Gardening Tips from the UK to Spain!

March Gardening

2011-03-02T13:35:00.000+01:00

March! The gardening year starts here. The milder weather means keen gardeners can get busy in a month of preparations for a blooming summer garden. Order your mail order seeds and buy summer-flowering bulbs.

How To Sow Vegetable Seeds
Now's the time to clear a spot for your kitchen garden or sow carrots, parsnips, summer cauliflowers, rhubarb, Brussels sprouts, leeks and onions.

1) Prepare the ground where crops are to be grown by raking the soil to remove stones and weeds. Level the surface.

2) Mark out rows with cane and a length of strong, then take out a shallow groove or seed drill with the back of a rake or tip of a cane.

3) Sow seeds thinly along the drill, spacing them evenly, or sow several seeds at regular points and thin out once the seedlings appear.

4) Cover seeds thinly with soil and tap down with a rake. On heavy soil, cover with potting compost for a more even layer.

Get to grips with weeds before they get grips with your plants! The most common culprits are bindweed, couch grass, nettles, docks and thistles. Banish them from borders using a hoe to uproot them or use a spray to clear paths and patios.

If you have roses they will need a feed of rose fertiliser. Give shrubs a general feed. Scatter around the base of the plants. A layer of mulch, compost or bark, will also prevent the dreaded weed seeds from taking hold and protect the plants from late frosts!

Gardening November & December

2010-12-07T13:12:00.000+01:00

Get outside and do it now......

November has now past and we are getting well into the festive season, I hope you managed to do your gardening chores!?

You will notice a chilly nip in the air in November which acts as a reminder to get the garden tidy-up underway before the weather turns too cold. Make a few forays into the garden and you'll be set up for a blooming spring.

Get your greenhouse gleaming to make the most of the winter light. Put in a good bit of elbow grease to clean off grime and algae that have accumulated on the glass over the summer. It helps if you have a high pressure jet wash, but be careful! Also clean garden pots and containers.

Pot up fuschias and other tender plants that you'll be wintering in your greenhouse and water sparingly. If you are still lucky to have bedding plants in flower, protect them overnight with a fleece. Whip this off in the morning, this way you can enjoy your cheery blooms for a while longer :)

If you have a good crop of apples, store them wrapped in newspaper in the garden shed, that way they won't rot so easily and you'll have supplies for months.

There's still time to plant out spring-flowering bulbs in containers and borders. Group tulips and daffodils together and plant snowdrops and lily of the valley (first signs of spring) around trees or in window boxes.

December Gardening

Robins not only provide a pretty diversion in your garden, but will carry out essential pest patrol. They scoff up soil grubs and take away caterpillars and a host of other nuisances. To attract birds into your garden this winter, give them a free lunch. They are partial to seeds, peanuts and fat. Serve them on a bird table as this is high enough off the ground from any predators - such as my cats! They will also require a clean supply of water to drink or use as a bath. It also helps if you have a supply of shrubs with berries and plants that provide seed heads for them to eat.

Use a fleece to cover plants susceptible to frost, but if you are blessed with borders of evergreens, you're in for a real treat and they look wonderful with a light covering of frost.

Plant A Tree
If your garden is looking bare, now's the ideal time to plant a tree so its roots can establish before spring. You won't have leaves on it in winter, but it will still provide colour, height and interest.

1) Cut a circle of turf from your lawn, making the centre. Dig a hole deep enough for the root section and break up the hard soil around so the roots can work their way into it more easily and establish.
2) Hammer in a stout wooden stake to the base of the hole. Position the tree next to it and sprinkle in granular fertiliser. Cover with soil and water well.
3) Attach the tree to the stake with a tree tie so it is well supported. Lastly spread a layer of mulch around it to stop weeds competing for water and nutrients.

Gardening Explained

2010-11-17T16:16:00.000+01:00

Get to grips with simple techniques and you'll be able to get the most from your garden. It's really easy once you what's what!

Learn the Lingo
It's easily taken for granted, but your soil needs a good feed if it's going to produce blooming spring and summer displays. Most soils need improving, and they're a greedy lot. You need to dig in organic matter such as garden manure or compost and give it a good helping or fertiliser.

Dig in plenty of organic matter on newly laid borders and beds, and for beds already planted, top with a generous layer of mulch in the winter. Add fertiliser just before sowing or planting.

Fertilisers are concentrated plant foods and an essential supplement to bulky manures. A good inorganic fertiliser is Growmore. Some plants are fussier than others and roses like their own special rose fertiliser which contains more potash and magnesium than a general purpose feed. For most gardens, compound fertiliser, which has a good mix of all nutrients, hits the mark for most other uses.

Many plants are able to scale the heights without support, but others will be crying out for help. There are two types of plants that need a helping hand: climbers and varieties with weak stems.

Trellis is one of the most attractive supports for climbers such as clematis and honeysuckle. Fix these lattice work wood frames on to walls and fences or erect free standing panels.

To make more of a feature of your climbing plants, you could choose a permanent structure such as a pergola, arch, gazebo or pillar. The plants you grown on them will probably need tying in to the structure at intervals, but they will have free range to spread at will.

Use bamboo canes for individual plants. Delphiniums will appreciate this sort of support. Tie in the stems with soft garden twine at intervals.

Removing Lawn Weeds
Dig out persistent weeds before they make themselves at home in your lawn. No one minds the odd daisy, but it's best to root out the less attractive visitors once you spot them.

1. Use a hand trowel to dig out perennial weeds. Remove every bit of the root, especially the long tap root of dandelions.
2. You will have a hole in your lawn where the weed had settled. Level this by adding a little potting compost, which will also enrich the soil. Mix it in well.
3. Sprinkle the grass seed over the bare patch. Mix it into the soil surface to ensure it is evenly spaced and just covered with soil. Water with a fine hose.
4. To speed up germination and keep the birds off, spread a sheet of clear polythene over the patch and peg in place. Remove this once the seedlings start to emerge.

Pot Up Rooted Cuttings
Root cuttings you've been nurturing on the windowsill should now be in prime condition for potting.

1. Remove cuttings from their pot to see how well rooted they are. If a strong root system fills the pot then it's ready, steady, go!
2. Gently ease the cuttings apart. Don't worry if some of the roots get broken, as long as each cutting finishes with its own rootball.
3. Replant each cutting in multi purpose compost in a 7.5cm (3in) pot. Push the compost down around the roots and water well.
4. Keep the plants well watered in a frost free greenhouse or other warm, light position. Feed weekly after about six weeks. Plant outside once all risk of frost is past.

Perk up Your Pergola
It's hard to beat seating under a perfumed filled pergola in the summer. If you can make an Ikea bed, you'll have no problems assembling these. You can buy kits from a garden centre. But you will need someone to help you position the pieces plus a few tools - spirit level, hammer and drill.

Once in position, you can either woodstain it with a natural colour or paint it a bright cheerful colour. Smaller, but just as pretty when covered in roses are arches that lead from one part of the garden to another.

What To Grow
When it's been built, create an attractive feature under your pergola using pots and grasses. Striking blue-grass Elymus magellanicus looks lovely in terracotta pots.

In summertime, when most climbing plants come into their own. For a summer stunner, it's hard to beat Clematis 'Albatross'.

If you don't want your pergola to look bare in autumn and early winter choose a winter flowering honeysuckle, like the creamy white and fragrant flowers of Lonicera and standishii.

Container Dressing
You'll already have planted your spring bulbs, but there's nothing to stop you smartening their pots by covering the earth with gravel, flint or silvery stones. It looks stunning and stops the squirrels helping themselves to lunch!

Plants For The Garden

2010-11-15T15:36:00.000+01:00

To enable the different elements of gardening to blend comfortably and attractively, there has to be a balance. These elements can be largely dictated by the trees, shrubs and flowers that you choose to grow in it.

By opting for for plants that complement and harmonise with other aspects of the garden, such as the paving or lawn, and its overall size and shape, you can create a framework in which art and nature reach a happy equilibrium.

Making a garden is an intensely personal business. What one person loves, another may hate. Such varying reactions are often to do with the level of harmony and contrast in the planting. Very harmonious gardens, where all the colours match, and clashes or surprises are avoided, are soothing, restful places. Those who like more stimulation may prefer gardens with lots of vivid, contrasting colours, or a wide and dramatic range of leaf shapes and plant forms.

Harmony in gardens is relatively east to achieve with single colour schemes. White gardens are particularly rewarding and straight forward. Plantings based on colour contrast are more difficult to get right, and are much more personal. Mixing strong colours can create results that are vibrant to some, but obtrusive to others.

A garden takes time to develop, and never stands still. Planning planting for the short, medium and long term helps avoid the great gaps that can try the patience of even the most dedicated. Trees, needless to say, are the most long term, often maturing long after we have gone. Shrubs, too, can take many years to look their best, which can mean that a garden that is heavily reliant on them may take rather a while to develop. Herbaceous perennials look established with remarkable speed, whereas annuals fulfil their promise and disappear within a year. It makes good sense, then, to include all these different plant forms in a garden.

Autumn Lawn Care

2010-10-12T11:49:00.000+02:00

If you really care about your grass then the next few weeks of autumn will be a busy time for you in the garden. Between now and April is the best time of year to concentrate on your lawn care.

Your autumn lawn care is best to get started as early as possible to give your lawn a better chance of surviving the winter, taking you into the following spring in a much better condition. Ideally, you should start considering your chores early September into October, this is because the ground is still warm and should be maintained before the temperature drops and leaves your lawn dormant.

Top Three Tips to Autumn Lawn Care

Preparing the Lawn:
Prepare your lawn by raking and removing thatch which can become a problem and affect the health of your lawn, carry out this task as soon as possible to allow the lawn a full recovery. Moss spores are produced in the autumn so control of this if vital for your lawn, to minimise moss you will need to aerate, you can do this by spiking the ground every 4inches or so.

Lawn Dressing
Now you have completed your preparation, your next step will be to dress the lawn. Applying a top dressing will improve the surface texture, dilute the thatch layer and thicken up the soil beneath. A good mixture of top dressing for your lawn would be loam and sand (70-80% sand), work this into the lawn using the back of a rake.

Feeding your Lawn
You may have some bare patches as a result of the usage this summer so a suitable autumn lawn fertilizer should be applied to help maintain a healthy look throughout the cold months. You can apply your seed by hand or a mechanical spreader but make sure you rake well. For your autumn lawn care the fertiliser should be low on nitrogen and high in phosphate and potash, keep a watch on the weather and feed your lawn when you are confident rains will assist to help wash in the granules.

Your lawn is now ready for the winter months that wait ahead, your grass roots of the lawn will now reap the benefits of your hard work and by next spring you will be the envy of all friends and neighbours.

Plants for the Garden

2010-08-02T16:03:00.000+02:00

To enable the different elements of a garden to blend comfortably and attractively, there has to be balance, which can to a large degree be dictacted by the trees, shrubs and flowers that you choose. By opting for plants that complement and harmonize with other aspects of the garden, such as the paving or lawn, and its overall size and shape, you can create a framework in which art and nature reach a happy equilibrium. To help you choose plants to suit your garden's needs, concise descriptions of a wide range of trees, shrubs, roses, climbers, perennials, ground cover, bamboos, grasses, bulbs and annuals and biennials have been discussed on our gardening forum.

Principles of Planting
"Harmony" is perhaps the most important word in making a garden. You want somewhere that is relaxing but also stimulating to the senses, where art and nature have reached a happy equilibrium. Creating a balance between the different elements of a garden, such as the paving, lawn, trees, shrubs and flowers is crucial to the end result. Colour is an essential design element, but because flowers are relatively fleeting, it can be difficult to maintain interest all year long. The stronger the framework of the garden, with plenty of architectural plants, the less vital it will be to have flowers all year round.

Small gardens are especially difficult to plan. All plants are highly visible, so there is no room for the spectacular flowering plant that looks messy for the rest of the year. Good foliage and flowers with a long season are vital.

Creating a Structure
It is the larger or more upright plants that do most to develop the garden framework, dividing it into sections and serving as a guide as you walk or look round. Trees or shrubs with a narrow; vertical, columnar habit have lots of impact, but are useful in that they take up little space. Trees, under whose branches you can walk, hedges that act as green walls, or plants with strong shapes, all provide the visual bones for the garden. The softer, more formless shrubs and flowering perennials are the flesh. Some of the most successful gardens are those that balance the formality of clearly designed shapes, such as clipped hedges and topiary, with the informality of burgeoning borders of flowers and shrubs.

Year-Round Interest
Some gardeners are happy to have most of their garden flowering at once. They like to see a spring garden with lots of bulbs, or an early summer garden with roses and perennials, and they are happy to let ir rest for the remainder of the year. Most gardeners, though, prefer to attempt a long season of interest, which involves trying to interweave plants so that there is always something or some part, that looks good. A garden takes time to develop, and never stands still. Planning planting for the short, medium and long term helps avoid the great gaps that can try the patience of even the most dedicated. Trees, needless to say, are the most long term, often maturing long after we have gone. Shrubs, too, can take many years to look their best, which can mean that a garden is heavily reliant on them many take rather a while to develop. Herbaceous perennials look established with remarkable speed, whereas annuals fulfill their promise and disappear within a year. It makes good sense, then, to include all these different plant forms in a garden.

Brighten up your garden

2010-05-22T12:28:00.000+02:00

Okay, so when it comes to the time when it's chilly outside it does not mean your garden can´t look cheery. Spend a few hours potting up winter flowers and you cna enjoy them from the warmth of indoors all through the winter months.

It's a good idea to place containers in a sheltered spot away from the wind. Stack them and they will also be safe from ground frost.

Universal Pansies are the number one choice for winter, and pot them, forking in plenty of nutrients into a quality potting compost and add a slow release fertiliser.

If the weather is frosty, move pots into the garage or shed to protect them. Terracotta and ceramic pots can crack if the compost inside them freezes, so protect them with a layer of bubble wrap.

Choice plants for winter pots in sheltered areas are the dense purple Aster x frikartii `Monch`, but once the frost sets in take the post indoors. The one plant that can survive, frost, rain and snow though are Cyclamen coum - they thrive in the coldest weather conditions.

And if you want a good climber when every other plant in your garden has gone to sleep, your best best is Clematis cirrhosa ´Freckles´, which is pale yellow with brown specks - perfect for that dull fence.

Gardening Explained: Learn the Lingo

2010-05-13T12:30:00.000+02:00

Take control of your garden by getting to know the basics. Find out the way to support climbers and how to keep lawns weed-free.

Learn the lingo:
Many plants are able to scale the heights without support, but others will be crying out for help. There are two types of plants that need a helping hand: climbers and varieties with weak stems.

Trellis is one of the most attractive supports for climbers such as clematis and honeysuckle. Fix these lattice-work wood frames on to walls and fences or erect free standing panels.

To make more of a feature of your climbing plants, you could choose a permanent structure such as a pergola, arch, gazebo or pillar. The plants will probably need tying in to the structure at intervals, but they will have free range to spread at will.

Use bamboo canes for individual plants. Delphiniums will appreciate this sort of support. Tie in the stems with soft garden twine at intervals.

Removing lawn weeds:
Dig out persistent weeds before they make themselves at home in your lawn. No one minds the odd daisy, but it's best to root out the less attractive visitors once you spot them.

1) Use a hand trowel to dig out perennial weeds. Remove every bit of the root, especially the long tap root of dandelions.
2) You will have a hole in your lawn where the weed had settled. Level this by adding a little potting compost, which will also enrich the soil. Mix it in well.
3) Spinkle grass seed over the bare patch. Mix it into the soil surface to ensure it is evenly spaced and just covered with soil. Water with a fine hose.
4) To speed up germination and keep the birds off, spread a sheet of clear polythene over the patch and peg in place. Remove this once the seedlings start to emerge.

Join our gardening forum and meet new friends and share your garden with glee!

Hot Summer Planting

2010-05-13T12:05:00.000+02:00

Put the life back into your garden this summer by adding colour, are you bored with your borders? Add splashes of vivid colours to spice things up a little

Colour Matching
Avoid placing colours right next to each other that clash. You could be co-ordinated and stick to shades of one or two colours, like mauves, pinks and purples; or go trendy and plant red, yellow and orange. But don´t mix these two colour ranges or the result will be like an explosion in a paint shop!

It's a good idea to look at a colour wheel, as you will immediately be able to see which colours go together. As they say, opposites attract, and this works for some colours that are opposite to each other on the wheel - like green and red.

A good strategy is to match three colours that are spaced at equal distances around the wheel - purple, green and orange work well together.

Clematis: Make a superb display and are vigorous once planted. A good choice is Clematis viticella ´Purpurea Plena Elegans´ which flowers from late summer to autumn.

Roses: For a pale and pretty display, choose the white "iceberg" variety.

Herb Gardens: A Must Have!

2010-05-09T19:48:00.000+02:00

Whether your garden is 10 acres in the country, or you have to make do with a window box in the city centre, herbs ought to be at the top of your plant wish list. Not only are they useful in the kitchen, but they are among the most decorative plants in the garden, and often the most fragrant!

A herb garden should be designed with as much thought as any other part of your garden. The foliage and flowers of herbs are beautiful and varied, and will provide lots of interest and colour right through the year. Even their seed heads are attractive to look at and fabulous in the frost.

If you have th space plant a separate herb garden, arrange the herbs in regular shaped beds, edged in the box with brick paths between. As the herbs grow, they will spill over the box, so that as you pass by you'll experience the fabulous aromas.

Herbs are also extremely easy to grow. There are annual varities, like coriander that need to be grown each year from seed. But the vast majority are perennials, which will come up year after year, without much interference from you, and supply you with years of culinary pleasure.

If you are short of time, or just can't wait to start your collection, pick up pots of herbs from the supermarket to plant out straightaway in sunny spots.

In hot weather, herbs will be particularly thirsty, so give them a good watering in the late afternoon as well as first thing in the morning.

Herb Growing Tips
If you start from seed on the windowsill, rotate the tray each morning, so they all get a fair share of light.

Water the compost and not the seedlings every morning to stop them rotting. Thin out the seedlings using tweezers if the tray gets overcrowded. Pot up in compost and don't press or firm it too much as you want air to reach the roots. Choose a shallow pot or the plant will concentrate on growing deep roots rather than a healthy plant.

Lettuce Leaf Basil
Annual
This Italian basil with its crinkly leaves is just the ticket for salads and making pesto sauce. Its easily grown from seed. Water in the mornings; it's not keen on a soaking throughout the day.

Garlic Chives
Perennial
Evergreen, not difficult to grow and looks stunning in pots. This chive has mild garlic onion flavoured leaves while the flowers taste of sweet garlic. Both are good in salads and make attractrive garnishes. These are easily grown from seed, but be sure to plant out in a sunny spot, in well drained soil.

Buckler Leaf Sorrel
Hardy perennial
The compact leavesof the sorrel have a sharp lemon flavour. This herb is a great addition to salad or use the older leaves to make a sauce for chicken or fish. This herb loves the great outdoors, so plant out as soon as it's established. It will lose its vigour and flavour on the windowsill. Grown easily from seed.

Broad Leaved Sage
Perennial
This evergeen and aromatic herb with grey-green leaves displays purple flowers in summer. It prefers a sunny spot. It has an affinity with meat, especially pork and poultry, but is just as divine with a tomato salad. You might get better results from this herb if you grow from cuttings

Small Gardens: Transformation Tips

2010-05-09T18:41:00.001+02:00

The small garden problem:
How to turn a nightmare of a tiny overgrown garden, dominated by a shed over run with climbing plants and filled with junk, into a lush haven for you and your family?

Small garden solution: Determine exactly what you have to work with, design your layout, choose your plants and most importantly get the area cleared before!

Small is beautiful!
The best thing about small gardens is that they are often secluded or private, or can be made to be with climbing plants (my personal favourite). They probably won't have grass to cut or flower beds to weed. Most of the planting can be in pots which can be shifted around as you like.

Buried treasure:
Turning out your shed can produce a heap of 'junk' and assorted hoarded wood, ripe for imaginative recycling. An old wooden palette can be set down alongside the shed to make an instant deck area. Poles at each corner with cross bars fixed to them at the top, to create a pergola! If you have a scrambling bush or vine, untangle and tie to a frame for support, to eventually create a green canopy. If you really want to get sensual and relaxed you could introduce a mattress, bells and wind chimes for a calming effect - the perfect place to practice Yoga!

To distract attention from an ugly concrete floor, line the space with big pot plants, this will create a nice feeling in the space and take the eyes away from the floor, also a good talking point.

Do not barricade small areas by choosing upright plants vs spreading plants. You can always trim back your plants if they get a bit big for their roots ;)
Well worn garden tools and even an old barrow from the shed can be lined up in a proud row to create a gallery of garden antiques, put summer bedding plants in pots beneath the climbers and foliage plants.

Plant up containers with plae flowers such as Verbena and Cosmos which has a fluffy fern like foliage which can lighten dark areas.

If you want to create a harmonious contemporary look with your windows then introduce hanging baskets consisting of white and yellow flowers. For a full, soft focus, use Tolmiea, which is often called 'The Mother of Thousands', plant, and Plectranthus, both of which have attractive trailing variegated foliage. If you want some drama then add Ophiopogon negrescens.

Tip: Add water retaining crystals to the compost, they turn to a jelly which keeps the compost moist. Add pellets of plant food at the same time. They release their nutrients slowly into the compost over the growing period.

Weed Control: In a small garden you may be lucky and only have a few patches that need constant weed control but if you really do not want to deal with any weeds then to create a pathway, for example. Cover with special weed supressing membrane. It stops weeds from getting the light and water they need to thrive. A layer of gravel can then sit on top, if you want edging then add this higher than the gravel and stones will not be kicked into your planting areas.

The Edible Garden:

Strawberries: Put stones in the bottom of pots to improve drainage, add compost up to the first holes, wrap each strawberry plant in paper to protect it, thread them through the lower holes from the inside.
To ensure even watering, drill holes in a short length of plastic pipe, stand it in the pot and continue planting
Fill the pipe with gravel, set two or three more plants in the top of the pot. Cover the surface with gravel. Put in a sunny position and water thoroughly, via the gravel pipe
Water regularly, then enjoy the fruits of your labours - with cream!

My First Egg!

2010-03-23T19:23:00.000+01:00

Oh my goodness Nigella, our Catalana hen has laid her first egg today and it is simply beautiful.

I caught her earlier behaving very strange, I walked down the garden and they didn´t come running to me as they usually do so. At first I thought they were all down the garden together, until I spotted the other 2 girls, Henny Penny and Dehlia beside the shed digging in the dirt and collecting grass!

I began to get worried and I was thinking all sorts, such as a dog had gotten them or they had managed to get out, I even thought they could be in Mark's van, who was here today helping us with our roof.

As I was slowly starting to panic, Gordon Ramsay stuck his head out of the chicken house - I was then even more confused as this is the most unusual place for them to be inside their house at that time of day, which I think was around 4.30pm.

I went around the back of the house and lifted out one of the wooden doors, for easy access to the eggs - hahhaha harrrrr - now, before we get excited she had not laid her egg at this point but while I was being nosey I spotted she was nest making and then felt awful I had disturbed her so I carefully put the door back on and snuck away back to the house. I half expected Nigella to follow me as she always does when I am outside - thinking I have sweetcorn, in fact she probably looks at me and sees sweetcorn!

An hour later I went back down for a wander to find the chickens and again I could not find them. Fortunately they were further down the garden, where we have been showing them to go so I quickly looked in the house and there it was - THE GOLDEN EGG hehehe. I am so chuffed as the chickens have been with us 12 days - whoop whoop!

I started shouting for Chris and squealing with delight but as Chris was working he didn´t see me, only heard me so he jumped up because he thought I had fallen over or something! But there I was, grinning from ear to ear outside the front door with a warm egg in my hands - pure joy!

We look forward to more egg laying from here on in and I hope you enjoy the images :)

What Do Chickens Eat?

2010-03-18T13:08:00.000+01:00

Well I think it is probably easier to tell you what chickens don’t eat. They should not have green potato peelings, banana skins, mouldy bread, citrus fruits, coffee filter waste or grass from the lawn mower. As you will see that means the list of what they do eat is quite extensive and believe me after 2 weeks of having chickens you will never look at left over food again in the same light.

At the end of every meal I now carefully divide the left-overs between the guinea pigs and the chickens. Left over cereal from breakfast, into the chicken food tupperware box, half eaten cookie that fell on the floor, into the chicken box, all vegetables, salad, bread, sauces, rice, cheese, fruit, cakes and their very favourite sweet corn ! I do not think twice now about getting on my hands and knees to pick up 3 grains of fallen sweet-corn from under the table instead of reaching for Mr Dyson the hoover as I see how much joy one single grain of corn can bring the chickens. When we go out to restaurants and cafes Keiana is never a big eater and now (much to the embarrassment of my husband I might add) I take a little bag with me and when she is full she declares’ the rest is for Maisy and her friends mummy’. When I look around at the left over food on other peoples’ plates I just pray that all restaurants have a flock of chickens outside as it breaks my heart to see so much food wasted.

As well as the fresh food they get access to grain each day, are allowed to eat the shrubs, insects, worms and grass in their run and also I give them the left over egg shells which they adore and are apparently are good to help them form harder shells on their own eggs. We place all this food on an extra large plate (actually the lid off our water collector) as it is best not to put it directly on the ground but believe me your children will not learn wonderful table manners by watching chickens eat.

They are straight away in there with there feet, clawing backwards and sifting through to find what they like best. We have since adopted another family of three chickens, this time white Chinese Silkies and little Snowy had a bright orange Mohican for 2 days after she dived right under my box when I was emptying some left over baked beans on to their plate– it did not seem to bother her, rather – good I’ll save that bit for later!

Author: Shelley O´Brien who lives in Belgium and has just joined our gardening forum for some great advice on chickens, pointer dogs and guinea pigs, she has kindly donated us some great content for the blog to help others with their wildlife :) Thanks Shelley, we appreciate your wonderful words of Chicken wisdom!

The Chickens Arrive in Monda!

2010-03-15T11:11:00.004+01:00

We have been living in Monda now since 2007 and ever since we moved in we have both wanted chickens but you know what it is like when you move house, cash is tight, problems arise that must be fixed, mortgage has to be paid, business has to continue and the list keeps getting larger! Chickens just had to wait so we could afford the cash to have the coop build along with their house and me being me I wanted a nice house, not some crappy expensive box you buy in the shop, so we had our friend, who is an expert carpenter, build the coop and the house.

The whole project has taken 2 weeks, however, this is not all day, every day, but they do take some planning. We have had a lot of rain during these weeks so we have also had many "rain days" which stops work outside.

Needless to say the result is perfect, just what we wanted and also great for me. I have Scoliosis, which is a curvature of the spine. I had surgery 21 years ago but I still have problems with my lumbar spine so bending down to get into a chicken coop was always going to present me with issues, this is the reason we needed a coop so large to accommodate the height I needed it to be so I didn´t have to bend down to enter the chicken's coop. The house itself was also bespokely designed by my friend, Mark Murray, who took into consideration my Scoliosis, which is why the back of the chicken house is easily accessible for me. There are 3 back panels which easily come out so I can reach inside to clean the house and collect eggs - ingenious!

We have no idea what to do with chickens but we are slowly learning, and as each day goes by we will learn more. We did little research into which chickens we should buy and what their requirements are, we are looking forward to learning from our mistakes (providing they are not bad ones!), the house is secure and safe, we know what we should not feed them and also what treats they like.

We believe our chickens to be Catalana Hens and a Booted Bantam, but we may be informed otherwise in the not too distant future by a Spanish neighbour! LOL

Join our Gardening Forum and discuss your chickens with us and offer any tips you might have

I will now explain what we did, step by step to achieve our work of art for a chicken coop :)

Chicken Coop Building and Carpentry

Step 1

Design Your Layout: Where is the house going to go, what materials it is going to be made from, how big do you require it, do you need to stand in it like me or would it be OK lower and how much this is going to cost, remember you have to allow for labour costs, either hour or day rates. We chose a piece of land next to our shed so we could butt the chicken coop up to one side of the shed. This was for 3 reasons, the main one being shelter for the chickens, less wood to buy as we could use the shed wall as part of the coop and the third reason was to use a piece of land that was never going to be garden and put it to some good use!

Step 2
Preparation: Prepare the land where your chicken coop is going to be built, you will need to do some digging at this stage and lay out where the wood is going to go. We decided to include an Olive tree inside the coop, for no other reason than to make it look nice, so we had to do some contemplating on how that was going to work. We also wanted to provide a sheltered area for the winter months and of course shade for the hot months too. We had some old corrugated roof laying around the land so that was a good way to recycle that.

Step 3
Framework: Dig holes for your framework posts to nestle in to and then build your framework and the door.

Step 4
Chick House Construction: The house was a surprise, our carpenter made the house at home and then brought it round here in sections. I was told to stay in the shed while he put all the sections together to complete the house. I have been so excited about the chicken coop for a long time that I burst into tears when I saw it, the house is exactly as we wanted it and how I had imagined it was going to look.

Step 5
Wood Staining: Ensure you have at least 3 pots of stain, we used pine but you can choose whatever you like. We did not stain the inside of the chicken house for fear of them not liking the smell and then not laying eggs! We used 2 pots of stain on the chicken house. I say 3 because we are also planning on staining the framework itself, especially the door ends (as per instruction from our carpenter).

Step 6
Chicken Wire: Now the framework is built and the roof is on the section that you wish to keep dry, get the chicken wire on the go and start making it rat and fox proof! Wrap the chicken wire around your wooden posts carefully, we used U nails for fixing the chicken wire to our posts - fiddly little buggers that they are!

Step 7

Buying Chickens: The real exciting bit comes now but be prepared for the experience in Spain as you get your chickens in a bag, all in together! Being an animal lover I hated that, I know it is OK and they were and are fine but I would have preferred them in a cat box so if I go again I will take my own with me.

What You Will Need
Wood
Chicken Wire
Wood Stain
Corrugated Iron
Bitchumen
U Nails
Nails
ScrewsStraw
Feeders for water and food
Latches and hinges

Wood
10 of 240x4.5x4.5
2 of Plywood
20 of 2.50x4.5
Total: €196.00

Wood Stain
3 Tins of Stain (Pine)
Total: €40.80

Chicken Wire
2 metres of chicken wire
Total: €37.50

Latches, Hinges, Screws €20 depending on what you choose of course

Chickens and Feeders
1 Booted Bantam
3 Catalana Hens
1 Feeder
1 Water Feeder
Chicken Food 40KG
Bail of shavings
Total: €83.50

Chickens also require perches for sleeping at night inside their houses so we used bits of wood that we have kicking around the land. We made one for their house and one for their coop as some fun for them. We are also planning on hanging CDs off this perch along with some balls for entertainment but we will share that when we have done it!

I have placed some images below of the chickens and other images I wanted to share

Booted Bantam - Gordon Ramsay

Booted Bantam - Gordon Ramsay again, close up of his colours

Catalana Hens - this is Nigella

Our beautiful chicken house, where they sleep at night

The chicken coop itself so they have a run also

I have a photo album on Facebook if you want to see further photos Chicken Coop Building

Biosphere Reserve - White Villages Andalucia

2010-01-26T19:15:00.000+01:00

The Sierra de las Nieves has been declared a "tourist destination" which includes the surrounding areas of:

Alozaina
Alozaina which means "small fortress", makes the boundary between the Malaga basin and the mountains. Rich in archaelogical remains, the area harmoniously combines its fields of olive trees, orchards and cereal crops with the majesty of the Sierra Prieta, whose peak stands at 1,525 metres high!

This mountain village, crammed with nooks and crannies of a markedly Muslim flavour, was the birthplace of Maria Sagredo, the local heroine who defended Alozaina, when the Moors attempted to capture it by hurling beehives at the locals, taking advantage of a moment when only its women, children and elderly were present.

The village, historically renowned as a healthy location, offers breathtaking views, good food, top-quality accommodation and a wealth of options for those in search of an active holiday.

Casarabonela
With its mixture of different cultures. Casarabonela is one of Malaga's best examples of a village that has managed to successfully combine its Muslim and Christian opast, largely conserving the original urban layout of the Arabic Casr-Bonaira.

Its steep, narrow streets are home to a myriad if blind alleys and rasied rooms under which the street itself passes. The thirsty traveller will appreciate the fountain and crystalline sorings to be found here.

Today, the village founded by the Romans as Castra Vinaria is a haven of peace and tranquility whose upper reaches afford views of an attractive carpet of fertile fields splashed with the brilliant white of the farmhouses. In Casarabonela, hills merge with streets, the river with the fountain, while in quiet corners, the echoes of fierce battles still ring aloud.

El Burgo
Surrounded by mountains crowned by evergreen oaks, Spanish fir and pine trees. El Burgo stands on a hilltop, defiant in the face of a history that has seen a wealth of different cultures jealously covet this strategic vantage point.

Home to family clans during the Copper Age, it was here that the Carthaganians later built what became known as Hannibal's Tower, while in Roman times it was a obligatory port of call for both men and merchandise alike before becoming the site of a border castle during the Arabic occupation.

The River Turon, which has its source in El Burgo and whose waters help cultivate the fields of olvie trees and cereals crops, flows through a privileged natural setting that the visitor will enjoy sampling along with the roch local cuisine and ancient traditions.

Guaro
The intense aroma of almond trees that bear pink and white blossom in spring signals to the traveller that he is approaching Guaro, an attractive village whose history dates from thhe Copper Age, testimony to its privileged location.

The coat of arms of the earldom of Guarom a mace held aloft by two arms, bears witness to the distinguished past of this locality, which was handed over to the catholic Monarchs following the capture of Coin in 1485. In 1614, it was awarded village status and designated the capital of an earldom of the same name by King Philip IV.

The waters of the River Grande, the symbol of the local economy, only serve to further embelish the picturesque natural setting that awaits the visitor to Guaro.

Istan
In Istan, the streets are dominated by the sound of water gushing out from among the stones, flowing in irrigation channels and sprining forth from fountains, before filling the reservoir that provides drinking water for the Costa del Sol.

Though the richness of the local terrain was already apparent as early as Roman Times, it was the arrival of the Muslims that ushered in the golden age of this village tucked away between the Sierra Real and Sierra Blanca ranges. Local raisins, wine and silk were exported to the whole of Europe, while the introduction of a major water channelling system still in use today turned the hillsides into orchards.

On the way to Istan, shortly after entering the Biosphere Reserve, the visitor will notice a sudden change in light. This is caused by a subtle blend of colours in which carob trees, pines and cork groves produce a series of shades of green that afre complemented by the clear, blue reflection of the Rio Verde reservoir. A spectacular slight to behold, and less than ten minutes from the village.

Monda
Halfway between the valley and the mountains, sheltered from the wind by a hill upon which Villeta Castle stands, Monda's immense beauty saw it officially declared a picturesque spot in 1971.

In this village of landscapes and legends, whose other official accolades include Historic Location and Place of Cultural Interest Status, valuable traces of ancient inhabitants, including an Iberian settlement, still abound.

Monda is also home to the most interesting remains of a Roman and Medieval road to be found in the whole of the Sierra de la Nieves region. This is situated some 700 metres from the village itself, on the road to Coin, and compromises three areas: the original Roman construction, a section repaired during Medieval times and a third, more recent stretch that features a series of low steps to accommodate carriages.

Ojen
Between the ranges of the Sierra Blanca and the Sierra Alpujata, in an area of great hydraulic riches, stands Ojen, a picturesque location flanked by mountauinsand sea, a village with a strong Andalusian flavour evident in the layout of its streets, its popular architecture and its abundant flowers.

Though Ojen´s numerous caves were home to settlers as long ago as Neolithic times, it was not until the X century that Islamic chronicles refer to a village whose castle, now destroyed, frequently changed hands in the wake of a series of uprisings, rebellions and conquests. It was subsequently repopulated by Old Christians from the Guadalquivir Valley.

As Ojen enjoys the advantages afforded by its proximityto both the cosmopolitan coast and the rural interior, it ofefrs a myriad of options to the visitor.

Tolox
At the heart of the Sierra de las Nieves stands Tolox, an area of picturesque contrasts with its whitewashed houses and red mountains and home to the famous Torrecilla peak and GESM pothole.

Its origins date back to the Neolithic period, as witnessed by La Tinaja, the cave in which remains of decorated ceramic vessels were found. The village's turbulent history is evident in the few surviving traces of its heritage. Just a few references in street names enable us to reconstruct the layout of what was once the castle, the scene of Moorish rebellions and bloody conflicts between Christians and Muslims.

Yunquera
Home to the largest pine grove in the world, Yunquera owes its name to the large quantities of reeds or juncos that once stood here, which in turn bears witness to the abundance of water in the village.

Possibly of Roman origin, though no traces of this period remain today, this area of great beauty was home to Christian settlers before the arrival of Berber troops in the VII century.

Of the castle-fortress that once dominated this mountain landscape, only the tower now remains, rising majestically above Yunquera itself and affording views of its breathtaking natural setting.

Sierra de la Nieves - Biosphere Reserve

2010-01-24T19:17:00.001+01:00

The Sierra de la Nieves is surrounded by a belt of nine villages, all of which are bound by common characteristics and history that have served to create a region with a strong local identity within the province of Malaga.

Situated in strategic locations, much of their charm is derived from the architecture of their old village centres, which is based on the Arabic model. The visitor can best appreciate the villages by losing himself in their winding, maze like streets and admiring their whitewashed houses. The arrival of the Christians saw the introduction of large squares and straight streets. As a result, in addition to fountains and plants, these mountain villages still retain the typical low walls built to level out the land and facilitate acess to houses built on slopes.

As far as fauna is concerned, the Sierra de las Nieves boasts a number of indigenous species of great importance, as well as being a key port of call on the migratory routes of many birds.

Numerically speaking, the invertebrates are the largest group to be found in one area. One such creature worthy of special mention by virtue of both its peculiarity and its heavy dependance on the Spanish fir for its survival is the small butterfly known as the Dioryctria.

Fish such as barbel, bogue, rainbow trout, carp and black bass will delight anglers in locations such as the River Verde reservoir in Istan, where they co-exist alongside amphibians such as the San Antonio frog, the running toad and the speckled newt.

A wilder, more exotic touch is provided by reptiles such as the freshwater tortoise, the snake and the snub-nosed viper, as well as Iberian birds of prey, notably the golden eagle, the tawny vulture, the goshawk, the sparrowhawk and the peregrine falcon, while bats are the most significant of the cave dwellers. However, standing proudly on the mountain peaks, pride of place among all of these species goes to the mountain goat.

The Biosphere Reserve

Locations rich in natural beauty, ecosystems to be found nowhere else in the world and the habitat of extremely rare animal species as the mountain goat. These were just a few of the reasons that led UNESCO to declare the Sierra de la Nieves Biosphere Reserve on the 15th June, 1995. Proof of the importance of UNESCO's MAB programme was provided by the award of the prestigious Prince of Asturias Harmony Prize in 2001.

This living showcase, a model of co-existence between man and nature, encompasses both the Natural Park itself and the surrounding area, a total of 93,930 hectares. It consists of the entire municipal area of the villages of Alozaina, Casarabonela, El Burgo, Guaro, Istan, Monda, Ojen, Parauta, Tolox, Yunquera and part of Ronda.

Its geological complexity means that the area is home to a number of sharply contrasting landscapes. So, on the one hand we have the white limestone rock of the Sierras Blancas, karstic formations, teeming with canyons, caves, galleries and potholes, and on the other, the red of the Sierra Bermejas. The former is home to two of the deepest potholes in Andalusia which are also among the largest in Europe: GESM and El Aire.

Apart from its unique geographical relief, the characteristic that best typifies this International Reserve is its rich flora. The combination of different climatic conditions that prevail here mean that it is home to a variety of species, ranging from sub-tropical examples such as the palmetto and the arbutus to forests or confiers. Spanish fir groves, mountain gall oaks and laburnums.

However, star billing, botanically speaking, in this mountain range (and, indeed, pride of place overall, along with the mountain goat) must go to the Spanishg fir. Its conical form and dark green colour make it unmistakable among the multitude of other species to be found in the region, which include a wide variety of pines, the yew tree, the holm oak, the cork oak and a number of roiver-bank species, not forgetting the mountain gall oak. Colour and beauty are provided by the flowers that grow in the mountains, such as the peony, the mountain rose, the foxglove, the orchid, the iris and the narcissus.

The Spanish Fir

The pinsapo, as it is known in Spanish, is a conifer belonging to the fir tree family whose origins date back to the end of the last glacier period and which is considered the oldest of all the indigenous Mediterranean firs. The Sierra de la Nieves is home to the largest concentration of this botanical treasure to be found anywhere in the world. This ancient tree, whose cross shaped branches were once carried as amulets during Corpus Christi processions, is notable for its characteristic pyramidal form, its greyish, slightly cracked bark and its smallm stiff leaves.

A number of curiosities surround this beautiful botanical species, whose varieties include the blue Spanish fir, so called in reference to the bluish hue of its leaves, and the candelabra variety. In fact, it is even thought that the masts of many of the vessels that made up the Spanish Armada weere built from this highly valued wood.

The Snow Sellers

In one profession could be said to have typified the Sierra de la Nieves for centuries, then it would be that of the snow seller. This arduous job began at the end of the winter, when teams of men would spend several days on the highest peaks gathering snow in panniers before taking it to pits, where it was pressed and compacted to form ice. The pits were then covered up until summer, when muleteers with their beasts of burden would transport the ice in large blocks to be sold.

The ice, which was used both to conserve food and medication and to make ice creams, was considered a luxury item and provided an important source of commercial and economic activity in the area. The visitor can still find restored ice pits in the villages of Yunquera and Tolox.

The Queen Of The Peaks

The most typical and representative of all the living species that inhabit the Sierra de la Nieves is without doubt the mountain goat, an animal that teetered on the brink of extinction in the mid XX century, when its numbers shrank to just 20, all of which inhabited the Ojen area.

It was for this reason that the species was granted official protection, the area being declared a National Hunting Reserve in order to facilitate the animal's recovery.

Today, the population comes to some 1,500 goats, the animal is the most prized and diifcult to attain of all Spain's big game prey, not to mention one of the rarest species in the whole world, not being found outside of Spain.

Such is the importance of the animal and the extent to which it is associated with this region that attractive metal statues of this impressive beast can be found both at Puerto Rico viewpoint in Ojen, the viewpoint in Refugio de Juanar and near the health spa in Tolox.

Centro de Iniciatives Turisticas
Malaga Province
Sierra de la Nieves

The Meander Guide

2010-01-17T21:13:00.000+01:00

This week I discovered a new magazine called "The Meander Guide" which is a magazine focused on Inland Andalucia and all the activities that are availble to you in and around Andalucia.

Personally, I think Andalucia has been waiting for a magazine such as this for a long time, for those who want to go off and join in activities outdoors, The Meander Guide suits these needs. Giving information on walks, hiking, wall climbing, quad biking, horse riding, golf, hotels, bars, restaurants, bird watching, painting, spa breaks and paintballing!

The magazine has some great hotels and restaurants advertising and some well thought out maps detailing activities that are available. They also include a good guide at the back for "What's On Where".

About The Meander Guide
Delivering a sharp, clerwrly focused view of the wide variety of activities and places of interest to be found in the stunningly beautiful inland areas of the Costa del Sol. This ranges from the gentle pursuits of painting and pottery to the more adventurous of climbing and hot air ballooning.

The Meander Guide wish to develop and meet the needs of their readers along with adding content which will enrich the experience of the visitor. The Meander Guide believe their magazine to be valuable to the residents of the coast and inland areas.

Ronda and the Rugged Landscape

2009-11-23T11:35:00.005+01:00

Many visitors to Spain have an image in their mind of rugged mountain landscapes, white villages and castles, agile bullfighters, gypsy flamenco music and dancing. This is Andalusia. Of course everyone has heard of Granada, Córdoba, Seville, or the Costa del Sol but the real Andalusia is to be found on the small inland towns and cities, Ronda for example.

Ronda is only an hour from the Costa del Sol, but is the largest of Andalusia's white villages, known locally as pueblo blancos. Not seeing Ronda would be like visiting Paris and not seeing the Palace at Versaille. A deep gorge known as El Tajo splits Ronda in two, the old Moorish quarter, and the new market town on either side.

Getting to Ronda is easy by car, bus or train, and has the great advantage that despite her population of nearly 50,000 souls the old quarter and centre of town is no more than a 15 minute walk from end to end. The view over the Tajo and Caldera is nothing short of spectacular, as are the old streets with white-washed homes and windows decorated with flowerpots and hanging baskets.

The El Tajo gorge splits Ronda in two, one one side lies the ancient Moorish quarter with its narrow streets and history dating back 8,000 years, whilst on the other side the new market town sprang up on the site of ancient oak forests less than 500 years ago. Sadly the oaks are long gone, but an effort to recreate the relaxing feel of a forest in the heart of the city has been recreated in Alameda park.

Straddling the Tajo is one of Spain's most photographed and iconic monuments, Ronda's Puente Nuevo, a bridge that stands nearly 100m tall, made entirely of rock quarried from the river bed below. The bridge was completed in the late 18th century, around the same time as the bullring, coincidentally by the same architect.

Ronda is almost universally known as the home of modern bullfighting, and Ronda's Plaza de Toros its spiritual home. In fact these days Ronda has only one bullfight per year during the Goyesca Feria held in September, the rest of the year the bullring is open to the public who have the chance to view it's impressive museum.

Resident's of Ronda will happily tell you the Plaza de Toros is the oldest, biggest, and most impressive of all the world's bullrings. In fact it isn't the oldest, though the rueda (the sandy area in the centre) is the world's largest, and the bullring truly is impressive. Even an objective opinion of architectural beauty can't deny Ronda's bullring is special. The entire building was completed in 1785, and is the ring is surrounded by 136 Tuscan stone columns supporting seating for 5,000 spectators.

Away from the bullring and the 'art' of bullfighting, Ronda is a city rich is cultural heritage, the city has been continuously occupied for over 8,000 years making Rondeños a tough breed of mountain folk with a long history. This richness of culture is evident not just in the music or the attitude of the people, but also in the architecture of other buildings which have undergone renovations with every cultural shift the city has experienced.

Visit Ronda's Santa Maria church for a beautiful yet bizarre mixture of architecture spanning the ages. Originally a temple to Diana in Roman times, and possibly an Iberian pagan temple before that, the building became a Christian church in the 5th century, before being destroyed t be replaced by a Mosque for Muslim invaders in 711AD, and then mostly destroyed again in 1485 to make way for a Christian cathedral. An earthquake in the 18th century destroyed the church again, and the current church is an unusually attractive blend of mosque, cathedral and parish church in moorish, renaissance baroque and gothic styles.

Ronda is blessed with several impressive museums, visit the Lara Museum on Calle Armiñan for an eclectic range of exhibits such as torture instruments, sewing machines, bullfighting outfits, clocks, wepons, and much more. Located nearby you'll also find the Bandit Museum with a comprehensive history in exhibits of the bandit years in ronda that started around the time of Napolean's invasion and didn't end till well in the middle of the 20rth century. The highlight however is the Municipal Museum in the Mondragon Palace, with exhibits from paleolithic times to the present including a large exhibit of Roman times in the Serranía.

A day trip into the Serranía will take you to some of the most spectacular and unique eco-systems in Europe, the mountains around Ronda, the Serranía de Ronda. The district has evidence of human habitation going back over 30,000 years with cave paintings at Pileta, dolmen burial chambers at Montecorto, and the ruined Roman city of Acinipo all located less than 10 minutes away from Ronda.

Aside from human endeavours, the Serranía de Ronda is as well known for the spectacular wildlife and flora to be found within her borders. Each spring and autumn the mountains are filled with wild flowers many of them quite unique and endemic to the valleys and mountains. Twenty six varieties of orchid have been discovered in the Grazalema, Alcornocales and Sierra de las Nieves natural parks. Many are only to be found in very small areas, perhaps only a single valley, and are now protected plants. The Serranía de Ronda is also known for being one of the last remaining sanctuaries of the Pinsapo, also known as the Spanish Fir.

Birdwatching is a pleasure and a joy in the Serranía, with the district being home to local birds as well as situated on the main path of Europe's migrating birds. Getting out and enjoying nature is very easy in the Serranía, almost everywhere is accessible on wonderful nature walks, though the Serranía is also a great place to cycle and keep fit whilst appreciating nature. The Serranía's many small villages are located on all of the main walking and cycling tracks, so lunch and refreshments are never far.

Gardening Pests and Diseases

2009-11-19T13:48:00.003+01:00

Aphids
Colonies of small round-bodied insects suck the sap from leaves and distort plant growth. They excrete a sticky honeydew on which sooty moulds grow, and can also spread viruses. Aphids, which are mostly wingless, may be black, green, pink, red, yellow or variously coloured.

Danger Period
Spring and early summer in the open, but any time of the year under glass or indoors.

Treatment
Outdoors or in a greenhouse, spray thoroughly with systemic insecticide such as heptenophos, or with non-systemic insecticides such as malathion, pirimicarb, fenitrothion or derris. Inside the house, use derris only. Encourage predators such as beetles, ladybirds (you can get from some garden centres), bluetits, hoverflies and praying mantis.

If I ever find a praying mantis on my terrace I pick him up and place on my roses or trees so he can eat all the baddies :)

Scale Insects
Particulalry troublesome on greenhouse and houseplants, but also ornamental shrubs, trees and fruit grown outside.

Recognition
Brown, yellow or white scales - flat or oval - mainly on the underside of leaves and clustered alongside the veins and on the stems

Danger Period
Late spring or early summer outdoors, but at any time of the year when under glass

Treatment
Spray with pirimiphos-methyl, heptenophos & permethrin, or malathion three times at twp-week intervals. Alternatively, gently remove scales by hand or with a soft toothbrush, or spray insecticidal soap.

If you have any bark breaking then you need to cut out the dead wood, remove loose bark to reveal a clean wound. Feed, mulch and water the tree properly and the wound should heal naturally.

Do not have irrigation pipes close to the roots, let the water run to the plant rather than right at it!

Do you have any spotting on the leaves of the tree?
Try watering during dry spells and muching the trees, this is common after a drought.

Fruit - Drop
If your fruit has dropped from your tree early then this would be a classic sign that pollinators are not in your garden, feed, mulch and water the tree. If you are experiencing fruit drop in cold seasons then this means poor pollination and nothing can be done until the following season.

Honey Fungus
This can affect most trees and shrubs. Common among rotting tree stumps, some herbaceous perennials and some bulbs.

Recognition
Toad stools at soil level at the base of the trunk. White fan-shaped growths of fungus occur beneath the bark of roots and at soil level. Black ´bootlace´threads on diseased roots spread infection.

Danger Period
Autumn

Treatment
Destroy dead or dying plants and as many roots as possible. Sterilise the soil with a phenolic compund such as Armillatox. The ´bootlaces´do not necessarily mean disaster. Many species of the fungus are not invasive.

Nitrogen Deficiency
All types, but most commonly fruit trees and vegetables.

Recognition
The young leaves turn pale yellow-green, and later develop yellow, red or purple tints. the plants are small, stunted and lack vigour.

Danger Period
Growing season

Treatment
Use nitrogenous fetiliser such as blood, fish and bone or sulphate of ammonia in spring. Improve soil structure and fertility generally. For a quick result, water with a liquid feed or apply a nitrogen-rich foliar feed. A temporary definciency can arise in cold weather, but it will disappear as the soil warms up.

If you have advice where you can purchase these fertilisers or treatments, please let us know so we can forward to our readers

Thanks

Wild Food - Foraging!

2009-10-27T16:44:00.004+01:00

Forgaing for food is becoming increasingly popular once more. We quite often walk down our track in the country and come back laden with bits we have found growing by the side of a field or Almonds that are just there for the taking on the trees.

Everything from Wild Garlic, mushrooms, nuts, oranges, blackberries, raspberries, edible weeds - there are tons of free food out there if you just get out of the house and go look :)

Autumn is the traditional time for harvest, when the efforts of months of hard graft finally pay off! In Spain you see the farmers out there in he field during the months of Autumn picking their food either for sale of for their families - home grown food is so much better than supermarket bought food.

However, these days we tend to rely on our food being cultivated in greenhouses whatever the season. In Spain we still only get fruit and vegetables that are in season, it is getting more common these days to see out of season fruit and vegetables - look at what the market is demanding!

Reconnecting with the old ways of hunter gathering, foraging is taking off once more. In Britain's and Spain's woods and fields, there's a bountiful harvest of vegetables and fruits to be had - all growing naturally without intervention from human hand or industrial fertiliser.

From wild garlic to berries and nuts, there are plenty of mouth watering ingredients to be had, whether you live in town or country you will be amazed at what you can find, all for free - well that is until the government catch on to this and ecide to tax it LOL!

You can also help the environment by forgaring, there's nothing shorter on food miles or more sustainable than fresh produce that's already growing indigenously in your neighbourhood. What's more, sourcing food from a country walk or perhaps beside your local canal is a lot more exciting that a trip to your local supermarket, healthier for the family and fun too.

Apart from all that you will start to notice seasons more as you watch your local areas transform from Winter/Autumn to Spring/Summer.

You can even try your hand at making chutneys and jams from the fruit you find and learn something new while you are at it :)

Wild mushrooms - puffballs friend in garlic butter with a bit of black better are divine! Wild garlic, nettles and elderflowers are common in the wild, you can make ice creams or codials with these ingredients.

Miles Irving has been foraging for years and now makes a living finding wild herbs and plants for top chefs keen to source unique ingredients that are fresh and local
from root to tip. Jamie Oliver is a former customer of his company - check him out online. Miles Irving Foraging

During times when families are on the look out to save money and do activities that do not break the bank, an afternoon of foraging is fun and educational for all the family. Teach your kids where REAL food comes from - not fast food joints like McDonalds or Burger King.

However, before you can go off foraging, it would be good to know what you are looking for, you don´t want to go out picking mushrooms if you don´t know what you are looking for as this could be potentially dangerous for all concerned - below I have listed some good books to buy. You just need to check that what you are picking is safe.

Miles Irving has a new gook out called "The Forager Handbook", a guide to Britain's edible plants, or Food for Free.

About The Forager Handbook

At any time, in any place, food is there for the taking - if only we knew how and where to look. Miles Irving makes his living out of foraging - in this unique, authentic guide, he reveals the how, why, what and where of this lost art, a way of life that is becoming increasingly popular as more and more of us pursue an eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle. This ground-breaking handbook tells you how to recognize the rich possibilities that surround us, whether in the city or countryside. From waste ground to woodland, from cliff top to coast land, plants flourish year in, year out. Spring is when wild garlic flourishes in shady woodlands; summer is the time for marsh samphire in the salt-marshes; autumn heralds an abundance of fruits and nuts; . Many of these plants - nettles, dandelions, fat hen, sorrel - grow so profusely they are considered a nuisance. Yet they offer fantastic food possibilities and are rich in nutrients. Assiduously researched, packed with information and enlivened with anecdotes and more than 330 photographs, "The Forager Handbook" is a milestone publication marking the way forward for the future of British food. And for each plant family, Miles gives ideas for using foraged ingredients in the kitchen. With recipes from some of the most exciting chefs working in Britain today, including Sam and Sam Clark, Mark Hix and Richard Corrigan, and coverage of techniques like drying, pickling and making cordials, this book will take readers on a voyage of discovery. Foraging was something our ancestors did instinctively - this book truly connects us with our past and our future. Discover a secret world of edible possibilities - all freely available.

A classic foraging book by Richard Mabey titled "Food for Free" which is still in print some 30 years after it was first published.

About Food for Free

Fans of Food for Free will be delighted at this new format -- ideal for carrying in a rucksack. Over 100 edible plants are featured together with recipes and other interesting culinary information. With details on how to pick, when to pick and regulations on picking. This new format of a best-selling title provides a portable guide for all those who enjoy what the countryside has to offer. Over 100 plants are listed, fully illustrated and described, together with recipes and other fascinating information about their use throughout the ages. The recipes are listed so that you can plan your foray with a feast in mind. This is the ideal book for both nature-lovers and cooks. Particularly with today's emphasis on the freshest and most natural of foods. There is also practical advice on how to pick plus the countryside laws and regulations on picking wild plants.

If you are looking for a more hands on experience then you can have an unforgettable day out with the Forage Rangers, Xa Milne and Fiona Houston. Their mission is to help people have fun outdoors hunting for wild foods anywhere plants can grow, from city parks, to country waysides and the seashore, and, as importantly, show you how to turn this wild food into delicious dishes and drinks.

They are the authors of the highly acclaimed Seaweed and Eat It - this is a family foraging journal and cooking adventure for all the family.

About Seaweed And Eat It

This is the foodie's answer to "The Dangerous Book for Boys", and a nostalgic journey of rediscovery for the whole family. Part cookbook, part natural history guide, with tasty recipes, fascinating folklore and inspiring ideas for seasonal feasts, "Seaweed" leads the reader through the process of identifying, learning about and cooking unusual and wild native foods. From discovering edible wild plants and flowers, to creating delicious seasonal feasts, "Seaweed" puts the fun into foraging and injects a sense of adventure into preparing dinner. For anyone interested in the origins of their food - or who's shocked by the price of elderflower cordial - this inspirational cookbook will ensure mealtimes are never dull.

Protocol for Foraging
Do not overpick, pick small amounts to preserve the plant
Pick locally from common land
Do not pick from same areas all the time, to lessen your impact
Do not pick from protected areas such as wildlife reserves, sites of SSSI
Private land would require permission
Do not eat or pick it if you cannot clearly identify the food source
Take seeds and try growing in your own garden
Choose a foraging area and familiarise yourself with as much as you can
No Trespassing!
Do not pick endangered or protected species (local library can provide regulations)

Getting Started with Foraging
Start by picking the easy stuff like dandelions and nettles. Collect some rosehips and make syrup which can be used to put in ice cream

Gardening UK, Moving & House Clearance

2009-10-15T19:35:00.005+02:00

Hi its Gill

Sorry I didn´t get time to do a blog last week, there is too much to do with the moving, let alone blogs.I am moving house as you know if you follow me already, but this is the most stressful move I have ever done. When you are widowed you feel so alone and unable to cope, maybe its because I am now a pensioner. I hate saying that because I am so young in my head it just doesn´t seem right! The trouble is that I need to get back to Four Marks because my daughter is having my second grandchild next spring and I had wanted to be living nearer her.

I could afford a flat but would die without a garden!!! I am about £30,000 short for a small house. I have looked in neighbouring Alton but the ones I can afford are in such rough areas and yes I am may be being a snob but I don´t want to live there. I just don´t know what to do and would love some feedback from you all if possible.

The only alternative I can see is to buy on a pensioners mobile home estate. The houses are lovely but everyone has white hair and I dont feel ready to retire to a place like that. I had thought that maybe I could buy a small piece of land in Four Marks for £100,000 and put a wooden mobile home on it. Unfortunately all the builders gobble up any land available!!!!!

The garden is still a nightmare of a mess but I do intend to get it straight for the new people, they have 3 children and they will be wanting to play out there.

I did go out with Irene and Wendy on Wednesday to a garden centre, I would have gone insane if I hadnt got out of the house. We went to Secretts in Godalming. This is a nice place to go because they have a good range of shrubs, flowers, bulbs, Christmas stuff, and nice food. The only bad thing I have to say about them is that their bedding pansies and violas were £3.49 for 6 and they are £2.99 in most places.

On the way home we went into Hilliers in Liss because I wanted a bag of grit for my cacti. They didnt have their Christmas stuff out which was a shame because we cannot resist buying decorations. The tables holding the flowers outside looked absolutely lovely, a miriad of colours everywhere you looked, very nicely presented.

Well all I can say with the gardening is to make the most of this lovely weather and carry on clearing away all the spent plants and generally tidying up.

I will do my best to do a blog next week but know you will forgive me if I don´t get time. Take care all, happy gardening. Luv Gill xx

Autumn Gardening

2009-10-01T15:10:00.003+02:00

Hello all, Gill here,

There is so much to do in the garden in the autumn, it makes you wonder where we all find the time. At this time of the year the main thing is clearing up and pulling up. If like me you like your plants growing naturally anywhere, when you pull, shake, there may be some seeds still left in the heads.

Love them or hate them, you cannot fail to notice the striking colours of the dahlias. They come into their own at this time of year, in my opinion there is nothing to rival them. They come in every height from 6inches to a about 5foot, the flowers heads are from a teaspoon size to a dinner plate and there are some with zillions of petals and some with single petals so I find it hard for someone to say that they hate all dahlias!

Most people don´t think of autumn as being a busy time for planting but it can be for both flowers, fruit and vegetables. Plant all you currants now, black red and white and raspberries oooo yummy, gooseberries yuk and the like, all cane type plants.

Also your herbaceous perenials, cottage flowers such as echinacea should go in now.
I have already mentioned fruit trees in a previous blog, you can still plant those for a couple of months, but preferably September and October.

Broad beans are best planted now because they are less prone to black fly than when planted in the spring.

Get down to the garden centre now if you want shrubs and get digging!!!! I think they take better in the autumn than spring, they certainly get a head start next year being planted now, such as euonymous, berberis, choisya and hebe. Most garden centres do these at very reasonable prices in bulk. I think in Avenue nurseries, Lasham they have 6 small shrubs for £8, thats fantastic. They are small but dont take long to grow. Get two sets, one thats all green plants and one reds and yellows, when they grow all mixed up together they can look stunning at this time of the year.

These can be put in tubs or hanging baskets with winter cyclamen and pansies, an ivy and heather, don´t forget to pop in some spring bulbs so that when the pansies are dying off, up come these little surprises of bulbs to make you smile :).

I have noticed that the birds are eating a lot more suet balls, so please don´t forget them, they are such lovely creatures, they brighten up my day, I can´t imagine a world without birds.

I am rushed off my feet at the moment packing boxes to move. I cannot believe I have got so much rubbish!!! Car boot here I come.

Make the most of this lovely autumn sunshine and get cracking in the garden instead of reading this lol.

Catch you all next week when I get time, take care all, Gill x

Gardening: Holiday, Moving & Planting

2009-09-21T15:07:00.007+02:00

Hiya peeps, its Gill,

Got back a week ago from my hols staying with my brother in France not too far from the Pyrenees. Glorious weather, between 26 and 30 deg every day. My brother Peter grows all his own veg and some fruit for the year too. I was told to eat as many strawberries and raspberries as I wish from the garden. Needless to say I didn´t have to be told twice lol! The raspberries (my favourite fruit) were delicious. It reminded me of my first taste of this wonderful fruit. When I was about 7 or 8 years old I had a friend on the army estate where I lived in Wolverley called Joyce McCluskey. Her back garden was about 5foot square at the most and it was just raspberries. We used to lay on our backs and crawl under these canes and just eat. What wonderful days. My Dad used to grow strawberries and I used to eat them green, I couldn´t wait for them to turn red. He often used to say what a poor crop he had, if only he had known! If he were alive now, I would own up.

Whilst in France we watched swallowtail butterflies, a beautiful creature that was plentiful in my youth but haven´t seen here for over 50 years. Also something I have never seen before a humming bird moth on a newly opened hibiscus, stunning! There were frogs croaking all day long, a flock of egrets came every day and settled near a little creek to catch the fish I guess, and we watched buzzards spiralling on thermals, as I do in England too.

My nephew 5 year old Jenson had been there for the summer holidays and had seen the chickens eating a mouse. He was most concerned and told my brother to get it because if he didn´t the mouses Mum and Dad would be sad if he didn´t come home. Isn´t that lovely? Oh and the other thing that I haven´t seen before was a big fat black bee on the runner beans absolutely fully laden with pollen he could hardly fly, I could watch that sort of thing for hours.

Well I have news, we have sold the house and will be going our separate ways soon, but there is so much to do in the garden to get it straight for the new family moving in. The biggest job is to move the chickens, my daughters friend Jenny is having them. They will have acres of bluebell woods to run around, a freer life than they get here. I did shed a little tear, I will miss Lucky most, but I will be able to go over and see them when I like she said.

It is definitely the start of autumn here so I will be cutting off all the tall plants. The tomatoes can be pulled although there is still time for a few more to plump up and redden. I pulled all the runner beans up yesterday and gave the whole plants, beans and all to the chickens. They stripped everything off and left just the main stems, they will eventually mulch down into the ground. All the leaves on the trees are starting to turn a golden yellow, absolutely stunning time of the year.

Now is the time of year to start looking at spring bulbs. There is an ernormous choice these days of colours and shapes. For me you cannot beat the every day daffodil, I am not one for the pink variety etc. The tulips are my favourites in the spring. Just check that the bulbs you buy are not even slightly mouldy, they won´t grow and they infect the others. I hate the thought of leaving my lovely English bluebells here but I´m not going to dig them up as I wont have a permanent house to go to and dont know when I will have. Most of the bluebells that you see other than the ones in the woods here in England now are Spanish. Goodness knows how that happened. I think one of the most beautiful sights in England is woodland with that glorious bluebell colour, a lilacy blue haze. My gladioli are still flowering, one of my Dad´s favourites, thats why I grow them.

Don´t forget like I said last time, if you need to regrass or have patches on the lawn that need seeding, do it this month or March only.

I have dug up and potted two of my acers and left 5 here that are too large to move without doing any damage. This week I will be potting up probably about 5 of my azaleas, one of them I brought from my last house and it survived, a vivid orange one. I have bought some ericaceous soil for that, oh and also two rhodedendrons. I must be boring you with all my things to do so I will close now and get some of them done.

Take care all, happy gardening, and will try and think of something to chat to you about next week. Luv from Gill

September Gardening Trimming

2009-09-07T15:06:00.003+02:00

What should you do in September?

This time of year you should be watching out for hungry caterpillars and removing them from your roses before they munch them all!

Hedges need their final trims.

Vegetable Garden

You still have time to sow salads and greens for the winter

Plant garlic and onion towards the end of the month

Keep the birds off your produce by using netting, at least until they have put down their roots

Make sure purple sproutin broccoli or brussels are earthed up and staked to prevent rocking

Remove leaves around winter squash and pumpkins so they can ripen in the sun

Place an old plate under pumpkins and squash so the dry evenly and don't rot

Celeriac and leeks need a liquid feed for the final growth spurt while the weather is still good

Cover tender crops such as lettuce, dwarf beans and other salad crops with polytunnels and cloches as the nights begin to get cooler

Flower Garden

Dead head as many plants will not produce more flowers late in the season, keep pretty seed heads on for autumn and winter to keep the insects happy

Try not to be too tidy! If you want to see more wildlife then a tidy-ish garden is the way to go

Plant bulbs between shrubs and herbaceous plants, and in natural drifts in the lawn, discard any mouldy or shrivelled bulbs

If you are lawn planting choose daffodils and crocus

Clip new hedge growth, such as yew and box for the last time this season, weed around the base of hedges, compost the weeds

Protect your tall plants from strong winds by staking them

Fruit trees should be planned now, the cheapest trees are bare-root plants sold to plant in late winter/early spring. Frost resistant varieties are Apple Falstaff

Seeds
Saving your seeds is an easy way to grow your seed collection. Easiest are poppy, nigella and beans. Leave your beans until they rattle in the pod, shake poppy and nigella seeds into airtight containers. Store in a cool dry place for next time

What Bulbs should I plant now?
Dutch Iris
Parrot Tulips
Alliums
Crocus
Daffodils
Hyacinths

My favourites are Daffodils and Hyacinths, I have Hyacinths in various colours growing in pots - just gorgeous!

Chickens Learning About Nature

2009-09-07T09:57:00.005+02:00

Hello everyone, its Gill,

I hope you have all been enjoying your gardens in the last week. Mine looks like a disaster zone at the moment, we let the chickens out of their run yesterday and they created mayhem!!! I will be tidying up today so no problems. My lovely chickens are going to a new home in the next 8 weeks. We sold our house on Saturday and as neither of us can have them at our new abodes they have to move on. Luckily my daughter Michelle has a friend with acres of land and she is kindly taking them on. I have already shed a tear, you grow so close to them, they all have different characters, and are more intelligent than people think, although being thick at the same time, if you understand what I mean lol!!! I will miss 'Lucky' my bantam more than anything. When I was a small child we had chickens, mind you I grew to hate them because I fell in their run when I was about 3, I can actually remember it, and I thought they would eat me. Ridiculous but when you are small they must seem huge. My two Aunties in Crawley had them, Auntie Dorothy and Auntie Bess. I loved going over to Auntie Bess' she had 8 children and it always seemed that there wasn't a second without noise everywhere, I absolutely loved it there. We used to chase after the chickens, naughty us, but we were young then. There was always a huge plate of chicken for dinner. Of course my favourite part as always was collecting the eggs.

One of the reasons for me getting the chickens was because I was opening up a bag of compost that I had folded the top down on after using it before, and out came a spider. I am scared of spiders, I mean really scared. This was a black widow, I froze on the spot, then stood up and went to my brother and sister in law who were staying with me at the time, and told them. My brother did what all brothers do, laugh, but my sister in law said, "Look at her face she's serious". We went back to the bag and of course it had gone. I got straight on to the net and found that it was a false black widow. All I remember was that its body looked like a shiny black marble, perfectly round. They are prevalent in the south of England and have been here for about 35 years, apparently the first one coming over in someone's suitcase after holidaying. (how they know that I will never know). Hence the chickens, nothing grows or lives anywhere near them lol. Yesterday when I was in the garden with them, I heard a little scream and found 'pepper' pecking at a little frog. Poor little thing, I saved it, I didnt know they could scream.

Obviously the main reason for people loving gardening comes from their parents, but also what we used to call the 'nature table' that we had as infants. Most schools unfortunately don't have them now. Also nature walks, I loved going on those learning the names of all the plants in the area. They apparently can't do these now because of 'health and safety' what absolute RUBBISH. Never did us any harm, in fact it started off the seeds in our brains for the love of all things to do with nature.

I cannot tell you how much I love to see old gnarled trees, and I am certain that came from my infant teacher, I know I learned the names of them from her. I can remember a marshy place not far from our school absolutely full of oxlips. I have some now in my rockery, I bought them from the garden centre, I wouldn't dream of digging them up from the wild.

I have the predicament at the moment of which plants to take with me, and which to leave. At least it will be the right time of the year to dig up small trees and bulbs (my lilies and gladioli) mainly. I am hoping that my friend Wendy will take all of them to stand in her garden until I make up my mind what to do next. I hope that my son and his wife sell their house soon then I could have a wooden chalet in the garden of their new house. Luckily I have several places I can go until we all get sorted. My plants are my main priority right now.

If you have patches in your grass, March and September are the best months to seed your lawn.

Okay folks thats it for this week. I won't be doing a blog next week, sorry. I am going to France tomorrow to visit my brother who now lives there, for a week. Hope you have good weather and get all the tidying up jobs done in the garden. Take care,

Gill

Kolkwitzia Gazanias,UK Garden Centres

2009-08-25T15:57:00.005+02:00

Hello everyone its Gill, hope you are having a good week,

I am a little early this week due to the fact that I am going caravaning this weekend to Worcestershire and visiting a village that I lived in as a little girl - Wolverley, a pretty pretty lovely village. The main reason for my visit though is that I am meeting up with two of my cousins that I havent seen since I was about 12-14yrs old. They lived opposite my Nan and Grandad in Notting Hill. Ray the older one lives in North Wales and he and his wife are meeting us in Shrewsbury.

Ray's sister Sue who lives in Jersey is flying over to meet me too, I am so excited. I don't have any contact with my Dad's family since he and Mum have passed on so this is wonderful. Ray and I met on Friends Reunited. We have found a campsite for adults only (wonderful, kids stay up till all hours these days and when you are in a caravan you hear every bit of noise) on a farm in the middle of the countryside. The pics look lovely, hills all around.

Anyway this is a gardening blog, not a Gill blog you would never know hehehe!!!

If you want a recommendation for a pretty bush, buy a kolkwitzia. Alan Tichmarsh said on one of his programmes that every garden should have one. At the time I couldnt afford one so bided my time. They were about £11 for a plant about 1ft tall.

I saw one in Keydells, Horndean at exactly that price and got it with a gardening voucher that my lovely friends buy me for Christmas and birthdays. That was about 3 years ago and you wouldn't believe how much it has grown in that time. I would guess that it is about 6ft across and 5 or 6ft tall. It has smallish pink flowers with an orange throat, an unusual combination of colours but it works. Another plant that he said is a must is a verbena bonariensis, a tall gangly purple flowered plant. These are usually about £5.99 in garden centres but don't buy one. If you spend less than half of that on a packet of seeds you will end up with thousands of them, they are so easy to grow. They are perrenials too, and usually flower the first year. I have had them in several gardens now. They do grow very tall, about 5-6ft so place them carefully. They are spindly so you look beyond them to other flowers beyond. Oh also they self seed everywhere and I do mean everywhere so actually you really need to only grow the one seed. The following year there are trillions of them, plenty to spread around friends and neighbours! They look good cut and placed with other flowers.

I have dead headed my buddleias this week, hopefully they will flower a second time round this year, I have done this for the insects, mainly the bees.

The runners are coming in thick and fast now, yummy!!!! I have picked that cucumber and several tomatoes. Do you remember I was having problems with the toms going black at the bottom before they had chance to ripen, well my neighbour says that is due to irregular watering. Yes he is right or was, I am watering every other night in the greenhouse now and it seems to have stopped, fingers crossed. For me the very best flavoured tomato I have ever grown is a yellow cherry one. (They never get to the table because I cant resist them when I am in the greenhouse), don't tell anyone ;)

I went to Hayling Island on Sunday last with my grandson, James, he is 7. The sun was great because there was a lovely breeze too. We only stayed there for four hours but that hasn't stopped me looking like a beetroot the next day, must have been hotter than I thought hehe. Whilst there I saw 5 buzzards spiralling up on a thermal, what a magnificent sight! It was even more special to share this with my grandson and explain to him what they were doing.

All the butterflies seem to have left us other than the cabbage whites, I wonder where they go? Spain if they have any sense.

The dahlias are starting to look good, you can't beat them can you at the end of summer right through to the middle of autumn? My gazanias are still magnificent, absolutely vivid colours, I will definitely buy these again next year. These were bought from Brambridge garden centre, they were the best value that I saw this year.

If you live in Hampshire and have never been to this garden centre, then go. I can highly recommend it for the plants and the quality of their food. I haven't been for a few months but when I go and see any bargains I will let you know. Tomorrow my friends and I are going to Forest Lodge, then after we have eaten there we will go on to Country Market 5 minutes away. Here you can buy vegetables that they grow themselves on the farm and also pick your own.

Anyway you must be getting fed up with me rambling on. Have a lovely August Bank Holiday because I will. Happy weeding hehe! Gill x

Planting Autumn Bulbs

2009-08-25T14:17:00.004+02:00

After a long cold dark winter, the appearance of the first blooms of spring are like an elixir of rejuvenation, awakening spirits weary from the wintertime chill. From tiny delicate snowdrops and bluebells, to swathes of daffodils and tulips, thick sweeping brush stokes of yellow, red, orange, these are the vanguard, the first flowers ahead of the profusion of glorious blooms that follow from late spring through summer.

Right now, spring may seem like a very long way away, but its during the preceding autumn when you should be planting bulbs if you want a floral spectacular next spring.

In the Garden
Spring flowering bulbs can brighten the most dismal of spots in the garden, though you will need to consider that the light requirements of the plant are correct for the location. Also when planning your planting, think in terms of blocks of colour and sweeps of flowers, this will look spectacular in springtime. Think too about how colours work together, and complement each other. Some basic understanding of colour theory will help you immensely with understanding how to use colour to its best effect.

You will also need to make sure that you know how to plant correctly. An autumn planted bulb needs to be planted deeply, three times the depth of the bulb is a good guide. A tulip for example will need to be planted about 8" or 20cm deep. This ensures that the bulb is safe from hungry rodents, and has a good supply of moisture.

If you have a high clay soil, then add some grit and organic matter such as compost. If the bulb is going to remain put for more than a single season, then it is a good idea to add fertilizer when planting too, or simply use a specially formulated bulb compost such as Miracle-Gro Eco Sense Bulb Booster which has been specially formulated to nourish bulbs and encourage vigorous root growth.

Finally, water well, which will help the bulb to root before it gets too cold, but be careful not to over-water as this will cause rot.

In the Container
Bulbs in containers are extremely versatile, they can be moved around and put in spots for a welcoming splash of colour. How wonderful for example, to come home after a long commute to planters full of glorious purple hyacinths or cheery yellow Narcissus framing the front door , a sight to lift away the stress of a hard day's work. All it takes is autumn planning and preparation. Fill the container with compost, and as for planting in the garden, a special purpose bulb compost is perfect as it contains all the specific nutrients for bulb growth.

Plant the bulbs to the correct depth and make sure they are not touching. Top off with a mulch and finally give the pot a good watering.

Planting suggestions to get you started

If you are confused about which bulbs to plant, here are some suggestions:

Narcissus (Daffodil), Tulipa (Tulips), Muscari (Grape Hyacinth), Hyacinthoides (Bluebell), Galanthus (Snowdrop), Crocus.

Gardening in England & Fruit

2009-08-21T18:55:00.004+02:00

Hi all its Gill,

Hope you are all well. I can't believe another week has gone by already!

At this time of the year there is so much to do, especially dead heading if you want a succession of flowers through to the autumn. Also (my favourite thing) gathering seeds ready to scatter next year. I always think I am getting something for nothing hehe.

We had our first pickings of runner beans tonight for dinner and they were succulent. I said before that I would tell you the outcome of my `trials` as to white or orange flowered runners. So far the orange ones have far more beans on them.

This year looks to be a bumper year for fruit (I bet that doesn't reflect on the shop prices though). My neighbour has several apple, and pear trees and one damson. They are heavily laden which is nice because they allow me to go in and pick what I like.

I pick up the windfalls and chop them up for my chickens, they love them. I have a tiny victoria plum whose boughs are almost touching the ground from the weight of the fruit. There are also loads and loads of hazelnuts this year - one of my favourites. If you buy from local farms the fruit seems to be a lot cheaper than Tescos, but then again that's not surprising!

Don't tell me that you don't have enough room to grow your own runners because unless you are in a flat, you do. Mine this year are in three tubs with canes making them into a wigwam shape on the patio. Actually my friend Irene has a small balcony with her flat and it is absolutely full. There are herbs, trailing tomatoes and strawberries in baskets, and loads of flowers too. She has feeders everywhere for the birds, and she seems to get more variety of them than I do.

Going back to fruit trees, yes they can be expensive but last year Wilkinsons was selling plum, peach, cherry, apple and pear for £5 each and they were about 6 foot tall. Whether they have them this year I don't know. Most garden centres sell them for around £25.00 each. Last year from one of the cheapy shops I bought a gooseberry plant for £1.25, that little plant had several gooseberries on it this year.

Seeds are expensive when you consider how many you get from one plant, so why not go along to Campo girls seed swap site, great idea and free. I always ask for seeds for Xmas but never specify which ones, that way you get lots of little surprises. I give lots at Xmas too especially for the men, because I find them hard to buy for.

One of my favourite stories I am going to share with you. My Dad bless him passed away at a youngish age 27 years ago. When he was 3 years old and lived in Notting Hill back in 1922 he had several brothers and sisters so they were not what you would call affluent hehe, the opposite actually. My Nan always put the rent money on the side every week waiting for the man to collect it. One day he came and it was gone! Everybody looked frantically for it but to no avail. I dont know if my Dad was looking guilty but they asked him if he had taken it for ages, then bribing him with a freshly ironed shirt. He took them to the front garden where he unburied it and placed it in Nans hand. Asked why he had done that he said that he was growing a money tree!!!!!! How lovely is that, awwww.

I will love you and leave you with that, happy gardening. Gill x

A bit of this and that

2009-08-12T20:00:00.007+02:00

Hi everyone, it's Gill,

I hope you have all had a lovely week. Last week and this believe it or not I haven't been to a garden centre - that has to be a record for me! I know that if I go, I will be tempted to buy plants that simply won't fit in the garden, there is no space left. There is so much to do in the garden at the moment, mainly weeding, the dreaded weeding is always there. However many you pull out, they still appear to be there the next day. I have stinging nettles and blackberry to pull up, at least with all the damp we have had it shouldn't be too hard (thats if I get round to it) hehe!!

If you haven't done it already, you should be planting up your strawberry runners ready for next years crop. We have a water barrel with holes drilled in the sides with some of our strawberries growing in, and a few in a small beds in front of the greenhouse.

My first cucumber is about 10 inches now, maybe it will be eaten by the time I do the next blog. I was given a few tomato plants by a friend that she had grown, they are large plum shaped ones. There are loads of fruit but so far when they have swollen the bottom of the fruit has rotted, does anyone know why please? My runnerbeans seem to be really plentiful this year. I have experimented with the common one with orange flowers and a white flowered one to see if there is any difference with yields. If there is I will let you know.

My buddleias continue to be the centre of attraction for the areas butterflies, I could watch them all day! These lovely shrubs are supposed to attract bees too but I haven't seen one on them yet, very very scary. If you dont like buddleias, I think you should try and put one in a corner because they do bring in all sorts of insects. I know they have a straggly persuasion, but they can be trimmed virtually to any shape you like. Also if you want to cover up an ugly bare corner, mine have grown about 10 feet in three years.

In today's Daily Mail they were saying that we should all be putting a sugar solution out to attract bees, 2 parts sugar to 1 part water, then place between the flowers. I will do this tomorrow and maybe you could all have a go too.

Don't forget to ask your neighbours to water for you should you go on holiday or for a weekend away, it's surprising how quickly they dry out, especially the greenhouse.
Still not getting many eggs from the girls, they had better sharpen up or they will end up on my table. I wonder if it is anything to do with the weather, the lack of eggs I mean. Maybe one or two of you might keep chickens and could give me the answer. We have 10 chickens and 2 cockerels and are getting 3 or 4 eggs a day, we were getting that through the winter. One day about 6 or 8 weeks ago we had 8, I nearly dropped them when I counted them!!!!

Okay all that's it for now, do take care and of course happy gardening. Bye for now, Gill

butterflies this year

2009-08-06T15:47:00.006+02:00

Hi all its Gill,

Aren't you just sick and tired of this weather? Day after day of miserable damp and its warm which is awful!!!! The only bright news in all this is that I have more butterflies than I have had before since moving here over 3 years ago. On television last week they were saying that there is a shortage of peacock and red admiral butterflies this year. THEY ARE ALL IN MY GARDEN. What a wonderful sight, I have loved butterflies ever since learning about them in junior school. This year I have four buddleias and a huge hydrangea in flower in the front garden and they are smothered with these adorable creatures. Piccies to follow.

Last year we all heard of the plight of bees, scary but I saw about the same amount as usual and didnt think much more of it. This year however I have noticed that there are very few about. Its a very worrying situation.

My girls are laying less this summer and I am wondering if they are fair weather layers lol. From the 10 chickens I seem to average about 4 a day, lazy beasties!!!! I think they are spoilt too much and dont realise that they are here to lay eggs for me. In fact I am just about to collect the eggs, lets see how many there are.

That's it they are for the pot, 3 measly eggs.

Whilst I was outside I looked at the lavender, I have about 10 shrubs, and there were 2 bees on them, that used to be buzzing. That reminds me of the time I went round to my friend Lornas in Winnersh, Reading. She has a huge lavender hedge all the way from the road to her front door, probably about 70 foot, and ~I am not lying about this, she stands and strokes the backs of the bumble bees as they forage in the flowers. But then she is a special person. I have also seen her stand in her back garden, put her hand out and a robin flew to her and sat in her hand. He also used to tap on the lounge window, she would open the window and crumble up a digestive for him. One day whilst watching this, a little field mouse climbed up her cotoneaster and sat with the robin eating it together. I wish I had whatever she has.

To tell you the truth I havent dont any gardening this week, maybe a bit of dead heading but thats all. My runner beans are covered in flowers, and I have quite a few plum tomatoes in the greenhouse, but they arent anywhere near ready. I have a few cucumbers in there too, about 5 inches is my largest so they have a way to go yet.

That's it for now all, got to water the greenhouse. Take care and enjoy your gardens, Gill

Growing from Seed

2009-07-27T12:26:00.003+02:00

Hi all, its Gill,

Many many years ago I remember walking past a garden and being gob smacked by a plant that I saw. I hadn't a clue what it was and have never seen one since until I opened my Thompson and Morgan catalogue last year and saw the seeds for sale. It was a melianthus, a honey bush.

Has anyone out there got one? It grows to about 6foot I think, and has huge fronds of brown and gold. I eagerly planted all the seeds in one pot and covered them in vermiculite and placed them in my greenhouse earlier this year. Eventually one plant emerged, then two and now I have four. They are about 8 inches tall so I guess no more will come through. They were all planted in the same pot, in the same conditions etc so I am a little disappointed that only 4 have come through.I must admit that I have bought loads of seeds from Thompson and Morgan and I think I have yet to get a full packet of seeds to grow!!!

I nevertheless go back to them because of their enormous variety of seeds that I dont see anywhere else. Last year I bought two packets of banana seeds and unfortunately not one seed grew. I have grown bananas in the past with no effort, such a shame I was looking forward to seeing them.

A couple of years or three ago I bought loads of lilies from T&Morgan, and I can highly recommend you to do so too. I open my back door and there is a heady aroma coming from my lilies, a spectacle to behold, they are stunning plants and the flowers are all much larger than my hand. I have taken some piccies and when I work out how to get them on here I will show you. Dont forget that if you buy lily bulbs to always plant them on their side on sand, then cover over in soil.

I have to tell you a story about my grandson James who was 4 at the time, but is now 7. We had just put down an indian sand stone path up the back garden. The slabs had fossils of ferns and trees etc on them. James walked up the path and on seeing a fossil for the first time, said "Look you have tattoos on your path". Isnt that wonderful!

I quite like gardens that are regimental but that's not for me, my garden just happens!!! I have tall flowers at the front of a border whilst the little ones at the back are struggling to survive. If a plant self seeds, then that is where it stays. My path that I mentioned earlier is smothered in thousands of foxgloves, poppies etc etc, I can hardly walk up it haha. Next year we wont be able to at all and will have to walk on the grass, defeting the object of having a path really! I have nowhere to replant these seedlings and I wont pull them up. My neighbour has had as many as he can take too. Nevertheless I can guarantee that a few packet of seeds will take my eye next spring, I will plant them and if they grow I will have the same dilemma I have every year - where to put them haha!!!

Gardening, Spain and England

2009-07-21T17:29:00.006+02:00

Hello fellow gardeners its Gill again,

I was in Spain last week staying with my son and daughter in law. Phew it was hot!!! They have my favourite tree in their garden, a jacaranda, wish I could grow them here. The highlight of my week was going to a garden centre out there and seeing all the exotic things you can buy that you definitely dont see here in Hampshire. They bought a mango tree that had 6 fruits on before we forced it into the car along with several other plants, and had one fruit by the time it got home! Also they bought a paw paw tree for €5.75 what an absolute bargain, thats what the mango cost too, and guess what else, something I thought I would never see, my favourite nut, a macadamia tree also that price. By the next day they werent looking too happy being planted out in all that heat but I have my fingers crossed for their survival. It was a wonderful experience going there.

What a shock to come home to half of that temperature at Gatwick and rain. When I drew up into the drive though, my hydrangea had bloomed whilst I was away. I have a piccy for you, but dont know how to get it onto here, something else I have to learn hehehe! All this technology is fairly new to me, I take a long time to learn.

As soon as I dumped my luggage my first port of call was my girls (chickens), then the greenhouse. Woohoo I have some baby tomatoes, thank goodness for my neighbours watering and looking after for me.

Yesterday I went to Frensham garden centre. I like that place, they make the most delicious shortbreads for only £1 for a huge one. Their plants are healthy and the prices are similar to most centres. There is so much to see there its well worth a visit. They have a good range of acers my second favourite trees (I think I have about 8 in my garden).

I go to a garden centre every Wednesday with two friends of mine, and we always eat out there too, there must be about 18 that we go to regularly. If any have any bargains I will let you know of them although I know that most of you are in Spain. Hopefully we have some English readers too. Guess what, yes its raining again, thank goodness its summer else it would be worse!!!

Okay peeps Im going to love you and leave you, enjoy your gardens, catch you again soon, take care, Gill.

New Campo Girls Author

2009-07-16T17:24:00.005+02:00

Hi all,

Just thought I would introduce myself, my name is Gill and I am Campo Girls mother in law. I love plants and over the years have gathered a little knowledge about some of them, emphasis on little haha! I live in Hampshire on the eastern side and about half an hour from the coast. My garden is a typical size for a semi detached 1930s house, maybe slightly longer. I have a large patch for my chickens, a small greenhouse, a couple of lawns, loads of flowers and the rest looks like a bomb site. I would like to be one of those people who potter about outside every day, but unfortunately I border on lazy! I want my garden to be lovely with as little effort as possible. I adore flowers and trees but rarely pick them, they should be outside but am not aversed to someone giving me some from a shop, they have been grown for the purpose. Come to think of it, other than Mothers Day and my birthday, I never get any given to me now.

I am widowed and have been for over 15 years, my husband died young of cancer, and he would pick me meadow flowers sometimes, which of course these days I wouldnt encourage, as there arent enough meadows left. Every year he would stop his car when he saw the very first pussy willows and bring me a couple of sprays home, their lovely fluffy yellow heads always reminded me that spring was round the corner. Then when sticky buds were about to burst open, he never failed to bring me some home, something he also did for his Mum when he was a little boy.At Xmas he used to stop in a small lay-by just outside Four Marks where we lived to collect me a few teasles to spray gold and silver for the festive season. I have never picked any of these things since myself, then it makes it more magical that he did.

Okay folks, I have given you a very small insight of my love for flowers and hope to write to you all a lot more in the future. In fact next time I just have to tell you about my trip to a garden centre in Spain last week, the exotic things you can buy there that obviously wont grow at home. Take care all, see you soon, Gill.

Red Weevil Update

2009-06-08T14:13:00.005+02:00

We wrote about the Red Weevil in 2008 and we wanted to give a quick update along with details where you can contact the Junta to have your palm trees checked and looked after for the future

Red Weevil in Spanish Palm Trees

Unfortunately the Red Weevil is now very common locally with the main victim of palm tree being the Canary Date Palm (Phoenix Canariensis), the Red Weevil has now spread to other varieties of tree which includes the Fan Palm (Whashingtonia Robusta).

If you find an infestation of the Red Weevil it is generally too late to save the palm tree, infected palms must be quickly treated if you are to save your beloved tree.

Death is caused by the larvae which burrow into and feed on the soft leaf tissue of the terminal bud, the tree's growing point. In many cases the tree is often beyond help but you can act now and help protect the palm trees that you do have left.

There are rumours that in ten years there could be no palm trees left in Spain but with assistance from the Junta de Andalucia you can have your palm trees treated every month to help protect against this nasty little bug!

Top Palm Tree Tips
Do not cut or trim your palm tree
Only purchase new trees from a licensed garden centre or grower, insist on a passport for the trees which is passed by the Junta de Andalucia, Conserjería de Agricultura y Pesca.

Have you had any Red Weevils in your palm trees? Please share your photos and stories with us!

Gardening in Spain: The Fruit and Vegetables

2009-04-21T15:23:00.006+02:00

Well it has been a while since we managed to blog, sorry about that but life has been hectic with the web business and then we started another business selling portable power products including portable solar panels, our feet haven't touched the ground yet!

I decided I needed to take some time out of my busy schedule and tell you about the gardens of the campo girls just recently, I know I can speak on behalf of Gina also as she has been really busy planting and eating!

The last couple of weeks we have had a right good going over the garden, we have been organically weeding the vegetable area that we have allocated for growing fruits and vegetables, we have also learnt from our mistakes last year and have now organised it slightly better, a few things are still growing a little haphazardly but we are getting there.

Our vegetable patch now consists of:
Lettuce
Cabbage
Carrots
Broccoli
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Peppers
Leeks
Raspberries (red and yellow)
Blackberries
Melons
Kiwis
Onions
Nectarines
Garlic
Mint
Pears
Pomegranates

Organically weeding the vegetable patch is keeping the soil really nice, fortunately the area of garden we chose to grow the vegetables and fruit housed 2 horses for many years so the soil is basically all passed through horses - great for growing!

Due to the weeding by hand all the soil is being turned over regularly and also we have different plants that pop up and continue to grow, some we have never seen before so we always leave them to see what is going to happen.

We planted small mint plants near where the septic tank lives (next to the shed), the plan was to get this to cover a whole area so when you come up the drive you don't see the tank or smell the tank you see and smell mint instead, this plan has gone really well and the mint is having a great time, the plants have already grown really big and they are very healthy! Bring on the Mojitos this summer ;)

We also have lovely hanging baskets on the terrace by the front door, I love the whole feeling in Spain at this time of year, the smells from the garden are gorgeous and all the blooms are wonderful to look at, in my opinion, very calming!

Tornado hits Malaga!!!

2009-02-12T16:45:00.003+01:00

Yep you heard me right, there was a Tornado that hit Malaga on the 2nd February, 2009, what is happening to our weather? We had disasters across France and Northen Spain from the Hurricane, which killed numerous people and now a Tornado follows injuring 25!

Hurricane in Spain

We are a bit late blogging about this I have to be honest but I wanted to blog anyway as I was so shocked with all the strange weather we have been having, before we know it this blog will be about Spanish weather! LOL

The Tornado ripped through Malaga causing damage to property, trees and vehicles, the injured people were cut by flying glass from the 180 kilometres an hour winds!

The tornado also affected the area of Estepona where a circus tent and a number of trees were blown down by the winds, injuring 5 people.

The video below is taken from YouTube

The rain in Spain falls where?

2009-02-05T17:05:00.004+01:00

Well they say the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plains but it would seem that most of it fell into my garden today! LOL

The rain has not stopped yet today, no break in the clouds, nothing, we had some thunder earlier also, I am very worried about my vegetables that are growing in the garden, I expect they are drowning silently and slowly right now, fortunately our garden has a nice downhill slope from top to bottom so at least it is not pooling around the vegetables.

I don't think we can get out of our gate at the moment though, well not without wearing wellies anyway, I dread to think what the track looks like, we don't drive a 4x4, we have an Audi A6, which is 4 wheel drive but I still don't fancy our chances right now.

The pool is overflowing and adding to the situation, we have all the blinds down because the rain is lashing so much it is coming through!!!

I have lived in Spain for 10 years and never have I seen rain as bad as this, granted I have seen heavy rain and when it comes in Spain it certainly doesn't mess about, however, this has to be the worst, it certainly wasn't as bas as this last winter.

It was suggested to me that I get some bricks and form some kind of small wall as a defence for the vegetable plot but I have a better idea in the form of raised beds and after seeing this weather today, the next job on the list has to be raised beds, that is when the rain stops falling!

I wish Spanish houses would build their properties using damp coursing and insulation, it would make the houses a lot more economic and green when trying to heat them for the few months a year that we need to.

Anyone else living in a Finca and suffering from heavy rains today, is your house insulated or does it have damp coursing?

Spain and France in mourning after hurricane

2009-01-26T15:07:00.005+01:00

Spain and France were hit by the worst storm to hit since 1999. Winds were 172km/h. Trees were uprooted, roofs came down, rail services were disrupted and more than 1 million people without power!

100 mile an hour winds brought down a sports hall in Sant Boi de Llobregat, near Barcelona, 4 children were killed and 9 were injured, while they were sheltering during Saturday morning baseball practice.

A police officer was killed while directing traffic in Galicia, he was was killed by a falling tree, over in Barcelona a woman was crushed to death when a wall collapsed on her!

Many other people were killed by falling trees and flying debris from buildings, it is just horrific, we usually hear about this kind of thing happening across the pond, not in Spain and France!

The Basque country was heavily affected and had to be evacuated while the Alicante region also evacuated 14,000 people due to electricity cables that had come down, the Spanish were worried about a forest fire starting.

Record waves were recorded in Northen Spain, 70 feet high, flights were suspended across the region and all rail services suspended.

Spain's armed forces will now help restore all services to households. Spanish Ministry of Defence have announced that troops will help fire fighters contain the wild fire in the region of La Nucia, Alicante.

Campo Girls would like to send their best wishes to all families affected by the hurricane and wish you the best for the road to recovery.

Great Juicing Ideas

2009-01-22T19:42:00.006+01:00

Juices and blends have become extremely popular over the years and I for one have been juicing for a very long time, I realised that the price of oranges, lemons, grapefuits and many other fruits and vegetables were very easy to grow or fairly cheap to buy from the supermarket.

Juicing can fit very easily into a hectic lifestyle, enabling you to incorporate healthy habits into your everyday routines.

Benefits of Juicing
Nothing quite beats the taste of a blend made at home from fresh ingredients, despite the fact you can buy ready-made juices. The freshly made juices also contain more nutrients than those bought in a supermarket. If you do drink juice on a regular basis you will enjoy certain health benefits, clearer skin, better energy levels and balanced health. It is well known that antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables work most effectively when they are consumed together, juicing encourages precisely this!

The main advantages of juicing are:
Easy
Quick
Convenient
Rejuvenating
Healing
Revitalizing
Delicious

Vitamins and Minerals

Pink & Perky:
1 pink grapefruit
1 white grapefruit
2 ripe pears
ice cubes

Immune Zoom:
1 small mango
1 eating apple
2 passion fruit
juice of 1 orange
5ml/1 tsp echinachea
mineral water
ices cubes (optional)

Ginger juice:
1/2 small pineapple
25g/1oz fresh root ginger
1 carrot
ice cubes

Pomegranate plus:
2 pomegranates
4 fresh figs
15g/1/2oz fresh root ginger, peeled
10ml/2 tsp lime juice
Ice cubes and lime wedges, to serve

Tropical calm:
1 papaya
1/2 cantaloupe
90g/3 1/2oz white grapes

Strawberry soother:
1 peach or nectarine
225g/8 oz/2 cups strawberries

Minty melon cooler:
1 Galia or cantalopue melon
Several large mint sprigs
Juice of 2 large limes
Ice cubes
Extra mint sprigs and lime slices to serve

Apple juice:
10 apples
Ginger (optional)

Orange & carrot juice:
10 oranges
2 carrots
Ginger (optional)

Acapulco:
Pineapple
Passionfruit
Mango
Orange

Instant Energy:
Orange
Apple
Pear
Grapes

Pinky:
Strawberry
Apple

Fresquita:
Strawberry
Orange

Anti Stress:
Ginger
Lime
Orange
Apple

Piñanaranja:
Pineapple
Orange

Hawaiian:
Apple
Mango
Passionfruit
Ginger

Mente Sana:
Apple
Pear
Grape
Ginger

Summer Danger:
Raspberry
Pineapple
Pear

Green juice:
Celery
Lime
Cucumber
Orange

More juicing recipes coming next time, along with juicing and blending techniques

If you have any great juicing recipes or ideas, please share them with us!

Growing Fruit in Spain

2009-01-13T19:26:00.003+01:00

Come and join us on our gardening forum and chat with other members, share tips and ask for advice, we look forward to enjoying your garden with you.

Spains climate lends itself perfectly to cultivating and harvesting a wide range of fruit, with March and April representing the key times of the year for cultivating and managing fruit trees.

Spain’s climate is determined by its curious world location, on the south western edge of Eurasia and just thirteen kilometres from Africa at its narrowest point. Spain’s infrastructure includes an ocean on its western front and a sea to the east. It's continental land mass and high mountainous terrain means that Spain can produce a myriad of various climates and micro-climates which are one of the most varied in Europe.

Due to this climactic variety, Spain has a history of producing a wide range of fruit that may be harvested throughout the year.

It is possible to cultivate fresh Spanish fruit all year round, including Lemons, Oranges, Raspberries, Strawberries, Apricots, Figs, Apples, Almonds, Grapes, Pomegranates, Bananas and Avocados.

When embarking upon the cultivation of Spanish fruit it is worth considering that it is not essential to have a great deal of space or land at your disposal, with the majority of fruits able to be cultivated in containers on a terrace, on a house patio garden as well as in the garden or orchard.

As with any cultivation of fruit it is important to follow a few simple guidelines to maximise the chances of a succesful crop.

1. Cultivate the types of fruit that you are familiar with and that you enjoy eating an a regular basis.

2. Make sure that the fruit that you intend to cultivate is right for the type of climate of your garden or patio, remembering that each area has its own 'micro-climate'.

3. Ensure that all the frosts of the seaon have finished before planting new fruit trees.

4. Where possible buy trees that have been hardened.

5. Ensure that your soil is well cultivated with manure and compost prior to any planting.

6. It is essential to properly support new trees with stakes to prevent damage, especially to the roots.

7. Do not prune trees before their roots have had the opportunity to develop into the soil successfully.

8. Ensure that trees are planted where there is adequate run-off so that the roots do not rot from excessive water damage.

9. Maintain your trees correctly annaully by pruning back at least twenty percent.

10. Stimulate healthy growth by pruning out bad or affected growth.

The following list illustrates the harvesting season for Spanish fruit trees:

January - February | Olives, oranges and lemons

March - April | Oranges and lemons

April - May | Loquats oranges and lemons

May - June | Cherries

July - August | Peaches, plums and pears

August - September | Apples, grapes, figs

September - October | Grapes, figs, almonds, pomegranate

November - December | Persimmons, quinces, oranges, lemons

No Spanish garden is complete without its very own fruit trees. There is a huge variety available to every Spanish gardener from the complete novice to the experienced, whether owning a house, villa, town house, finca, penthouse or apartment.

Growing Vegetables in Spain

2009-01-09T15:11:00.004+01:00

Spains climate lends itself perfectly to cultivating and harvesting a wide range of vegetables irrespective of the availability of land or space.

You have to decide when embarking on growing vegetables in Spain where, when and how you intend to make the most of your vegetable gardening time and effort. You can either decide to cultivate a wide range of vegetablesi.e. those that would normally feed your family, or you can decide to cultivate a few more specific vegetables.

Once you have decided where to cultivate your vegetables there are a few simple rules that you need to consider in order to optimise the best use of the temperate Spanish climate.

1. It is essential to correctly prepare your soil with the addition of compost and natural manure.

2. Choose vegetables that you enjoy eating rather than those you are not familiar with.

3. Your first attempts should be made during the cooler spring and autumn periods as opposed to the warm summer period.

4. Rather than attempting to grow from seed, your initial endeavours should be carried out with sededlings which are widely available in most Spanish garden centers and stores.

5. Manage your expectations properly and do not attempt to grow overly large specimens. Try to grow normally sized crops that are packed with nutrients and flavour.

6. Choose the correct tools for the job. Many of the tools that you would normally use in UK gardens will prove in-effective in the hard dry spanish soils.

7. There is a tendency to overwater in such a warm climate. Ensure your soil is constantly damp rather than flooded. This will avoid cultivation of water filled, nutrient and flavour poor crops.

The following vegetables should be sown from seedling during Autumn: lettuces, broccoli, onions, leeks, chives, Swiss chard, spinach, globe artichokes, cabbages, cauliflowers.

The following vegetables should be sown from seedling during Winter: leeks, onions, broad beans, Swiss chard, garlic.

The following vegetables should be sown from seed during Autumn: carrots, radishes, lettuces, rocket, parsnips, beetroots, seed potatoes, garlic corms.

The following vegetables should be sown from seed during Winter: peas, broad beans.

Finally and most importantly growing your own vegetables can be a very satisfying experience, especially when you first sit down at the table and enjoy a meal that includes the 'fruits' of your labour.

There is a sense of pride from and achievement from the rewards of your hard work.

Gardening, Presents & The Credit Crunch

2008-12-18T16:54:00.004+01:00

We all know about the credit crunch and effects it has on the economy and of course this affects our spending habits.

With Christmas just around the corner there are many families out there struggling to find good/cheap gifts to give to family and friends.

I like to give presents because I enjoy the pleasure I get from giving to a friend or family member, because of the current economic climate I have been finding ways to give presents that won't break the bank.

I came up with an idea of herbs in a terracotta pot for my friends who like to cook or do gardening, rather than giving something I just bought because it looked nice I decided I could get away with giving these presents because there was also some love and labour that went into it Smiley

I have taken images of the pot I made for a friend today.

I included lemon thyme, thyme, mint and rosemary, in a separate pot I potted some parsley seeds which will grow slowly over the Christmas period.

What do you think a good present or not?

Take our poll and vote about this christmas gardening gift

Even better why don't you come and join our forum and discuss your Christmas credit crunch present ideas!

Gardens Are For Everyone

2008-12-17T13:12:00.003+01:00

We all need plants, all living things require sugar for energy. Plants manufacture their own sugar, they do this through a process we call photosynthesis. Plants absorb moisture from the soil through their roots and carbon dioxide from the air through pores in their leaves.

Light energy harnessed by the green leaf pigment chlorophyll breaks water molecules down into hydrogen and oxygen, chemically combining the hydrogen with the carbon dioxide to form sugars for the plant and releasing pure oxygen into the air as a by-product. Animals on the other hand - including humans - depend on plants for food, which they convert into sugar, either directly as herbivores or indirectly as carnivores.

Not only do plants feed us, but by producing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide they harmonise the earth's atmosphere, balacing out the living processes of animals and mankind who breathe oxygen in and carbon dioxide out.

So much for the science. Long before we knew all this there was one thing early man understood only too well: hunger. It was purely as a source of food that plants were initially put under cultivation. Ground was cleared of unwanted plants to make room for beneficial ones. From being a nomadic hunter-gatherer man came to lead a more sedentary existence, forming communities to nurture and protect fruit, grains and vegetables. Eventually, seed was sown and crops could be relied upon. As civilization flourished, attention could finally be paid to the aesthetic qualities of plants, and the skills which had been developed through farming were put to use in creating the first purely decorative gardens.

Today, with everyone striving to improve their quality of life, gardening has come to the fore as a leisure pursuit - not only as a means of visually improving our surroundings and adding value to our homes, but as a way of relaxing and reattuning ourselves to the natural world. Not only are plants and flowers beautiful to look at and therefore spiritually refreshing, but the process of tending them strengthens our bond with the world and makes us feel needed. (As a last resort in the mental health stakes you could start talking to your plants, but do seek immediate professional help if they ever start talking back!).

We can all close our eyes and visualise our ideal garden. For some people it might be that of a rambling English vicarage with bees humming through jumbles of flowers and ducks running round on the lawn. For others it might be a sophisticated roof terrace for entertaining guests while admiring panoramic city views. Other people might hanker for a lush tropical paradise or the elegant simplicity of a cloistered formal garden with fountains and statues.

But dreaming is one thing and reality is quite another. Many people live in flats or shared houses with no garden to call their own. Others move home so frequently that they never feel it's worth making a start. Yet others think their garden, yard or balcony is so small or has so little promose they they never attempt to make somthing of it in a million years. In our largely urban environment the passing on of gardening skills from generation to generation is a haphazard affair at best, and more and more of us come to gardening as complete innocents. For all sorts of reasons people write themselves off as second class citizens and deprive themselves of the pleasures of a garden.

Well, whatever your abilities, whatever the state of your finances, throw down your chains. If your garden is a constant source of worry to you, lighten up and look at things afresh. After all, plants are the oldest forms of life on earth and they have been looking after themselves in the wild for millions of years without any help from you. True, you might have to wait until you win the lottery to get the garden of your dreams, but until then you can jolly well learn to make the most of what you've got. Even if you don't have a garden, don't worry: there's plenty you can do without one. You can enjoy gardens without doing a stroke of work in parks or by visiting botanical gardens (our local Botanical Gardens are in Malaga) and stately homes. You can work in a garden without owning one by helping the little old lady down the road or a friend, by doing voluntary work, by renting an allotment or becoming involved in a community garden (I have a friend in the USA who does community gardening as they don't have gardens each so once a month they get together and do gardening but in their stree).

The secret to getting started is simple. All you need is a positive attitude and, just so long as you don't try to run before you can walk, everything else will simply fall into place.

Gardening is about having a go at things and embracing the opportunities you're presented with. If you think you've got a problem garden you're not alone, but the chancers are you're really the proud owner of a unique habitat just waiting to be planted up. And if you can't afford to buy many plants, just learn instead how to propogate them from seeds or cuttings - it's more satisfying anyway. Remember, above all else that an ounce of practice is worth a pound of theory, so just get out there and make a start.

One thing leads to another, and just as tending even the most undemanding of houseplants proves to be a useful experience for the neophyte gardener, so the knowledge gained in individual aspects of gardening quickly builds into a fully rounded understanding of gardening as a whole. A little knowledge and experience will enable you to channel your energy directly towards successful outcomes.

Doñana National Park: Huelva Province

2008-10-19T22:03:00.010+02:00

Virgin beaches and mountains are the chief lures of this under appreciated corner of the Andalucian region.

Andalucia's westernmost province features on relatively few foreign tourist's itineraries. Part of this is understandable, part is just ignorance. We took a break in Huelva province this summer and spent a week camping in the Doñana National Park.

With Portugal on its western flank, Extremadura to the north, Seville to the east and the Atlantic to the south. Huelva has long been thought of as little more than a region to pass through in order to get somewhere else. Apart from the many wonderful beaches, much of the southern part of the province is scenically dreary, yet the hilly north is hugely beguilling, and, if major blockbuster attractions are few, there is plenty of interest for the visitor who cares to look......

Huelva City and Coast
Visually, Huelva is the least appealing of Andalucia's provincial capitals, with its small but attractive historic centre surrounded by modern apartment blocks and an ugly industrial fringe. However, the area immediately south of the city is rich in maritime heritage, particularly in relation to the pioneering voyages of Christopher Columbus. And much of the coastline is blessed with superb white sand beaches, and resorts that boast some of Spain's best seafood restaurants.

Although somewhat dull out of season, the resorts burst into life from Easter onwards, with mainly Spanish visitors. The most significant attraction on the coast is the immense expanse of the Parque Nacional de Doñana, a rigourously protected haven for birds and wildlife and one of Europe's most important wetlands. The curious Wild West style town of El Rocio, on the park's western edge, is the most interesting settlement in the area.

Without doubt, the most alluring region of Huelva province is the mountainous Sierra de Aracena in the north. Part of the huge Sierra Morena range that defines the northern boundary of Andalucia, the Sierra de Aracena is a rewarding and relatively compact area of modest peaks and wooded valleys, of friendly, pretty villages and memorable walking. This is the home, too, of the internationally salivated-over Jabugo ham. Tourism in these parts is low-key, though attractions such as Aracena's Gruta de las Maravillas (Cave of Marvels) are the equal of any in southern Spain.

Extending from the Portuguese coast in the west to the Doñana National Park in the east, the Huelvan coast is essentially one endless stretch of exposed virgin beach, punctuated by mostly modern resorts (at least there is not an English breakfast in sight!!). Apart from tourism, the area relies on fishing and strawberry growing, and there's also evidence of declining mining and thriving petrochemical industries to blight some of the best views.

Huelva Resources:
Police Station: Avenida Tomás Dominguez 2 - 0034 959 210 211
Post Office: Avenida Tomás Dominguez - 0034 959 540 361
Tourist Information: Avenida de Alemania 12 - 0034 959 004 433

Columbus Trail
Apart from the world beating Jabugo Ham, the province of Huelva is chiefly famed as the starting of Christopher Columbus's first historic voyage to the New World. La Rábida (seven kms/four miles south of Huelva) is the main site for Columbus related sightseeing. Take a monk led tour through the simple, whitewashed Monasterio de Santa María de la Rábida, where Columbus (Cristóbal Colón) spent time waiting for the go ahead for his epic voyage. The monastery's church holds the tomb of local hero Captain Martin Alonso Pinzón (accompanied Columbus across the Atlantic), as well as the only image of the Virgin Mary in Spain to have been blessed by the Pope. The flag room contains the flags of Latin American countries and coffers of sand from each land.

A day in the life of a Spanish Garden

2008-10-13T19:33:00.002+02:00

Boy am I glad the weather has cooled down, I just couldn't wait to get back in the garden!

Granted the weather hasn't been so hot for a while now in Spain, however, it took me and Campo Girl a while to get motivated to get back out in the garden.

We have both started planting again and potatoes have been the main issue for us both this Autumn, with the credit crunch evident all around us, growing vegetables and fruits ourselves is paramount.

This is my first attempt at growing potatoes and thank goodness we have a valued member on our gardening forum to help us out with that, good guidelines and help where that is concerned!

I also planted Bell Peppers, Cauliflower, Leeks, Tomatoes and Carrots, I really hope we have some success with this little lot, it all went in from seed so who knows!

We turned over all our soil before planting and spent a good hour or so weeding the area and preparing, hard work but if we get good veggies from it I am all for it.

On another note, we had 2 very gorgeous birds land in our garden on Saturday and then again on Sunday, we think they are from the parrot family but not sure which exact breed.

We have posted pictures on our Flickr album of these beautiful birds and we have also posted pictures of a Gold Finch on a thistle.

Any tips for gardening potatoes? Come join us in the forum, discuss and help others.

Walking - Campillos, Andalucia, Spain

2008-09-27T12:20:00.011+02:00

The time of year has come where it is a little cooler to be more active, walking has become a favourite hobby of ours, considering, we live in a wonderful part of Spain, Andalucia.

There is much to do in Andalucia if you like the great outdoors so we decided to take a journey out to Campillos and walk a ruddy great mountain!

The 5 of us headed off from Monda and Coín, passed through Villa Franco and headed for the A-384 Antequera-Campillos road. Originally the plan was to go and vist the Laguna Dulce which is 2km outside of Campillos, however, after driving around for some time, even stopping and askig directions in a petrol station, we didn't find it!

We changed our plan and went to visit the smaller Laguna called the Laguna Salada, unfortunately the Laguna was bone dry so there was very little wildlife about, we decided to walk round it anyway to get back to the car.

As we were driving to Campillos, we passed a Laguna on the right hand side that we believes connects to the "well known" Lakes so we decided to head there as at least there was water present and we were drawing blanks at the Lagunas we had chosen for our original activities of the day.

We noticed a sign saying "Parque Guadalteba" and thought we would just go there, we were itching to just get out of the car and walk! We did just that, off we went with our back packs full of food and wine, the park is very well laid out, clean and has easy paths to follow. As soon as you head off you will come to a bird hive which is just absolutely lovely, there is information next to the bird hive detailing all the local wildlife living in this area and a small picnic table made from rocks, this is where we sat and had lunch with a bottle of wine - lovely!

After lunch we decided to climb the mountain, we spotted a cave and decided that we would head for that first and decide from there if we wanted to continue, the climb was hard going as parts were almost straight up!

When we got to the cave we realised that someone actually lived there, a BBQ was set up, blankets and pillows were stuffed into a makeshift cupboard in the rocks and a ladder was laid up against the wall that went into a deep crevice in the rock - amazing place.

Gina, Chris and Dan didn't want to walk any further so Mark and I left our belongings with them and carried on ahead, with water in hand. The climb was hard going and the sun was beating down on our heads but WOW what a view from up there, we could see windmills on a mountainside in the distance, the Laguna that we drove past earlier in the day all of a sudden became enormous because we had climbed higher than the mountain that onstructed the view of the Laguna from the road.

After we had been walking some 20 minutes we spotted a mountain goat with it's kid who were clearly a little spooked at seeing us there and ran for cover, what a sight to see though, proper wildlife for once without having to go to a zoo!

We stopped here for a while, had a rest and a water top up and I decided that I couldn't go any further and stayed here while Mark went for more of a mooch further up - I was knackered!

The return back to the others was harder going than the walk up, the gravel on the rocks made for trecherous walking, we took our time. We stopped just for a second because I wanted to take a picture of the valley below when all of a sudden a kid (baby goat) jumped out from a hole in the rock, we were both shell shocked for half a second before we realised what had just happened, Mark and I looked at each other in utter amazement and shock, it took a few seconds for it all to register before I started taking pictures, I could have got better images if I had just been more awake when the kid jumped out at us!!!!!! We had no idea that goats take shelter and sleep in holes in the rock face and to this day I am still wowed over that.

When we met back up with Chris, Gina and Dan it started to rain and we still had the rest of the mountain to climb down. Still, no one actually fell over so we did very well on the climb down, however, it was quite funny because we all kept slipping a little and of course you throw your arms out when you slip for balance so we must have looked like we were all auditioning for the ministry of funny walks!

We saw many vultures and ravens flying over the top of the mountain and they were enormous and the ravens were extremely noisy, although I took many photos only 1 turned out well, where you can see the head, body and distinguish the colour of the feathers, I need to keep trying with this digital photography!

Campillos Village, Andalucia

With less than 8000 residents, Campillos lies between the Costa del Sol, Granada and Sevilla. Campillos is an important area of Andalucia for cattle farming, leather production and the mining centre since Roman times. Campillos is situated on the N342 which continues on towards Olvera, Arcos de la Frontera, Jerez de la Frontera and is also well connected to the nearby La Fuente de la Piedra - home to the brilliant pink flamingos.

Iglesia Parroquial Nuestra Señora del Reposo is the most important monument in Campillos, situated off the town's plaza central.

Ermita de San Benito is the town's patron saint and is worth seeing. Built between 1578-1569 originally the Ermita looms over the town centre. Extensive work was carried out in 1756 and 1814.

A good time to visit Campillos to celebrate the patron San Benito would be July 10-11th every year. Their summer feria happens in the first two weeks of August, yearly.

If gastronomy delights is all part and parcel of your travelling bug then Campillos is famous for it's drying soup or stew with tuna, eggs and ham, known as Porra Campillera. The regional speciality is Salmoreja, consisting of oranges, fried fish, cod and tuna.

It's been a long summer!

2008-09-18T21:40:00.006+02:00

Well first of all I would like to apologise to our members and viewers for my lack of hard work since July! I have not blogged for some time because life just got a little hectic, work load was heavy, it was far too hot outside and I just couldn't get enough done, I was very lax in the garden - again too damn hot!

I did, however, manage to keep everything alive, just! I had irrigation on twice a day for 20 minutes at a time and then I was watering even more, my strawberries stopped producing fruit very early because I think they were feeling the same way, in fact we have new fruits growing now the sun has eased off now.

Refugio de Juanar, Monda
We went for a walk in the woods on Saturday afternoon, Refugio de Juanar is a national park in Monda and literally 10 minutes drive from our front door, I have been banging on about going there for a mooch about since we moved here and finally the fella gave in and off we went. With bird book in hand and back pack on, we ventured into the woods.

Refugio de Juanar lies in the middle of a nature reserve, 800 metres above sea level, with the forests showing off their pine, eucalyptus and olive plantations, through this forest is various tracks leading you off into the wilderness and a Mirador that looks over Marbella which is truly stunning.

Refugio de Juanar is a rustic and grand hotel that is built on the site of an old hunting lodge, that once belonged to the Marqueses de Larios family who are well known in the city of Malaga.

Famous guests of Refugio de Juanar have included Charles de Gaulle, who in 1970 finished writing his memoirs here and Alfonso XIII, for whom the hotel was one of his favourite retreats. The hotel has space for 56 guests, offers a wide range of gastronmy delights, speciality dishes include marinated pheasant, wuail, mountain goat, Sergovia style suckling pig, lamb and roast kid, along with an array of international dishes.

A visit to this delightful hotel in Monda is the perfect occasion to rediscover the joys of outdoor living. The surrounding forest, with its well-marked paths and fresh air by the lung full, is a paradise for trekkers and nature lovers alike.

Unfortunately we did not see the wildlife we were hoping to come across, the only bird we did see was a Chaffinch and although he was a pleasant little chappy and very colourful, I was ever hopeful of seeing one of many resident Griffon Vultures!

Birds of Refugio de Juanar:
Tits
Warblers
Hawfinch
Thekla Lark
Woodlark
Robin
Black Redstart
Rock Bunting
Hoopoe
Black-eared Wheater
Woodchat Strike
Skylark
Meadow Pipit
ChiffChaff
Linnet
Great Grey Shrike
Stonechat
Sardinian
Dartford Warblers
Whinchat
Owls
Great Blue
Coal
Chaffinch
Serin
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Jay
Great Spotted Woodpecker (heard but never saw)
Short-toed Treecreeper
Firecrests
Crossbills
Rock Thrush
Bonelli's Eagle
Buzzard
Peregrine
Kestrel
Booted Eagle
Short-toed Eagles
Griffon Vulture
Egyptian Vulture
Crag Martins
Alpine Swift
Swallow
House Martin

When to Visit Refugio de Juanar?
The area is very popular at weekends and on national bank holidays, I would advise avoiding these buy times as the Spanish can be known for being rather noisy and this could prove frustrating if you are wanting to see some wildlife. The highest part of this site is 900 metres above sea level so it is advisable to take some form of warmer clothing, in case it is a little chilly.

Refugio de Juanar Hotel
Refugio de Juanar email
Telephone: 952 881 001
Fax: 952 881 001

Birdwatching Book

Get in shape, lose the fat and get gardening

2008-07-24T17:03:00.002+02:00

Working a hard day in the garden is more beneficial to our bodies than we care to realise. We regain balance, physically and mentally, when we work in our gardens.

We have so much to learn from our gardens and we never get bored, we ponder this and try that. Working the soil tunes us into nature's comforting rhythms, the ebb and flow of the seasons, the ripening and renewing of plants and soil. Every autumn we plot the resurrection of our gardens, and each spring we're wildly optimistic over the delights of the new season.

However, all this work can be hard on our bodies and I particularly struggle because my spine is bolted together by rods and screws and bending all the time isn't great! Us Campo Girls do Yoga to help keep us supple enabling us to stay in our gardens from dawn til dusk. Trust me there is nothing worse than a lower back cramp, spasm or twinge to get you out of the gardening flow (coming from the Queen of lower back pain!), or even worse an injury that prevents you from gardening at all!

The new book "Garden Your Way to Health and Fitness" is a manifesto for keeping gardeners injury-free, a road map to fitness through gardening. What a timesaving concept — work out as you garden rather than work out in order to garden.

Did you know that 1 hour of gardening burns 300 calories? Excellent news, I worked in the garden yesterday from 9am until 9pm, I cut down 2 massive conifer trees using an axe and a hacksaw! Then I cut down a fir tree, planted 10 news shrubs and then the usual cleaning etc, while swimming in between to keep myself cool.

Why am I not slim!!!!!!!!! LOL

Guinness writes that gardening not only engages our creative juices and helps us focus. Routine tasks like mowing, weeding and digging offer sufficient resistance to tone muscles as well as burn calories. Think of all the plants you can buy with the money you spent on that gym membership Wink

Here's is a basic routine: warm muscles up with a short, brisk walk, do a few lunges and step-ups using whatever you have at hand. For those with especially tight hamstrings or vulnerable lower backs, (remember we MUST stretch the hamstring to PROTECT the lower back).

Most useful may be the advice to pace yourself, drink plenty of water and know when to stop. A growing sense of discomfort in your lower back or a stiffening neck is a sign you need to take a break. When you're through for the day, put off that hot bath until you've stretched long and slow.

We should all be aware that we can hurt ourselves while gardening and we need to use Knee Pads, Sturdy Boots and protective gear as needed. When you are lugging around heavy pails or watering cans, you should carry one in each hand and distribute the weight.

I use Draper Knee Pads and find them comfortable, I also have some old large sofa cushions that I use to sit on while I am weeding, I wrote about the shoes I wear and they protect my feat and help keep me grounded.

Happy gardening and remember to LISTEN to your body!!!!

Balloon Race

2008-06-19T13:47:00.004+02:00

O2 have created the World's First Balloon Race.

Campo Girls are of course going to join in the fun that starts in 3 days time, we have added the balloonacy icon to our blog so that you may come back in 3 days, select your balloon and start the race.

The further you travel the more internet miles you receive, gain 5 stars in one day and win prizes!!!

We know this will be a ton of fun and we look forward to seeing your balloons flying across the sky to the winning posts

Happy Ballooning!

Our Balloon is here Campo Girls Balloon

Gardening Definitions (R-T)

2008-06-10T20:40:00.002+02:00

Radical
Usually used to describe the basal leaves of biennials or perennials. The leaves arise at the base of the plant or near to soil level.

Ray Floret
Small flower with long strap-shaped petals. Typical of the daisy family where a ring of ray florets surrounds the central boss of disc florets to form the flowerhead.

Remontant
Flowering at intervals throughout the growing season, as in repeat flowering roses.

Resting Period
The period when a plant is either dormant or making little or no extension growth.

Rhizome
A horizontal,creeping underground stem, which acts as a storage organ.

Rootstock
A propagation term for a plant upon which another is grafted. The term also applies to the crown and root system of herbaceous perennials and suckering shrubs.

Rosette
Ring of leaves that all arise at more or less the same point on the stem, often basal.

Runner
Prostate stems, such as those produced by strawberry plants, which root at the nodes to form new plantlets.

Scion
A shoot, part of a shoot, or bud of one plant that is joined to a rootstock of another as a propogation technique. Scions and rootstocks are the means of propagating fruit trees by grafting, and roses by budding.

Scree
A heap or a slope of rocky detritus eroded from mountainsides or cliffs. Since some types of plants require these conditions in a garden, a scree bed can be created by mixing coarse gravel or stone chippings with soil.

Selection
A particular variation of an existing variety or species that is selected for its desirable characteristics. It is always raised from seed. Also incorrectly referred to as a "strain".

Self Coloured
A flower having a single uniform colour.

Self Fertile
A plant, particularly a fruit tree, that does not need pollen from another plant to set seed and produce fruit.

Series
A selection or colour mixture of a plant variety (usually an annual, bedding plant or vegetable variety) raised from seed. A particular named series or mixture raised by two or more seedsman may vary slightly.

Serrated
The sharply cut indentations in the margin of a leaf - like the teeth of a saw.

Sessile
Stalkess - a leaf or flower that arises straight from the stem.

Shrub
A branched perennial plant with persistent woody stems.

Spadix
A fleshy flower spike with small flowers embedded in shallow pits. It is primarily found in members of the Araceae, or arpoid family, such as anthurium and zantedeschia, where it is surrounded and protected by a white or coloured bract called a spathe. In some cases, the spadix terminates in a naked club or spindle-shaped organ which may heat up, giving off a fetid smell that attracts pollinating insects.

Spathe
A modified leaf or large bract, sometimes coloured, which surrounds the flower spike (spadix) in members of the Araceae, or aroid family.

Species
A unit of classification applied to an individual, or a group of closely allied plants, within a genus. Species have unique characters, which consistently breed true to type from seed. The type species refers to the original plant collected and described.

Specimen Plant
Ant plant, but usually a tree or shrub, which is grown where it can be viewed from all angles, as when planted in a lawn.

Sphagnum (moss)
The generic name for bog mosses. They have unique water holding, aerating and cleansing properties, and are frequently used as a growing medium for orchids.

Spit
The depth to which soild is dug with a spade or a fork - about 25-30cm.

Spore
A minute dust like body composed of a single cell, by which lower plants - such as ferns, fungi and mosses - reproduce. A spore gives rise to an intermediate generation upon which the sex organs appear and which eventually produce plantlets.

Spur
1) A short lateral branchlet of a tree - particularly on apple and pear trees - which bears flowers buds
2) A tubular outgrowth of a sepal or petal that produces nectar

Staminode
A non fucntional, rudimentary male reproductive organ, sometimes similar to a narrow petal, as in pulsatillas.

Sterile
Plants that rarely or never set seed. Many double flowered varieties are sterile, as the reproductive organs have become petals.

Stipule
One of the pair of leaf like outgrowths at the base of a leaf stalk, for example, as in rose and potenilla.

Stolon
A stem which, on contact with moist soil, roots at the tip and forms a new plant - for example, the cane of a blackberry. The term is sometimes incorrectly used to mean RUNNER.

Stool
Often describing a tree or shrub which is maintained as a clump of young stems by annhual pruning clsoe to ground level. Stooling is carried out to provide young growth for propagation purposes, or to maintain a foliage effect, such as thr juvenile state of some eucalyptus. Also called 'coppicing'. The stem also applies to crowns and rootstocks of some herbaceous plants - dendrathema (crysanthemum) for example.

Stopping
Removing or pinching out the growing point of a stem, either to promote a branching habit or to induce flower buds.

Stratification
A method of breaking the dormancy of seeds born in fleshy fruits of many hardy plants. The seeds are exposed to a period of low temperature prior to sowing.

Sub Alpine
A plant native to mountain regions just below the alpine zone.

Sub Shrub
A low growing shrub, or one with soft stems and a woody base, such as argyranthemums and many pelargoniums.

Succulent
Plants with thick fleshy leaves or stems adapted to life under arid conditions. Cacti, with leafless stems swollen with water storage tissue, are examples.

Sucker
A shoot which arises from below ground, usually from the roots of a plant.

Synonym
An alternative name for a plant. Sometimes a plant has been named by more than one botanist or has been reclassified in the light of further knowledge. In such cases, the oldest or most taxonomically accurate name takes priority.

Tap Root
The main anchoring root of a plant, particularly applied to trees.

Tender
A term to describe any plant vulnerbale to frost damage.

Tendril
A modified stem or leaf that twines around supports, enabling certain plants such as sweet peas, grapes, hops and passionflowers to climb.

Tepal
A term used to describe petals and sepals where they are indistinguishable, as in lillies and tulips.

Ternate
In groups of three. Trillium has leaves and floral organs in groups of three, and laburnum leaves have three leaflets.

Terrestrial
Used in reference to plants, such as bromeliads and orchids which are primarily epiphytic, that have become adapted to living in the soil.

Tessellated
A term that describes petals which have a distinct chequered pattern of a contrasting shade or colour -, as for example, Fritillaria meleagris.

Toothed
Teeth like indentation, usually along the margins of leaves, also described as dentate.

Truss
A popular term used to describe a cluster of flower or fruits.

Tuber
A thickened fleshy root as on a dahlia, or an underground stem, such as a potato, which serves as a storage organ, and as a means of surviving periods of cold or drought.

Tufa
Soft limestone which, because of its ability to absorb and retain moisture, is often used in rock gardens or troughs, where small alpine plants are able to grow on it.

Tuft
Bristly, sometimes mat like, habit of growth, found particularly in alpine plants.

Climbers - Versatile plants for versatile sites

2008-06-02T22:27:00.005+02:00

A mantle of gentle flowers or luxuriant foliage brightens up dull walls and adds beauty to many other garden structures.

Practical and ornamental climbing plants bring a pleasurable extra dimension to gardens, clothing walls, arches, pergolas, screens and even trees and shrubs with their flowers and foliage. They can be used to conceal unattractive features, provide privacy and help to integrate house and garden.

Many climbers produce spectacular blooms, including Clematis and Rosa. Others are grown for their attractive foliage, such as Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper), or for their colourful fruits, such as Celastrus orbiculatus.

Some climbing plants will cling unaided to a support; Hedera (ivy) uses aerial roots and Parthenocissus has sucker pads. However, most ascend by tendrils, like Lathyrus, by curling leafstalks, like Clematis, by twinning stems, like Lonicera (honey-suckle), or by hooked thorns, like roses. All these plants will climb unaided through the branches of trees or shrubs but need training on wires or up a trellis if grown against a wall.

Although they are not true climbers, some shrubs, including Ceanothus (California lilac) and Jasminum nudiflorum (winter jasmine), can also be trained against a support.

The extensive range of climbers means there is a choice of plants for most garden situations. Pasiflora (passion flower) and Trachelospermum require a sunny and sheletered site but Jasminum officinale (summer jasmine) and Clematis montana thrive in shady or sunny areas. Ivy or Hydrangea anomala sp petiolaris (climing hydrangea) are tough enough to cope with an exposed, shady position.

I have 2 Bougainvilleas - one purple and one pink. 2 Jasmine plants, a Plumbago. One white and one purple Pasflora.

Gardening - The fruits of labour

2008-05-20T16:31:00.006+02:00

One of the most divine rewards of gardening is picking and eating fresh, home grown fruit straight from the tree. Watching your own fruit mature, looking forward to eating a particular orange or gorging on strawberries are pleasures only available to the dedicated and patient gardener; growing fruit trees is a long lasting, initmate affair.

For the average sized garden there are many fruits and nut trees to suit. Although the fruit tree tends to be low, nut trees, on the other hand, can grow into beautiful shade trees - the walnut tree is a perfect example of this.

Many discussions about fruit trees going on at The Gardening Forum Spain come join in the fun and share your images!

Choosing your tree
There are two main factors when considering buying your trees, location and soil type. Try, if possible, to avoid planting in really exposed areas, as the wind will pull off the flowers and the tree will never fruit. Planting a mimi orchard creates a micro-climate, which generally greatly extends the variety of fruit a garden can accommodate.

Buying your tree
Choose a local supplier as they are likely to have suitable cultivars for your climate; you could try nispero (Achras zapota - the other CampoGirl has one of these growing), apple, pear, guayavo, fig, plums or almond on heavier land or citrus fruits, kaki, membrillo, mulberry, nispero, walnut, where the soil is sandier and lighter.

If you have limited space and an orchard is not quite possible, make espaliers from apples, plums and pears against a wall or fence. Wire the desired branches against the wall in the form you want and then prune the remaining branches each autumn. Continue to remove the vertical water shoots as they appear. In time, the tree will get stronger, and the chosen branches will thicken and bear fruit on the spurs, and the tree will no longer require support, you could also try growing this up a trellis - giving extra support.

Grafting is another way of maximising variety and yield from the garden. Keep like with like - oranges and lemons or limes; stoned fruits together, apples and pears etc. The only trouble you may find is one graft dominates the others and doesn't allow an even development.

For a conversation point you could put 3 trees in the same hole and let them grow together, this is prone to chaotic growth but promotes a long fruiting season.

So, enjoy the fruits of your gardening labour and lets get busy!

Gardening Definitions (N-P)

2008-05-19T12:49:00.003+02:00

Naturalising
Growing plants, particularly bulbs, in simulated natural environments, such as grass or woodland conditions.

Node
A stem joint, which is sometimes slightly swollen, from where young leaves and side-shoots arise.

Offset
A young plant that arises naturally on the parent, as with many sorts of bulbs, or on short lateral stems, as with sempervivum.

Opposite
The arrangement of leaves in alternate opposite pairs, as on ligustrum and syringa.

Organic
Any chemical compound containing carbon. The term is applied to substances derived from the decay of living organisms, such as garden compost. It is also applied to a style of gardening that rejects the use of synthetic chemicals and products.

Pedicle
The stalk of an individual flower - applied particularly to branched flowers.

Peduncle
The stem that supports a flowerhead.

Perennial
Any plant that lives for three or more years; usually applied to a non-woody plant.

Perianth
A term used when sepals and petals are indistinguishable from each other. The combined sepals and petals of a tulip or hyacinth flower are known as the perianth.

Perlite
Lightweight expanded volcanic rock in granular form, used in place of sand or grit top open up or lighten composts used for pottings and cuttings etc.

Petiole
The stalk that attaches a leaf to the stem.

Pinching Out
Removing or pinching out the growing point of a stem, either to promote a branching habit or to induce flower buds.

Plunge
To set a pot or any other plant container up to the rim in the soil, or in a special bed of ashes, peat, grit or sand.

Pollard
A tree cut back to the main trunk and maintained in a bushy state by regular pruning at intervals of between one and a few years.

Pollen
The male cells of a plant contained in the anthers or pollen sacs.

Pollination
The transference of pollen grains onto the stigma of a flower. The resulting plantlets are later moved into larger pots, pans or trays, or set out into a nursery bed or into their growing position.

Provenance
The place where seed originated in the wild. Knowing the provenance will have a bearing on this conditions under which the progeny will thrive in cultivation.

Carpenter Bee (Mijas Bee) Spain

2008-05-05T18:54:00.003+02:00

The Carpenter bee, otherwise known as the "Mijas Bee" here in Spain, I must admit it is a scary looking creature and certainly makes a heck of a noise, leaving people running away screaming! LOL

These Carpenter Bees are large, hairy bees distributed worldwide. There are as many as 500 species of the Carpenter Bee in 31 subgenera.

They are aptly named the Carpenter Bee beacuase nearly all the 500 species build their nests in burrows in dead wood, bamboo, or structural timbers, their smaller cousins, otherwise known as "Small Carpenter Bees" - very fitting, LOL, build their nests in the ground.

Carpenter bees prefer to attack wood which is bare, weathered and unpainted. Therefore, the best way to deter the bees is to paint all exposed wood surfaces, especially those which have a history of being attacked. Wood stains and preservatives are less reliable than painting, but will provide some degree of repellancy versus bare wood. To further discourage nesting, garages and outbuildings should be kept closed when carpenter bees are actively searching for nesting sites.

Many of these Carpenter Bee species live next to one another, well the females does anyway - she will live in tunnels alongside her own daughters or sisters, creating a sort of social group. Between them they make partitions for privacy using wood bits between the cells in the nest!

Carpenter bees should not be dismissed entirely though, they can be important pollinators on open-faced flowers, even obligate pollinators on some, such as the Maypop (Passiflora incarnata), though many species are also known to "rob" nectar by slitting the sides of flowers with deep corollas.

You will start to see the Carpenter Bee in the late-spring and early summer, this is because the Carpenter Bee starts its quest for a favourable site to make a nest and meet a mate.

The male Carpenter Bee can be very aggressive and if you are anywhere near his nest you will see him hovering in front of you. The males, however, are quite harmless as they lack stingers. Female Carpenter Bees can inflict a painful sting but seldom will unless they are handled or molested - similar to the honeybee.

Damage Control!
You can buy many different types of damage control for Carpenter Bees and for the wood they are attacking.

Liquid sprays of carbaryl (Sevin), chlorpyrifos (Dursban), or a synthetic pyrethroid (e.g., permethrin or cyfluthrin) can be applied as a preventive to wood surfaces which are attracting bees.

Be aware that these sprays and treatments may only last for 1-2 weeks and you may have to repeat the treatment if the problems persist. You may find tunnels which have already been excavated - you're best bet here is to buy an insecticidal dust (e.g., 5percent carbaryl) and get it into the nest opening. You may also wish to choose sprays that you can buy from garden centres that are labeled "wasp and ee control".

When you have treated the holes where the Carpenter Bee is resting, be sure to leave the hole open for a few days, this will allow the bees to distribute the insecticide throughout the nest galleries, once that is complete, plug the hole with glue etc to protect the wood from being invaded again.

Although carpenter bees are less aggressive than wasps, female bees provisioning their nests will sting. Treatment is best performed at night when the bees are less active, or while wearing protective clothing.

Garden Deifinitions (J-M)

2008-05-05T18:35:00.002+02:00

Juvenile
Plants which have a distinct early phase, when either the habit, leaf shape or some other characteristic differs from those of the adult. Eucalyptus tress commonly bearjuvenile and adult leaves.

Lateral
A stem or shoot that branches off from a bud in the leaf axil of a larger stem.

Leader
The main stem (or stems) of a tree or shrub that extends the existing branch system.

Leaf-Mould
Partially decayed dead leaves which have broken down to a flaky condition resembling peat. Oak and beech leaves are the most suitable materials.

Lime
Calcium, a chemical used in horticulture, particularly to neutralise acid soils.

Loam
A reasonably fertile soil that is neither wet and sticky, nor dry and sandy. It is moisture-retentive and contains a blend of clay, silt, sand and hummus, and is rich in minerals.

Lobe
Descriptive of leaves, stipules, bracts or petals that are cleft into separate areas that are still united by part of the surface.

Maiden
A nursery term for a young grafted tree in the process of being trained. Applied particularly to one year old fruit trees.

Monocarpic
A plant which dies after flowering and seeding. Annuals and biennials are true monocarpic plants, but the term is also applied to perennial plants which grow for a number of years before flowering and then dying.

Monocotyledon
A group of flowering plants that have only one seed leaf in each mature seed.

Monoecious
A plant that bears bisexual flowers or separate male and female flowers on the same plant; for example, corylus (hazel) and juglans (walnut).

Mulch
A layer of organic matter, such as decayed manure, leaf-mould, garden compost, straw or composted bark, which is spread on the soil around the plants. A mulch conserves moisture in the soil, adds nutrients and suppresses weeds. The term is also used for inorganic material including gravel and black polythene sheeting.

Red Weevil in Spanish Palm Trees

2008-04-27T22:00:00.000+02:00

Gardening Forum - Discuss the red palm tree weevil

The Red Weevil has been making its way to the western world since the mid 80s. It was captured in Egypt in 1992 and then seen in Spain in 1994, it is thought that the Red Weevil made its way to Spain from Egypt by way of human intervention, by being transported on date palm trees.

The Red Weevil is starting to cause havoc on Palm Trees across the Spanish region, unfortunately the Red Weevil's devastating effects are only noticeable when it is too late and the Palm Tree is dead. The late detection of the weevil constitutes a serious problem in the fight against the Red Weevil pest. Although, much research has been carried out, no safe techniques for early detection of the pest have been found.

Despite the attempts to kill these pests more than one thousand Phoenix Palm Trees have been killed and it has cost millions of euros in damage and is continuing to spread.

The Red Weevil originated in southern Asia and Melanesia, where it is a serious pest of coconuts. In 1985 the Red Weevil had reached the eastern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, spreading to the whole of the United Arab Emirates and into Oman. It was recorded in Iran in 1990 before being discovered in Egypt at the end of 1992, it is also found in Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority Territories.

The red palm weevil is a member of Coleoptera: Curculionidae. The male and female adults are large reddish brown beetles about 3 cm long and with a characteristic long curved rostrum; with strong wings, they are capable of undertaking long flights.

It is the larvae that produce the damage to the palm. Adult females lay about 200 eggs at the base of young leaves or in wounds to the leaves and trunks; the grubs feed on the soft fibers and terminal bud tissues. They reach a size of more than 5 cm before pupation. Just before they pupate, they move towards the interior of the palm making tunnels and large cavities. They can be found in any place within the palm, even in the very base of the trunk where the roots emerge.

Pupation occurs generally outside the trunk, at the base of the palms. The larva pupates in a cocoon made of brown dried palm fibres.

Have you found this red palm weevil in any of your palm trees - let me know your story, I would love to hear from you. We are running a discussion about Red Palm Tree Weevils on our gardening forum.

Gardening Definitions (G-I)

2008-04-26T14:03:00.001+02:00

Genus
The category in botanical classification below family. A genus is a group closely related plants known as species. All the species of beech trees (for example), are grouped under the genus Fagus. Related genera are grouped in turn into a family, in this case Fagaceae. The common beech is identified by a genus and a species name, Fagus sylvatica. A natural variety is identified by a third name, such as Fagus sylvatica var. heterophylla, and a cultivated variety (or cultivar) by quotation marks, as Fagus sylvatica 'Dawyck'. A cross (or hybrid) between two species is identified by a multiplication sign: for example, the hybrid willow Salix x rubens
Germination
The initial stage of a plant's development from a seed. Germination periods vary: given the right conditions of temperature, moisture, light and oxygen, it may occur within days or take weeks or months.
Glabrous
Smooth or bare - used to describe a part of a plant that is hairless.

Glaucous
Describing the grey-blue colour of some plants, or the grey or white waxy bloom on them. An example is the white bloom on the leaves of some brasicas, particularly cabbages, and succulents such as sedums.

Grafting
Propogation plants by joining a stem or bud of one plant to the root of another so they unite to form a new individual. It is widely used in cultivating fruit trees and roses.

Habit
The characteristic shape and growth form of a plant.

Half Hardy
Frost tender species of plants that can only be grown in the open reliably during summer - for example, canna and French and African marigolds.

Half Standard
A tree or shrub, usually with a single stem growing 75cm-1.2m high before the head branches.

Hardening Off
The gradual acclimatisation of tender and half hardy plants, grown under heated glass or other forms of protection, to outside conditions. Plants are usually placed in a coldframe in late spring, with air gradually admitted until the lights of the frame are left off entirely.

Hardy
Plants which survive frosts in the open, year by year.

Herbaceous
Any plant that does not form a persistent woody stem. Botanically, the terms applies to annuals, biennials and perennials - but by common usage is chiefly associated with perennials which die down in autumn and reappear the following spring.

Hose in Hose
An abnormal floral mutation in which flowers appear to grow in pairs, one arising from the centre of another. Primrose and polyanthus are examples.

Humus
The dark brown residue from the final breakdown of dead vegetable matter. The term is often used to describe partly decayed matter that is brown and crumbly, such as well made compost or leaf mould.

Hybrid
The result of crossing two distinct varities or, occasionally, genera. Hybrids may either show a blending of characteristics from each parent or favour one more than the other.

Incised
The margins of the leaf, stipule or bract that is deeply and sharply toothed or lobed.

Inflorescence
The arrangement of flowers on a stem, often referred to as a flowerhead.

Inorganic
A chemical compound or fertiliser that does not contain carbon. The term is applied to synthetically produced fertilisers, although some naturally occurring plant nutrients have inorganic origins, as, for example, the mineral fertiliser rock phosphate.

NEW Gardening Forum for Spain

2008-04-18T16:39:00.001+02:00

Campo Girls & Hoes launch their first Forum for the Spanish gardening community!

Gardening Spain & Forum

This is a new forum that we have just started this week and we look forward to meeting new people, we have some members from the USA already (as we share similar climiates to some parts of America).

As much as we love writing the blog and keeping up with the gardening community we needed room to grow and a Gardening Forum seemed the perfect opportunity for us to do just that - we will keep up with the blog but also continue to work on the forum.

We look forward to seeing you all and please do come and introduce yourself!

Technical Stuff - Gardening Abbreviations (D-F)

2008-04-16T20:26:00.000+02:00

Gardening Abbreviations (A-C)

Before we head on into the Glossary for Gardening - I wanted to post the link to Jeremy Clarkson's Gardening Tips :D

Damping Down
Watering the floor and benches of a greenhouse to create a humid atmosphere.

Deadheading
Nipping off the dead or faded flowers from a plant to prevent seeding and to encourage new flowers. Roses and many bedding plants need regular deadheading.

Dicotyledon
All flowering plants are botanically classified into two main groups by the number of cotyledons (seed leaves) present in the seed at maturity. Monocotyledons have one seed leaf, dicotyledons have two.

Dioecious
Plants having male and female flowers on separate plants, such as willow and holly.

Disc
The flattened or doomed centre of a daisy flower, composed of tiny tubular florets.

Dot Plant
An isolated specimen plant - usually tall - in a formal flowerbed, selected to emphasise contrast in height, colour and texture.

Drill
A straight, narrow, furrow in which seeds are sown outdoors.

Epiphyte
A plant, such as an orchid or bromeliad, which has adapted to living above the soil, adhering to tree branches or rocks.

Ericaceous
A term used for plants that grow best in acid soil, such as ericas (heather). Also used to refer to lime-free compost used for growing ericaceous plants.

Etiolated
Growth which has become long, thin and pallid because of lack of light or as a result of blanching - as in forcing rhubarb.

Eye
Immature growth bud, such as the eyes of potato or dahlia tubers. The term is also used to describe the centre of a flower if it is different in colour from the petals.

F.Hybrid
Seeds obtained by crossing two pure bred closely related varieties which have been inbred for several generations. The plants produced tend to have an increased level of vigour and uniformity.

Fastigate
Erect habit of growth developed by some trees and shrubs, such as Lombardy poplars.

Feathered
Lateral shoots on the main stem of a young tree. They are left on the tree until the trunk is fully established - about a year or two - when they must be removed.

Floret
A small individual flower which is part of a large head or cluster.

Flower
The part of a plant concerned with sexual reproduction. The essential parts are the female ovaries (or carpels), which eventually bear the seeds, and the anthers which produce pollen, the male sex cells. The carpels and anthers are usually surrounded by an inner ring of coloured leaves, known as petals, and an outer ring of protecting sepals, usually green. There are, however, a great many variations to this basic pattern. The great majority of plants bear flowers with both male and female organs, but others have single sex flowers on separate plants (dioecious).

Fruiting Body
The reproductive organ of a fungus, such as a mushroom or toadstool. Also the pin-head-like growth on bread mould.

Fumigate
A system of destroying pests and diseases to a greenhouse or coldframe with poisonous fumes. Canisters or pellets are ignited to produce dense smoke.

Still raining!

2008-04-09T20:05:00.000+02:00

Well what a storm we are having at the moment, one of my Palm Trees has snapped and I am a little upset about that - especially as they are brand new!

Some of my other plants down the bottom of the garden are not having a great time with this wind either and looking rather beaten!

It is most unusual to have rain in Spain at this time of year and it has been really treacherous, I had to drive to Casabermeja (well, their post code is Almogia) yesterday to visit an old friend who was having some family troubles - anyway I couldn't have picked a worse day to drive over 80 Kilometres, Casabermeja is really high and I was quite scared driving up the mountainside where the roads have no crash barriers - just sheer drops and lorries coming at me every few minutes, never mind the fact I could hardly see 2 foot in front me because of the mist/fog that was coming down the mountain. An achievement for me as that is the furthest I have driven in Spain ever on my own!

I made it home safe and sound though and I just love the scenery up there, we almost moved there 2 years ago and now I have just been back I am glad we didn't! As lovely gorgeous as the countryside is there, it is just that too much away from civilisation for my liking, we have a track but it is not 5 kilometres long!

So, due to the rain we have not been doing the gardening that we would have liked to be doing, Gina took some great pictures though of what she says is a "perfect rose" - what do you think, post in your comments on her Rose.

We are in the middle of upgrading our Flickr account that contains all of our Spanish Gardening Images - when that is complete we will let you know so you can see the new ones we have taken :)

EEEK - it's raining!

2008-04-07T23:13:00.001+02:00

After a wonderful weekend gardening with nice weather to top that off, we had a real downpour today, it was like Winter all over again!

The rain was lashing everything around the garden and the palm trees were almost touching the floor, it was such a change around from the day before.

We did, however, manage to get out in the garden, I tended to a Passionflower that is growing over an Olive Tree that I have at the end of the garden (near the bar), and was really pleased to see that it is a different plant to the purple passionflower I have growing over the fence by the pool - while all this activity was happening in my garden, the other Campo Girl; Gina, was being entertained by a rat!

Due to the heavy rain the rat thought to himself "bugger this, I am going indoors!" and proceeded to try and get into Gina's house - luckily for us Gina grabbed the camera and managed to get a great picture for us to share with you all - we present to you

CAMPO GIRLS RAT - RONALDO! :D

Technical Stuff - Abbreviations

2008-04-06T14:26:00.000+02:00

We try to avoid as many technical terms wherever possible, but sometimes they are unavoildable and manage to slip into the posts - the definitions below will help make them clear.

Alpine
Any plant that is native to montainous regions (as a general rule), growing between the tree line and permanent snow line. 'Alpine' is also loosely applied to any small plant suitable for growing in a rock garden.

Alpine House
A greenhouse that has continuous ventilation along the eaves, vents at a bench level and, ideally, a door at each end. Not heat is necessary; however, as alpine plants dislike cold wet conditions, some growers maintain their alpine houses at 1ºC (34ºF).

Annual
We al have these in our garden! A plant that completes its life cycle in a sungle growing season - from seed to floweing, to setting seed and dying.

Basal Leaves
Leaves arising directly from the crown of a plant or a very short stem.

Biennal
A plant which takes two seasons to complete its life cycle - i.e., the foxglove. In its first year it forms leaves; in its second year ir forms flowers and seeds, then dies.

Bract
A modified leaf which is sometimes brightly coloured and conspicuous to attract pollinating insects, such as the scarlett bracts of poinsettia.

Bulb Frame
A coldframe in which bulbs in pots can be plunged in sand, soil or gravel for winter to protect them from frost. A blub frame can be used instead of an alpine house.

Capsule
The dry or nearly dry fruit containing loose seeds. When the capsule is ripe the seeds may be shaken out by the action of the wind or passing animals, or it may split, forcibly rejecting the seeds.

Chitting
Sprouting tubers, particularly potatoes and dahlias, before planting. Also applied to seeds germinated before sowing.

Chlorosis
The loss or insufficiency of chlorophyll - the green pigment in the cells of leaves and young stems. The lack of chlorophyll causes the leaves to appear bleached or yellowish. Chlorosis is usually due to mineral deficiency, but viruses may be a cause.

Cloche
Sheets of clear glass, rigid or plastic film that are used for raising early crops in open ground, and for protecting plants from bad weather - alpines, for example.

Clone
A group of identicial plants raised from a single parent plant by cuttings or division rather than by seed.

Compost
A mixture of loam, sand, peat, leaf-mould or other materials used for growing plants in containers. The term also refers to organic material obtained by stacking plant remains such as vegetable trimmings, straw and grass mowings until they decompose.

Compound
Leaves, flowers or fruits having two or more similar units.

Conifer
Tree or shrub, usually evergreen and having linear or needle-like leaves, and which usually bears its seeds in cones.

Corm
The underground storage organ of some plants, including crocuses and gladioli. Similar to a bulb, it consists of a swollen stem at the top which produces shoots and a new corm.

Corona
The trumpet or cup like flower part of such genera as Narcissus and Hymenocallis.

Cotyledon
The first leaf or pair of leaves to appear when a seed germinates. They are also called seed leaves because they are formed within the seed. In some cases, such as the broad bean, the seed leaves remain underground - the first shoot to appear bears the true leaves. Seed leaves frequently differ in shape from true or adult leaves.

Crown
The part of an herbaceous perennial at soil level from which roots and shoots grow.

Cultivar
Cultivated variety; a variant of a plant produced in cultivation as opposed to one that occurs in the wild.

D-F coming next week - anything you would like to add to our garden abbreviations?

Cyclamen - Lets get elegant!

2008-04-03T22:28:00.000+02:00

Elegant flowers in shades of pink, mauve, crimson or white rise above rounded or heart-shaped leaves, often finely marbled with silver or white. We both love our Cyclamens and both have them growing in our gardens - I have favoured the Cyclamen for my borders where I have a few bare spaces against my rockery.

The flowers have reflexed petals, gracefully curved backwards, and many are fragrant. By carefully selecting species according to flowering period, these beautiful, lowe growing plants can be in bloom during most months of the year, and their patterned foliage sustains a long period of interest. Not all are hardy but several of the finest are fully hardy, flowering even in the depths of winter.

The hardy Cyclamen are excellent for naturalising in groups among trees and shrubs. They thrive in sun or part shade. A border devoted to one species can be an interesting and colourful feature in the garden. Cyclamen are also good for pockets in a rock garden (like mine) or for growing in troughs and containers. The less hardy types are perfect for pot culture in an unheated greenhouse.

The rootstock of the Cyclamen plant is a tuber, with leaves and flowers borne from the upper surface. Dried tubers are often sold, but planting is more successful from plants 'in the green' - growing in pots - as the tubers can dry out too much.

There are 20 species, which are mainly native to central and S Europe, the Mediterranean and Turkey eastwards to the Caucasus and N Iran.

Recommended Species and Varieties
C. Africanum
C.Cilicium
C. Album
C. Europaeum
C. Graceum
C. Hederifolium
C. Intaminatum
C. Latifolium
c. Libanoticum
C. Mirabile
C. Neapolitanum
C. Persicum
C. Pseudibericum
C. Purpurascens
C. Repandum
C. Trohopteranthum

Propogation
Sow seed as soon as it is ripe - in mid to late summer. Older, dried seed germinates eventually, particularly if given a soak in warm water for 12 hours before sowing. Place the sown pots in complete darkness to speed germinatation and move them into the light as soon as germination has occurred. Prick out the seedlings when the first true leaf appears. Alternatively, leave the pots for a year, then prise the small tubers apart and pot them up individually.

Pests and Diseases
The prime pests of Cyclamen are aphids, vine weevils and root eelworms. Diseases include bacterial rot of the tubers and virus diseases; in these cases infected plants should be destroyed. Grey mould may attack fading flowers or leaves, especially autumn and winter. Any portion infected should be removed to prevent the spread of the disease to other parts of the plant, especially the others surrounding it.

Have you got any Cyclamens growing in your garden - any other tips you want to share that we have missed? Please do tell us :)

Cyclamen Tip
Never water your Cyclamen from the top, always water and let the Cyclamen drink from the bottom - otherwise you may kill him!

What a week

2008-04-01T22:30:00.000+02:00

Well, we have had a busy week planting and weeding, our plam trees arrived that were given to my husband from his brother - Dan (the other hoe's son) started his new job on Saturday morning working 3 hours every week, helping us in the garden.

They had some initial problems digging the hole! Where we decided to place the palms is a rocky area at the back of our garden which is a lovely spot for the palms and some cactus but it is very rocky and the soil could be better, although, now it is all weeded (thanks to Dan!) the plants will have some room to breathe and grow now - lots of water and perhaps some compost this weekend - we should be rocking!

He was bought 2 palm trees (2 are 15 feet tall) and then 2 small ones (which we plan on putting into pots), along with cactus and an Aloe Vera.

This back garden is not very well protected (security wise) so we thought cactus would be a great way of deterring the robbers - let's face it would you walk through a load of cactus to steal a TV or would you go next door where you can just walk through the gate? I know which I would choose.

Gina's strawberries are growing strong and she should have some lovely fruit very soon - mine are struggling a bit, the plants themselves look good but the fruit is very small and I need more straw because they are starting to rot! My tomatoes are also drooping every day and I am watering them, the tomatoes are gorgeous and tasty though - complete opposite to the strawberries!

Got any good tips for growing strawberries? Please share them ;)

Along with the tomatoes, cactus, palms, strawberries we also planted an avocado tree and a graepfruit - again the avocado does not look happy since we have taken him out of his pot - he is irrigated well every day, surrounded by good old horse poo and still he is weeping - I am sure that it is because he has only just been moved from his pot and sometimes plants take time to settle into their new home.

Patio Gardens Spain

2008-03-25T10:35:00.000+01:00

The very fact that the Mediterranean climate is so equable and agreeable means that land in the areas that enjoy it is highly priced. Few people, whether permanent residents or second-home owners, have pockets deep enough or areas large enough for extensive gardens. Together with the particular merits of enclosing space described in Courtyard Gardens, this fact makes the patio a highly attractive and practical proposition.

The patio has a very long history, dating back to Roman times when well-heeled citizens built their residences around a central atrium - an open court. The area might be graced by a central fountain, and was used as an extension of the house which gave onto it. Thus it would be used for relaxation or for taking meals in fine weather. The tradition was carried across Europe by Roman legionaires and found its way to Spain in the courtyards of the Arab conquerors from North Africa. Though the concepts were originally virtually identical, today the terms patio and courtyard are not synonymous.

Here we shall consider the patio principally as a paved area providing a formal or informal link with the house, and serving, in effect, as an 'outdoor living room'. In California the same purpose is likely to be served by a wooden deck.

Choosing your Patio site
if you are starting from scratch you may well have a choice of sites for a patio. However, quite apart from the fact that sitting it next to the house makes sense in terms of convenience and accessibility, this may well be the best spot in terms of land use. If you have engaged in any moderately extensive construction or reconstruction, the area immediately adjacent to the house is probably the one in which the builders dumped their waste. The soil will inevitably have been affected and it is far easier to pave over such an area than to attempt to improve it.

When choosing your site carefully consider how you will use your patio. Unless of course you just want to sunbathe and then a few pots dotted around the patio may be the ideal choice for you.

Large attractive containers with impressive sculptural plants - Chinese fan palms are delicious! (Livistona chinesis), a Lady Palm (Rhapis excelsa) or a Swiss cheese plant (Monstera deliciosa), with its decorative and arresting leaves could form an exotic 'wall' of foliage. Alternatively - my favourtite - trellis or wattle fencing, supporting a vigourous, preferably deciduous, climber (such as Vitis vinifera - the grape vine) would give it a greater feeling of seclusion.

Perhaps you want to roof a section of your patio garden extending those days you can sit in the shade when the sun is beating down in the summer months or protect your plants in the winter months. The best permanent cover you can get is glass, but this is an expensive option and extremely heavy and would need strong support. Next best to glass is polycarbonate sheeting. It comes in varities of thickness and is very strong.

You are almost certainly going to be entertaining on your patio after dark and you must consider your lighting options (remembering the night skies and the astronomers!) The choice is enormous and we have already talked about lighting your garden - read our post about LED lights for the garden!

Choosing Trees

2008-03-24T12:09:00.000+01:00

Create a balance
Trees surrounding a country garden, give shelter and privacy. Choose your forms and colours with great care, mix evergreens and deciduous to give your garden balance.

Planting Trees
When you buy young trees you may need to support them, as they may bend out of shape in wind. Hammer a stake into the base of the planting hole before putting the tree in and tie the tree to your stake (avoid the roots!). When you come to fill the hole look for the soil mark on the base of the trunk and plant at the same depth as it was before transplanting.

Hedging
We all plant for screening or hedging at some point in the garden. Fast growing, upright trees are useful for the former, and those with a dense, twiggy habit are ideal. Try to be patient when planting for hedging purposes, we can be impatient and go for fast growing poplars or Leyland Cypress. Both of these can grow rapidly and take over the garden, shading your garden and your neighbours, robbing your other plants of moisture, nutrients and light! Therefore, you should be patient and stick to less agressive, slower growing alternatives. Hedges are often a useful backdrop against which borders and groups of containers can be displayed.

Yew (Taxus baccata) is slow growing but is ideal for sheltering other plants as it forms a thick, impenetrable hedge that does not require a huge amount of attention.

Trees and Shrubs for colour!
Trees that flower are very popular and understandly so - cherries and plums are amongst the most widely planted. Ornamental apples (Malus spp) and rowans and white beams (Sorbus spp) are well adored too - they have a dual season and flower in Spring and Autumn. Autumn colour is a good basis on which to select trees; after all, at its best it can rival flowers for sheer impact. You will do well to remember that good autumn colour largely depends on there being sharp frosts at the right time in autumn, so areas with mild climates rarely see a good show of colour. Many of the best trees are large but you can get smaller ones, such as Bonzai, Amelanchiers and several shrubs, like Euonymus alatus and species of rhus.

Foliage Colour:
For dramatic colour in autumn, Japanese maples are hard to beat, they have a beautiful filigree leaves which turn from tones of scarlett to burnt orange - lush!

Happy Easter Gardening

2008-03-24T11:57:00.000+01:00

Happy Easter everyone and sorry that we have not been around, we took Easter off and had a party in the garden that we have been lovingly growing!

I hope you all had a good Easter and didn't eat too much chocolate - maybe you now need to get in your garden and get digging to burn it all off!

I thought that now would be a good time to list the activities in the garden that will burn some fat off (I need it!) - I have not done a huge amount of gardening over the past weeks because we were building a bar in the garden to throw the party that we had. I have planted some tomatoes, 2 palm tress and we have 2 big palm trees coming later in the week.

So, per hour when doing the following we burn:
Gardening / Planting - 250 Calories
Gardening / Hoeing - 350 Calories
Gardening / Digging - 500 Calories

It has been calculated that 1 pound of body fat is equal to 3500 calories. This means that in order to lose 1 pound we have to walk for about 12.5 hours. So don't expect fast weight loss and remember to eat sensibly.

So, perhaps the best way to eat chocolate is do gardening at the same time hehehe.

Get planting guys and girls!

Natural planting in your garden

2008-03-04T23:58:00.000+01:00

Natural Planting
A woodland edge provides the ideal habitat for shade-loving perennials, including geraniums, ferns and those foxgloves.

The next time you take a country walk, or go on holiday, look at the plants around you. Notice how those that grow in exposed places usually have tiny, closely packed leaves, how those in hot, dry areas have a tendency to grey foliage or succulent leaves, and how woodland plants are often evergreen or dormant in the summer.

All these are adaptations plants have evolved over millions of years to enable them to grow successfully in different environments. It makes sense to take advantage of this, and select plants for our gardens that are naturally adapted to our particular type of soil and climate, whatever it is.

Gardeners often complain of bad drainage, or of dry, or clay, or limestone soil. They never seem satisfied, and are prone to label anything that is not a perfect loam as a 'problem garden'. However, that fact is that nature has developed a wonderful and beautiful flora for every 'problem', at least those that are of natural origin.

A good start is to consider growing more wild plants native to your region. They are often very beautiful, but underrated for being wild, and at least they are perfectly adapted and will not have difficulty growing. If there are no local nurseries selling local wild plants, you can collect seed (but NEVER dig up the plants) and propogate them yourself.

Dry or Damp Shade?
A number of plants enjoy shady conditions, but some prefer it dry, others damp. The shade created by walls, for example, is often dry as a rain shadow area is formed as a result. Damp shade is likely in a naturally damp garden, overshadowed by a few large trees.

Plants for damp shade:
Brunnera macrophylla
Dicentra formosa
Geranium phaeum
Hosta sieboldiana
Pachysandra terminalis
Trillum spp

Plants for dry shade
Alchemilla conjuncta
Anemone nemorosa
Epimedium spp
Euphorbia Amygdaloides
Hedera spp
Lonicera
Pulmonaria
Symphytum

Choosing your garden plants

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Plants for dry sun
Many grasses like dry, sunny conditions. Big, clump forming Miscanthus sinesis 'Variegatus' is a handsome architectural plant for a dry border.

Any garden benefits from having a good mixture of plants, both in terms of height and shape, and in the variety of foliage and flower form and colour. However, it is surprising how much diversity and interest you can create without flower colour.

Plants for shady parts of the garden will inevitably major on leaf form and shape; plants for full sun will have more flower power. Make sure that you choose those that do well for these differing situations, and look, too, at the soil conditions. Some plants prefer acid soil, others alkaline.

Rhododendrons and azaleas, for example, refuse to grow on alkaline soil but will quickly provide useful ground cover for large gardens on peaty soil.

Hopefully, the differing habitats in your garden will allow you to choose a variety of plants from dry-loving to damp-loving, sun-loving to shade-loving.

What grows best in the garden?

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Before you select plants for your garden, it is advisable to learn as much as you can about the area in which you live, as this will determine what you can grow. A good way of finding out which plants will grow well is to visit local parks and gardens that are open to the public.

An area where everyone seems to have rhododendrons means that you can grow these acid-lovers, too, as well as azaleas, camellias and many more.

Keep a notebook handy to record plants that you like and that thrive in gardens with similar conditions to yours. It is a good way of building up your own body of knowledge. Once you have a clear idea of what the area can or cannot offer, you will be in a position to select plants that will succeed with little effort on your part.

Climate is the place to start. is your area one that regularly experiences cold winters or hot, dry summers? If it is, then the hardiness of plants or their drought tolerance are two important limiting factors.

Then there is the 'microclimate', which refers to factors that affect the overall climate on a small scale and of your garden in particular.

A wall or hedge that protects the garden from the prevailing wind may mean you are able to grow a range of more tender plants than anyone else in your neighbourhood ;)

On the other hand, being in an exposed position, or in a frost hollow, where cold, heavy or air gathers, can mean the opposite.

Sheltered Spots
If you are lucky enough to have a walled garden, you can grow more tender plants that require protection from cold winds. Your perennial borders will flower earlier than your neighbour's in these conditions!

Light is yet another very important factor. Is your garden shaded by trees, or is it on the sunless side of a hill or your house? If it is, then you will need to concentrate your efforts on growing shade-tolerant plants.

The soil is the other major player. Is it generally damp or even wet, or is it very free-draining and so liable to dry out in the summer? Is it fertile, or acid, or rich in lime? You may not require a soil-testing kit to find out - gardening neighbours may often supply the answers.

Plants for particular situations

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To make a successful garden it is crucial to choose plants that are suitable for the prevailling conditions. All plants have preferences; moist or dry soils, acid or limey, warm climates or cold. Traditionally, gardeners have expended energy on making conditions suit particular plants, in places where they would naturally grow, by changing the nature of the soil or using copious quantities of water. However, water shortages, and the pollutant effects of chemicals have compelled people to think in terms of a more natural approach.

Instead of changing conditions to suit plants, today the trend is towards choosing plants to suit the place.

Sympathetic Planting
Damp areas of the garden, in particular water features, need to be planted sympathetically, Moisture-loving plants have large lush foliage at the expense of brilliant flower colour. Use features, such as little bridges, to create accents instead.

Harmony and Contrast in the garden

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Soft Harmonies
The delicate blues, mauves and pinks and softly billowing shapes of a herbaceous perennial border in summer are a study in gentle harmony.

Making a garden is an intensely personal business. What one person loves, another may hate. Such varying reactions are often to do with a level of harmony and contrast in the planting.

Very harmonious gardens, where all the colours match, and clashes or surprises are avoided, are soothing, restful places. Those who like more stimulation may prefer gardens with lots of vivid, contrasting colours, or a wide and dramatic range of leaf shapes and plant forms.

Harmony in gardens is relatively easy to achieve with single colour schemes. 'White gardens' are particularly rewarding and straight-forward. Plantings based on colour contrast are more different to get right, and are much more personal.

Mixing strong colours can create results that are vibrant to some, but too obtrusive and clashing to others.

Mixing colours and shapes
Big, bold shapes, like spiky variegated agave, make a striking feature against softer planting. Vibrant colour contrast can be provided by using yellow/green agave and pink sedum.

Year Round Interest

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Some gardeners are happy to have most of their garden flowering at once. They like to see a spring garden with lots of bulbs, or an early summer garden with roses and perennials, and they are happy to let it rest for the remainder of the year. Most gardeners, though, prefer to attempt a long season of interest, which involves trying to interweave plants so that there is always something, or some part, that looks good.

A garden takes time to develop, and never stands still. Planning planting for the short, medium and long term helps avoid the great gaps that can try the patience of even the most dedicated.

Trees, needless to say, are the most long term, often maturing long after we have gone!

Shrubs, too, can take many years to look their best, which can mean a garden that is heavily reliant on them may take rather a while to develop. Herbaceuous perennials look established with remarkable speed, whereas annuals fulfil their promise and disappear within a year. It makes good sense, then, to include all these different plant forms in a garden.

Creating a structure

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Informal Design
This simple garden has all the ingredients for success; an enclosing structure of trees and hedges, space for relaxation and an impeded view so that the garden appears larger, and more inviting

It is the larger or more upright plants that do most to develop the garden framework, dividing it into sections and serving as a guide as you walk or look round. Trees or shrubs with a narrow, vertical, columnar habit have lots of impact, but are useful in that they take up little space.

Trees, under whose branches you can walk, hedges that act as green walls, or plants with strong shapes, all provide the visual 'bones' for the garden. The softer, more formless shrubs and flowering perennials are the 'flesh'. Some of the most successful gardens are those that balance the formality of clearly designed shapes, such as clipped hedges and topiary, with the informality of burgeoning borders of flowers and shrubs.

Plants for the garden

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This cottage garden has a formal plan. The gravel paths provide the 'bones' of the design while the planting is sympathetically unstructured.

To enable the different elements of a garden to blend comfortably and attractively, there has to be a balance, which can to a large degree be dictated by the trees, shrubs and flowers that you choose.

By opting for plants that complement and harmonize with other aspects of the garden, such as the paving or lawn, and its overall size and shape, you can create a framework in which art and nature reach a happy equilibrium.

To help you choose plants to suit your garden's needs, concise descriptions of a wide range of trees, shrubs, roses, climbers, perennials, ground cover, bamboo, grasses, bulbs ans annuals and biennials, keep coming back and reading our blog because all these will be covered in great detail - you don't want to miss out now do you ;)

Principles of Planting
'Harmony' is perhaps the most important word in making a garden. You want somewhere that is relaxing but also stimulating to the senses, where art and nature have reached a happy equilibrium. Creating a balance between the different elements of a garden, such as the paving, lawn, trees, shrubs and flowers, is crucial to the end result.

Colour is an essential design element, but because flowers are relatively fleeting, it can be difficult to maintain interest all year long. The stronger the framework of the garden, with plenty of 'architectural' plants (those with strong and distinct shapes), the less vital it will be to have flowers all year round.

Small gardens are especially difficult to plan. All plants are highly visible, so there is no room for the spectacular flowering plant that looks messy for the rest of the year. Good foliage and flowers with a long season are vital.

Growing Strawberries

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These low growing herbaceous plants are grown for their delicious red, occasionally yellow fruits. Strawberries, which grow to 45cm (18in) high and 60cm (24in) across, will tolerate most soils that are well-drained. They are relatively short lived with a cropping life of about three years, so new plants should be planted on a regular basis.

The second year is the most productive.

Planting: Plant in early autumn at a distance of 45cm (18in) apart and 75cm (30in) between the rows. Plant on a very slight mound with crowns at ground level. The plants must be firmed well and watered.

Cultivation: Newly planted strawberries have a shallow root system and must be kept watered until well established. As the fruits develop, they will hang down onto the soil, so a mulch of straw will prevent them from marking and rotting; black plastic can also be used as an alternative, but fruits actually touching it may become scorched in hot weather.

Pruning: Cut off any runners (modified side shoots) bearing new young plants in Summer. Cut down the foliage to approximately 10 cm (4in) above soil level in the autumn, after picking has finished.

Harvesting: Harvesting begins in early summer for early fruiting cultivars, and continues through to autumn for perpetual-fruiting types (see below). Pick the berries complete with their stalks, when they are red over about three-quarters of their surface and handle them as little as possible, as they are easily bruised. Pick fruits every other day, as they deteriorate fast. Fruits intended for freezing and preserving can be picked slightly earlier than those destined for dessert.

Strawberry Tips:
Strawberries are divided into three distinct groups

Alpine Strawberries - produce a light crop of small, delicately flavoured fruits. Reliable, cultivars include 'Alpine Yellow'

Perpetual Strawberries - flower and fruit in mid-summer and again in mid-autumn. Reliable cultivars include 'Gento'

Summer-fruiting Strawberries - produce a heavy crop over a three or four week period in the summer. The season can be extended by selecting cultivars carefully: 'Elvira' fruits early 'Cambridge' Favourite in mid-season and 'Domanil' late

LED Lights for the garden

2008-02-23T17:08:00.000+01:00

I wanted to diverse just slightly off the subject of growing things to lighting!

My husband is an astronomer - yes, going off in another direction again but you will catch up with me soon and see why I had to explain so much ;)

So, yes, my husband Chris is an astronomer and needs dark skies so he can see up into space - this is why I am diversing - he needs dark skies and LED lighting is just the perfect answer for garden lighting.

They are low energy, they benefit the environment they give off less light pollution so you light what needs to be lit instead of brightening up space (and we don't need to see up there now do we?), meaning the skies are darker, less light pollution in the atmosphere and lower electricity bills, plus you can get really funky lights.

All in all a good combination for lighting the garden wouldn't you say?

The green issues of switching to this low energy lighting system benefits the environment in the way it consumes far less energy than standard light bulbs (LEDs are 80% more efficient!). It also requires far less energy to manufacture, something not often considered. The recycling of LEDs is less of a problem as the life span of an LED is incredibly long - several tens of thousands of hours!

Most domestic bulb filaments expire after a couple of thousand hours. You save money not only in running costs but also in maintenance.

LEDs are a lot more robust than the standard filament, which is easily broken. An LED is virtually unbreakable. There is no glass or filament to break making LED light sources perfect for rugged or demanding environments.

It is possible to get a variety of LED, everything from the stark white to the warm and calming colours, you can even have lights that have ever-changing displays of colour!!

We will definitely be adding LED lighting to our gardens, has anyone used LED lights in their garden - send in your designs :)

Courtyard Gardens

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We promised that we would go into detail about choosing a style of your garden and elaborate on the gardens we mentioned in our previous post.

Today we are going to discuss courtyard gardens :)

Separate courtyards and hedge-enclosed divisions that often bear little relationship to one another or to any obvious ground plan are typical of the Moorish gardens in southern Spain. They reflect the influence of a desert people for whom small enclosures - if only a tent - provided welcome refuge from the heat and perils of a vast uninviting desert.

Similarly, in the Mediterranean regions of Europe, the Middle East and western United States, courtyards provide privacy and shade, respite from the relentless heat of the midday sun. The contrast between this haven and the heat and dust of the surrounding countryside is made all the more delightful by the introduction of water. Bubbling up in a bowl, cascading from a small fountain, lying deep, dark and still in a central well or simply reflecting the surrounding court, its very presence refreshes the spirit.

When designing your garden, then, do bear in mind the advantages of creating an enclosed, shady oasis. You are sure to yearn for it in the scorching heat of high summer. Such an area is quite inexpensive to establish and very easy to maintain. Nor does it demand a lot of space. You can, for example, pave an area as small as 5 metre sq/30 sq yard, and surround it with a hedge of Italian Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens). Pierce the hedge with arched entrances and place a couple of comfortable benches within.

Add, if you wish, a container-grown flowering shrub and a small raised pond (we will talk about ponds also - Gina has one - well it is more like a bloody lake!) ;)

You can work endless variations on this theme, enclosing the courtyard with a wall rather than a hedge, and using the wall to support a colourful climber. Create an interesting pattern of tiles or bricks for the floor area and choose from the vast range of garden furniture the style best suited to your setting - whether in wrought iron, wood or one of the excellent modern plastics.

If the overall effect is harmonious, you will find yourself retreating to sit in this tranquil spot far more frequently than you may ever have imagined.

if your garden is large enough, you could consider dividing it into a number of different, highly individual areas, each one separately enclosed within walls or hedges. Depending on whether you use sombre evergreens such as the Italian cypress or flowering species such as Viburnum tinus, and whether you make your enclosures rigidly geometric or flowingly curvaceous, you can achieve a range of effects from the impressively formal to enchantingly casual.

Try to make each individual area distinct, so that you experience a sense of novelty and surprise as you move from one to the other. You could give each of these 'garden rooms' a separate theme. One, for example, might be devoted entirely to plants of a single colour - white petunias and pelargoniums look wonderful set against a cypress hedge - or to plants from a single family, such as rose.

Choosing the style of your garden

2008-02-20T18:08:00.000+01:00

Well, we have been going a few days now, documenting what we can - it takes a long time this writing malarkay!

Anyway, we realised that we ought to talk about choosing your style of garden, is it a courtyard garden, patio garden, terraced hillside, a large plot of land (like we both have) paving, do you want a water garden or perhaps a dry, low maintenance garden. All these topics will be covered in greater detail later but I didn't want you thinking "OK, OK, this is great and all that, talking about the flowers and all, but where do I plant them, where do I start???!!!".

So, let's get to the matter in hand - Choosing your style of garden.

Each individual will clearly have a different approach to creating a garden. But when planning one remember that it should NOT be a chore, but a joy to sustain! Be clear before you start about the use it will be put to and how much time you will devote both to enjoying it and to maintaining your precious outdoor space. (Unless you can afford a gardener and then, well, bugger it, just go for it ;)

Cool courtyards built round gently cascading fountains, tiled patios with dappled shade from overhead vines, terraced slopes left wild with sweet smelling cistus and rosemary or planted with drought-resistant cacti or succulents - these are solutions that please the eye, engage the intellect and refresh the spirit. Lets explore a variety of styles and approaches.

The impact on design of the two great garden styles of the Western Mediterranean region has been immense. The first, the Moorish, seen at its most sublime in the gardens of the Alhambra in Granada and the Alcazar in Seville, is based on the traditional Islamic garden. In this the garden was divided by waterways - representing the four Rivers of Life - into four, the quadripartite design which has been echoed in many gardens throughout the Western World. The style came to Spain with the Moors from North Africa.

The second style, vastly different in concept, is that of the Italian Renaissance where the emphasis is on balance and proportion. Full of sanctuary, impressive balustrades, terraces, flights of steps, fountains and basins, these gardens are dramatic and formal.

While the Moorish style is intimate, designed for people to use and devoid of statuary or ornament, the Italian Renaissance garden is to amaze, to be wondered at and admired. Both styles have been adopted and adapted in countries way beyond the Mediterranean region.

The Islamic influence, for example, is evident not only in the gardens of the Taj Mahal but, through the conquistadors, in gardens of South America. The influence of the great Italian gardens spread first to France, where it is much in evidence at Versailles, and then to Britain where it can be seen, for example, in the gardens of Powis Castle in Wales,. Italian influences are also apparent in the relatively recent gardens at Blake House California.

Present day gardeners can rarely afford to emulate the flamboyance of the Italian High Renaissance, though elements of it are evident in details - fountains, statuary, ornament - of gardens throughout the World.

The Moorish style is far more accessible and practical. To create calming and earthly manifestations of the Paradise Garden, flat ground is advised with a small pond set into the lush grass, perhaps some gravel, a few trees planted symmetrically along the pond and pots in bloom - maybe some fountains of running water or cool pavilions to offer delight and refreshment.

Tulipa - Lifting the Spirit of the garden!

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Jewel-coloured flowers burst into life in spring. Whether forming stately processions across a border or ornamenting a bed in vivid patches, the presence of tulips in the garden lifts the spirits!

Since their introduction from Turkey 400 years ago, tulips have been one of the most popular and rewarding bulbs for late Spring displays. They are grown for their elegant flowers which are available in nearly every conceivable colour except true blue.

The six-petalled flowers are generally cup or goblet shaped - although some may be rather starry - and mature blooms tend to open so wide in the sun that they are almost flat. Each erect stem normally carries a single flower but some varieties bear two or three flowers per stem. There are usually two or more lance-shaped basal leaves and smaller stem leaves which are often greyish green. The bulbs, which vary greatly in size, have a pointed tip and a brownish skin.

The genus as a whole is very varied, from the tiny mountain species suitable for the rock garden or greenhouse, through to the gaudy modern hybrids that are planted in huge beds in public parks and gardens. Around 100 species of tulip are known, mostly from west and central Asia, and there are thousands of garden hybrids that have been developed over the years.

The small species tulips are best planted in clumps towards the front of a border and they make colourful rock garden residents.

The tulip index is very large so we have decided to document this on a separate post.

The large flowered hybrids can be used for general garden display either in formal beds - planted with forget-me-nots (Myosotis) or wallflowers (Erysimum) - or in clumps planted among herbaceous plants. Tulips can also be grown in containers for display on a patio or terrace.

All require a heavy loam soil that is nevertheless free-draining and a warm, dry summer dormant period to ripen the bulb. It is normal practice to lift the bulbs of the modern hybrids as the leaves fade and store them until replanting in autumn.

If you want tulips left in the ground so that they form large patches the following tulips are the recommended species:
Tulip Saxatalis
Tulip Sprengeri
Tulip Sylvestris

We have just recently planted tulips in a border bed alongside a Camellia, when we have updated photos of this shooting we will post the images here.

A little Tulip Tip!
If you want to keep the bulb for planting next season, pull the Tulip bulb from the ground (after it has flowered, of course!), leaving the leaves on the bulb - place in a plastic container (doesn't need to have a lid), wait for the leaves to die before cutting them off - this will nourish the bulb, ready for next season ;)

Hyacinthus

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The sweetly perfumed, colourful flowers of Hyacinths appear in mid Spring - it would appear that in our Andalucian gardens that we get them slightly earlier this year as they have started to grow already!

The plants, with their errect, cylindrical flowerheads and fleshy, strap-like leaves, retain their perfection for two to three weeks. The flower may seem densely packed - carrying up to 60 individual bell-shaped florets - or more loosely spaced as in the "fairy" types - you may also be wise to support the hyacinth with some wood up against the stem (like shown in the image).

Multiflora hyacinths are grown from bulbs that have been specially treated to produce several smaller flower spikes instead of one dense spike. They are sold by colour only.

There are also double-flowered varieties. Hyacinths are full hardy and ideal for planting in containers/pots (as we do), as well as informal borders and formal bedding schemes. For text book results, buy new bulbs every year, however, we are on the second year with the same bulb and all that was required was watering and then every Spring the bulb should grow again.

The once-used bulbs produce fewer flowers per stem and can be replanted in less formal areas of the garden. To flower indoors in mid winter, bulbs specially prepared for forcing can be bought in Autumn.

Recommended Species and Varieties
Hyacinth Orientalis - This parent of all the modern hyacinth cultivars produces sparsely flowered stems, up to 20cm (8in) tall, bearing blue, violet, pink or white flowers. Indoors, prepared bulbs will flower from Christmas to late winter; non-prepared bulbs bloom from late winter to early spring. There are earlier and later varieties - but all flower within a month of one another.

Early flowering varieties include:

Anna Marie - Light rosy pink flowers

Ben Nevis - Ivory-white double flowers

Bismarck - Methyl-violet blooms

Blue Magic - Purple-violet flowers

Borah - Fairy type with porcelain-blue flowers

Delft Blue - Blooms of soft-lilac blue

Jan Bros - Red Blooms

L'Innocence - Ivory-white flowers

Lady Derby - Rose-pink flowers

Ostara - Deep blue flowers

Pink Pearl - Deep pink blooms

Violet Pearl - Mallow-purple flowers

Mid-season flowering varieties include:

Blue Jacket - Dark blue flowers with a purple stripe

Gipsy Queen - Dark salmon and apricot flowers

Late flowering varieties include:

Amethyst - Lilac-violet flowers

Carnegie - Dense spike of white flowers

City of Haarlem - Primrose-yellow blooms

Distinction - Beetroot-purple flowers

Hollyhock - Crimson flowers

Peter Stuyvesant - Dark violet blooms

Cultivation
Plant bulbs outside from late summer to late autumn in a sunny position in fairly fertile, well-drained soil. Set 15-24cm (6-9 1/2in) apart and 10cm (4in) deep. Plant bulbs for forcing indoors before mid autumn in bulb-forcing compost. Then keep a cool, dark place for 8-10 weeks, ideally at 7-10ºC (45-50ºF): a shed or garage is ideal. Bring into a light, warm room, where they will flower 3 or 4 weeks later. Bulbs can also be grown in hyacinth vases. Keep the bulb in its vase in a cool, dark place until its roots have developed, making sure that the builb itself does not touch the water, or it may rot.

Propagation
Producing fresh hyacinth bulbs involves specialist techniques: buy new bulbs. Hyacinths take 6 years or more to flower if grown from seed!

Pests and Diseases
Hyacinths may be affected by grey bulb rot, grey mould, soft rot and yellow disease -which is similar to soft rot and should be treated similarly. They may also be attacked by aphids, bulb mites, narcissus flies, slugs and stem eelworms.

Our collection of plants/flowers

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We thought we would start with some common ground and list some of the plants that we have documented as growing in our gardens so far - no doubt many of you reading this will have or are about to grow some of the plants/flowers that we are nurturing.

So far we have documented the following to be growing in our gardens:
Fruits/Veg:
Apple
Lemon
Orange
Pomegranate
Grapefruit
Fig
Avocado
Garlic
Asparragus
Olives
Plum
Pear
Raspberry
Strawberry

Herbs:
Thyme
Lemon Thyme
Parsley
Coriander
Marjoram
Oregano
Mint
Dill
Basil
Rosemary
Chives
Lavender

Plants/Flowers:
Camelia
Mimosa
Palm
Sunflowers
Furs
Lantana Camara
Cortaderia Selloana (Pampas Grass)
Daisies (Purple/Yellow/White)
Jasmine
Cestrum Nocturnum (Dama de Noche)
Roses
Daffodils
Callistemon Viminalis (The Bottle Brush)
Brugmansia Arbrorea (Angel's Trumpets)
Bouganvillea
Aloe Arborescens (Red Hot Poker Aloe)
Strelitzia Reginae (Bird of Paradise)
Zantedeschria Aethiopica (Calla Lilly)
Felicia Amelliodes (Swan River Daisy)
Hyacinths
Tulips
Plumbago Capensis (Cape Leadwort)
Euphorbia Pulcherrinia (Poinsettia)
Jacaranda Mimosifolia
Hebe Caledonia
Geraniums
Cyclamen
Callistemon Citrinus 'Splendens'

As we keep documenting more plants we will update our garden of goodies :)

Anyone else growing the above plants/herbs/flowers/fruits/veg and have any special tips for growing, let us know?

The Mediterranean Gardener

2008-02-15T14:16:00.000+01:00

Broadly speaking, our blog is about gardeners living in warm temperate regions that experience four months of hot, almost totally dry summer weather and wet but sunny winters, with the lowest annual temperatures of between 2ºC/35ºF and 6ºC/21ºF. As well as in the regions bordering the Mediterranean Sea, such conditions are to be found in parts of central and southern California, in South Africa's western Cape Province, in parts of southern, western and eastern Australia and along some of the coast of Chile.

In a Mediterranean climate, it is drought rather than cold that presents a hazard to plant life. Fortunately it is possible, to a large extent, to alleviate dry conditions by watering - at least, this is possible for those who have a good water supply!

By a good supply we mean one that will not disappear just when it is needed most - at the peak of summer - and also one that is relatively free of dissolved salts, which, even in weak solution, are harmful to plants. In many coastal areas the increased use of water because of tourism has drawn sea water into the aquifers and has increased salinity to levels which few plants accept.

Water that has passed through those types of water softener that are regenerated from common salt is also sodium-rich and destructive to healthy plant grow. If you have no alternative but to use salty water, you should choose plants that are specially adapted to saline coastal conditions (we will talk about those plants later) and give preference to those that are drought resistant too. If, on the other hand, you are determined to have a garden of verdant lawns, green foliage and bright flowers, you will have to provide a source of pure water and an efficient system of applying it regularly and economically.