It may surprise you to know that in the garden, as well as on the catwalk, fashions change and evolve, often quicker than we expect. A plant that’s regarded as a ‘must have’ plant one minute, can soon be taken for granted and neglected, before being cast aside and forgotten the next. Our fast evolving and progressive plant trends could result in the extinction of some of the plants that we once held dear.
When I was a child, it was my aim that by the time I became an adult I would have saved up sufficient funds to purchase, and forever after protect a beautiful woodland or forest, and at least one meadow! I haven’t succeeded in my aim – I sadly have been unable to protect any of our woodlands, forests, or meadows, but I still feel just as passionately about plant conservation.
In March 2017, I created an Orchidarium, complete with an automated misting unit, LED lights, and fans, to house some of my miniature orchids and provide them with automatic care. In this update you can see how these automated features have performed over the past year, you can also discover how the plants inside this Orchidarium have grown and developed. I am just so excited to be able to show you the deliciously scented flowers of Phalaenopsis honghenensis!
When you’ve lost someone you love, it’s natural to want to arrange a fitting memorial and to plan a meaningful tribute in their memory. Memorials of any kind are such a personal choice, but I want to help you by sharing some information and ideas of ways that you could leave a lasting legacy, one that will beautifully celebrate the life of someone close to your heart, whilst being kind to the environment.
I love our planet, I love plants and nature. I want to protect our environment. I want to live more sustainably. Sustainability is not a new desire for me, it is something that I have always aspired to. Firstly though I must tell you that I am far from perfect, I make mistakes and I am always learning. I want to improve, I want to make changes to live more sustainably and to live ethically.
I am a sentimental old soul, I treasure so many things that most folk would not think twice of throwing away. I also keep things, just in case they become useful one day. Yes, you could describe me as a hoarder!
I love our planet. I love fields, meadows, glades, forests, hills, marshlands, bogs, mountains, streams, rivers, and oceans. I love to see wildflowers growing in the wild.
Welcome to the eighth part of my Madagascar BiOrbAir Terrarium Trial – growing epiphytic orchids, which are endemic to Madagascar inside the BiOrbAir terrarium! Since I published the last update for this Madagascar BiOrbAir Terrarium, the plants inside this Madagascan terrarium have been growing steadily.
There are many new Madagascan orchids which are now growing inside this terrarium, these plants were introduced during my November 2017 reshuffle, which saw me move many of my orchids from one terrarium to another, so that I could group the plants more interestingly.
Peatlands are extraordinary environments, which cover just 2-3% of the planet’s surface. These scarce ecosystems are also very fragile, they are dependent on sufficient moisture levels being available, and they require a slightly cooler temperature range to allow the necessary sphagnum moss, which slowly forms peat, to grow, flourish, and reproduce. Peat bogs can increase at a rate of one millimetre per year if the desired conditions are present.
I just love growing sweet peas! I love to be enveloped by the sweet pea flower’s powerful and sensuous scent, while I’m encompassed by the flower’s beauty and charm. Eternal bliss! Everyone should have at least a few moments of pause and reflection, to recharge with their favourite sweet pea blooms each and every summer.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew are currently hosting their 23rd annual Orchid Festival. You’ll find an array of colourful orchids, inside the Princess of Wales Conservatory at Kew, until Sunday 11th March 2018, when the Orchid Festival closes for another year. I hope that you can make it to Kew to see this impressive orchid spectacle during the next couple of weeks!