Friday, July 31, 2009

Square foot garden vegetable layout





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flower - flower-background.jpg



Purple water lily - high resolution 1600x1200px background image. Water lilies of Siem Reap - Cambodia.
In album Lotus flowers

Asim Shah posted a photo:

the basket



pollen-flowers posted a photo

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pollen petals - PFP_2732.jpg


I don't generally approve of plants in houses - they never look quite comfortable, not in my home, at least. I've been lucky enough to travel to places where Ficus benjamina are the size of oak trees and Monstera deliciosa are climbing towards a forest canopy. For me it just doesn't feel right to grow them next to the TV.

hawaiin_palm.jpgBut it's a plantaholic's prerogative to change their mind. So I must confess I was secretly delighted to discover at Tatton what could become my ideal houseplant.
The Hawaiian palm (brighamia) is not so much a jungle escapee desperately pining for the rainforest - it's more of an endangered species in need of fostering. Raised from seed by Dutch nursery Plant Planet, these beautiful plants can be grown happily in your living room. And as there are only seven specimens left in the wild, the IUCN is desperate to bring attention to them.

That's a pretty good reason to grow one. They need little watering and have the added bonus of flowering in deepest, darkest winter. I think I have the perfect spot in mind.

Camilla Phelps, Gardening Editor



bamboo_wales_arrangement.jpgI'm never quite sure what to make of the floristry tents at shows, the displays are always fantastic but I'm not sure quite what the average person can take away from them. Tatton is no exception, this year the tent is dominated by an enormous display of giant bamboo canes each supporting a tropical arrangement. This 'Bamboo Forest' is all the work of the Welsh College of Horticulture, (the team that brought us the giant ball of flowers at last year's show).

Once again their display was awarded gold, and I have to admit that it was very striking so I could see why. While nobody is going to create an arrangement on anything like this scale at home, there were some nice plant combinations of orchids and exotic foliage that would look great on anyone's dining table.

warwickshire_sun_arrangement.jpgWhile wandering through the display my eyes were also drawn to a large exhibit created by North Warwickshire and Hinckley College that has been inspired by the planets of the solar system. Very apt considering it was only a few days ago, that we were all celebrating the anniversary of the first moon landings. Each of the planets were created in different colours, with red anthuriums for Mars and equisetum strands for the rings of Saturn. At the centre of the display the Sun was created with a stream of exotic orange and yellow arum and some kangaroo paw cascading down like flares radiating out from the centre.


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