Send in the gnomes.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of London’s prestigious Chelsea Flower Show, the august members of the Royal Horticultural Society have decided this year to relax their century-old ban and for the first time allow the “little people” into the show—garden gnomes, that is, those tacky little statues of short bearded men with pointy hats.

Ever since the Chelsea Flower Show began, in 1913, organizers have rigorously excluded garden gnomes—and any and all such “brightly colored mythical creatures,” from the exhibits. But in a break with tradition, as well as to raise money for the society’s nationwide Campaign for School Gardening, gnomes will be made welcome.

A hundred of them, painted and decorated by celebrities such as Dame Helen Mirren, Joanna Lumley, and Elton John, will be making appearances among the greenery. Afterward they will be auctioned off on eBay, with the money going toward the RHS’s programs to teach gardening in more than 16,000 schools around the country.

“I think it is a wonderful idea,” says English garden historian Twigs Way, author of Garden Gnomes: A History. “Word that garden gnomes were going to be allowed in this year’s Chelsea Flower Show has opened up a marvelous debate about what gardening is really supposed to be about. After all, we are a nation of gardeners, and for many of us, garden gnomes epitomize the great social divide on garden design. And now the social barrier has been broken, even if it is only for just this one season.”

Tacky or Treasure?

Indeed, in class-conscious Britain garden gnomes are seen as strictly for the masses, nothing an upper-crust gardener would dream of having on his or her turf. In this nation of gardeners, radio talk shows have been sounding out their listeners on the subject, and countless column inches have appeared in the newspapers.

Although garden gnomes may be perceived as tacky in some of today’s snobbier gardening circles, Way says, this wasn’t always the case. “Back in the 19th century they were expensive pieces of garden art that only wealthier people could afford. They were made of porcelain or terra-cotta, hand painted and imported from Germany, which was where most of them were made, at considerable expense.”

Gnomish History

The idea of garden statuary goes back to Roman times, and various gnome-like statues appeared in Renaissance gardens in Italy, but the classic garden gnome as we know him today hails from Germany, and is drawn from folkloric dwarves that supposedly toiled in the mines. Statues of these folk were popular in gardens, and by the 1840s a thriving gnome-making industry had sprung up around Dresden and, later, around the town of Gräfenroda in Thuringa.

The earliest gnomes in English gardens are believed to have been a set of 21 imported from Nuremburg, Germany, in 1847 by Sir Charles Isham, 10th Baronet, a wealthy garden designer who used the figures to people his new alpine rockery on his Lamport Hall estate in Northamptonshire. Eccentric though he may have been, his gardens were widely praised, and it wasn’t long before gnomes became the latest must-have for Victorian gardeners.

Only one of Sir Charles’s original gnomes survives, a cheeky little fellow named “Lampy,” who had been hidden away in the shrubbery and therefore missed the censorious eyes of the baronet’s daughters, who disliked the statues and got rid of them. Today Lampy is insured for one million pounds when he goes traveling to garden shows around the world.

After World War I garden gnomes fell badly out of favor in England, thanks to their association with Germany. It fell to Walt Disney to bring them back in the 1930s, with his Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. “Everyone wanted one for their gardens,” says Way. “They were immensely popular.”

After World War II, Sleepy, Sneezy, Dopey, et al. were being made cheaply out of cast concrete, and later even plastic, and quickly became the hallmark of the suburban garden. Among the many postwar gnome makers was Tom Major-Ball, father of former British prime minister John Major.

But popular though they are, never in a hundred years did one of these little fellows make it into Chelsea—until now. And it may be another hundred years before their return—the reversal of the ban is one year, and then the show goes back to being a gnome-free zone.

Article source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/13/130521-garden-gnome-chelsea-flower-show-london-lampy/

Memorial Day, we’re reminded this time of year, was originally called Decoration Day, a day in late May set aside for the adornment of the fallen’s resting places with flowers, flags, endearments.

Those of a certain age recall wearing red poppies evoking blood shed in Flanders Field.

Here in San Diego, the annual reverence lavished on hallowed ground has a bright local thread. John Logan, general of the Grand Army of the Republic, in 1868 declared with General Order No. 11 the first official memorial holiday, a tradition already begun, legend has it, by Confederate women. Three years later, as a congressman, Logan wrote legislation to create a transcontinental railroad connecting San Diego to the East. Logan Heights, named for the general, is the lasting reminder of that dashed dream.

In Alpine, above El Cajon, the town cemetery on Victoria Drive is the resting place of some 450 veterans, about a tenth of the total population.

In the first week of April, thieves drove into the cemetery and dug up eight 16-by-24-inch bronze military markers along with their concrete foundations. At most, I’m told, the bronze slabs are worth $25 apiece as scrap.

The community rallied. Alpine Fence Co. donated gates and fence. For the first time in its 124-year history, the cemetery is open only to foot traffic when the cemetery is not staffed. Surveillance cameras have been installed.

The eight robbed graves are now marked with temporary tin markers and small flags. In time, the bronze will be replaced by the VA, says Bob Duck, the cemetery’s sexton.

Coincidentally, the Harrelsons, a large family with deep roots in Alpine and in the military, had been planning since January to refurbish the Veterans Memorial at the entrance to the cemetery.

Buried there is Harvey Newton Harrelson, a veteran of the World War I whose death in 1962 was the catalyst for the memorial. Harrelson’s five grandchildren decided that, after a half-century of wear, it was time to do some serious decorating. They built a protective wall and laid down stone flooring, among other improvements.

Memorial Day morning, the local VFW will celebrate this banner Decoration Day at the Alpine cemetery.

About 30 yards away will be the plundered graves, a stark reminder of evil.

Michael Harrelson, the oldest of the five grandchildren and himself a Vietnam vet, showed me around the renewed memorial.

He sees the cemetery as a moral battleground in which it’s obvious which side is with Lincoln’s better angels.

Article source: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/may/22/memorial-day-alpine-cemetery/

Dear Helen: An unusual shrub I saw in bloom earlier this month was identified as a Choisya (Mexican orange blossom), but the leaves were unlike the Choisya I know. They were much more slim and were arranged in finger-like fans. The flower clusters had the same white, star-shaped blooms, though they were perhaps a bit larger than the Choisya I’m familiar with. P.A.

Dear P.A.: Your mystery plant is a Choisya called ‘Aztec Pearl.’ a form characterized by slim, finger-like leaves rather than the shiny, elongated, slender ovals of C. ternata. The leaves of both are aromatic.

There is yet another variation on the Choisya theme, in C. ternata ‘Sundance’ with bright yellow leaves.

Dear Helen: My very old Hoya is loaded with bloom, but the leaves are turning yellow and dropping off. This began last year after the plant flowered. Should I fertilize? H.B.

Dear H.B.: Make sure that the soil is dry on top before watering. Too much water, especially in fall and winter, and/or over-fertilizing, can cause leaf yellowing, as can chilling.

Because your plant blooms profusely while the leaves are suffering, I’m wondering whether you have been fertilizing with a bloom-promoting fertilizer high in phosphorus and potassium. These nutrients are indicated in the second and third numbers on fertilizer labels. The first number gives the percentage of nitrogen, which promotes healthy green growth.

When flowering is finished, you might consider feeding the plant a few times, and cautiously, with a dilute fish fertilizer solution (a nitrogen source). Replace a top layer of soil mix with fresh first. Don’t fertilize in fall and winter.

Another factor in the plant’s distress may be its age. Old plants are unwieldy to repot. You can, however, duplicate the plant with cuttings now. Choose healthy shoots and root then in an open-textured soil mix kept a bit on the dry side. Root them out of direct sun.

Dear Helen: Deer are prolific in East Sooke where I live, and I’ve been observing plants besides rhododendrons and daffodils that remain safe. Wisteria, lavender, forget-me-not, grape hyacinths and just one hyacinth — all blue flowers — have not been touched. Am I onto something here? D.A.

Dear D.A.: Your experience is directly opposite to mine. Deer that managed to crawl under an improvised gate at the time chose the blue pansies before other colours to eat first. A visitor to the garden suggested deer are attracted to blue because that is the colour of their favourite berries.

Lavender and other aromatic, Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary and thyme are usually left untouched. Deer are unpredictable. It will be interesting to hear from other readers about this question of colour.

Garden Events

UVic special lecture. The Friends of Finnerty Gardens invite everyone to a free lecture titled Pursuing the  Wild: The Sechuan Botanical Expedition on Thursday, 6:30 to 9 p.m., featuring Far Reaches Farm’s Sue Milliken and Kelly Dodson presenting their 2012 plant-hunting expedition pursuing wild rhododendrons.

VRS sale. The Victoria Rhododendron Society will hold a show and sale on Saturday at Westshore Town Centre. This is an opportunity to purchase unusual rhododendrons not commonly available. Experts will be on hand to provide tips on planting and caring for the shrubs.

Tomato day. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd. in Saanich, is hosting its first Tomato Day on Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon. There will be many unique tomatoes and other heat lovers, recipes and advice from experts on growing and preserving tomatoes.

Plant sales. There will be two Garden Babies for Birthright plant sales on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. One is at St. Elizabeth Church, 10030 Third Ave. in Sidney. The other is at St. Patrick’s Church, 2060 Haultain St. in Oak Bay. Both sales showcase perennials, as well as flowering shrubs, ground covers and more.

Ladysmith tour. The Ladysmith Rotary Club will be hosting its annual garden tour of 11 beautiful gardens on Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets at $15 will be sold on tour day at the Agricultural Hall, open 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. During the morning at the hall, there will be vendor sales, music and a continental breakfast available for just $3.

Alpine lecture. The Qualicum Beach Garden Club’s Alpine and Rock Garden Group is presenting Chris Chadwell speaking on Plant Hunting for Alpines in the Borderlands of Western Tibet in the Parksville Community Centre at 1 p.m. on Monday. Entry fee is $5.

© Copyright 2013

Article source: http://www.timescolonist.com/life/helen-chesnut-choisya-variations-both-aromatic-1.193309

THE season of the garden is in full swing and as spring wanders along people are busily planting their gardens to provide interest, fragrance and flavour.

Arguably, the easiest and tastiest plant to grow has to be the common strawberry (Fragaria species).

Strawberries are grown all across British Columbia, from Vancouver Island to the Okanagan to the Fraser Valley. B.C. strawberry producers grow about 25 per cent of all Canadian strawberry production or roughly 3 million kilograms of strawberries worth about $6 million annually. It is interesting to note that Canadians consume more strawberries than we produce, requiring us to import more of those tasty berries from California, Florida, Poland and Mexico. It is also worthwhile noting that Canadian environmental and agricultural standards prevent our strawberry growers from drowning strawberries in pesticides, unlike other countries which rely heavily on pesticides, fungicides and herbicides for agricultural production.

Most modern, commercially available strawberries originated from French breeding that crossed Fragaria chiloensis with Fragaria virginiana to produce a plant that optimized the virtues of both parents. Over the last century, American and Canadian breeders have developed many new strawberry cultivars to meet the consumer’s desire for more taste, bigger fruit and a longer fruiting season.

Our ancestors originally ate the alpine strawberry (Fragaria alpina) and the wood strawberry (Fragaria vesca), among other species. Today there are four main groups of strawberry: June-bearing, ever-bearing, day-neutral and alpine strawberries. June-bearing strawberries produce fruit once a year in June. Ever-bearing strawberries produce berries twice a year, occasionally more. Day-neutral strawberries produce berries every six weeks or so from June through September. And the alpine strawberries produce fruit once in July or August. The most commonly grown June-bearing cultivars are Hood, Totem, Benton, and Tillamook.

Some of the most popular ever-bearing strawberries cultivars include Quinault and Fort Laramie. The most common day-neutral cultivars include Tristar, Tribute, Selva, Seascape and Diamante. Totem, the leading strawberry cultivar throughout the Pacific Northwest, was bred by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Pacific Agriculture Research Centre. The strawberry varieties Rainier and Puget Reliance were bred by the Washington State University breeding program.

No matter the variety you choose to grow, all strawberries need the same conditions to flourish and produce their delicious fruit. Strawberries must have well drained soil that has been thoroughly amended with organic matter such as well rotted manure or compost to produce healthy leaves and therefore abundant fruit. Chemical fertilizer should be used sparingly because it promotes soft leaf growth that predisposes the leaves to foliar diseases. Excessive fertilizer also forces leaf growth on the plant at the expense of fruit. Mulching the soil is also recommended for strawberries to prevent soil drying and plant stress. Full sun exposure provides the best fruit production. Full sun means at least eight hours per day; however, some strawberries will grow well enough for the backyard foodie if there are at least six hours per day of sun.

Article source: http://www.nsnews.com/life/Plant+your+strawberries+sunny+spot/8418050/story.html

This spring should have been so richly deserved.

So perfect.

We struggled through blizzards. Shoulder-high snow banks where sidewalks should have been. And storms that tore and dug away at our beaches and coastline, flooded roads and pitched homes into the ocean.

Then this spring. Cool. Fairly dry as springs go — in fact we’re in a slight rain deficit for the year. And slow. The way spring is supposed to be. So unlike it usually is up here on the northeast nub of the Bay State, where we usually go from snow to 80 degrees in a matter of a week.

Spring?

Blink and you miss it.

Not this year. This year we have been treated to seeing the world reborn in stages. Given the chance to see each element of spring bloom and burst before giving way to the next. The snowdrops, white on the brown leaves and yellow grass. Then the daffodils. Their yellow faces bolder than the snowdrop and firmer in their hope. Then the forsythia. Bright yellow splotches and hedge ribbons weaving through the landscape. Tulips spiked the world with myriad colors red, yellow, purple. Those at the top of Market Street were particularly spectacular against the steady flow of skies, cloudless and brilliant blue.

A tree at the intersection of Turkey Shore and Labor in Vain is always one of my favorite spring spots in town. The April sun sets at a cross angle to the tree, some two stories tall, weeping down with branches drenched in pale purple to pink flowers. The long, angled rays set the trunk dark against the colored blossoms, themselves back lit, with the Ipswich River shimmering behind. The whole tree looks as if it were dipped in a shimmering silver glaze.

And now other trees have filled in their colors. The pink and white of the dogwoods. The apple blossoms. The cherry trees. The dwarf pears. Their petals flowing down in a stiff spring breeze, momentarily mimicking the blizzard’s snow and covering me in sweet fragrance and color.

And through it all the booms echo, the puffs of white smoke flash and the screams reverberate.

The contrast between God’s gifts and the reality of what we are capable of doing to one another, inescapable.

Our anger first blocking the burial of the older bombing suspect and then forcing him to be buried in secret. I refuse to name him. He deserves to fade into anonymity. Forgotten.

But he should have been buried.

At some point we need to focus on this world. On our actions. And surrender what is beyond us to God’s judgment, which only the most hubristic could even claim to begin to understand.

At such times of inexplicable pain, we need to rely on faith to see and work toward the best we can be. To see those who run to the puffs of smoke. To see those run to the nearest hospital after finishing a marathon to give blood. We need faith to give back to the earth the worst of what we are and raise up our heads and see the multiple hues of green — the sages, the green yellows, the sharp greens — of leafing trees.

Dan Mac Alpine is senior editor of the Ipswich Chronicle.

Article source: http://www.heraldnews.com/newsnow/x372822600/GUEST-OPINION-Putting-our-faith-in-spring

Article source: http://www.hebdenbridgetimes.co.uk/news/local/no-slack-and-still-top-for-alpine-displays-1-5665367

RAYMOND BLANC visited Watlington to support the town’s entry in the Britain in Bloom competition.

The chef planted thyme and strawberries in Mansle Gardens and a blackcurrant tree in the grounds of Watlington and District Care home.

Blanc, who had asked to be put in touch with his local Britain in Bloom group after launching the competition’s “incredible edibles” theme, said he was impressed with the town’s sense of community.

He said: “It’s wonderful to see a community really gathering together, really connecting with food, connecting with planting and connecting with blossoms.

“We in Great Britain have lost this simple connection with food and now we are connecting with that and it’s marvellous to see that happening in Watlington.”

Blanc also wished the town luck in the large village category of the national final during his visit on Wednesday.

“I must be totally impartial but let the best win and I hope that all the efforts that this community has done will bring its own fruits of success,” he said.

Tim Horton, chairman of Watlington in Bloom, said Blanc’s visit was inspirational.

“What Raymond brings to us is a fantastic expertise,” he said.

“He, at Le Manoir, has his own garden, his own orchard, and we are looking to extend the facilities that we have, the public garden, as well as private gardens and allotments, to do even more than we are doing at the moment.”

Blanc met members of Watlington in Bloom and Peter Thompson, who is a regional judge for Thames and Chiltern in Bloom and is mentoring Watlington in the upcoming finals, at the town hall before taking a tour of the high street. He then visited Calnan Brothers butchers, where he was shown some local venison, and the Granary delicatessen, where he tasted some quince jam and cheese produced by Quince Products, of Ingham Lane.

He then visited the Paddock where he was asked for his suggestions for improving the area. His ideas included planting fruit trees and hedges and a children’s garden.

Blanc also visited Mansle Gardens where he was met by members of the It’s Your Neighbourhood group who look after the area.

He was shown grapevines which were given to the town by their French counterparts four years ago to mark the 20th anniversary of the towns being twinned.

Aherb garden was recently created in a planter which was made from larch wood grown and sawn locally and put together by Tom Bindoff, a member of the Watlington in Bloom committee.

Blanc planted thyme and alpine strawberries, which he confessed were his favourite variety, in a second planter.

Kate Dew, of Church Meadow, helped plant the herb garden and was among the group who met Blanc.

She said: “It’s really exciting because this is a really important part of my environment and it’s such a lovely open space. With something like this we hope people will come along and do a bit of weeding and take some herbs.”

Blanc’s final stop was the care home in Hill Road where he looked around the gardening club’s greenhouse. Produce grown in the home’s garden is used in the kitchen.

The chef planted a blackcurrant tree, assisted by head gardener Peter Hemmins, and met some residents who were potting lavender, rosemary, basil and hot peppers inside the home.

Julie Cooper, manager of the home, said it was “wonderful” to welcome their special visitor.

“Many of our residents enjoy gardening as they like to get outside in the fresh air and feel the wind on their faces,” she added.

Published 20/05/13

Article source: http://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/news.php?id=1286748

MONTREAL — The seasonal garden party at the Montreal Botanical Garden is in full bloom.

GARDENING WEEKEND 

Need some gardening-season inspiration? The green ideas start here.

The Montreal Botanical Garden presents the 16th edition of its Great Gardening Weekend Friday, May 24, through Sunday, May 26. This year’s theme is “Setting up Your Gardening Area.”

The weekend features talks with horticulturists and growers; garden-inspired workshops; sales of unique plants and one-of-a-kind gardening supplies; and tips on organic gardening, floral arranging and food-producing horticulture. In all, more than 100 growers, craftspeople and horticultural experts will be on hand. While most lectures and workshops are held in French, many exhibitors are bilingual and can answer a variety of gardening questions. Topics cover advice for vegetables and roses, pruning- and training-technique demonstrations, and bonsai care and cultivation.

A number of the botanical garden’s partner organizations will also be on hand to share their love, passion and expertise for specific plant species such as lilacs, orchids, gladiolus, dahlias, hostas, daylilies, bonsai, roses and alpine plants.

LIVING SCULPTURES

The Botanical Garden also hosts one of Montreal’s major summer events.

Making its return is International Mosaicultures, a collection of 50 outdoor large-format living sculptures that each use hundreds of colorful plants to create shape, color and texture. The horticultural artists hail from 25 countries.

The event, last seen in Old Montreal a decade ago, is a natural to be hosted at the Botanical Garden. The sculptures will adorn a pathway that’s about 1.3 miles long. The event is held Saturday, June 22, through Saturday, Sept. 29. 

GUIDED TOURS

While there’s definitely a lot of ground to cover at the Botanical Garden, a free garden tour led by volunteer guides can make the experience more manageable and insightful.

The official daily tour season began last week and continues through Thursday, Oct. 31, with tours departing at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The tour lasts from 90 minutes to two hours; wear a comfortable pair of walking shoes.

Stops along the way include any number of the Botanical Garden’s signature outdoor-garden spaces. There are 30 thematic gardens in all, including the Garden of Innovations, an outdoor space that highlights the latest annuals, perennials, ornamental trees and shrubs, and ground coverings available on the home and gardening market.

In addition, the First Nations Garden offers a contemporary take on an ages-old gardening sentiment and is one of the more popular summer visits. The space offers a look at hardwood and conifer forests; an actual indigenous longhouse; and the “Three Sisters” dietary staple of squash, beans and corn. The ongoing “Knowledge and Know-How” series offers woodworking examples and arts and crafts demonstrations throughout the year.

EXHIBITIONS

The Tree House, an indoor-exhibition space devoted to trees, features “Romans des Bois,” an exhibition of 30 unique wood sculptures created by artist Alain Stanke. It’s presented through Thursday, Oct. 31. 

The Chlorophyll Room in the main greenhouses offers “Your Garden,” a look at the 80-year history of the Montreal Botanical Garden. It continues through the end of the year.

BLOOMS OF THE WEEK

Check out the Botanical Garden’s website for its “Blooms of the Week” calendar. Currently on the late May springtime docket: magnolias in the Japanese Garden, spring flowering bulbs in the Alpine Garden, and primroses and rhododendrons in the Leslie Hancock Garden.

Steven Howell is the author of Montreal Essential Guide, a Sutro Media iPhone travel app available at iTunes.com.

IF YOU GO
WHAT: The Montreal Botanical Garden.
WHERE: 4101 Sherbrooke St. E. (Metro station Pie-IX), Montreal.
HOURS: Great Gardening Weekend hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Summer hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
ADMISSION: Non-Montreal resident adult admission costs $18.75. International Mosaiccultures adult admission costs $29.50. Discounts are available for students, seniors, youths and families.
CONTACT: Call (514) 872-1400, or visit www.espacepourlavie.ca.

Article source: http://pressrepublican.com/0800_special_sections/x701047828/Find-inspiration-at-Great-Gardening-Weekend

One of my favorite moments from this season of Mad Men is when Bert Cooper is celebrating their (too-early) plan to go public. Pete offers to pour him a drink and Bert asks if Pete has any “spirits of elderflower”. It’s a fantastic and decidedly European request, hilariously placed for a strange man of the world like Bert Cooper. So what is a spirit of elderflower? It’s a liquer made from the flowers of the elderberry plant. The most well-known is St. Germain, a French liquer (/another France Hamdam reference) that is traditionally drunk straight or mixed with champagne. It’s also traditionally used in several old-timey cocktails if you ever go to one of those fancy cocktail bars that have lately become the rage.

But liquers of elderflower are not easy to make. The flowers do not grow well in nurseries, every known bottler picks them from the wild in the Alps. They only flower for a 4-6 week period. They’re very fragile, having to be picked by hand, and lose a lot of flavor soon after picking*. After they’re picked by hand, they’re moved only by bicycle, not truck (yes, really) to be macerated right in the alpine fields. Exact recipes for the commercial brands are all a secret, but in general they all boast of how careful their picking and bottling process is to maintain the flavor of the flowers. So next time you’re in a liquor store, maybe seek out some spirits of elderflower. It’s a tasty liquer that is delicately hand-made and shipped around the world for your consumptive tastes. It’s a beautiful world sometimes.

*Ever notice that fresh store-bought blueberries suck compared to frozen ones? Same problem of losing flavor immediately after picking. Frozen blueberries are flash-frozen in the field on special trucks, it’s why they’re so much tastier than ones you buy “fresh” at the store. Every decent bakery and restaurant uses frozen blueberries, it’s the key to good flavor in your muffin/pancake/etc.

Article source: http://www.blackheartgoldpants.com/2013/5/17/4342166/hamsterdam-is-drinking-with-bert-cooper

PUBLISHED:

16:31 EST, 17 May 2013

|

UPDATED:

16:31 EST, 17 May 2013

Green roofs have been popping up everywhere at the Chelsea Flower Show in recent years. The idea is simple: instead of using hard materials such as concrete, why not grow plants on that surface?

Green roofs also help keep buildings cool in summer and warm in winter, and they have great aesthetic appeal.

The RBC New Wild Garden, winner of a Silver-Gilt medal at 2011’s Chelsea Flower Show, attracted a lot of attention for its roof planted with a mixture of wildflowers, sedums, herbs and flowering perennials, all selected to enhance biodiversity.

A green roof planted with sedum

Nigel Dunnett, one of the designers, says that any plot, whatever its size, can accommodate a green roof. ‘Garden sheds, porches, summerhouses, balconies, garages and small extensions all offer great potential for planting green roofs.’

Before embarking on a green roof, it’s important to consider whether your roof can take the weight of soil or compost and plants.

You will need a minimum soil depth of 7.5cm (3in) for planting, and damp earth is heavy stuff. Normal garden compost is fine for a green roof.

Nigel Dunnett, one of the designers, says that any plot, whatever its size, can accommodate a green roof.

Always check the structural soundness of a building before planting anything on it: if in any doubt, get professional advice.

The existing roof must also be waterproof – pond liner is ideal for this.

Green roofs can be positioned in full sun or partial shade, although you will have to vary your planting depending on the conditions.

Sedums are a popular planting choice, and you can create a simple green roof by securing a pregrown mat of sedums, which are widely available from specialist suppliers like www.enviromat.co.uk, onto the surface of your roof.

Or you could create a colourful wildflower meadow, or recreate an alpine field.

‘Many typical alpines such as dianthus are excellent for green roofs, as are low-growing species of tulips,’ says Nigel Dunnett.

‘Native wildflowers such as cowslips will increase the wildlife value of the roof.’

And if your roof is in partial shade, you could grow alpine strawberries and ferns.

All green roofs will need watering for the first month or so, but after that should be left to their own devices.

Take Chelsea Home by Chris Young is published by Mitchell Beazley, price £20.

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Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/gardening/article-2326240/Grow-roof-As-years-Chelsea-Flower-Show-opens-RHS-expert-Chris-Young-key-looks.html?ito=feeds-newsxml