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    Monthly Archive for: "January, 2013"
    Home » Archives for January 2013
     Made in China?
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    By Alan Down
    In Gardens Visited, Seasonal Gardening, Travel, Winter colour
    Posted January 21, 2013

    Made in China?

    Whatever you buy nowadays, it seems to be made in China doesn’t it? You would think that would be limited to manufactured goods wouldn’t you? And that the Chinese influence [...]

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    About Alan

    Flora and fauna have always fascinated me but it was a lifelong career in horticulture that filled most days.

    Having grown up on a farm where boyhood days were filled with discoveries of the natural world I soon found that my passion for plants – wildflowers at that time – would direct my career…

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    Alan E Down @AlanEDown
    2 days ago
    Off to the greenhouse until spring! #autumn https://t.co/Gf9Ftkbrlk
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    Alan E Down @AlanEDown
    3 days ago
    Would roads be safer if all signs were depicted by images?
    This one works!
    Fortunately there was a side gate we rode through to avoid the bone shaking! https://t.co/SorE7aORCS
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    Alan E Down @AlanEDown
    4 days ago
    I nearly threw this Cordyline Red Star out! Glad I didn’t!
    I’m not a bug fan of Torbay Palm (except the perfumed flowers) but this (taken after dark) is kind of #spooky ?
    #haloween https://t.co/NmlSyimAg8
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    Beautiful scented late flush of flowers on my flor Beautiful scented late flush of flowers on my floribunda rose Sweet Honey. This rose was voted Rose of the Year in 2020 and justifiably so. Good vigour and strong healthy growth makes this one stand out from the crowd! This was given to me by @gdnmediaguild from the #gardenpressevent and after a set back (grazed over by deer) it hasn’t looked back! Although this is a gorgeous pink now as it opens fully the colour looks more honey-like. #roty #rose #sweethoney #newplant #rosegarden #scent #scented #gardenrose #gardening #gardeninguk
    Mahonia Soft Caress has such great spineless leave Mahonia Soft Caress has such great spineless leaves and is now in flower in my garden. It’s an early autumn bloomer but sadly not strongly scented and as yet I’ve never seen any fruits. This Mahonia tolerates being cut hard back, if like this did, it gets too big. Soft Caress is happy in sun but I think looks best in shade. (Full name Mahonia eurybracteata subsp. ganpinensis 'Soft Caress') #inmygarden #autumnvibes #autumn #fall #mahonia #softcaressmahonia #garden #gardening #gardendesign #oregongrape
    Not every Sweet Gum #tree does this! It’s worth Not every Sweet Gum #tree does this! It’s worth planting a named clone of Liquidambar as seed raised trees may or may not colour up in #autumn. I think that this in a car park is Lane Roberts but Worplesdon is good too! #autumnvibes @gdnmediaguild #autumncolours #autumncolors #sweetgum #liquidambar #fall #fallcolors #red #herbst #celebratetheseason #celebratethelittlethings #embracingtheseasons #aseasonalshift #aseasonalyear #inspiremyinstagram #somerset
    It’s harvest time for chilies and sweet peppers! It’s harvest time for chilies and sweet peppers! The oh so prolific but small fruited F1 Apache packs a hot punch with Scoville heat units (SHU) of 70-80,000 units. Next comes the mild sweet green New Ace pepper which will ripen to red if left. And finally Fresno Supreme chilli is a mild taster at 5-6,000 SHU. All grown in an unheated @kedergreenhouse polytunnel. #celebratetheseason #autumn #autumnvibes #autumnharvest #fall #hotsauce #hotspicy #turnuptheheat #red #celebratethelittlethings #embracingtheseasons #aseasonalshift #aseasonalyear #inspiremyinstagram #somerset
    This young tree in a neighbour’s garden just get This young tree in a neighbour’s garden just gets better each day! I’m pretty sure that it’s the maple hybrid between Acer rubrum and Acer saccharinum and known as Acer x freemanii Autumn Blaze. I’ve planted one in my garden but it’s yet to change colour as it’s even younger. This variety if widely available. Isn’t it spectacular? #autumnvibes #autumncolours #red #fall #autumn #celebratetheseason #gardeninguk #trees #treesofinstagram
    Stag’s-horn sumach (Rhus typhina) is colouring u Stag’s-horn sumach (Rhus typhina) is colouring up so well now! @nickbailey365 flagged this up as one of his favourite small garden trees for autumn colour in BBC 2’s Gardener’s World and rightly warned that it has a habit to spread! I’ve seen acres of it in eastern USA and unchecked it is a bit of a monster that needs the root barrier Nick recommended. The cut leaf one he cited is far less of a wanderer and much more interesting -‘Tiger Eyes’ is a great one to look out for! This is a male form with the larger flower clusters that persist through winter. Female ‘cones’ are smaller. #autumnvibes #autumnvibes🍁 #autumnview #autumn #autumncolors #autumncolours #sumach #red #gardening #gardendesign #trees #hotcolours #gardenersworld
    A favourite vineyard in North Somerset makes fabul A favourite vineyard in North Somerset makes fabulous wines and they’re looking to expand! @DYvineyards are crowd funding to buy more land. What a great opportunity to get involved! https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/dunleavy-vineyards-crowdfunder #englishwine #vines #vineyard #northsomerset #wringtonvale #localbusiness #localdrinks #finewine #taste
    The rain and winds has done its best to wreck our The rain and winds has done its best to wreck our flower borders but some plants have just shrugged their shoulders! Aster (now Symphyotrichum) Little Carlow and S. novae angliae Harrington’s Pink are at their best now with Rudbeckia Goldsturm muscling in! When the sun shines it’s hive bee heaven out there. #aster #michaelmas #daisy #daisies #october #autumn #gardening #celebratetheseason #fall #fallcolors #bee #honeybees
    Plenty of colour still at NT Lytes Cary with the M Plenty of colour still at NT Lytes Cary with the Michaelmas daisies especially covered with hive bees. Slide left and admire the magnificent Arundo donax Variegata against the blue sky. And a very late blooming acid yellow Kniphofia that I’ve yet to positively identify. The final pic is I think of Aster - now Symphytotrichum - Pink Cloud which is such a great variety! #ntlytescary #somerset #autumn #autumngarden #visitsomerset #michaelmas #aster #bees #gardening #celebratetheseason #daisies #september
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