Category: Uncategorised
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Stripes and stars (Week 3, Thursday)
Today I went back to the Japanese Landscape: it was a gorgeous sunny day and the grass is starting to grow fast, so we had to mow the lawn. There is a specific department that takes care of the sward at Kew with ride-ons, but for the smaller areas we use lawnmowers. My parents’ garden…
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Fireblight (Week 3, Wednesday)
The Rosaceae family of plants, and the sub-family Maloidae (those with pome fruits) in particular, are affected by fireblight, which is a disease caused by bacterium Erwinia amylovora; it affects blossom and shoots and may lead to the death of the plant. Fireblight used to be a notifiable disease, and governments are still trying to keep it in…
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Squaring the circle – reprise (Week 3, Tuesday)
Our teamwork today was again planting trees, something which I really looked forward to: 1. I had enjoyed it the last time 2. wanted to refresh my memory on the technique 3. the weather was good… You can see the square hole, the planting hole, and the planted tree clearly in the pictures. This time…
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Kew’s library (Week 3, Monday)
The highlight of the day today was a visit to Kew’s library, which was born out of the Herbarium (which we will visit next week) and which is actually known as “Library, Art & Archives” because it does not manage only books… have you ever visited the Marianne North Gallery? I usually prefer the outside,…
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Zen and the art of leaf gathering (Week 2, Friday)
It was with some hesitation that this morning I made my way to the Japanese Landscape. It is a rather formal garden, and working on it felt pretty daunting. Edging, which by now I can do fairly well, and picking up the magnolia leaves that the inclement weather has scattered all over the place the…
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Going about one’s business (Week 2, Thursday)
Another day of bed maintenance, which is what we are here to do! I am now mostly self-sufficient in getting the tools together before starting the day, such a relief! 🙂 When I first joined I had a locker assigned to me with a standard kit, then, over the last two weeks, I have collected…
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Weedy Wednesday (Week 2, Wednesday)
A day that was mostly about weeding and edging. My progress in edging consists in having learned how to straighten beds using a string. Also, I am becoming better at using my foot behind the half-moon when lifting soil. There are two main movements you have to learn with the half-moon. First, it’s pressing down…
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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