I planted a hazel tree in my garden in February. Corylus avellana is its botanical name, and every garden should have one. I already have several hazels in a garden hedge, but I wanted to give this particular bushy tree a bit of space to grow. Every year I spot hazel seedlings growing in the…
I had the honour of becoming a STAA trustee earlier this year. When it comes to my own (Beeston) plot, I am, indeed, a lazy cold-weather gardener; sometimes, when I get a whim or the energy, after cycling for the massive ten minute stretch from my house, I drag open my heavy local allotment gates and…
Written to celebrate National Tree Week, November 26th – December 5th 2022 I have often thought, if I was a bird flying over St Ann’s Allotments, I would see a woodland. Though when you get down into it the mix of trees is something quite different. The trees all feel like they tell a story…
A is for Autumn and Apples on St Ann’s Allotments. With over 2,000 fruit trees on site, we are surrounded by bejeweled beauties, fit to burst. The Community Orchard is home to a whole array of these trees, featuring 30+ varieties you’d never see in the supermarket. With our fantastic volunteer team, we’ve been picking,…
Some years ago, when visiting family in Australia, my grandson bought me a plaque to hang on the door of my shed. It says, “GRANDAD’S SHED – BIKES, TOYS AND TREASURES MENDED WHILE YOU WAIT – PAYMENT IN CUDDLES AND SMILES”. The pleasure that gives me is comparable with the pleasure that I get from…
In mid-July, we experienced two days of record high temperatures. Although cooler weather soon followed it was too late to save many plants that had been scorched by the sun. The science shows that an increase in the frequency of severe weather is occurring, over and above the occasional freezing winter or dry summer when…