THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Yesterday was the launch of Fairtrade Fortnight. This year the campaign is in support of banana farmers who are struggling …
A Busman’s Holiday
Two years ago on Gardeners World we saw the work of Brian and Denise Herrick, who farm and manage the 85 acre estate Barcroft Hall. They had decided to create a wildflower meadow on poor land, to create “a little piece of heaven.” A few of us went down to see it and our director Darren Lerigo was interviewed by a local paper. You can read in the link what he had to say about ‘his busman’s holiday.’ Our memories of this still stand strong – especially the buzzing of bees that thrived on the nectar rich flowers, densely sown to cover as …
Flooding
Weather warnings, high winds, flooded houses and waterlogged fields. The damage is mounting. (Although high winds and the weight of the evergreen tree in the picture contributed to it falling over, it was the sodden ground in which its roots stood that caused it to tip, laying bare the root system you see. The ground was so wet and soft the roots had nothing to anchor to.) Environment secretary Owen Paterson and Prime Minister David Cameron have pledged to dredge river channels, believing it to be a way to prevent flooding. But it is the saturated land, unable to hold more …
Plant of the Week: Sarcococca
Another winter favourite, Sarcococca is a lovely plant with a lovely name to say. Sar-co-co-cca. Sarcococca. Impress your non-gardening friends by pulling this one out…. and then confusing them by calling it Christmas or Sweet box, its common name. It makes it to Plant of the Week by virtue of its strong perfume, which can make your nose twitch with its bewitching charm. But there are many other qualities to this evergreen shrub. It grows well in lime or acid soil. It tolerates shade. It is a slow grower, so doesn’t need lots of pruning. It doesn’t suffer from pests and diseases …