of our elephants has had to go.
Up until the end of last year, all was looking well in the herd. But then, fairly swiftly, telltale signs of honey fungus were spotted. There was dieback on the trunk and ears of the baby elephant.
At first we were in a state of denial. Maybe somebody had poured some nasty chemicals on the ground or perhaps wandered past with a flame thrower? But who were we kidding. We dug up roots of the wilting/dead trunk and ears, and our worst suspicions were confirmed. White fungus was clearly visible between the bark and wood.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for Honey Fungus. On the RHS website it says, ‘the only effective remedy is to excavate and destroy, by burning or landfill, all of the infected root and stump material. This will destroy the food base…
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