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GARDENING
The British summer has been very dry in parts of the country, and extremely wet in other parts. Hose pipe bans and floods have affected gardens and gardeners. My part of the country has been very dry, and the lawn is in a sad state, a combination of drought and leatherbacks (the juvenile form of daddy long legs) yellowing and killing the grass. However, the rains have finally arrived in the south of the country, so I am hopeful that September will be a much greener.
Lawn care The gardeners’ greatest asset, the blind-eye, is needed at the moment. I am trying not to look at the lawn. Even the weeds are yellow. Hopefully by September it will be growing once more, and I can do some remedial action! Have you noticed that I have also employed the gardeners’ second best asset, optimism, in this advice.
Weeding My bete noirs are still growing vigorously and setting seeds. We all have a few weeds that defy all efforts at removing them and thrive when all other plants are struggling. If only they looked prettier, or provided food for the birds and insects! I always leave some nettles (good for tea and for butterflies), teasels (good for birds), ox-eye daisies and achillea (good for insects, but very invasive), but I don’t know what sow thistle, creeping thistle and bind weed have to offer, except prickles and stained hands.
Colour Follow my advice from last year. Get the bulb catalogues and decide which bulbs you will be putting in the garden or in pots for spring. I have already ordered my tulips, and my daffodils and alliums will be arriving in September. I am putting lots of other bulbs at the bottom of the garden this year where the shade from the hedge is too dense for the grass, including snow drops, winter aconites, crocuses and bluebells.
Veggie patch After a very long wait for the first veggies this year, I now have lots of beans, courgettes (zucchinis), squashes, potatoes, carrots and salad crops including tomatoes, chillis, peppers and cucumbers. Luckily the family haven’t got to the stage of saying ‘Not beans again’, but they soon will. My new veggie this year (besides the crook-necked squash and the purple chilli pepper) is Fat Baby (Achocha), a vigorous climber that sounded so delicious that I had to grow it. So far, I have only fried the fruits in some olive oil and put it on nachos, but it tasted good. It also produces lots of fruits, so it is a good job that it does taste good. As the weather gets colder, protect the plants with cloches (assuming that you have not eaten them all).
Hedges Now is the time to trim your hedges, after the birds have nested and before they are looking for winter roosts. Try to leave berries in situ, if possible, to provide food for wildlife.
Caroline Aldridge (Gardener for over 20 years and still learning)
Phone: +44(0)1189723700
e-mail: caroline_aldridge@btinternet.com
The Spark of Innovation
Fire SpiritTM oil candles are the innovative spark of inventor/artist Douglas Gerhardt, a resident of Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A. Douglas handcrafts every metal sculpture candle with the infinite care of fine jewelry. In addition to being art, the candles are a technical advancement, having patent pending status. The design allows an immediately appreciable flexibility in changing the vessel used for the candle.
The sculptured oil candles have caught the eye of the art world as well, having been featured in art galleries and shows in Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico, U.S.A., both internationally recognized artists’ communities. The candles are an exquisite example of how function can breed art. An avid metal worker, Douglas needed a constant low flame. Finding traditional wax-type candles inadequate, Douglas was inspired to a new, more functional design. While his analytical side was satisfied with his original wire frame design, Douglas’ artistic side never rests, constantly engineering new designs that are aesthetically pleasing in the simplistic beauty of form that never fails to take the breath of each new observer.
As Douglas develops new marketing areas, he is looking for ten avid candle users from around the world to test his candle design. Anyone interested in participating in this test group should contact him at icegoats@gmail.com. The candles will be provided free of charge as long as the participant provides requested feedback to Mr. Gerhardt about the candle and its use.
Katy Fain
FIRST HEMP HOUSE IN THE USA !
Push Designs has completed constructing the first Hemp House in the U.S. Built in Asheville, NC, the sustainable house, which has been created from a renewable hemp-based material, called Hemcrete, features several green and energy-saving materials on the inside as well. Hemcrete is a sustainable material that has been made from hemp, water and lime. The breathable material purifies air and helps insulate the house.
On the inside, the 3400sqf house features walls and doors made from recycled paper, which like the Hemcrete, has good insulating properties and adds to the eco-credentials of the house. The home owners, Russ Martin and his wife Karen Korp have installed energy saving lighting fixtures to further reduce the use of grid electricity.
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