Gardener’s Cuttings


Covering gardens with decking and paving is killing butterflies


TV experts may tell you to pave your front garden and cover the back with decking to raise the value of your house, but gardeners know better.


Not only is there the increased danger of flooding from paved front gardens, and many people find decking is unsuitable for wet, wintry conditions, but wildlife is affected too.


The fashion for decking has been attacked by the charity Butterfly Conservation. The organisation believes the decline in Britain’s most common butterflies is directly linked to the trend for minimalist gardens without much grass, shrubs or flowers.


More than three quarters of the 59 species found in the British Isles have declined during the past 50 years, including the meadow brown, the gatekeeper and the holly blue.


Richard Fox, of Butterfly Conservation, said that these species used gardens to feed on nectar in the summer. Now there are fewer gardens throughout the country offering butterflies their annual natural larder.


He calls gardens important “motorway service stations for butterflies”, and blamed not only barren, modernistic gardens but parks which have been “tidied up” and have lost natural areas.


www.butterfly-conservation.org Tel: 01929 400209


Robinia pseudoacacia 'Frisia' a popular yellow-leaved tree which has suffered from a range of problems, causing the ultimate loss of the tree


‘Frisia decline’ causes gardeners concern Robinia pseudoacacia ’Frisia’ is the popular yellow- leaved tree, widely grown in many gardens. It is a cultivar of the False acacia or Black Locust tree which is a fast growing tree originally from the Eastern United States, in recent years 'Frisia', has suffered from a range of problems, causing the ultimate loss of the tree.


For a few of years now we have had a number of people come into the nursery with tales of their ‘Frisia’ failing to come fully into leaf in spring, with whole branches bereft of leaves and dead, sometimes the leaves tend to lose their leaflets but the leaf rib remains on the tree. The tree commonly fails to recover and ultimately dies. Some of these trees are well established 20-25 years olds, which coincides with the start of widespread popularity of this tree in the mid 1980s. The green-leaved species, do not seem to have had similar problems.


The common symptoms are that the tree fails to come fully into leaf in spring and drops foliage prematurely.


Brown spots may sometimes be present on the leaves. Shoots can re-sprout from the trunk and boughs but, in the end, the tree does not recover.


The unusually wet weather of the last two years could well be a contributing factor, stressing the trees and making them more susceptible to disease.


There has been an increase in a leaf-spot fungus (Phloeospora robiniae), which is more prevalent in wet weather conditions, causing defoliation and weakening the trees. Bacterial rots could also have a part to play resulting in the bark becoming soft and smelly.


The above factors alone should not be sufficient to cause the ‘Frisia decline’, it is possible therefore that interactions between several factors could be involved.


There is no control as yet for this problem.


The failure of these popular trees has left a hole in many gardens and many people ask what they can replace it with, we would suggest: Acer cappadocicum aurea Deep yellow leaves on opening and again in autumn.


Catalpa bignonioides aurea A small growing cultivar of the Indian bean tree with large golden leaves.


Gleditschia triacanthos 'Sunburst'. This has bright yellow unfolding leaves. www.chewvalleytrees.co.uk


Organic Food Festival celebrates 10th anniversary


If you love organic food then 11th and 12th September is the date for you. It’s the two-day Organic Food Festival in Bristol which celebrates its 10th anniversary at Bristol Harbourside.


The festival is Europe's biggest celebration of all things organic, and provides an opportunity for visitors to taste the best food and meet leading producers from the UK.


The Meadow brown one of many species of butterfly which have been declining in Britain over the last 50 years


At the heart of the 2010 festival will be the Food Market where you can look at, taste and buy from stalls offering the best organic produce you can find. From organic pork pies, to organic ice cream, it will be a foodie lover's heaven. The show will be opened by Soil Association President, Monty Don. www.organicfoodfestival.co.uk


Maxine offers out her garden design skills


Garden designer Maxine Maindonald has been passionate about gardens for over thirty years. So the Cotswold based gardener is thrilled to be setting up her own garden design business offering a service from consultations through site visits to design planting and even after care. Following a previous career in arts management, Maxine fulfilled a long-held ambition to become a professional garden designer achieving a National Award with Distinction from Pershore College, the Royal Horticultural Society's Regional Centre.


“Even if you enjoy gardening and plan to carry out some or all


of the work yourself, investing in a carefully considered, well- balanced design is essential to realising your vision.” she says.


“In the process of creating a home, gardens are often neglected entirely or considered last of all.


Ideally, the garden should


be one of your top priorities, as plants can take several years to grow to maturity. If you can at least establish the main structure of the garden, while you are attending to all the other aspects of making and maintaining a home, the foundation planting will be maturing and providing a colourful, permanent framework which can be developed over time.”


Tel 01905617560 www.no59gardendesign.co.uk Country Gardener 7


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