This and That

The Reckless Gardener newsdesk can get all kinds of information during the summer months and this last few weeks has been no exception, everything from a pyjama party to launch a campaign to save our Toads to information on an exciting new website of activities.

So first to the toads! The wildlife charity Froglife is launching a year long mission to raise money and awareness about the thousands of toads that die on our roads each year. Their new campaign -  Tuppence a Toad - launches with Tucking in the Toads on Friday 1st October, a bedtime themed event to wave the toads goodbye as they hibernate over winter. According to Froglife,  Toads on Roads volunteers saved over 50,000 toads in 2010 alone but thousands are dying where there are no volunteers to take them to safety. The Toad Patrollers go out at night and carry toads across the road in buckets. The Tuppence a Toad campaign highlights the difference people can make by working together and asks people to give their small change to help achieve this vital work. They are also challenging businesses to raise 2p for every toad saved on the road.

The Tucking in the Toads pyjama party is on Friday 1st October 2010 at the Orton Hall Hotel, Peterborough. Find out more on www.froglife.org

The Royal Bath and West of England Gardening Show which runs from 3rd September will be the venue for the launch of a special appeal by the Southern Spinal Injuries Trust (SSIT). The Trust are raising funds to build a Jubilee Garden at the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre which will be used in the rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injuries. The garden will provide patients and their families with an important social area outside the hospital environment as well as offering them the opportunity of gardening as part of the rehabilitation process. We wish them luck in their campaign. If you want to find out more about the Jubilee Garden or would like to contribute/help in fund raising log onto www.ssit.org.uk

One issue we all champ about during the summer months is smelling bins so I was interested to receive a sample of Bin Buddy. The product promises to rid your rubbish of unpleasant odours and kill insects such as flies, wasps, ants etc, between collection days. The dual function neutralises odours leaving behind a freshness while the insecticide kills pests without harming pets or the environment. Its even available in two fragrances - Citrus and Berry Blast.  You simply sprinkle the powder into your bin each time you dispose of your rubbish! Bin Buddy should be available in most major supermarkets but you should be able to get it initially from ASDA, Waitrose and independent hardware stores. I'll let you know how I get on with my sample but anything that keeps the wasps down is a winner in my book.

The hose pipe ban is finally lifted in the North West and we have had quite a lot of rain in the last few weeks so we are back to normal. As August progresses the garden starts to change into its autumn hue. The late Christopher Lloyd observed in his "Gardening Year" that August brought a heavy dew at night to the garden at Gt Dixter. He also commented that too many gardens give up in August and that Vita Sackville-West hated the month at Sissinghurst. However, he goes on to point out that he actually loved this time in the garden and that it provides many opportunities.  Too many of us forget that from mid to late August we can bring a lot of colour into the garden which will carry through to October. The pink Japanese anemone is now starting to strut its stuff in my garden  and the Phlox are rampant. Kniphofia, Aster, revived Alchemilla mollis (cut back hard last month) and of course the wonderful Dahlia, all add colour and substance as the main garden wanes.

I also think late August is a good time to take a long look at the garden and do some planning for next year while you can still see all your plants and their situation. Too many people do this in the winter when the foilage has died and it is easy to think you have more room than you have!

If you are looking for some exciting activities or places to go, you will find- www.ooh.com
really useful. This new site lists gardening courses and activities as well as a wide range of other courses. So log on and see what they have to offer. It's a great idea for a website and I am sure 'ooh' will prove very popular.

So go out and enjoy whatever mother nature still has to bestow and remember that the garden is a year-long project - still lots to do yet!

Lazy days of summer!

I no doubt that those of us in the northern climes have noticed that since the children broke up for their summer holidays we have had virtually non-stop rain, albeit with smatterings of sunshine in between! However, I feel there is still that atmosphere of lazy summer days around and I find it hard some days to sit down and become a 'desk slut' once again, pounding out on my keyboard.

However, I have just returned from a fab day at RHS Garden Wisley - ok I didn't have constant sun during my visit, in fact it rained - but I did nevertheless really enjoy myself and hopefully my photographs will be ok too. The Wisley Glasshouse is sensational and another thing I really liked about the garden was how easy it was to navigate which is important to someone with bad legs and a walking stick (me) - not to mention those who have to enjoy their gardens from a wheelchair. There also seems to be a natural path of progression around Wisley which means that you are less likely to miss bits out, which always happens to me.   My picture shows some of the fantastic plants in the Glasshouse but there is so much more at Wisley that you really need a couple of visits to see everything. Our feature on Wisley will appear on the website in the next few days so keep logging onto - www.recklessgardener.com

Dobbies, have just published a very good blog on poison plants and you might like to check that out -
http://www.dobbies.co.uk/blog/poisonous-plants - we did review a book recently on the Reckless Gardener website written by John Robertson "Is that cat dead?"which is an excellent guide to poison plants and an entertaining read in its own right. The Poison Garden at Alnwick Castle is proving very popular and it is useful for us to know the properties of plants which may cause harm in our gardens for obvious reasons! That doesn't mean we don't grow them - just to be aware when not to touch, eat or smell!

Birthdays and anniversaries are never easy to remember but if you have them stored in one place for easy reference then the job becomes easier. The RHS Birthday Book has just been launched showcasing the work of Lilian Snelling MBE, which formed the outstanding model for the British botanical artists in the latter half of the 20th century. The Birthday Book also makes a really nice present and is the perfect accompaniment to the RHS Diary and RHS Address Book. Priced at £5.95 ex VAT.

'A Garden Party to Make a Difference' will be running in the Prince of Wales private gardens in Clarence House and the gardens of Lancaster House and Marlborough House from 8th to 19th September. Described by one source as 'the ultimate garden party for the eco-conscious', the event sounds brilliant. Organised by 'Start' The Prince of Wales initiative launched in February - with the aim to help people across the UK take small steps towards a more sustainable lifestyle - the festival will cover a number of areas. There is a musical programme curated by Jools Holland, Growing and Gardens with Alan Titchmarsh and Comedy by Marcus Brigstocke and Hugh Dennis, to name but a few things taking place.

Information about the event and tickets can be obtained on www.startgardenparty.co.uk

My picture (right) is another pic of Wisley, just to make you envious! Enjoy what's left of the lazy days of summer!

Summer's passing

As we enter August it is hard to believe that we have gardened through the wet monsoons of autumn and the fierce ice and cold of the harsh winter, through to the dry, dry  sunny days of the spring and are now nearly through summer! UK gardeners have had just about the most diverse gardening year possible. What the autumn will bring is well, hard to predict, go figure!

Quite a few interesting bits of information landed on the Reckless Gardener news desk this last few days. One being the search for gardeners who garden 'against the odds'.

This is being run by the The Sunday Telegraph and the Conservation Foundation with Green & Black's Organic in memory of the late Elspeth Thompson (pictured), who was a popular gardening columnist with The Sunday Telegraph. The awards are for ordinary gardeners who cultivate green corners in unpromising and unexpected places. They are named after Elspeth's online diary, launched shortly before she died in March.

It's a lovely tribute to Elspeth and you can find out more by logging onto: www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening
Closing date is Friday 17th September 2010 and judging follows the next week. So bring some recognition to the unsung heroes of your community for their part in transforming our local environment for everyone to enjoy, in memory of a wonderful person.

In September, that pin-up of the gardening world - the Landscape Man, aka Matthew Wilson, will be addressing the Soft Landscape Workshop hosted by Palmstead Nurseries. His theme will be raising the standards of our public spaces and basically saying 'No' to small budgets for public landscaping projects. Matthew is all too aware that the current situation facing the landscape industry is not sustainable and that one of the sad realities of the recesion will be that there will be far fewer working in the industry at the end than at the start.

Coming out of recession and collectively attempting to raise standards and the level of budgets by actually saying 'no to doing things on a ridiculously small budget is essential.

He points out that countries like Germany, America and Scandinavia are innovatively applying budget and thought to green spaces and urges that the UK do the same. Well said Matthew, let's hope enough 'influential' people hear what you say and act on it.


The RHS have announced the appointment of Sue Biggs as Director General. She will take up her post this month,  succeeding Gordon Seabright, who has been acting Director General since September 2009. Sue joins the RHS with 30 years award-winning experience in the international leisure industry and is a longstanding member of the RHS and a passionate gardener who has designed six gardens for friends.

Do you know you could be putting your well being at risk by failing to spend enough time in the 'right kind' of outdoor space or garden? Well, according to research by leading woodcare manufacturer, Ronseal and prominent psychologist, Professor Geoff Beattie, a 'lack of green' can manifest itself as negative emotions such as stress or anxiety. Many more people are affected in spring and summer when they feel they should be spending more time in their garden or outdoors.

There are simple ways of combating 'lack of green' for example trying to avoid over-exposure to concrete or overly built up environments (so if you live in a city make sure you visit some of our excellent city centre parks for that bit of green space). Too much time spent in noisy and busy environments means over-stimulation while spending too much time in poor natural can also affect your mood. Generally a lack of fresh air should not be overlooked - in other words, take at least an hour a day outside in a green, well maintained and attractive outdoor space. Exposure to the natural environment has a major restorative effect and helps you unwind after a busy day.

And remember that Reckless Gardeners really do enjoy their outdoor space especially with a glass of wine (in moderation of course!).