Worth a read
Ukraine’s Botanical Gardens at risk
Times are very difficult for Ukraine’s Botanical Gardens, where in addition to the atrocious conditions of war, the gardens are at the mercy of the country’s destroyed energy infrastructure.
Worth a read
Golf courses can help boost bees and butterflies
Golf courses across Sussex are trialling a rewilding initiative to help protect rare chalk grassland and encourage the growth of wildflowers.
Worth a read
Fig tree forests from Sheffield’s love of fig biscuits
Intriguing story in the Guardian about the exotic fig trees that thrive in and around the waterways of Sheffield, which originated from the residents’ love of fig biscuits.
Worth a read
How did Gunnera get banned?
In this month’s The Garden magazine, James Armitage tells the fascinating story of how the botanical wonder that is Gunnera, became illegal to buy, move and cultivate.
Worth a read
Redressing the lack of collective nouns for trees
With his debut book, Ewan Fenelon, a 22-year old ecologist invents colourful collective nouns for trees, which he hopes will become part our everyday vernacular
Worth a read
The slug retrospective
Intriguing article by RHS entomologist Dr Hayley Jones, shedding light on the little-known benefits slugs to (garden) ecosystems.
Marketing
Millennials: route to business longevity for garden centres
Just as the rest of the economy, garden centres are facing challenges but now is a good time to reflect on the business to tune into market opportunities.
Natural Capital
How trees channel more carbon into their roots
Intriguing research about how herbivore browsing pressure affects trees’ long term carbon storage potential.
Worth a read
Will Biodiversity Net Gain benefit the landscape community?
As of the 12th of February, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) will mandate the assessment of habitats on development land and require this habitat to be enhanced by a minimum of 10%.
Worth a read
The world’s ugliest lawn
Tasmanian garden wins prize for world’s ugliest lawn highlighting how people can save water, help animals and free themselves from lawn-mowing
Worth a read
Gardening trends 2024
Garden designer Ann-Marie Powell shares her views on the trends we can expect in gardens and garden design in 2024.
Worth a read
Ted Green champions ancient forests
The ecologist shares his views on the conservation of irreplaceable, uniquely biodiverse living monuments for their vital genetics in the next generation of ancient trees.
Worth a read
The value of a garden for house buyers
The Managing Director of Nicholsons, Liz Nicholson on what to look for in a garden when buying a home.
Worth a read
The battle of the Stag beetle
Lucanus cervus, famous for its impressive jaws is a globally threatened species and numbers in Britain are in decline.
Worth a read
UK to ban Gunnera
Researchers discover the majestic plant seen in the UK is not a benign species, rather an invasive hybrid Gunnera × cryptica listed as a ‘species of union concern’ in the UK and EU.
Worth a read
Suburbanising the countryside
Rural landscapes deserve much more consideration and respect than currently granted.
Worth a read
Possible reprieve for Kew Keepers
Uncovered documents in the Kew archives reveal that Sir William Hooker stipulated the collection must stay within the gardens.
Wildlife
Half of Britain’s endemic invertebrate species threatened with extinction
A new report by Buglife has found that half of the UK’s most special species are at risk of global extinction.
Worth a read
The best of this year’s gardening books
Ursula Buchan’s best books include works by authors Jinny Blom, Francis Pryor, Jenny Joseph, Henrik Sjöman & Arit Anderson and Maury C. Flannery.
Worth a read
‘Tis the season of the leaf-peepers
Capturing the glory that is autumn is admirable, yet when armed with phones, torrents of leaf-peeping “influencers” can ruin the seasonal spectacle.