Weeks ago, Nick suggested I come in on a rainy day to the garden as there was lots of seed cleaning going on in the potting shed. Then it didn’t rain for three weeks. Defeated by the glorious Autumn weather we’ve had, I phoned Froggie, and asked whether I could come in to learn about seed washing…yes, that’s right, I said “washing”. I’m such an amateur! However, Froggie was kind and refrained from laughing at me and just said, “we don’t really wash the seeds unless they have a particularly fleshy covering”. (more…)
Category: seasons
An apple a day
by Helen Roberts
Name three things Somerset is famous for and most people will say cider, Cheddar cheese and the Glastonbury Festival. While I could certainly talk at length about cider and its versatility (particularly having enjoyed a lovely mug of mulled cider recently at bonfire night), it is where cider begins – the humble apple – that is the subject of today’s post. I live near Wells, in the heart of Somerset, and the trees in the apple orchards are positively dripping with fruit at the moment, a welcome sight for orchard growers who had a dismal season in 2012. It was National Apple Day on the 21st of October, and many places around the UK have been hosting events to celebrate England’s national fruit. Humans and the common apple have a long history together in terms of its cultivation and it is a familiar fruit throughout the world. Essentially, the richness of this sweet little fruit lies in its ordinariness. (more…)
The benefits of flowering early
By Nicola Temple
Bristol was a swirl of snowflakes and blossoms earlier this week. Monday on my walk the cutting wind was relentless. Yet, despite my frozen nose and numb fingertips, I stopped to admire the many splashes of colour along my route – a street lined with blossom-laden plum trees, front gardens lined with daffodils, heather and crocuses, splashes of primulas and even some snow drops in the local woods. As my teeth chattered despite my thick down coat, I did marvel at these early spring bloomers that have clearly found it to their advantage to flower despite cold temperatures, relatively short days, and a paucity of pollinators. So, what exactly arethe advantages of being the first blossoms of spring? (more…)
Re-potting lotus ready for the new growing season
By Nicola Temple
The lotus plant is a symbol of friendship, family, rejuvenation, hope, rebirth, fortune, purification and positivity. The rhizomes of the plant lie buried in the sludgy, smelly mud on the bottom of lakes and ponds. Rising up from the mud are the leaves and the strong stems, which come up through the water to support the heavily scented, beautiful flowers. This pattern of growth makes the lotus a very important and powerful symbol in Buddhism. It signifies the progress of the soul as the flower rises from the primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, and into the bright sunshine of enlightenment (source). Though most water plants send blooms to the surface in this way, only the lotus flower sits up to one metre above the water’s surface, truly rising above it all (source). (more…)