Tag: horticulture
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The return of the bindweed (Week 18, Monday)
I wrote extensively about bindweed and my experiment to see how long it would take for it to regrow, once carefully dug out from as deep as possible in the entrails of the earth… In any case, here is a photographic summary from the first week of June, when I carried out the clearance –…
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Euonymus: a plant I'll never forget (Week 14, Friday)
Euonymus europeus, the spindle tree, with its characteristic bright pink seedpods with orange seeds sticking out, is a plant I have known for a while. I had it in my garden, I picked seeds from one last winter which I am trying to germinate, and it’s in my next plant ID test. But I had…
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Mastering the art of watering – and some science too (Week 14, Thursday)
Having watered every single day, first thing in the morning, for almost two weeks, with the responsibility to keep a botanical collection in good nick, has really changed my perspective on what I have never considered one of my favourite activities: I would do a raindance any time rather than have to water! Anyway, even…
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Hygiene (Week 14, Wednesday)
Quite a few plants grow in a restricted space in greenhouses, so hygiene is particularly important to prevent and control the spread of pests and diseases. In terms of prevention, clean tools and surfaces are very important. So pots are dipped into a sterilising solution and tools are cleaned with Hortisept, a persistent germicide active…
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Cuttings for the Temperate House (Week 13, Tuesday)
The Temperate House at Kew is closing on the 4th of August for restoration, and will stay closed for 5 years. On account of that, some of the plants will be propagated to be ready when the House re-opens, and the arboretum nursery is taking care of part of the collection. So today I had…
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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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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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