Elm trees are some of the most majestic and resilient plants in nature. Their iconic features make them stand out amongst other species as a symbol of strength and fortitude.We link to vendors to help you find releva
27.06.2023 - 08:09 / sharpenyourspades.com
It’s the end of the school summer holidays. Having an allotment is not just about growing food. It’s certainly a place to occupy children during the six-week break. However, if you embrace your plot and the community of people that come together at your allotment site you find they offer so much more.
(Note: There are some affiliate links in this post, which means you can click on them to buy. If you do, I may get a small fee. It doesn’t affect the price you pay.)
Ava loves our plot and she isn’t always there sowing seeds, pulling weeds or watering the plants.
We pack some lunch, a few of her books, a drawing pad and pencils and her scooter. Well-run allotment sites, with people you’ve made the effort to befriend and engage with, are safe places and I’m comfortable with Ava not always being in my line of sight.
She knows the allotment neighbours by name and they always make the effort to greet her and generously listen to her tales and answer her questions. There are usually ice lollies in the small fridge freezer we have on-site and she happily wanders off to offer everyone one her sweets.
The mix of people is good for Ava too. They provide her with varied experience of what life offers us and they teach her things that can only be shared by people with different experiences of the world she is growing up in. Ava also sees everyone there has a shared passion – we are there to enjoy gardening.
In a world that tragically feels divisive, allotments and community gardens demonstrate how a varied group of people can come together to share and embrace an activity which they all feel enthusiastic and passionately about.
Harvesting
It’s been incredible over the last few weeks as everything seems to be offering up the
Elm trees are some of the most majestic and resilient plants in nature. Their iconic features make them stand out amongst other species as a symbol of strength and fortitude.We link to vendors to help you find releva
In the well-to-do town of Bedford, New York, there are a few givens: there are apple orchards and quaint bed and breakfasts, cute bakeries and amazing antiques shops and, of course, many grand estates complete with rolling green lawns and well-hedged gardens. Perhaps most impressive of the latter belongs to the doyenne of the domestic, Martha Stewart.
With high summer upon us and the weather heating up, fruit and vegetable plots are overflowing with ripening crops, and many plants will need regular watering during dry periods. July is a good time to cut back perennials that have finished flowering, such as Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii and Geranium phaeum, and add more plants to fill any gaps. Biennials can be sown this month and autumn-flowering bulbs planted in borders and containers. Keeping on top of deadheading helps displays to stay looking fresh and encourages more flowers.
The memory of last July is seared into my mind. Recalled through a painful cringe.
It’s May. The month us gardeners seem to pin our hope’s on. The last frosts (for me anyway) the warmer temperature. The sunny days and the promise of more to come. It’s also my birthday month and so as I grow another year older, I will forget the numbers and embrace the green shoots and early radishes instead.
Explore the world of DIY container water gardens and bring nature’s serenity into your home. With these creative ideas, you can transform everyday containers into peaceful aquatic oases, perfect for growing water-loving plants.
vitalkaka / Getty Images
This article is part of our new 8-week, limited edition newsletter series, The Low-Water Gardening Guide, where we’ll walk you through what it takes to create a sustainable garden, from swapping in the appropriate plants to new irrigation methods to the tools you’ll need and more. Sign up here to get each installment straight to your inbox.
The latest trending motif in design? Nature everything! That’s probably why wood and faux bois garden stools are everywhere right now. Yes, a stylish tree stump is the chicest place to sit or display items. They can be used in the garden, of course, but they’re great for the home, too. They add a little bit of warmth and a natural aesthetic to any room, from a spot to set a coffee cup or table lamp in your bedroom, to an extra perch for a houseguest in your living room, to a place to display a candle or diffuser in the bathroom for a spa-like feel. And in the garden, well, they just blend in and become the perfect spot to sit and enjoy some fresh air.
You don’t often hear about sizable bathrooms feeling cramped, it’s usually a small bathroom feeling like tight squeeze. But that was the case in this San Rafael, California primary bathroom, which “felt dated and felt a bit cramped considering what a large space it is,” according to interior designer Corine Maggio of CM Natural Designs, who oversaw the project.
According to Dr. Eric Benson’s article on Formosan subterranean termites in SC (https://hgic.clemson.edu/formosan-termites-increase-distribution-in-sc/), “Formosan termites do not occur everywhere across South Carolina. Research and citizen reports documented by Clemson entomologists show Formosan termites as being established in 16 counties, Aiken, Bamberg, Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Georgetown, Horry, Jasper, Lexington, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Sumter, and York counties. The discovery of Formosan termites does not mean they are found uniformly throughout a county; it just means locations in some areas of that county have had established infestations.”
Otherwise known as toyon, California holly, or Christmas berry, Heteromeles arbutifoliais an excellent slope-stabilizing and habitat plant, host to myriad insects including pollinating butterflies and moths.An iconic staple of California chaparral and oak woodland