Plants
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Ash dieback strikes in Adur and Worthing
A community task force has been created for a replanting scheme to help control an infection which could wipe out all ash trees in Adur and Worthing. A plan to combat the loss of more than 1,200 ash trees, killed after succumbing to Ash Dieback, is now in it’s initial phases at Lancing Ring. Adur & Worthing Councils’ parks team has been carrying out an urgent study at Lancing Ring in Adur and The Gallops at Findon Valley in Worthing into the extent of the problem. These areas are particularly vulnerable, because of the volume of ash trees. Almost 20%…
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Eden gives bees a chance with new observation hive
The Eden Project is celebrating becoming a protected bee reserve for an important local honey bee by unveiling a new observation hive which will enable visitors see how these fascinating creatures live. The Great Hive Mind is a striking installation made from reclaimed scaffolding poles. It contains an observation hive which is home to a colony of around 25,000 bees expected to rise to more than 50,000 by next summer. It is situated in Eden’s Outer Estate in a field full of wild flowers above Eden’s Wild Chile area and was unveiled at a launch event on October 9.…
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Aberdeenshire council launches green spaces and biodiversity project
Aberdeenshire council have launched a new scheme which aims to extend and improve green spaces and biodiversity. The initiative will provide a new approach to the creation and maintenance of green spaces across the area. As part of this some grass areas which are regularly maintained will become wildflower meadows. As well as increased tree planting and the creation of woodland areas. One of the key aspects of this project will seek to develop practical enhancements at sites for the benefit of biodiversity, carbon reduction and improved greenspaces, through local community involvement as part of the wider green network. The…
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More wild meadows flowering in Glasgow
Up to 50 hectares of Glasgow grassland is set to be maintained as traditional meadows as part of a plan to promote biodiversity in the city. Thirty grasslands across the city have been identified as sites which will be designed to encourage and support small mammals and birds, pollinators, invertebrates and a wide range of plant species. Further work to enhance the city’s open spaces will also involve planting 250,000 bulbs and plug plants as well as wildflower seeds sown on a range of plots. The plots include parks, road verges and steep slopes that are difficult to…
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RHS grows houseplant and floristry offering
The Royal Horticultural Society is to expand its houseplant and cut flower offering as it responds to changing habits among the UK’s 27 million gardeners. Acknowledging the popularity of indoor displays on social media, the increasingly limited access to outdoor growing space and an ever expanding interest in the health and wellbeing benefits of plants, the charity has pooled a group of professionals from across the industry to serve on its Houseplant and Cut Flower Advisory Group. Including botanist James Wong and designer Jonathan Moseley, the group will advise on houseplant and floristry provision across RHS retail, gardens, shows and…
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55,000 free trees to be given away to Londoners
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has announced that 55,000 free trees are available for Londoners. This is for individuals to plant in their gardens and shared green spaces, and for larger community led ‘plant-athons’. The 55,000 free trees are part of a total of 95,000 new trees the Mayor is helping Londoners plant this autumn and winter, including during National Tree Week (23 November – 1 December 2019). The Mayor is working with the Woodland Trust, supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, to provide 30,000 free trees for Londoners to plant in their gardens. A further 25,000…
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Prince Harry encourages people to “look up” and share the beauty of trees
HRH The Duke of Sussex has partnered with National Geographic to become guest editor of the National Geographic Instagram account on Monday September 30th, as people from all over the world are encouraged to ‘look up” and share the beauty of trees. Working with Susan Goldberg, editorial director of National Geographic Partners and editor in chief of National Geographic magazine, The Duke of Sussex will take control of the Nat Geo Instagram account, which reaches over 123 million followers, to curate a new set of beautiful images of forest canopies, all taken by National Geographic photographers. This partnership…
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Over half of Europe’s native trees face extinction
Over half (58%) of Europe’s endemic trees are threatened with extinction. This is according to assessments of the state of the continent’s biodiversity published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The introduction of invasive species, unsustainable logging and urban development are key threats causing the decline of tree species such as the horse-chestnut across Europe. The newly published European Red List of Trees evaluated the conservation status of all 454 tree species native to the continent. It found that two fifths (42%) are regionally threatened with extinction. Among Europe’s endemic trees 58% were found to be…
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250,000 new plants to put Chatsworth’s Arcadia in full bloom
A series of huge new plantings, including more than 250,000 flowering perennials, shrubs and trees in Chatsworth’s world-famous 105-acre garden is set to transform an overlooked, undeveloped 15-acre area at its heart, now named Arcadia. More than 80,000 plants will be used during the first phase of Arcadia, which starts in September and continues through into spring 2020. Working to a plan by the celebrated garden designer Tom Stuart Smith and supported by the Gucci fashion house, Arcadia will include the creation of new, meadow-like glades connected by woodland walks and featuring a major new sculpture installation. It is…
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Public vote for their favourite clematis in RHS People’s Choice Award
The public has crowned their favourite new Clematis in the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) annual People’s Choice Awards. Visitors to the trial fields at RHS Garden Harlow Carr voted in their thousands across 28 latest varieties of clematis put to the test this summer. Clematis KINGFISHER (‘Evipo037’) wowed visitors with its profusion of indigo flowers and creamy yellow anthers. Runner up Clematis ‘Maria Skłodowska-Curie’ was described by one voter as “spectacular – like a bride in bloom” while Clematis Zara = ‘Evipo062’ secured third place with its abundance of delicate lilac flowers and a long flowering life. …
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The Woodland Trust calls for one million people to plant a tree
The Woodland Trust is launching a “Big Climate Fightback”. The campaigns aim is to get one million people to join the fight against climate change by pledging to plant a tree by Saturday 30 November 2019. The day falls in National Tree Week, a week of tree planting organised by the Tree Council and is also Tree Charter Day – a national day of celebration of trees and woods. The Woodland Trust will be hosting public tree planting days across the UK on 30 November. There will be at least one event in each of Northern Ireland, Scotland…
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The Royal Parks have created a Music for Trees app
The Royal Parks have collaborated with the Royal Academy of Music to create the Music for Trees app. The app will allow visitors to listen to music under the trees of The Regent’s Park as well as learning about the trees. The geo-location app will come to life in Gloucester Gate, situated in the north-east corner of The Regent’s Park. This area of parkland is home to over 30 species of trees that include walnut, hornbeam, ash and London plane. The initiative was the idea of The Royal Parks’ Arboricultural Officer, Matt Steinmann. He wanted visitors to notice…
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New floral displays brighten up Luton Airport Parkway station
Luton Airport Parkway station has been given a colourful makeover thanks to the installation of new floral displays. A team of Govia Thameslink Railway staff cleared five sacks worth of debris and litter from undergrowth at the front of the station. They then installed 10 wooden planters full of locally-sourced flowers and shrubs. Now that the area has been cleared, staff intend to sow wildflower seeds to encourage bees and other insects. Two bird boxes have also been put up in the surrounding trees as part of the gardening project. Luton Airport Parkway Station Manager Joe Healy…
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Caution urged by growers and traders on oak imports
A group of Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) traders and growers are urging importers to ensure oaks being brought into the UK not only comply with current legislation to combat Oak Processionary Moth (OPM), but are not sourced from Italy’s recently declared Pest Free Area (PFA). The HTA are seeking guidance from Defra and awaiting confirmation that the proposed PFA meets the international standards for phytosanitary measures. Until this is confirmed, the HTA asks that UK businesses continue importing oaks that only comply with legislation which is designed to ensure that the UK imports OPM-free trees. Defra have confirmed that…
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Heather landscapes under threat due to climate change
One of England’s celebrated landscape spectacles is suffering due to climate change. The impact of last year’s hot weather and increased pest activity has turned acres of heather from glorious purple to a muddy brown. Through August and into early September, the hills at Long Mynd in Shropshire and at Holnicote on Exmoor are typically awash with a haze of purple. But this year the National Trust, which cares for both landscapes, has seen up to 75% of the heather in poor health due to a combination of last year’s drought and damage from the heather beetle. …
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VIDEO: Adur and Worthing step up action against Ash Dieback disease
A task force has been created to help control a deadly disease which could wipe out all Ash trees in Adur and Worthing. Ash Dieback has been discovered in trees at Lancing Ring in Adur and The Gallops at Findon Valley in Worthing. Almost 20% of the entire woodland covering is at risk – that’s estimated to be more than 1,200 of the species. The disease, spreading across Europe, is currently incurable. This means the most common tree in West Sussex, Ash, could disappear from the landscape forever. Adur & Worthing Councils’ parks team has been carrying out…
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Provender Nurseries Autumn Preview Event – new season, new plants
Kickstart the autumn season with Provender Nurseries Autumn Preview – New Season, New Plants Come and join us for a week of Autumn Preview – New Season, New Plants. Monday 23rd September to Friday 27th September from 7am to 5pm. Hot food will be served between 10am to 2pm Let us show you around our new autumn stock and highlight some of the fantastic plants we can offer you for the season ahead. Autumn is a bountiful time of year and there will be a great choice of plants to keep you up to date with the latest offerings and…
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£1.3m project Biophilic Wales given the go-ahead
A £1.3m project, Biophilic Wales, that promises to boost the well-being of Welsh people, plants and pollinators has been given the green light. ‘Biophilic Wales’ is being led by the National Botanic Garden of Wales and funded by Welsh Government’s Enabling Natural Resources and Well-being Grant. The main delivery partners in the project are Swansea Bay University Health Board, Natural Resources Wales and Swansea University. The overall aim of Biophilic Wales is to increase the well-being of people, biodiversity and the environment, throughout Wales, using three interconnected work packages: Inspiring Spaces, Grasslands for Life and Plants for People.…
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Botanists race to understand and conserve the plant species of the Amazon
As a record number of fires continue to burn in the Amazon, concerned scientists at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) face a race against time to quantify the vast number of plant species in the biodiversity hotspot and determine their distributions and to support urgent conservation plans and action. RBGE’s Dr Tiina Särkinen and Brazilian colleague Dr Domingos Cardoso of the Universidade Federal de Bahia recently led an international effort to quantify the plant species in the Amazon. Their list includes 14,003 species. This number is increasing almost daily as new species are discovered. Just last week RBGE’s…
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