The United Nations has declared the year 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity, and everyone can and should get involved. This includes anyone who eats, drinks or breathes, not to mention all the other activities and pursuits of every person living on the planet.
Biodiversity is just a term for the interconnection of all living things, from the simplest fungus to the mightiest oak tree and the smallest insect to that most complex of creatures known as humankind. Every species has its purpose and its place, and all are dependent upon one another for survival.
As part of the celebration of Biodiversity Year, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is
offering a fascinating series of events during their International Science Festival next month. The importance of butterflies, the varieties of potatoes, how to identify and use plants as medicine and a host of other topics are presented in walks, lectures, storytelling and close personal contact with some of the diverse and amazing plants and creatures that make up the world’s ecosystems.
Those of us who enjoy gardening are particularly invited to join in and contribute our own efforts in our garden plots and allowances. Any garden, even the most carefully tended, is a valuable wildlife habitat. Not just birds and bees, but worms and spiders and even aphids have their necessary place in the endless chain of birth, death, decay and renewal. Humans alone have the capability of destroying or protecting the all-important biodiversity on the Earth.
There are more than 20,000 different fish species that exist in nature with only a few of those able to survive in freshwater, and only a few more of this tiny group able to survive in ponds.
However, despite the fact that there are only a few freshwater species that can be kept in our gardens there are still a large variety of different habits, colours, hybrids, and shapes to choose from, and every year with the continual cross breeding, there are new types of varieties that become available.
One of the primary fish breeds that can be kept alive in captivity and is often cross bred is the goldfish, which is easily the most commonly known fish in the world. If kept properly the goldfish can live for around 15 years, with millions bred each year, making it quite inexpensive to purchase a few for your garden.
Due to the fact that goldfish actually descended from Siberia and China, the breed is tough and able to take practically freezing temperatures, allowing them to make it through some cold winters in your garden. When kept properly, they can grow to reach about 30cm from head to tail, if the pool is large enough to allow for such growth.
However, the fancy types of goldfish cannot reach the same lengths, with only gold and solid goldfish able to reach the largest lengths. Of course, with centuries of breeding goldfish there are now more than 100 different varieties, making it hard to choose which one to take home.
Award-winning British garden designer, Duncan Heather, launches the world’s first-ever interactive online garden design course which means you can now train as a top-class residential landscape designer from the comfort of your own home, anywhere in the world.
Heather – founder and principal of the Oxford College of Garden Design which has trained most of the country’s top contemporary designers; including the award-winning, Olympic garden designer, Sarah Price and the flamboyant Charlotte Rowe – was himself trained by Britain’s best-loved octogenarian designer and garden writer, John Brookes OBE, whom many regard as one of the world’s top five garden designers of the 20th Century.
“I pride myself on the fact that the Oxford College of Garden Design has always been a market leader in technology and innovation,” says Heather.
“We have seen over the last few years how our students have benefitted from the use of technology in the classroom and have designed the online course so that seminars will coincide in real time with classroom lectures and, uniquely, our on- and offline students can learn together.” Heather has recently also teamed up with internet expert turned garden designer Elspeth Briscoe, to help guide innovation in landscape design through new technologies.
The one-year course now being offered online provides a post-graduate level qualification in Residential Landscape Architecture. It also, says Heather, will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of both students and the college; allowing those who want to train as garden designers to do so from the comfort of their own homes anywhere in the world and without long commutes to the Oxfordshire classrooms.
In the decade since the Oxford College of Garden Design first started, it has attracted students from around the world, including America, New Zealand and Japan and Heather is confident the online course will enable even more students who could not otherwise have been able to relocate to the UK to benefit from the same high standard of training as those based in the UK.
Each on-line participant will be allocated their own qualified garden designer tutor and will follow the exact same timetable as the on-site classroom students. Scientists have already shown how “whole brain training” will be the foundation of a new wave of 21st century education and the Oxford College of Garden Design is one of the first UK organisations to offer that pioneering technology to students around the world.
Realising the great demand for home-grown vegetables, Gardening Direct now make it easy for gardeners at every level of knowledge – from beginner to expert – to grow their own, regardless of the size of their garden or allotment. The company’s gardening experts have hand-picked the best varieties of vegetable to ensure that they will grow happily in any garden, on a patio or even in a window box.
Highlights from the latest Spring range include a large selection of potatoes, with a new Successional Collection featuring Pentland Javelin, Carlingford and [King Edward varieties plus three grow bags, allowing gardeners to harvest potatoes from Spring though to Autumn, whether in the ground or on a patio.
Also included are Indoor and Outdoor Tomato Collections, with five varieties in each supplied as large plug plants, a red hot Chili Collection, two Patio Collections and a Root Vegetable Collection , Greenhouse and Salad Collections, the ever-popular Herb Garden as well as a Summer Veg Collection, the perfect starter selection.
In addition, they have All Year Round Collections, available in Family plot (20 x 30ft) or Small Plot (10 x 10ft) sizes. These cost £149.95 and £49.95 respectively, with the vegetable varieties supplied as large plug plants throughout the year at the optimum time for planting, along with full growing instructions. The former includes 27 different varieties (enough to feed a family of four all year) while the latter offers a selection of nine popular vegetables.
It is only a week after the RSPB sent out the largest wildlife survey and already about a quarter of a million results have been sent into the organization.
With this large response the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch is looking like it will be one of the largest yet, with 5m birds already tabulated with much larger figures anticipated to be on their way.
Experts will soon start to analyze the data in order to study the trends of garden birds with an early prognosis of how the cold spell has affected the birds this year.
Those who still have their records are asked to turn them in as soon as possible.
RSPB is still looking for more records because the more that are received the higher the accuracy level of their analysis. The birds were officially counted back on the last two days of January.
Due to the large surge of interest from the public the RSPB has been able to pass its first milestone adding 100,000 signatures to their ‘Letter to the Future’ which is pleads with politicians to work towards preserving nature for future generations.
Head of sustainable development at RSPB, Martin Harper, stated that the amount of support offered is overwhelming and that it signifies that people care about the world that surrounds them. He continued to say that due to the fact this is a general election year it is important that the public send a clear notice of what they care about to the future leaders of government.
According to a national survey published by the Pond Conservation charity ponds in Britain are in a horrible condition. In fact, the conservation group found that most countryside ponds have a large amount of pollution from urban sprawl or fertilizer run off.
While this news is depressing, what may be more depressing is the fact that Britain’s ponds are drastically dwindling in number with over half a million disappearing within the past century. In response, the Pond Conservation hopes to restore these ponds and wildlife over the next fifty years.
They say that garden ponds may be the saviour of the wildlife that is threatened in the countryside. For those who want to build a pond themselves, construction does not have to be out of your hands if you have a modest plan for your pond. A 3m long and 1m wide hole can be enough for a pond completed with cheap waterproof lining over heavy duty polythene and turf.
Once the framework is completed water should evenly fill up the hole so that the liner is no longer visible. At this point the only thing left to do is tuck the liner edges into the turf and clean up the area.
To draw wildlife into your pond, you may want to think about getting some water weed from area ditches and purchase a few plants such as irises, kingcups, and primula.
After this the only thing you need to wait for is wild life to come to your pond, which often includes simple beauties such as dragonflies, frogspawn, newts, and pond skaters.
While there are some garden visitors such as hedgehogs, ladybirds, and bees that are usually welcome, it is hard to say for sure whether birds are a welcome addition or not.
This is due to the fact that there are some birds that can rip a garden apart while other birds help control the growth rate of pests.
Of course, there is the underlying fact that birds are simply pretty to look at. All factors considered, they are usually welcome guests, which is why it may be helpful to learn about how you can encourage birds to stop by your garden more often.
In the past it was thought that birds only need to be fed during the winter time, but now experts recommend that you should put food out at all times of the year because it will encourage them to stop by.
In terms of the type of feed you leave out it is best to keep it simple with a mix that has husk free oats, sunflower seeds, hemp, and canary seed. The easiest and cheapest type of food product is a stylish egg porcelain feeder that can be tossed into your garden.
Along with food, you also will need to provide birds with unfrozen clean water to bath and drink in if you want them to stop by on a regular basis. According to the RSPB, the proper amount of water is between 2.5cm to 10cm so that all types of birds have enough room to bathe.
A flat stone or two can also help birds easily get in and out of your bathe. Stone baths are common although they are a bit pricey and birds will not mind if your bath is as simple as a dustbin lid that is pushed into the soil.
Many homeowners take easy steps to make sure that their homes are environmentally friendly such as replacing light bulbs with fluorescent light bulbs or taking the time to purchase energy efficient appliances.
However, making a few changes inside the home is not the only way that a home can become environmentally friendly, because although most forget about the outside, there are plenty of landscaping choices that can made that will increase the environmentally friendly aspect of a garden..
Outside of the fact that these changes are eco-friendly, small changes can also reduce the amount of water and time that is consumed in order to keep a green yard. Additionally, since a healthy yard requires less work overall, it also means that you can save some money as well.
One great way is to plan out the placement of your plants such as choosing plants that have average growths to match the plot of land you have available and choosing plants that attract wildlife such as butterflies and bees.
You can also choose plants that naturally grow large and take the care to place them where they can grow instead of pruning them so that you can reduce your homes cooling costs and naturally shade your garden area.
You also may want to consider placing more landscape beds in your garden in order to shrink the overall garden space. This is because cutting down the amount of lawn in your yard will help conserve water, time, and energy, while at the same time decreases the amount of fertilizer you need to use.
In celebration of National Nest Box Week, Greenstamp has released a specialized range of feeders, bird boxes, and nests.
The week kicks off on February 14th and was initialized by the National Trust to encourage people to set up more nest boxes within their areas so that local wildlife and bird populations can be protected on a greater scale. Since the week was started back in 1997 over 5m people have been inspired to set up nests and bird boxes in their gardens.
Among the many options available from Greenstamp are Swallow bowls and ceramic House Martin bowls. Also available are flowerbed bird feeders and camera equipped nesting boxes among many other choices.
Outside of birds, National Nest Box Week also inspires helping other species out which is why it is worth taking the time to check out other Greenstamp wildlife homes. Also available are bat homes, frog houses, and bumble bee nesters that can help out some of the smaller wildlife species that live in everyday garden areas.
The week is organized every year from February 14-21 and is promoted by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). Those that want more information on how they can get involved and help promote biodiversity within the UK the BTO has a website found at www.bto.org.
The United Nations has declared the year 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity, and everyone can and should get involved. This includes anyone who eats, drinks or breathes, not to mention all the other activities and pursuits of every person living on the planet.
