Gardener’s Cuttings
250,000 now belong to gardening clubs in ongoing boom A growing number of gardeners are building their lives around their hobby, using the pretext of swapping gardening tips as a plausible excuse for a night out, says the Royal Horticultural Society. Almost as many people join gardening clubs for the social get-togethers – 68 per cent – as the 70 per cent that cite learning about cultivation, according to a new survey. Hundreds of gardening clubs and allotment societies have affiliated to the RHS since 2009, with a rise of more than 10 per cent, from 2,800 in 2009 to 3,100 today. And half of gardening clubs have seen an increase in membership in the past year. Almost a quarter of a million Britons now belong to some form of gardening club. The traditional gardening club of years gone by, largely the preserve of retired middle-class folk, is changing. Almost a third of members are aged between 40 and 60. Stephanie Eynon, community horticulture manager for the RHS, said; "Increasing numbers of people have been joining gardening clubs and allotment societies since the economic downturn. This appears to be a cyclical trend, with the number of gardening clubs peaking in the decade after the World War II and during the financial gloom of the 1970s. People turn to gardening for something certain and sustainable in life, and to grow food to save money when times are difficult."
Bath scoops South West in Bloom awards
The city of Bath has been crowned the winner of a major gardening competition for the second year running. It won its category in the South West in Bloom. For four years Bath had been beaten to the top regional spot by Taunton but after scooping the prize last year, the city is now on a winning streak. At a presentation in Newquay the city was given the Tesco Cup for the best floral town or city with a population between 35,000 and 80,000 in the south west, beating Taunton, Paignton, Torquay and Weston-super-Mare.
The city also scooped several other awards and Barry Cruse, chairman of the Bath in Bloom committee, which co-ordinates the city’s entry in the contest, said he was delighted with the results.
He said: “We have come back with a hat full of silverware and the awards also stretched out beyond Bath and into the sticks.”
Awards were also given to Transition Bath’s Guerrilla Gardeners, who put on a theatrical display for the judges to tell them about the work of the environmental group. They won the South West in Bloom Youth Award for Outstanding Contribution by Youths or Youth Groups, while the Royal Horticultural Society’s Discretionary Award went to the Harry Patch memorial planters in Royal Victoria Park, a project paying tribute to the city-born World War I hero.
September‘s Country Gardener magazine
We would like to make it clear that Simon Larkins, head gardener at Lytes Cary, the National Trust property near Somerton, Somerset, is not connected to the Somerset Food Links, as was implied in the article on the community allotments at Lytes Cary in the September issue. Apologies to Elaine Spencer-White who submitted the article.
Dorset chilli heads for hottest heat rating
A new British-bred pepper could prove a contender for the title of the world’s hottest chilli. Initial tests of ‘Bengle Naga’ have put it at almost 750,000 units on the Scoville scale which measure concentrations of capsaicin, the chemical which makes chillies ‘hot’. Producing abundant crops of lime green wrinkled fruits which later mature into deep red chillies, the variety is a selection from an Indian strain ‘ Bhut Jolokia’ by Joy Michaud of Dorset based Sea Spring seeds. Initial tests last year gave the variety a rating of 732,000 Scoville units. The next step will be to test it under different growing conditions. The seed will be available from December from www.
seaspringseeds.co,.uk
Growing and cooking with chillies – see page 24 Country Gardener Gala – the number one dessert apple
A good-quality Gala apple will be firm with smooth and clean skin. The colouring will usually be yellow with red stripes, but some new strains are nearly solid red. Test the firmness of the apple by holding it in the palm of your hand. Do not push with your thumb. It should feel solid and heavy, not soft and light.
9
Sacred Glastonbury tree to be replanted
A sacred tree which came back to life after it was nearly destroyed by vandals must now be replaced - thanks to trophy hunters who have broken off its new shoots. The Holy Thorn Tree in Glastonbury Somerset - which can trace its roots back 2,000 years to the death of Jesus - had its branches hacked off in December last year. It miraculously started to grow new shoots earlier this year and made a fragile recovery over the summer. But some of the new growth has now been removed and locals suspect trophy hunters will use them to try and grow their own holy tree. The tree was also damaged by ribbons tied around the trunk and coins and other items that have been shoved into the bark.
The new tree has been grafted by experts at Kew Gardens and is likely to be planted nearby to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee next year.
Gala takes over as the top dessert apple
Gala is set to replace Cox as the top dessert apple this year for the first time. More gala apples are now being grown than ever before and it won the recent national orchard competition to select the best variety. Galas are an excellent dessert apple for fresh eating and baking. Most Galas apples are yellow-gold with pink to red stripes, while some strains may be nearly solid red.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48