Walk in the Woods
CHANGE YOUR VIEW – LOOK UP!
During the last six months, the elements have not been kind to us or our environment. Most people are walking around with heads down, fighting the sharp winds as each navigates the route between home and the place we have to be. With current weather indications suggesting that May will be more typical of what we might expect, we can look forward to lifting our heads up again soon and taking in what is happening around us on a May Walk in the Woods.
In this 40th anniversary year of the Plant a Tree in ’73 campaign that The Tree Council was formed to run, it is urging everyone to during the month of May to change their view, value the trees around them and think about the importance of planting more for future generations. Whatever your interest, from dawn chorus to bat walk, there will be something organised by a local group or one of The Tree Council’s volunteer Tree Wardens that will give you a reason to look up in to the tree canopy and be grateful to the generation that planted the seeds.
Across the country, everyone will be able to head for their nearest trees and appreciate what they’ve been missing since last November. What is it, after all, that lifts the townscapes and makes the countryside appear even greener? Yes, those living things we all take for granted but that serve us so well in so many settings, those green monuments to past events and markers of time, the shade on our streets and the rustle in the breeze, trees.
Although the wood anemones have yet to reveal their petals and the frogspawn is still slow to show, only a small amount of sunshine will encourage us all to turn our faces to the sky and look up in wonder as the sap starts rising and a mass of green erupts. In woodlands, the ground will soon be carpeted with wildflowers from bluebells to ramsons and the wildlife that has been hibernating will start to emerge. What will we see?
“I know that the buds on the rowan will be fattening by the day, ready to send out a froth of green whilst the lime will be even quicker to oblige, a haze of yellowy mist spreading steadily into a more solid form. There is nothing as uplifting as witnessing that at first hand” said Pauline Buchanan Black, Director-General of The Tree Council. “There are walks and activities to suit everyone, being organised by people all over the country in both urban and rural woodlands;” she added, “from places that are easily accessible by those who will find rugged terrain difficult and tours of interesting street or park trees, right the way through to more challenging trails, there will be fresh views that will change your view.”
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Hampton Court Flower Show Pliny's Garden and Roman guard
Franchi Seeds will be building a Show garden at this years RHS hampton court flower show.
They will be working with Fishbourne Roman Palace and the National Roman Legion Museum of Wales constructing 'Plinys Garden', a Roman garden. The plants will be faithful to the period and whilst not based on any one garden given the small space we have, it will have features typical of a garden of the period and it will be an educational and obviously a representation of a Roman garden.
THE VERTICAL GARDEN
Ever dreamt of having your own garden but thought that was impossible with nowhere to plant?
GroPanel is a unique vertical planting system that can be placed anywhere that needs brightening up - from balconies, patios and decking to courtyards and offices.
It’s a portable garden and can be filled with anything from plants and flowers to fresh herbs and berries.
Landscape designer Steve Williams is working with the GroPanel team developing ways it can be utilised and blogs regularly with tips on planting all year round.
He explained “People are used to horizontal gardens and hanging baskets but GroPanel is a very exciting new concept – a vertical planting system.
“I’ve used it to grow herbs like thyme and sage, and flowers like pansies, viola, and polyanthus and have had great results.
“The Summer bedding was fabulous giving a wall of flower from May through to October and my Winter flowering verities are looking really good.
“GroPanel is very easy to maintain and can feature anywhere, from screening walls to brightening up patios and decking and will bring some greenery into urban areas too.”
It can be free standing or mounted on a wall to grow all year round with the minimum of maintenance and taking up very little space.
At the front is a mesh panel that contains growing pods for plants to bloom from 64 in the full size unit and 27 in the mini. The mesh panel also serves as a trellis feature once the plants have died back.
GroPanel is supplied with a moisture retaining liner which is placed inside and filled with compost.
Then a small slit is then made behind the growing pod and the plant is inserted. The lid of the unit lifts up and a reservoir sits on the top so the plants can be watered.
Designer Adrian Billingsley, from The Mesh Company in Warrington, Cheshire, who came up with the idea, said: “With so many people living in flats and apartments now, this means they can still have their own plot and there are many benefits of gardening in the current economic climate.
“The GroPanel gives a taste of the ‘Good Life’ where users can grow their own herbs and fruit and there is a lot to be said for the therapeutic benefits of gardening in these times of stress and gloom.
“It is also great for the environment providing habitat for butterflies and other creatures, and the design of the panel means slugs are kept at bay.”
Want to try it yourself? Readers can enjoy a 15% discount on GroPanel, which cost £98.50 for a full size unit and £67 for a mini.
To find out more, visit HYPERLINK "http://www.vertical-planting.com" www.vertical-planting.com