Lynne Allbutt

Life's a Beach ... Seaside Gardening

I spent a lovely day in Pembrokeshire last week, advising a couple on a planting scheme for their beautiful cliff top garden.   Although the benefits are usually stunning views, seaside gardening has challenges of its own with strong winds and salt air.  Although being careful not to block any views, establishing good boundaries to provide shelter for your site is a good place to start.  Escallonia macrantha will provide a good, tough, evergreen hedge with the bonus of red summer flowers.  It’s a tall growing variety but is happy being clipped back to suit.  Hippophae rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) also makes a great seaside hedge as its as tough as old boots.  The sharp thorns make it a good choice for added security and if you plant male and female plants you will get fabulous orange berries throughout the winter months.  Pyracantha and elaeagnus will also provide thorny barriers; pyracantha has berry interest and elaeagnus will provide a dense evergreen screen.   Shrubs that will tolerate salty air and sandy soils include Hebes,  Lavender, Rosemary, Senecio,  Cordylines, Euonymus and Spiraea.  If you’re still stuck for ideas, follow Dad’s advice, ‘have a good look around the area to see what’s growing well (note what’s growing wild as well as what’s in other peoples gardens) and simply plant lots of them.’
I made the most of my ‘west day’, by taking Tippy down to Barafundle Bay for the afternoon.  One of our favourite beaches of all time, it was as beautiful as ever in the late summer sun.  We really do have some of the most spectacular scenery in the World, right here in Wales.

Taken from Lynne Allbutt's Green Scene Column in the Western Mail (Media Wales) 19.09.09

Find out if an ex- Grange Hill pupil is Green Fingered

TV actor Erkan Mustafa, best known for playing Roland Browning in the  legendary BBC school drama series Grange Hill, immediately shares fond memories of recording an episode in North Wales with me. “You have the most amazing scenery,” he enthuses, “we filmed at an outward bound centre, it was lovely.”
It turns out that Erkan spent a lot of his childhood outdoors, albeit in much sunnier climes.  “My father’s from Cyprus,” he explains, “so I spent most of my holidays going back there to see Uncles and Aunts.  They are all farmers and I have great memories of rural life with my cousins on tractors, amongst chickens and goats.” 
“I’m not so keen going back now,” he admits, “I find the village a bit boring but it has inspired me to want to grow my own fruit and veg at home in London.” 

Buzz Off - wasp free zone!

The recent high winds have already brought down a lot of apples and plums in the garden and wasps are proving a real nuisance.  They change their feeding habits in the autumn preferring sweet things and carbohydrates and are also more likely to scavenge around outdoor diners. 
Enter, the Waspinator; a fake wasp’s nest that will deter wasps from areas indoors and out.  It is an ingenious idea as wasps are very aggressive and territorial.   When they see what they think is another wasp’s nest in the vicinity they will ‘buzz off’ and forage elsewhere rather than risk confrontation.   It is made from recycled   polypropylene and is completely waterproof.   You can even scrunch it up and take it on a picnic with you and has even been voted as one of the 50 Best Things to take Camping.    Priced at £13.95 for a twin pack (inc P&P) visit  www.waspinator.co.uk

from Lynne Allbutt's gardening column Green Scene in the Western Mail (Media Wales)  12.09.09

Juicy Fruit - for free!

I’m still harvesting loads of veggies from the veg garden, as Bill (Tidy) commented, it’s all working as a ‘currency’ as well as a form of recycling – I had a wonderful veg quiche returned to me from a neighbour who had been in receipt of the raw ingredients.
I have also turned Tippy walks into blackberrying missions and have a freezer full of the delicious, and free, fruit.   The irony is that the biggest, juiciest blackberries were picked from the bottom of the garden - and I think I’ve managed to convince Hubby that’s why I left them there.   
I even picked a small bag of whinberries (whimberries) on the Sugar Loaf.  It brought back wonderful memories of similar expeditions with Nan.  She used to laugh as she reminded us not to pick the ‘sheep’s whinberries’ – they do look very alike!  A member of the blueberry family, whinberries are considered to be a Super food.  And the great thing is, not only are they good for you to eat but it does you good getting out in the fresh air to harvest them.  Blueberries are very happy to be grown in tubs and pots though remember they like very acidic conditions and will therefore need to be planted in ericaceous compost.  Adding a little composted bark or sawdust will keep the compost free draining but moisture retentive.

from Lynne Allbutt's Green Scene column in the Western Mail 12.09.09

Legendary cartoonist Bill Tidy on growing 'tidy' vegetables

Legendary cartoonist Bill Tidy admits that he was in his 40’s before he ‘decided to grow things’.   He explains, “I never bothered with gardening before that – apart from the lawn. I loved a Millennium Stadium (like Wembley but better) type lawn,”  he chuckles, “complete with the stripes; it was my forte.”
Also well known for his written work (Bill has written 20 books and illustrated 70) and broadcasting,  he tells me proudly, “We’ve got quite a big garden and once I started, I did very well.   I even developed our paddock into a vegetable garden which looked amazing until about 4 years ago. 

Oliver Heath at home in his Garden

TV presenter, writer and eco-designer Oliver Heath is recognisable to most of us as the popular designer on BBC’s Changing Rooms and Dream Homes.  He claims "Good design should excite and raise our emotions - it should be beautiful, functional and inherently green - I believe aspiration is key to a sustainable future." Having set up his own business www.ecocentric.com in 2005, Oliver is living his own passion for Eco lifestyles.  “It is all about how people live and the environmentally conscious aspects of their lifestyles.”  He explains diligently, “I think it’s important to consider the complete way in which you live in your home, on your patch of land in the same as we live on the Planet as a whole.   It’s about communities and connecting.   How you live in your house and garden should connect.  I advise people how they can incorporate eco ways of living without compromising style.  Sustainable design is actually very cutting edge now.”  He adds.

Kate Humble goes Gardening

Nature loving writer and TV presenter Kate Humble, has fond memories of being brought up in the countryside.  “We lived next door to a farm and had a really chaotic garden,” she recalls.  “You couldn’t tell where the garden ended and where the farm began and I spent a lot of time in both.”
“Wildlife became part of my life, as I watched the birds enjoying the overgrown hedges and I eventually started to notice wildlife as an entity in its own right. 

Best Foot Forward - stress fracture frustration

Finishing the HSBC Cardiff 10K on Sunday.  Ran with a stress fracture - very painful now and not looking good for rest of Run-athon.

Any advice and/or miracle cures welcome ... will be swimming and cycling now to keep up fitness and hoping foot heals quickly.