Lynne Allbutt

Bloomin' Marvellous

Most of the week was spent judging Blaenau Gwent in Bloom.  A fabulous honour and lovely to meet so many enthusiastic and clever gardeners but not an easy task, I can assure you.  I saw all sorts of wonderful planting schemes and landscaped gardens as well as incredible veg patches and allotments and it is really encouraging to see so many people getting so much pleasure (and produce) from their plots – no matter what their size or location.  The paradox was that most of these green fingered gurus claimed “I am not a gardener, I just  enjoy being in the garden.” 
I believe that when you work in the garden then you are gardening, and I think that’s good enough to qualify you as a gardener, even if it is just for the time you are actually gardening!   And anyway, I really don’t think titles or ‘labels’ are anywhere as near as important as the pleasure that these ‘gardeners’ are giving and receiving.   Thank you all for the pleasure you gave me last week.
My own veg is being harvested at a rate of knots now as are several of the flowers that I planted in between, with nasturtium and little marigold flowers (Tagetes signata) add a bit of spice to salads.  I’m finding great recipes for cauliflower in an attempt to utilise them all and will probably have to pickle some of the beetroot.  I have found it ‘challenging’ to remember to sow new crops in the spaces released by harvesting but it’s important to do so to keep the crops coming and avoid ‘empty bed syndrome’.
We have an amazing display of self seeded Evening Primroses and poppies in the bed in front of the cottage.  I worked my socks off through the winter, clearing the bed and then filling it with plants from my brother’s garden, whereas these beautiful, elegant, yellow flowers have all simply seeded themselves.  Nature’s way of reminding me who’s in charge, for sure.

Taken from Lynne Allbutt's 'Green Scene' for the Western Mail (Media Wales) 25 July 09

Fiz Brown Goes Green

Actress Jennie McApline is best known for her role as Fiz Brown in Coronation Street but the actress started her career as a stand up comedienne.  She recalls.  “In school, we had to stand up in an English class and give a talk as part of our exam and the girl in front of me talked about vegetarianism and cruelty to animals.   I hadn’t prepared anything so when it was my turn, I decided to take the mick and did my talk on cruelty to veg; carrots in particular.  I said we couldn’t be sure that they didn’t have the same feelings as a pig and suggested it was cruel to chop them up and boil them like we did.  I got an ‘A’ for it but my teacher told me it wasn’t a talk, it was a stand up routine.”
After coming second (twice) in the Young Comedian of the Year, she spent 4 years doing stand up comedy  before joining Emmerdale for 3 years.   She landed the role of Fiz, as a result of her brilliant comic timing and says simply, “I love jokes and just being around funny people.”

Lynne loves ...

 
.... the Block Paving Knife and Weed Finger by Traditional Tool Makers, Burgon & Ball.  Both of the beautifully crafted hand tools are brilliant for removing weeds in patios, paths and steps and all without weed killer.  Once used, you’ll wonder how you managed without it.  The Company also do a great range of Gardener’s Therapy Skincare as well as other gardening ‘Must Haves’.  Pop into www.burgonandball.com for more product details and stockists.

As seen in Green Scene by Lynne Allbutt for The Western Mail (Media Wales) 18.07.09

In the Garden with Robin Ince

Stand up Comedian and author Robin Ince is currently in the midst of performing at Music Festivals.  “I literally spend the summer going from one Fest to another,” he explains, “which doesn’t leave much time for the garden.  In fact my gardening experience can be summed up nicely by yesterday’s events,”  he admits mischievously,   “I took my son to the zoo and when I came home my wife had done the gardening.”
Robin obviously feels compelled to admit his last Tour didn’t include dates in Wales but “That oversight will be rectified next time,” he promises, adding  “my  last DVD was recorded at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff.  Called ‘Robin Ince is as Dumb as You’ it was also produced by the Welsh Independent label, Go Faster Stripe.”
The multi talented comedian admits, “Although I started out as a ‘stand up comic’, I soon realised I had to do something else as well as spending my evenings standing up and shouting.  I needed something to do in the day.  So I wrote the film,  ‘Razzle Dazzle’ (which can still be bought at Amazon”, he adds quickly) “and have just written a book that will be out next year.  I also organise a lot of alternative Shows and do all the guest appearance stuff too.”

If you want to get Ahead, get a Hat

Lynne Loves .... the lightweight, summer version of my well worn cowboy hat.  Not only does it keep the sun off but it’s also waterproof and has mesh sides, so it’s much cooler to wear than my leather winter version.  Nor does it object to being squished up in the back of the truck when not in use, springing back into shape when needed.  Perfect.  Visit www.hatsandthat.com for a full range of Australian hats and, should you need one, tiaras too!  Or call 08007835854

from Lynne Allbutt's Green Scene column in the Western Mail (Media Wales)

My Week

My veggies are loving the rain but the herbaceous plants and roses are looking quite bedraggled.  I always think it’s better to pick the flowers for indoor use than let them turn to mush in the borders so at least we’ve had some lovely colour and scents indoors this week.   Adding a few stems of mint to an arrangement adds a lovely fresh smell too.  The herb bed is looking like a jungle so I have also been cutting them by the handful to stop them going to seed and getting straggly.  Lemon balm and mint make great tea and thyme and rosemary are great when added en mass to roasted veg (out of the garden of course) and BBQ’s.  I’m still foraging too and have been using young dandelion leaves and wood sorrel in salads. I’m trying to find time to make elderflower cordial and champagne but it seems that the rain has spoilt a lot of the flowers.
I have sown more carrots in the raised bed that had the early potatoes in.  I hate to see any unused space in the veggie patch and there’s plenty of time in these good growing conditions for the carrots to come.  Carrot fly is also less of a threat later on in the season.  The second sowing of peas is coming on well (for pea shoots) and I’m ridiculously smug about my amazing crop of mange tout, with the feeling of success tasting almost as sweet as the pods themselves.
I’m still not sure what my tomatoes have in store.  I removed most of the leaves as advised by an American website which said most people in the UK grow tomato leaves rather than tomatoes (as I did last year) and suggested by removing most of the leaves then the energy goes into producing  tomatoes.  I think my plants are still a little embarrassed by their nudity and are thinking twice about producing anything.

From Lynne Allbutt's Green Scene Column in the Western Mail (Media Wales)

Inspirational Gardening - Mind Body & Soil

The inspirational book club and information service,  Cygnus books , began life in a garden shed in Surrey 18 years ago with Ann and Geoff Napier at the helm.  Within two years, the enterprising couple were drawn to the peace and tranquillity of Mid Wales where they continued to run their spiritual mail order business.  Martyn Lowther joined them as a student and has been with them ever since.  He has noticed a huge increased interest, and sales, in books on environmental issues, gardening  and self sufficiency.
“I joined Cygnus as a student in my summer holidays.” He explains.  “I was going to do a degree in accountancy and was glad of some extra money.  I wasn’t at all familiar with the Mind Body and Soul stuff and like most other people thought it was all quite ‘hippy-ish.’  But I soon realised that it was the quality of life that I wanted; to live and work in the beautiful countryside, not the rat race of a City and 16 years later I’m still here.” He laughs.

Dog Tired

Shock horror.  For the first time in my life I have had an allergic skin reaction to a plant.   This is technically known as phytodermatitis; however, as it was during the really hot weather, it then becomes ‘phytophotodermatitis’ – a skin irritant that is exacerbated by sunlight.  Hogweed is the most common culprit of this rash-causing condition but there wasn’t any in the area.  We were planting Jungle-type plants like Rheum, Gunnera and Macleaya so it must have been one of those hairy leaved blighters.  I’ll be wearing long sleeves next time.
And Tippy has also been plagued by plant life this week too.  A high pollen count as the fields around the cottage are being cut for hay, has made her lung condition worse (hence her being in a rucksack for a mountain hike) and she has been wheezing like an old woman.  Remember that animals are also susceptible to climatic and environmental conditions from allergies to insect bites - a neighbours pigs even suffered from sun stroke last week !

Photo by www.wayneputterill.com

em:wayne@putterill.com

Lynne Allbutt with Tippy the terrier-ist on their hike as seen in Western Mail 04.07.09

Gardening news with BBC Wales's Sian Lloyd

Journalist and TV presenter Sian Lloyd is passionate about presenting ‘Your Story’ for BBC Wales, covering stories that matter to viewers and their Communities.  “We meet lovely people; hear incredible stories and I have seen some fantastic gardens too.  It’s one of the bonuses of being out and about amongst people in their everyday lives.” She explains
“It was whilst reporting for Wales Today, that I visited Powis Castle and was lost for words when I saw the gardens.  They are stunning and such a beautiful place to film.  I remember the sense of all the different generations that had either worked in or enjoyed the gardens.  Gardening is a lot about that sense of history, growth and change.  It’s one of my favourite Welsh gardens.”  She confesses.
Sian describes herself as ‘lucky’ to have a large family garden of her own.  “There’s a big grassed area which we use as a play area for Seb, (her ‘nearly 4’ year old son) and lots of beds and a large patio with pots on.  I like to tinker about with the pots even though we’ve got a big garden.  We love eating outside and it’s nice to be surrounded by the pots; I’ve got geraniums in them and lilacs and always put bulbs in the autumn bulbs as I love the spring flowers.  I like the beauty of flowers but also love the scent.  We’ve got a lot of lavender too.”
The bubbly presenter is also busy in the greenhouse. “We are into our second strawberry year after propagating some of last year’s plants.  I like Seb to see where food comes from and how it’s produced and he’s been helping me out.  We’ve been eating fresh strawberries over Wimbledon.  It’s been great. I haven’t had much time to watch the tennis but enjoyed the strawberries nonetheless,” she laughs.
And she is not the only one, as she explains.  “My husband, Jason, took Seb into check the strawberries the other night and there was a bird in the greenhouse that had obviously been enjoying our crop too.  I thought he might have been too full to fly.” She exclaims.
“Growing food is also a great way to encourage Seb to eat more fruit and veg,” Sian explains.  He’s great with fruit but not so good with veg, so  I think we’ll grow some peas next year.  My grandfather had an allotment and I remember spending time there picking and eating fresh peas straight from the pod, they tasted amazing.”
Sian shares another childhood memory.  “I love Weeping Willow trees and remember spending so much time under the one in my parent’s garden; from playing with my dolls as a young girl to revising for my exams as a teenager.  It was a wonderfully peaceful and private place.”
Sian has recently become an Ambassador for the Kidney Wales Foundation.  As next week is National Transplant Week, pop into  www.donatewales.org to lend your support.

Lynne Allbutt interviewed Sian Lloyd for Top Talk/Green Scene in the Western Mail 4th July 09

Flower Power

Certain flowers will suit your Star Sign; for that extra ‘flower power’ match the blooms with birth signs:
Aquarius – Bird of Paradise                          
Pisces – Lilies
Aries – tulips
Taurus – sweet peas
Gemini – daffodils
Cancer – delphiniums
Leo – sunflowers
Virgo – violets
Libra – freesias
Scorpio – red hot pokers
Sagittarius – alliums
Capricorn -  snowdrops