Month: June 2013
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Neillia (Week 10, Thursday)
I was not familiar with the genus Neillia before I spent a whole afternoon digging ground elder from under one. That was an opportunity to become closely acquainted; I took the pictures below. There is probably a reason why I did not know Neillia, and it’s because there doesn’t seem to be much information around…
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Lawn-mowing for beginners (Week 10, Tuesday)
Tuesday team-working day today, we are weeding and mowing the lawn around the so-called “holly walk” – an area that has no dedicated gardener to it so is managed during team days. By the way, if you were wondering: how many gardeners in Kew? (a question several visitors ask me) The figure I got was…
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The Palm House (Week 10, Monday)
We had a tour of the Palm House today, one of the few remaining greenhouses that were built with wrought iron, a revolutionary technique of its time, thanks to which the arcs of metal could span more distance. It dates back to the 1840s, and sits next to the later Waterlily House that is managed…
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Watering with a bowser (Week 9, Tuesday)
Today I was trained in using a watering bowser, and then set off with a map of the gardens and a list of the recently planted trees to water. We only water those small trees that need to establish, generally the ones planted in the last two years. I simply loved the experience, for two…
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Ethically bound (Week 8, Friday and Week 9, Monday)
Today, after a bit of tractor practice, which involved removing a trailer with a flat tire and getting a sound one instead, I spent the rest of the day clearing bindweed from around some Pyracantha and Physocarpus shrubs. Growing bindweed on canes The accepted way of getting rid of established bindweed is to make it…
About Me
M.Paola Andreoni
I got the first allotment in 2007 (in the UK) and started growing my own food for the first time. Learning as I went along was not enough, so I studied some horticulture. I am striving to abide by organic principles. Brexit gave me a new life in the Netherlands, and two new plots by a nature reserve.
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