The Garden Minute ⏰: Monday 23 October 2023
☀️Good morning Gardeners. It is 5.54am as I type this with a sleeping one year old near to me. I hope you loved yesterdays plant savings. Hopefully you will enjoy todays garden round up just as much.
🧒Make this half-term one where you nurture a budding gardener. Lots of autumn jobs are robust enough to be taken on by smaller hands – and you’ll be grateful for the help. The Guardian.
🌲New four part series will look at the Beechgrove Garden in Winter. It will cover all the jobs in the garden that need to be done at this time of year, with all the usual expert instruction that means there’s something for everyone-from the expert gardener to the complete beginner. Grampian Online.
❤️Monty Don shares the news of his beloved dog Nell’s death after cancer diagnosis. The Gardeners’ World star, who is known for his love of dogs and often appears on our screens alongside members of his furry family, took to social media to share the heartbreaking news. Metro.
💐How to plant peony bulbs and why autumn is the best time to get planting. Peonies are easily one of our favourite blooms. From pink and purple peonies to white, yellow and coral, we can’t get enough of them. But if you’ve found yourself buying bouquet after bouquet during peony season, it can quickly become quite an expensive habit. Ideal Home.
❄️RHS and Hartley Botanic experts explain how to protect plants from frost. Some will be OK in an unheated greenhouse, but adding a heater will open up more opportunities for gardeners this winter. Bristol Post.
✂️Guide to Growing Aucuba. This evergreen shrub can reach a height of 3 m (10 ft) if left unpruned. It also has a similar spread. Spotted Laurel grows slowly and increases in height at a rate of 20cm (8 in) each year. However, it is easy to trim down to form a lovely, rounded shrub. Real Men Sow.
🚀The First Plants on the Space Shuttle. Podcast. In the summer of 1863, a world-famous English botanist was pondering why the shoots of climbing plants twirl around as they grow. In this episode, join Emma the Space Gardener as she explores the fascinating world of plant movement, and what that has to do with the first plants that ever flew on NASA’s space shuttle. The Unconventional Gardener.
In other news:
Romsey gardener shares 10 tips to protect plants in the colder weather.
'Rising star' youngster wins grant for small gardening business.
🆓Applications for free gardening packages reopen to Monmouthshire communities. Environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy are enabling communities across Monmouthshire to create their own gardens with the help of their free garden packages. Monmouthshire Beacon.
A dozen varieties of miniature daffodil excel in RHS trials. Two things all gardeners should know about are daffodils and the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit – or AGM. The former is synonymous with spring; the latter is shorthand for a tried and tested variety of plant that according to the charity "demonstrates excellent performance in the garden". The Irish News.
🍂October sun, harvests, conferences and a glimpse of the newly built courtyard @kneppwildingkitchen WITH STORKS! Charlie Harpur on Instagram.
🌱Growing urbanisation 'triggering evolution of plants'. The spread of towns and cities is triggering the evolution of plants, reveals a new study. Scientists in Japan have discovered how growing urbanisation is having a major impact on flora as they adapt to urban environments. Daily Express.
🖼️Mat Collishaw review – AI plants put the shock and sensation back into British art. The artist gleefully tricks us with his digital creepers, disappearing oak trees and blossoming flowers made with AI. The message? Nature will have its revenge. Kew Gardens. London. The Guardian.
🏡Making real progress on the plot! / Allotment gardening for beginners. Emma’s Allotment Diaries. YouTube.
🌿Study reveals our European ancestors ate seaweed and freshwater plants. For many people seaweed holds a reputation as a superfood, heralded for its health benefits and sustainability, but it appears our European ancestors were ahead of the game and were consuming the nutrient-rich plant for thousands of years. University of York.
💐How Alfie Nickerson became the poster boy for biodynamic British flowers. Burnt Fen farm in Norfolk is a hymn to seasonal happiness. Financial Times. Subscription Required.
📈 The most-clicked/tapped links from the last newsletter:
Gardeners share the 'best' houseplants that can help to banish condensation on windows.
When to prune acers for healthy, vibrant maple leaves in the new year.
⏰ Thank you for reading my gardening round up :) Do you have a local gardening story you would like to share? Leave a comment and I will get back to you right away.