Gardener’s Cuttings Heligan saves its rhododendrons


The Lost Gardens of Heligan, in Cornwall, have performed a 'biological first', saving the National Collection of Rhododendrons, which were in danger of extinction from SOD (sudden oak death), the highly destructive fungal disease. It is the first time SOD infected plant matter has been able to be used to save such an important collection.


Initially, upon discovery of the SOD infection at Heligan, the call from DEFRA was to destroy every rhododendron in Heligan. But working with initial funding from Heligan and later from DEFRA, a pioneering micropropagation project, led by Ros Smith, was launched by Duchy College (which has a unique licence from DEFRA, to propagate from SOD infected plant material), and the Heligan team have successfully micropropagated these plants and saved them from death.


Many of the plants are over 150 years old and were first brought to the UK by Victorian plant hunters. Most notable of these was Joseph Dalton Hooker who spent three years from 1848 to 1850 travelling in India, in and around Darjeeling. From


Heligan‘s biological first saves rhododendrons


there he made three excursions into the remote area of Sikkim in search of rhododendrons and other new plants. It is the seeds of the plants he discovered which were passed onto Heligan and make up some of their collection.


The micropropagation technique is vital to the preservation of Heligan’s unique and historic specimens as it enables propagation from tiny pieces of plant material and produces many hundreds of genetically identical but completely disease free plants.


Time to keep a pig in your garden?


Could keeping a pig in the back garden be the next big trend for people worried about where their food comes from? The "Grow Your Own" movement continues to rise with big DIY stores stocking pig arks as well as hen houses!


Pigs are very low maintenance


Pigs are low maintenance. They need feeding twice a day with a pelleted feed and given constant access to water, but they don’t dirty their ark, so they don't need mucking out, just some fresh straw occasionally. They need a pen with sturdy one metre high fencing and barbed wire along the bottom to stop them digging. A pen for two pigs can be as small as 10m x 10m, but the larger the better. A pig reared for meat is bought at two months old and leaves at 6-8 months old, so you can get them in the spring, fatten them up and then let the ground recover before starting


again next year. Get a pair of pigs, as they are intelligent, friendly animals and will not thrive if left alone without company.


Traditionally pigs were fed on kitchen scraps, but this is now illegal and they can’t have food prepared indoors. They can have the scraps from the vegetable patch (though not raw potatoes), they love rooting up overgrown areas and fruit fallen from trees is a real treat.


Finally, don’t forget that even a pet pig is still livestock and you need to register with DEFRA to let them know that you are keeping them.


For more information on keeping livestock on a small scale see special courses on www.mumbleysfarmhouse.co.uk


Briquettes – worthy alternative to seasoned logs? If you haven’t heard of wood briquettes then don’t worry you will hear a lot about them soon. They are a serious alternative to seasoned logs as this product gives off more heat and burns 40% longer. The briquettes have a moisture content less than 10 per cent, and leave less than 1 per cent ash that can be used as a fertiliser. Wood briquettes can be used in open fires, solid fuel stoves and heating systems and garden chimeneas. The briquettes are made from sawdust that is firmly held together by lignin, a naturally occurring chemical compound in plant cells, which is released during compaction.


South West Eco Fuels was formed in 2009 and currently imports two types of hardwood briquettes each with their own burning characteristics.


The company plans to establish their own manufacturing process that is capable of processing a variety of solid fuel products that utilises the energy potential from renewable sources and disposable materials that would otherwise go to landfills. This will involve working closely with local farmers, forestry organisations and waste management companies to provide an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels and a viable replacement to logs.


South West Eco Fuels Ltd www.swecofuels.co.uk 0844 800 55 77 Country Gardener


Briquettes are a serious option for solid fuel burning homes


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