I love growing vegetables, it’s a truly wonderful, soul enriching experience to grow your own food! Sadly an increasing number of us are without the luxury of a garden or allotment and have nowhere to grow vegetables, herbs, fruit, or flowers; while a great many others struggle to garden in small, often paved spaces, without any access to the soil.
The Butterfly Conservation Big Butterfly Count runs from the 20th July 2018, until the 12th August 2018. During this time, Butterfly Conservation – a registered charity who work to protect British butterflies and moths, are asking members of the public to take 15 minutes out of their day, to take note of the butterfly and moth species they see around them.
April is such a magical time of year! It’s quite simply awe inspiring to see the landscape being painted by mother nature in every beautiful shade of green, as more leaves unfurl and the view becomes ever greener each day. I love to be outside, surrounded by the birds singing and bees buzzing. On warm days you may see butterflies flying: look out for the green toned Brimstone butterfly this month.
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.
The Heritage Open Days are four very special days of the year, where you can experience local history, culture, and architecture, and visit special places which are normally closed to the public, as well as enjoying free entry to places that charge an admission fee.
The 2017 Heritage Open Days will be held from Thursday 7th September 2017 to Sunday 10th September 2017.
The Royal Horticultural Society’s Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, supported by Viking Cruises, is the world’s largest annual flower show! This family orientated Show covers 34 acres of ground, occupying both sides of the Long Water, in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace.
This year Garden Designer Juliet Sargeant has designed the RHS Kitchen Garden, which has been created to showcase a number of innovative methods used to grow edible plants.
Butterflies are again a special feature of the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2017. I love butterflies, so for me the Butterfly Dome is one of my favourite features of this year’s RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Visitors to the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2017, can enjoy a butterfly meadow, the puparium, and of course the Butterfly Dome.
Containers filled with your favourite coloured flowering plants can bring so much joy to you, and to the bees and butterflies in your garden.
Beautifully scented plants are always top of my list. The dwarf, compact, lavender cultivars, known as Lavandula angustifolia, are such lovely options for containers in a sunny spot, where their calming, soothing fragrance can be welcomed and enjoyed by all.
I’d like to introduce you to some of my favourite cut flowers; these beautiful, easy to grow flowers, don’t require any cosseting. You can sow these flowers from seed this month, directly where they are to flower, so there’s no messing about with potting seedlings on, and no need for a greenhouse or any special kit or equipment.
Gardening for Butterflies: How you can attract and protect beautiful, beneficial insects
The Xerces Society
ISBN: 978-1-60469-598-4
Published by Timber Press
I live in the UK. I very much enjoyed reading Gardening for Butterflies, I found it very interesting to read about the butterfly species that live in America, their preferred nectar and larval host plants, and the challenges that these butterflies are facing.
I received this beautiful holly as a gift from a group of very special friends this autumn. This Ilex ‘Nellie R. Stevens’ specimen was purchased from Squire’s Garden Centre in Milford, Surrey, where it was described as an ‘Instant Impact’ plant. This standard holly cost £99.99, the plant is guaranteed by Squire’s for three years from the date of purchase.
This year Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count starts on the 15th July 2016, and runs until the 7th August 2016. During this time, if you want to take part, you simply spend 15 minutes, in the sunshine, counting butterflies and day-flying moths. You can choose to take your Big Butterfly Count in your garden, or a friend’s garden, or a garden open to the public, in a forest, at a park, in a field, meadow or nature reserve, or whilst you’re taking a walk.
The Butterfly Dome is a wonderful feature, which has been specially designed and created for the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2016. I loved visiting the Butterfly Dome. I hope you will enjoy seeing the butterflies, if you’re visiting the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show this year.
The Royal Horticultural Society’s Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, supported by Viking Cruises, is the world’s largest annual flower show! The Show covers 34 acres of ground, occupying both sides of the Long Water, in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace.
The Floral Marquee is 6,750 square metres in size – big enough to house an FA football pitch! Here you’ll find an array of award-winning specialist nurseries, selling a diverse range of interesting and exciting plants.
The Big Butterfly Count is a nationwide survey of butterflies that we can all take part in. This year Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count starts on the 15th July 2016, and runs until the 7th August 2016. During this time, if you want to take part, you simply spend 15 minutes, on a sunny day, counting butterflies and day-flying moths. You can choose to take your Big Butterfly Count in your garden, or in the gardens of your school, college or university, in a forest, at a park, or nature reserve, or whilst you’re taking a walk.
Whether you’ve got a garden, patio, balcony, or a windowsill, remembering to choose flowering plants that produce pollen and nectar that bees and other pollinating insects can access when you’re selecting new plants is a wonderful and worthwhile thing to do.
There’s something quite thrilling about carnivorous plants.
It’s an exciting and romantic time in the garden, with lots to do this month, and so much to look forward to in the garden! Take time out to relax and enjoy the wonderfully scented flowers of Daphne, Sarcococca, and Hamamelis.
Prune Buddleja davidii now. If you’ve got an old, and maybe rather neglected, specimen then start to rejuvenate your plant now, by removing any old dead wood and cutting it back hard.
I love butterflies and moths! Today I took part in another Big Butterfly Count for Butterfly Conservation.
Today I took part in Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count! I spent a very happy and relaxing 15 minutes counting different butterflies and day flying moths and recording them on the specially designed app, which is available without charge for Android and iOS. Here are just a few of the butterflies I spotted. If you’d like to take part in Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count, you have plenty of time, it runs from 17th July 2015 through until 9th August 2015.
