Nectar deserts
It was a comment from one of the speakers on BBC Radio 4 Farming Today (Sat 15 June) that got me thinking about #nectar, or rather the lack of nectar. The topic of discussion was flea beetles and oilseed rape
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Sally's blog
Read about the one-acre plot that Sally Morgan has set up at Empire Farm in Somerset. Sally blogs regularly about the plot – whats being grown and raised, plus ideas for how you can use your produce. Read about Sally’s visits to farms, gardens, allotments and growers during the year. You can also find out about her workshops that she runs from Empire Farm.
A sense of well being on the plot
I’ll never tire of sitting down in the plot on a sunny day to simply watch and listen. Today the phacelia was alive with pollinators, mostly honey bees and bumblebees, while the birds were in full voice. The video says
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At the mercy of the weather
The orchards are full of blossom at the moment and bees (hopefully) are busy. But all may not be well. I have just watched a Countryfile Spring report on fruit trees, pollinators and the threat of climate change. The item
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Early spring … and more record breaking weather
Once again the news is full of record breaking temperatures. This time it’s the warmest February day on record. Already temperatures have hit 17oC in North Wales and 19 oC in London. The average temperature for this time of year
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Pollinators
I took advantage of a bright and still morning to watch the comings and goings on a patch of asters. These gaudy flowers were obviously a hit with #pollinators, within a few minutes I observed visits from bees, hoverflies and
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Thank goodness for bramble and willowherb
Its #bigbutterflycount time – walk for 15 minutes and record the species and numbers of butterflies that you see (https://www.bigbutterflycount.org). It’s something I do every year, but this time butterflies have been badly hit by the drought. In fact, insect
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Why Carolina allspice loves beetles
Showing its socks off in a shady corner of the Grow Your Own garden at RHS Hampton Court 2018 was an attractive shrub with magenta flowers and spicy fragrance. Judging from the number of visitors asking about its identity, it
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On edibles and a trolley at RHS Hampton Court
A visit to RHS Hampton Court Flower Show is one of my highlights of the gardening year – an idyllic location beside Hampton Court Palace and the Thames, a vast array of show gardens, stand holders with just about everything
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Growing Udo (Aralia cordata)+
You don’t see udo (Aralia cordata) very often in the UK. Its a huge Asian perennial ‘vegetable’ that grows to two to three metres in height. It’s also called Japanese Spikenard because of the spiky bristles on the shoots. Being
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Parsnips – flowers and seeds
What are those yellow flowers? Its a common question asked by visitors to the plot at this time of year. The eye-catching flowers that tower above everything else are parsnips. It’s a shame that more don’t keep their parsnips in
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