In the ever-evolving tapestry of horticulture, 2024 brings forth a new chapter as gardens undergo a transformative journey guided by the latest trends. From the integration of nature into outdoor spaces to the tech-savvy approaches that are revolutionizing horticulture, this year's garden landscape is a canvas of innovation and sustainability. Join us as we delve into the heart of these trends and explore how they are changing the way we imagine, cultivate and experience our gardens. Step into a world where sustainability meets aesthetic expression, where technology blends with the natural, and where each garden becomes a unique testament to the creativity and conscientiousness of its caretaker. Welcome to the garden trends of 2024 – a celebration of greenery, diversity and the limitless possibilities that bloom in the outdoors.
Complete Guide to Black Poplar Trees
04.01.2024 - 15:12 / gardenersworld.com
The black poplar (Populus nigra) is a large deciduous tree with a rounded crown, fissured bark and many burrs growing up the trunk. A member of the Salicaceae or willow family, the black poplar tree can grow to 40m in height and live for up to 200 years. Like other members of the family, black poplars are dioecious, which means male and female catkins develop on separate trees.
The name ‘black poplar’ was first recorded in the seventeenth century. Before this it was known as ‘popel’, ‘popelar’ or ‘popular’ to distinguish it from aspe (aspen) and abele (white poplar). Its fire-resistant timber was highly-prized and used to make many items, including bowls, flooring, baskets and fence poles. It was also depicted in works of art and literature. John Constable painted a black poplar in the background of The Hay Wain and poets such as William Cowper referred to black poplars in their work.
British black poplars are thought to be a subspecies (Populus nigra subsp. betulifolia), indigenous to north-western Europe. In the UK, black poplars are mostly found south of a line between the Humber and Lune estuaries. Known in past centuries as the water poplar, catfoot poplar, willow poplar or cotton-tree, it’s now considered one of Britain’s most endangered native trees. There are around 7,000 black poplars remaining in the UK, the majority of which are male.
Despite its rare status, black poplars are not protected by Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which prohibits picking, uprooting and destruction, or selling and advertising plants for sale. Instead, they benefit only from the protection afforded to all wild plants, and so may not be uprooted without permission of the landowner. In addition, some black poplars
A Beginner’s Guide to Using Cold Frames
A Beginner’s Guide to Using Cold Frames
How to Grow a Lavender As a Tree
Learn how to grow a cute mini lavender tree that not only looks pretty but also smells lovely! Choose the right variety like Hidcote Blue or Munstead, find a sunny spot, and use well-draining soil with occasional watering. Give it a trim after blooming, and watch out for pests. Simple, right?
Growing Guide for Helianthemum
From the Greek helios, the sun, and anthemon. a flower (Cistaceae). Sun Rose. A genus of evergreen and semi-evergreen shrubs, sub-shrubs, perennial plants and annuals, very free flowering. Numerous named varieties and hybrids are grown and four species are native plants.
Growing Guide for Helenium
After Helen of Troy ; according to legend the flowers sprang from her tears (Compositae). Sneezeweed. Hardy herbaceous perennials from North America, good for cutting and popularly grown for their late summer flowers. The disc of the flower head is very prominent, a characteristic of the entire genus.
Growers Guide for Starting Seeds Indoors
I have given up indoor seed starting completely on several occasions. The first time it happened I was a novice gardener. I had ordered seeds of just about every plant that I saw in the garden catalogs without thinking about such practical things as gallons of potting soil, hours of daily watering, and square feet of windowsill space. It also did not occur to me to determine whether or not I had room in my garden for even a fraction of my seedlings. My chaotic efforts eventually produced some wonderful plants, but the process was so exhausting that I said: “Never again.”
A Guide to Planting Gaillardia
Commemorating M. Gaillard de Marentonneau, a French patron of botany (Compositae). Blanket flower. A small genus of annuals and perennials, natives of America, with a long flowering period, useful for cut flowers. Somewhat untidy in habit, the long stalks fall about in wind and rain. Gaillardias need some twiggy stakes to help to keep the flowers clean and in full view.
Growing Guide for Maurandia
Tender climbing perennial plants which are free flowering and suitable for growing in pots in the greenhouse, or for planting out of doors. They are closely related to the Snapdragon (Antirrhinum), to whose family, Scrophulariaceae, they belong.
Growing Guide for Hepatica
Today I went out my back door and noticed that one of my rosebushes was, unexpectedly, sporting a fresh new flower bud. It was within a day or so of opening up–small, greenish and obviously defiant of the season. The bud was an oddity on a rosebush that is itself an oddity. When I bought the small white-flowered shrub last summer it had one blossom that was half white and half red, and looked as if it had been half-dipped in red paint. Though my February bud was not a “half and half” flower, I took its appearance as a harbinger of spring, plucked it, and delivered it to a friend who shares my belief in such things.
An expert’s guide to the best places to buy seeds and bulbs
Some people get their kicks from designer labels, others from rummaging through flea shops, or collecting obscure Japanese comics, vintage tractors, handbags, dolls, beer-mats, Star Wars merchandise or whatever else. Me, I get mine from ordering seeds.
Growing Guide for Anchusa Plant
The name originates from the Greek anchousa, a cosmetic paint (Boraginaceae). Alkanet, bugloss. Cultivated species are usually perennials or biennials, noteworthy for their blue flowers. The plant long known as Anchusa myosotidiflora is now correctly known as Brunnera macrophylla.
A Guide to Growing Carnations
Carnations in all their various forms are generally considered to be derivatives of Dianthus Caryophyllus, although the origin of some is not entirely clear. In North America, when referring to carnations, we immediately think of the carnation of commerce, the continuous or perpetual flowering carnation that is commonly grown under glass. There are, however, various garden types of this delightful flower that have never become so popular in North America as they are in many parts of Europe; this is because, over much of the continent, temperatures are too high for their successful, easy culture.