Plants
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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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Plant supply enhances exclusive retirement village
An exclusive retirement villages will be enhanced by hundreds of plants and trees provided by Johnsons of Whixley. The landscaped gardens at Gifford Lea, in the Cheshire village of Tattenhall, are one of the prime attractions of the select development of modern apartments, which also boasts an on-site spa, bistro and beauty salon. Working with long-standing client and landscaping specialist Ashlea Limited, Johnsons supplied a variety of trees, shrubs, herbaceous and hedging plants. Trees provided included five each of Acer campestre (field maple), Crataegus crus-galli (hawthorn) and Carpinus betulus Frans Fontaine (hornbeam), four Prunus taihaku (great white…
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Blooming Wild Devon scheme launches to create more wildflower meadows
Devon Wildlife Trust has launched a Blooming Wild Devon Crowdfunder scheme to create more wildflower meadows across the county. In Exeter the Trust are joining up with the City Council to further enhance the displays of wildflowers that have been bursting with colour on roadside verges, roundabouts and open spaces. People are being asked to support the scheme by donating to Blooming Wild Devon. People have until Friday to make their pledges and can do so by clicking visiting the Devon Wildlife Trust – Blooming Wild Devon Crowfunder page. In Exeter the plan is to connect wildflower-rich…
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Amazon rainforest burning at record rate
Almost 73,000 fires have been recorded in the Amazon rainforest already this year – 85% more fires than were seen in the whole of 2018, according to the WWF. Land is cleared and prepared for agriculture through fires, but not normally at this intensity. The current dry season also contributes to the rapid spread of these fires. The Amazon is the world’s largest rainforest and a key ally in fighting the climate crisis. The trees in the Amazon contain up to 140 billion tonnes of carbon. Despite covering only 1% of the planet’s surface, the Amazon is home to 10% of all the…
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Govia Thameslink Railway staff and volunteers brighten up Royston station
New floral displays have brightened up Royston station thanks to the efforts of residents and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) staff. GTR colleagues and members of the public joined forces to paint 11 planters, fill them with 3,000 litres of compost and plant more than 100 locally sourced shrubs and flowers. Including cistus, vincas, heucheras and nandinas. Wooden planters were all constructed by inmates at Her Majesty’s Prison, The Mount, based at Hemel Hempstead, as part of an ongoing community programme with GTR. Following the success of a sensory garden at St Neots station, thyme, rosemary, lavender and…
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New survey ‘the Great British Hedgerow Survey’ launches
Hedgerows are becoming increasingly fragmented which is threatening the wildlife that depends on them. The wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), is launching a new national survey, the Great British Hedgerow Survey. It is encouraging the UK to health-check the nation’s hedgerows in an attempt to safeguard the future of this important habitat. The survey offers instant feedback about the health of each hedge. As well as tailored advice on what type of management will ensure it thrives in the future. The results also provides conservationists with vital data helping build a national picture of the…
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Cycad produces male and female cone at Ventor Botanic Garden
A Cycad (Cycas revoluta) has produced a male cone at Ventnor Botanic Garden. This is the second time this has happened outdoors in the UK, the first was at VBG in 2012. Cycads are primitive plants that dominated the Earth’s flora some 280 million years ago until the evolution of flowering plants. During their reign, the Earth’s climate had naturally high levels of CO2. The climate of the Earth today, with artificially raised CO2 resultant from fossil fuel emissions, may have influenced the cone production. This can be seen as further evidence from the plant kingdom of climate change…
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Raingarden at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh proves success
A new, experimental Raingarden at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) has proved its worth during recent heavy rainfall. It may also influence future site management and planting schemes for coping with climate change. The Raingarden, completed in spring this year, features a range of carefully selected plants in a special mix of soil, compost, sand and gravel. Following the August downpours, the garden successfully absorbed the excess water that fell, reducing floods on nearby paths and capturing rainwater for the benefit of the plants that grow there. Measuring 20m long by seven metres wide, the Raingarden is…
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Flat Holm is the first island to be awarded ‘Bee Friendly’ status
Flat Holm has become the first island to be awarded ‘Bee Friendly’ status. The ‘Bee Friendly’ scheme, which aims to make Wales the first pollinator-friendly nation in the world, has four priorities: Providing pollinator friendly food sources. Freedom from pesticides and herbicides. Providing ‘five star’ accommodation for insect pollinators. Fun! Involving the community and telling people why you are helping pollinators. Eleven different types of bee, including Large Red Tailed Bumble Bees, White-tailed Bumble Bees, Green Furrow Bees, Gooden’s Nomad Bees and Common Carder Bees, have been found on the island, which is also home to Painted Ladies,…
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DMU to plant 1,000 National Forest trees for new students
De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is to plant 1,000 new trees in the National Forest on behalf of students joining this year. To mark the release of A-level results across the country this week and to celebrate the arrival of a new cohort of students next month, the university is planting hundreds of saplings. As a commitment to making a positive environmental impact, these trees will be planted on the site of the National Forest, a 200 square mile environmental project in the central England, which stretches from the outskirts of Leicester to Burton-Upon-Trent, in East Staffordshire. This week the…
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John Chambers Wildflower meadow at Burncross Community Garden
Green-tech has supplied John Chambers Wildflower Seed to a community project in Burncross, which lies just outside of Sheffield City Centre. The neighbourhood is largely bounded by countryside with open fields and woods close by. The local community has a group set up, the Burncross Action Team, dedicated volunteers who work tirelessly to improve their local area and community. In 2017, as part of a Greening Great Britain initiative with the Royal Horticultural Society, the Burncross Action Team approached the John Chambers Wildflower team to help them transform a forgotten ‘grey spot’ in Sheffield into a mini haven for wildlife.…
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Ethiopia has planted more than 350 million trees in one day
Ethiopia has planted more than 350 million trees in one day as part of its Green Legacy initiative. Led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Green Legacy is a project which aims to combat the effects of deforestation and climate change. The UN says Ethiopia’s forest coverage declined from 35% of total land in the early 20th Century to a little above 4% in the 2000s. This was an official attempt at breaking the world record for planting trees in a single day. The current record is held by India, which saw 800,000 volunteers’ plant more than 50 million trees in…
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County Durham woodlands awarded funding to help restore them
The Durham Woodland Revival project has been awarded £434,200 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore and reconnect woodland in the county. The funding will enable it to work with partners Woodland Trust, Northwoods, Wear Rivers Trust and the Forestry Commission to bring neglected and under-managed woodland back into good condition and to boost woodland cover over a four-year period, starting this summer. Focusing on 5,000 hectares of woodland within a 10-mile radius from Durham City, the project looks at different ways of managing a range of different woodlands. From the diverse ecosystems of ancient woodland to…
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Trees to be removed in Roath Park Gardens, Cardiff to deal with Oak Processionary Moth
Evidence of Oak Processionary Moth (OPM) has been found on an oak tree in Roath Park Gardens in Cardiff as a result of proactive inspection by Natural Resources Wales of seven newly planted oak trees. A Statutory Plant Health Notice was issued on the trees on 24 July, which requires the treatment and removal of the trees. The infected tree in Roath Park Gardens were sprayed as a precaution using an insecticide on the evening of the 23 July and will be removed along with the other six trees today, 25 July. The Welsh Government has said…
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New grants available for local landowners to plant trees
A pilot Woodland Trust scheme is offering expert advice and grants of up to £4,000 to landowners who want to create small, new native woods. TRUSTwoods is open to people looking to create between one and three hectares of woodland in a trial area of Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire. Director of woodland outreach John Tucker said: “We need new woodland like never before. Government has recently committed to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The expansion of the UK’s tree canopy cover from 13% to 17% is an essential…
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New legislation introduced to prevent harmful rose virus
New legislation has been introduced on 23 July to stop the arrival of the Rose Rosette Virus (RRV), a damaging virus which is spread by a microscopic mite. The virus causes ‘witches’ broom’, distorted leaf growth and a reduction in cold hardiness. All roses are considered at risk from the virus and its insect vector, as no known tolerant or resistant species or varieties have been identified. The virus is not present in the UK or Europe, but has caused significant damage in the USA and Canada. The new regulation means that all rose plants and cut flowers…
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London Plane Tree Conference
On Wednesday 10 July approximately 80 delegates attended the London Plane Tree Conference at City Hall, organised by The Conservation Foundation. London Planes are a vital part of London’s landscape and the conference aimed to start a discussion on how to preserve them. The event was chaired by Matt Brown, editor at The Londonist, and Professor Chris Baines, Paul Wood, Greg Packman, Dr Ana Perez-Sierra and Barbara Milne were all speakers at the conference. Professor Chris Baines began the conference by giving a general introduction to London Planes. He spoke of how they were planted so widely due to their…
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Worfield plants supplies five-star RHS Hampton Court Garden Display
At the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival this month, Worfield Plants supplied SHEDx’s five-star rated ‘Perennial Cut Flower, Bee Pollinating and Herb Garden’ display. The garden was designed to replicate elements of the SHEDx regeneration project in Tolworth, London. For the past 10 months, Worfield Plants has collaborated with Court Farm Garden Centre to support the SHEDx project, supplying planting for freshly implemented borders and benches in Tolworth. SHEDx, a partnership between The Community Brain and Kingston upon Thames Council, has introduced plants designed to improve health and wellbeing into the local area. Georgia Neesham, Project Co-ordinator of SHEDx,…
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Tighter restrictions on oak tree imports to come into force
Strengthened measures on the import of most species of oak into England are to be introduced to protect native trees from the threat of the tree pest Oak Processionary Moth (OPM). The bolstered measures will only permit imports of certain oak trees, including: those from OPM free countries those from designated pest free areas including Protected Zones (PZ) – an area of the European Union declared free of OPM those that have been grown under complete physical protection for their lifetime. This Statutory Instrument (SI) – which is due to be introduced in Parliament shortly– builds on measures…
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Case of Oak Processionary Moth confirmed in Wales
A finding of Oak Processionary Moth (OPM) has been confirmed in Wales. A statutory Plant Health Notice has been issued on the trees which requires the treatment and felling of infested material. OPM have been found on trees planted in Cardiff City Centre and pest control experts will be begun treatment work as soon as possible. The caterpillars (larvae) defoliate and weaken oak trees, and are a hazard to human and animal health. The trees near Cardiff Central Station were chemically sprayed using an insecticide and will be removed today. The Welsh Government has said: “The first priority is to…
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Birmingham bids to become a Tree City of the World
Talks to establish Birmingham as the first officially designated “Tree City” of the UK are set to be held between the city council and an international foundation today. Council officers and Cabinet Members Cllr John O’Shea and Cllr Waseem Zaffar are due to meet a delegation from the US-based Arbor Day Foundation about the possibility of becoming a member of the Tree Cities of the World Network. The bid is being formally launched during the talks, which come on the first day of Love Parks Week (July 12-21). Achievement of the status requires the city and the council…
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Mobilane installs Woking town’s first green wall
Residents, customers and visitors to Woking High Street have been enjoying a new natural walkway since May with the installation of a 75m living wall from Mobilane. The Mobilane Green Screens have been placed along the length of the Woking Train Station’s exterior wall as part of the Council’s green commitments. Complementing other green initiatives in the transformation of the town’s Albion Square, the ivy screens now form a naturally green frame for the town’s iconic mural that depicts life along High Street in Edwardian times. With a mix of species for interest and colour, the wall will not only…
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