Sunday, February 28, 2010

It ain't what you prune...

On Twitter a few days ago, @TimesGardening asked me about pruning roses. I was a little flippant in my answer, basing it on the lyrics from 'Anything Goes':

"In olden days a gentle snipping, with secateurs, and poor gloves ripping, now heaven knows, anything goes".

This was written to suggest that with roses, one used to carefully prune, stem by stem, to the desired shape. More recent research suggests that cutting them straight across with a hedge trimmer is just as effective at encouraging flower production (although not necessarily a long term improvement).

I was going to expand this lyrical mutilation to a whole post on pruning roses, based on the entire lyrics of Anything Goes, but inspiration failed me. So I have taken the easy way out.*

With apologies to Bananarama and Fun Boy Three.

It ain't what you prune it's the way that you prune it
It ain't what you prune it's the way that you prune it
It ain't what you prune it's the way that you prune it
And that's what gets results

It ain't what you prune it's the time that you prune it
It ain't what you prune it's the time that you prune it
It ain't what you prune it's the time that you prune it
And that's what gets results

You can prune hard don't mean a thing
Prune it easy and then your plants will fwing

It ain't what you prune it's the place that prune it
It ain't what you prune it's the place that prune it
It ain't what you prune it's the place that prune it
And that's what gets results

I thought I was smart but I soon found out
I didn't know what pruning was all about
But then I learnt I must confess
That pruning is like a game of chess

It ain't what you prune it's the way that you prune it
It ain't what you prune it's the time that you prune it
It ain't what you prune it's the place that you prune it
And that's what gets results

You can prune hard don't mean a thing
Prune it easy and then your plants will fwing

It ain't what you prune it's the way that you prune it
It ain't what you prune it's the way that you prune it
It ain't what you prune it's the way that you prune it
And that's what gets results.

*If you actually want to learn something useful about pruning, BBC Gardeners' World Magazine has a good series in it by Matthew Wilson at the moment.

Friday, February 26, 2010

No place like gnome

Gnomes.
I could try to persuade you that this post is all about subverting the RHS's 'no gnomes at Chelsea' policy.
I could declare that I am bringing to your attention the acts of the Gnome Liberation Front.

I could discuss the strange phenomenon of gnome-napping.
But no, this post is just an excuse to play the following song.


Quote from Mr David Bowie: "I had to resign myself, many years ago, that I'm not too articulate when it comes to explaining how I feel about things. But my music does it for me, it really does."
I think that this song is testament to that.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Monday, February 22, 2010

Lady gardeners

If you have not yet come across the stock of British Pathé short films, then I urge you to take a look. It has a whole range of clips on a wide range of topics, including the one linked to below for all us ladies who would like to take the unusual step of a career in gardening (click on the photo to be taken to the clip).

ABBEY GARDENER

I can't help but think of this sketch, though...

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Another one of those "Isn't nature amazing?" sort of posts...

Isn't it amazing that after 5 months* of being under this...

that there will spring such beauties as these ... (note: plant names may well be wrong, so please put me right, to make our summer holiday photos more accurate!)

White false helleborine

Early purple orchid

Some sort of rampion?

Mountain avens

Alpine thistle?

Martagon lily

Edelweiss

Many more alpine flowers can be found here.
*Yes, I know it feels as though we've had 5 months of it in the UK, but it doesn't last long. Thankfully.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Word of the day

Word of the day is indumentum.

This rhododendron leaf has an indumentum. I'm not sure what type of indumentum it is - according to Wikipedia, your indumentum can be pubescent, hirsute, pilose, villous, tomentose, stellate, scabrous or scurfy. Most of those sound rather unpleasant.

See if you can use the word indumentum in conversation today!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Friday, February 05, 2010

A welcome sound

I've posted before about the effect that a blackbird's song has on me.

Yesterday evening I heard a blackbird singing for the first time this year. My heart lifted. Spring is coming.

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Memories

xxx

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

"An aberration of the human mind"

I'm currently reading a book about the history of Kew Gardens. Being described in the blurb as "the authoritative reference work on Kew" one can imagine that the book is not a laugh a minute. But Kew does have a very interesting history, including a continuing fight over whether the Gardens should concentrate on botanical research (the desire of Sir Joseph Banks, and Sirs William and Joseph Hooker, along with many other Directors of the gardens), or be a pleasure gardens for the masses.

During the time of the Hookers (1850s to 1880s) pressure from various Commissioners of Works meant that the Gardens had to provide floral entertainment for the masses. Neither Hooker was over-keen on allowing the public into the gardens beyond strictly controlled times. Jospeh Hooker was concerned that the public, if given more time in the gardens "...resorted to the woods for immoral purposes in great numbers". Both Hookers wanted to maintain the status quo of only allowing the public in after noon, to allow serious botanists and students the morning for studies without the masses getting in their way.

But, over-ruled, the masses were allowed in for extended opening times. And to entertain them (perhaps to keep them out of the woods?), the Commissioner of Works demanded bedding displays. These displays were described by William Morris as "an aberration of the human mind" (hence the title of the post).

I quite enjoy the municipal* bedding displays at Tatton Park show (below and centre) and when seen out and about (bottom photo).



But I'm not sure about their presence in a botanic garden. I shall be sure to check for any aberrations when hopefully SomeBeans and I visit Kew for the second time ever in the summer.
If you want to have a go at creating your own aberrations this summer, this link has some designs for you to try.

*To be honest I just love the opportunity to use the word 'municipal'.