The Department for Education (DfE) is seeking applications for the upcoming 2025/2026 SuDS Schools Grant Scheme. This program is designed to reduce flooding from surface water on school grounds, easing the burden on local drainage systems and improving the learning environment of schools. The DfE is willing to cover up to half of the total costs for SuDS projects, from small to large-scale features like planters, rain gardens, and swales, offering a significant opportunity for ...

  Unbelievably it is estimated that six to eight million Xmas trees bought in Britain alone this year are destined for the chop at the prime of their lives with unacceptable environmental consequences that are easily glossed over or dismissed. After its brief decorative moment of glory in a festive setting, most Xmas trees are then fly-tipped rather than recycled. Altogether, the government's waste agency Wrap estimates that the nation's dumped trees weigh in at around ...

At this year’s COP27, world leaders, having at last accepted that an inevitable climatic change is taking place, and one of the main themes is how can we adapt in the near and long term future. To this end, we all need to play our part in adapting to an inevitable changing climate, one of which will clearly be long drought periods, as we experienced this year. Now is the time to start planning your garden for 2023 and beyond.   We are all aware of the need to make our ...

  Biochar has been used for thousands of years all over the world by gardeners and agricultural producers for boosting soil fertility. More recently, research on its properties and potential benefits for the environment has gained increasing global interest in its ability to remove heavy metal and other pollutants, as well as sequester carbon, thus reducing the level and impact of global climate change.   What is Biochar?   In essence, biochar is basically charcoal ...

    Plant blindness is a term related to our apparent inability to notice plants in their environment and a failure to recognise and appreciate the value of plants to life on earth, coupled with a belief that plants are somehow inferior to animals. Wildlife is typically perceived as only pertaining to animals, it importantly includes plantlife too. The phenomenon of plant blindness is direct consequence of urbanisation, and has been particularly pronounced over the past ...

There are some planter materials that seem to grab you a bit more than others and Corten steel is definitely one of them for me. I often find myself enthusing over the use of Corten as a striking focal point for a whole manner of planting schemes.      It really is a material to embrace. It belongs to a group of steels which have exceptional corrosion resistance and tensile strength.   Corten Steel is also known as a ‘weathering’ or ...

  Can’t resist the natural look and feel of terracotta pots? Neither can I.          One of my favourite things about terracotta is their natural red clay look and that gorgeous patina they develop after a while. Who doesn’t love a good vintage look?     The patina is actually mineral deposits that are pulled through the walls of the pots. It’s not harmful and can be left or washed off with soap and ...

Our recent past has left many people with a deeply disturbed sense of apocalyptic inevitability. A future based on a deeper connection with nature could be our salvation, at both an individual level, as well as hopefully inducing a change in the delusional thinking of our world leaders, that have clearly lost the true value of our symbiotic role in the web of life that has been intrinsic to the evolution of our species.   The term Biophilia was first used by the Psychologist, Erich ...

Protect Your Plants From Frost Damage               The recent cold spell has caused a lot of damage. Magnolia blossom, thriving before, is now looking weary.   Unfortunately, the damage is irreparable but there are lots of effective ways we can protect plants from future frost damage:   In general, if you get non-hardy plants in before May you’ll need to protect them from frost in a greenhouse or ...

  This Easter weekend will see the busiest gardening frenzy of the year. This is great for your wellbeing, but remember that when you buy your compost, that is certainly not good the wellbeing of our rapidly disappearing Peatlands.       The use of peat for growing plants is a mainstay of British horticulture. But unless alternatives are found quickly, the country's dwindling peat bogs could disappear altogether. Read more ...