Gardens, no matter how small, have become incredibly important havens for wildlife. This is because wild creatures have lost many of their feeding and breeding sites in the countryside — either as a result of intensive farming, which makes widespread use of pesticides, or changes in land use. Read the rest of this entry »

This tree grows on my neighbor’s wall. It is awesome. But it is amazing thing is the figs are very sweet and juicy. Read the rest of this entry »

You don’t have to own acres of garden to grow your own apples. All you need is the right kind of apple tree, compost and a pot. Then, as long as you remember to water and feed it, Read the rest of this entry »

Marjoram Origins

This is a small plant found in the eastern Mediterranean countries, southern Europe and north Africa.

Marjoram Essential oil

Steam distillation of the flowers and leaves produces an oil that ranges in colour from pale yellow to rich amber. It has a warm, spicy aroma.

Marjoram Most common uses

• calms and regulates the nervous system
• good for insomnia, depression and anxiety
• relieves aching limbs and rheumatic conditions
• helps nervous stomach and digestion Read the rest of this entry »

Trees which do not shed layers of dead tissues regularly have increasingly rugged bark as they age. This can often be observed by noting the relatively smooth nature of the top of a trunk in comparison with the older parts at the bottom. With age, the pressure from within causes the surface to crack and the resulting deep fissures are typical of many trees. The way trees develop such features can be diagnostic and one of the most distinctive is the Sweet Chestnut (Caslanea saliva) which usually cracks in spirals. Read the rest of this entry »

To examine the rings of a tree without felling it, cores can be taken by boring into the wood with a hollow cylinder. By counting them inwards each ring can be accurately dated, the age of the tree can be determined and past climatic conditions can be inferred. For accuracy a number of trees is sampled and the ring widths compared. If they coincide, as they normally do, then narrow rings will indicate a poor growing season, probably one with a spring and early summer drought, Read the rest of this entry »

Generally, however, the vascular bundles in a straight piece of grass stem — Maize (Zea mays) being a good example — do not run parallel to the sides but weave from the inner part of the stem to the outer, returning inwards after the leaf traces have branched off. So the vascular tissue forms a series of spirals through the stem. As well as having a different arrangement in the stem, these vascular bundles are different in their individual make-up, there being no layer of cambium between the xylem and the phloem. This means that they cannot develop a woody, strengthening tissue as can dicotyledonous plants. There are exceptions, however, as in the palms and allied woody-stemmed monocotyledons. Read the rest of this entry »

The leaves fall to form a deep carpet beneath the trees, adding to the dead twigs, flowers and unripe fruit remnants already there. Every year trees shed more than 3,000 kg of waste products in every hectare of woodland and all this breaks down, together with the herbs of the forest floor to form a deep layer of litter. As this litter breaks down so the minerals and other organic substances which were stored in the leaves are released once more, and the resulting layer of humus acts as a natural fertilizer. Read the rest of this entry »

How long does a plant live? Can environmental conditions such as soil and climate have any influence and how much can individual plants deviate from the normal pattern? All these are questions which are often asked. The first is the most difficult to answer, and to do so with any sense it is necessary to look at the three broad groups into which higher plants are divided. These are annuals, biennials and perennials. Read the rest of this entry »

Planting techniques vary slightly according to whether you buy plants in containers from garden centres or bare-root plants (as lifted from the field) supplied by nurserymen. There are also various ways of planting bulbs. Get the technique right and plant at the right time: your plants will then be off to a good start. Some plants will need supports against the wind.

Four planting methods

These are the techniques for planting the major groups ofgarden plants: trees, shrubs, conifers, climbers, perennials, bedding plants and blubs. To get plants such as trees, shrubs, conifers and fruits off to a good start, especially if you have a poor or difficult soil, consider using a planting mixture. Read the rest of this entry »

Three pruning methods for roses

Pruning roses will not reward you with more flowers nextyear. However, it will control shape and maintain health. Wild (species) roses and hybrid shrub roses need no pruning — just the removal of dead wood.

• Bush types Large-flowered (hybrid tea) and cluster-flowered (floribunda) roses are pruned annually in early spring. Remove all weak growth and reduce remaining strong stems to 15-20cm/6-8in above ground level. Cut to outward-facing buds. Make sure centre of each bush is free from growth: shape bush like a vase.
• ClimbersAllow a framework of permanent stems which are trained to their supports. From these stems side shoots grow, which produce the flowers. To prune, cut back old side shoots to within one or two buds of their base in early spring. Tips of main stems can also be cut back, if becoming too tall. Read the rest of this entry »

Some types are so distinctive that they are best planted in isolation. When planting in a lawn, leave a 45cm/18in radius of bare soil around each one, as grass right up to the stems or trunks retards growth.

• Birch(Raula pendula `Youngii’) A weeping form, with a white trunk and a mushroom-shaped head of branches which eventually reach the ground. Deciduous 4.5-6m/15-20ft. Any ,. soil. Sun or partial shade. Read the rest of this entry »

These are widely planted small trees which you could include in a shrub border to give extra height; or, if you prefer you could use them as isolated specimens, although none of them has a particularly distinctive shape.

• Autumn cherry (Prunus subhirtella `Autumnalis) An extremely useful deciduous tree for winter interest, as the small, semi-double, white flowers are produced, on and off, between late autumn and early spring. 6m/20ft. Any fertile soil is suitable. Sun or partial shade.
• Crab apple(Malus floribunda) Popular and beautiful deciduous spring-flowering tree. The arching branches bear masses of white flowers, from red buds. Later, small yellow and red fruits appear. About 4.5m/15ft. Sun or partial shade, fertile soil. Read the rest of this entry »

Given a sunny spot and fertile, well-drained soil, most fruits are easy to grow. The greatest problem is damage from birds, which can wreak havoc on ripening crops unless you provide protection. Certain fruits, such as plums, cherries and bush fruits, need defending during the winter, as birds, especially bullfinches will attack and devour overwintering buds.

Bird repellents have a low success rate. Small fruit trees and bushes are better protected by draping them with lightweight nylon or plastic netting. Strawberries should be covered with netting on 45cm/18in high posts. You can safeguard individualfruits by securing paper, muslin or perforated polythene bags or sleeving around them, provided that the tree or crop is not too large. Cardboard collars around the stalks of tree fruits will prevent birds from perching close enough to peck the fruit — again, only feasible on a small scale. Read the rest of this entry »

Some pests can cause serious damage to leaves and can strip a plant of foliage if not controlled.

• Capsid bug Pale green sap-sucking insect. Attacks shoot tips and young leaves of tree and bush fruits, leaving ragged holes. Spray the affected plants with systemic insecticide, such as dimethoate, after flowering or permethrin or pirimiphosmethyl just prior to flowering.
• Caterpillars The larvae of various moths can attack leaves of fruit trees, making many small holes. To control place grease bands around trunk of trees between mid-autumn and mid- spring to trap adult insects emerging from the soil; give the trees a tar-oil winter wash; spray against caterpillars with fenitrothion, bifenthurin or pyrethrins insecticides. Read the rest of this entry »

The satisfaction of growing your own fruit and vegetables comes in being able to pick and eat them at exactly the right moment. Citrus fruits make very handsome tub plants and if you live in a frost free climate they can be left outside all year round; otherwise give them glass protection over the winter. Some varieties of citrus have variegated foliage.

Containers can give small gardens the extra space they need for growing fruits and vegetables. If edible plants are chosen carefully for their size, cultural needs and appearance, they can bring both decoration and harvest to the patio. Many fruit trees are quite ornamental, especially when in blossom and when they are bearing their fruits. And the more attractive- looking vegetables certainly do not seem out of place on a patio. Most herbs are compact, pretty plants that look quite at home in containers.

Patio Fruits

Many fruit trees can be grown in containers. Wherever possible choose dwarf trees. Varieties are budded or grafted by nurserymen on to special dwarfing rootstocks that keep the trees small and compact. Make sure you check which rootstocks the trees have been grafted on to when buying — ask for ones suitable for container growing. Read the rest of this entry »

1. Family: Caprifoliaceae
2. Species: Sambucus nigra
3. Origin: Eurasia
4. Plant: shrub or tree
5. Height: 4 m; plant 6-10 m apart
6. Soil: deep, well-composted soil Exposure full sun
7. Propagation: cuttings
8. Uses: culinary, medicinal, cosmetic

Since the early Egyptians discovered that the flowers improved complexions and soothed skin ailments, the elder has been cultivated for its myriad medicinal properties. Called ‘medicine chest tree‘ in Europe, the elder had been introduced to most parts of the civilised world by the 17th century. These ancient medicines are still used today in rural areas all over the world, and elder trees are still found in cottage gardens everywhere because, it was believed, they kept witches away!

Note that the variegated, or golden elders, are not the correct medicinal plants. Read the rest of this entry »

1. Family: Lauraceae
2. Species Laurus nobilis
3. Origin: Mediterranean region and southern Europe Plant tree
4. Height: up to 10-12 m
5. Soil: rich, well-dug soil
6. Exposure: full sun
7. Propagation: layering, cuttings if you are patient
8. Uses: culinary, medicinal, cosmetic

This ancient and revered tree has been used in medicine and in folklore — it is supposed to be a magical tree — since the beginning of time. It was sacred to the Greek god of prophecy, poetry and healing, Apollo, and his temple had a roof made of bay leaves ostensibly to protect against disease and witchcraft and the forces of nature! Perhaps this is why through the centuries a bay tree was planted as protection near the home. In the 17th century the famous herbalist Culpeper believed that ‘neither lightning nor the devil will hurt a man who has a bay tree near him’. A wreath of bay leaves was the mark of praise and esteem and excellence bestowed on athletes, poets and achievers across the world. Read the rest of this entry »