UK tenants should have ‘right to garden’, leading horticulturist says
rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
16 days ago
last modified: 16 days ago
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Woe is Me, I Should Have Used RoundUp
Comments (43)Hi tomacco, Many of the people that object to its use provided references . I posted one that shows actual results that are counter to conventional wisdom. Wrong once means one can be wrong twice. I also doubt most of the people that use pesticides or herbicides even know what it is. Its easy to wipe out weeds. Just weed cloth it for a while. I even look forward to finding some weeds since they are great green manure and ferilizers. http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-to-make-free-fertilizer-from-weeds.html Everything is a chemical thus its absurd to lump together all chemicals as bad. Plants produce chemical defenses like alkaloids. What is stupid is mono culture and cultural practices that rely on a single measure and the quick kill. Even if round up were non-toxic it would simply breed weeds that will develop immunity to it and simply waste the resource. The best chemicals are the ones produced by plants that always gravitate toward suppression. I don't mind using pyrethins judiciously because it is something that follows this pattern where it knocks down and suppresses without killing and altering the attacking species. It is also a naturally occurring chemical that does break down in sunlight. Quick break down is essential to prevent dilution and attenuated exposure to build resistance.Thats probably why nature made it that way. We have one person with a spray bottle so we can have buildings full of lawyers and accountants doing nothing. They were spraying DDT around as if there was no consequence, same with agent orange. We have seen this attitude before of spray and pray and it nearly killed off the national symbol. Newer research does not look so good to me. . http://www.i-sis.org.uk/DMPGR.php http://www.sott.net/articles/show/180255-Death-by-Multiple-Poisoning-Glyphosate-and-Roundup...See MoreWhat have been some of your worst gardening mistakes?
Comments (65)My worst gardening mistake was when I was just starting, and had inherited an old, mature garden. The mistake was to get a lot of books on roses, and read them, and believe what they said! It took me a while to learn that only LOCAL advice re the size, habit, health, & pruning needs of roses was of any use (most of the books I got were written in England or the US East Coast - both equally useless as to facts about how roses grow here, but gorgeous pictures, etc.). The books were so authoritative, and stated things as facts, period, without any qualifications (except for Graham Thomas, bless him, who always said that this is what this rose does where I garden, but I have heard that it behaves differently elsewhere...) that I was intimidated into believing them. Only after years of having some of my ancient roses identified by wonderful people on this forum did I realize that they were not freaks of nature, but behaved exactly as you would expect such a rose to behave in our climate... Knowing how ignorant I was, and wanting so much to take good care of the garden I had inherited, I also unfortunately took the advice of the ARS and others about the need for spraying constantly, but only for one or two years - it was just too silly, and too much work, and I gave up. Then all of the bees and butterflies, etc came back, and the roses were still happy. So, the main lesson turned out to be to trust your own eyes about what is going on in your garden, what grows & doesn't grow, and what you like & don't like, and don't take any advice unless it is LOCAL! Jackie...See MoreMay we see pictures of your garden, or gardens you have designed
Comments (21)Are we done with the gang mentality? I guess I should have put a smiley face after my comment to botann :) ... Admittedly, a mischievous sense of humour did not translate in that post. My point being that I am aware bamboo doesn't grow "in" water and was struck (again) by how some regular members assume most non-regular posters are novice beginners. But since some took the time to formally announce that I will henceforth be ignored, let me ask the following. Why is anyone who is perceived as challenging or disrupting the "regulars" (even on only one or two occasions) immediately labelled a troll or accused of being "fueled by totally opposite considerations"? I have made dozens of posts on this and other forums because of a genuine shared interest I have in those subjects matters. I have on occasion agreed with the oft-expressed opinion that there is a sense of exclusivity among certain regular posters on this forum, and yet this single post is cited as evidence by George and Ink of an enemy in your midst. Actually my goal is more on promoting Japanese Gardens, and encouraging that interest in others - which is why I suggested Flickr to "adopted". It is inspirational to look through the photos on that site. My original post was nothing but complimentary, supportive and encouraging. That said, I do happen to believe that all should be welcome, that this is not the place for a private social club and I believe I am entitled to that opinion. Isn't this is a public space were people of all stages of interest share information? I don't think it's solely a place were a handful of regular posters should have private debates intended for their own amusement. That leads to the gang mentality witnessed above, whereupon internet cliques form and occasional posters, lurkers or "drop-ins" are made to feel like unwelcome outsiders. Just because someone is not a member of the frequent posters club, why under-estimate their knowledge level? Maybe if all queries are answered as though the posters experience is similar to yours, and not 'talked down' to or ignored, it will be a more enjoyable and educational forum for all. So if some of you have hopes of driving me (like others before me) off the forum, so be it. The fact that you attempt to do this, only speaks to the kind of power/control issues at work here (I disagreed with Inkognito on one single occasion, and he now vocally labels me a troublemaker - fragile ego indeed). No single group owns this forum. Anyone is entitled to visit and occasionally I will post - usually in a supportive and encouraging role. I have learned from some of you, and will continue to do so. However, I promise not to ask any more questions of botann for fear I will get another introductory lesson on the rudimentary basics of bamboo. But as I said, it was a very nice pic. He (or she) has got a lovely garden....See MoreWhy Did You Become a Horticulturist?
Comments (27)I became a horticulturist because it was in my blood. Both my parents and both sets of grandparents were avid gardeners. It was what they did in their spare time and as a child I grew up in gardens and the woods of North Florida. I got my AA degree and still had no clue what I wanted to major in so I moved to Colorado and became a waiter at a country club where I met one of the gardeners who tended the landscape not the fairways when I was dumping ice from the shrimp buffet into the shrubs off the deck in the early spring and he objected and explained why. It just dawned on me that was what I was supposed to get my BS degree in. I had to party and ski a bit first and then move back home again but I did get my degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville. I knew it was not going to be a big money career but I also knew I could not work in any kind of office type job. I needed to be outside and to be honest away from people. What it has allowed me is to be successfully self-employed for the last 18 years. I have never advertised and all my work comes from referral. My business is essentially me and one helper. I have never made any effort to hire a big crew and get tons of accounts. My perfectionist nature would cause me to implode trying to keep all that together. The money part, yes I do have regrets, not having saved or bought my own home and living month to month. That has much more to do though with me being a lousy business man than the field I chose. I'd suggest, Dr. Horticulture, that if you are concerned about the money take a few business classes. I wish I had. I have seen plenty of people make plenty of money in the vast vast field that is Horticulture. More then anything it is a function of how much of a priority it is to you and the skills you have to make that happen. Even with my lower middle class life I do not regret the choice I made. As I have gotten older and my body has begun to complain, money has taken on a new priority. For me getting sober was necesary before I could begin to realize the true value of the knowledge I have and to start charging what I was worth and get more selective about who I would work for and what I was willing to do. In just four years that has made a big difference in my income. The simplest answer to your question though is you can make plenty money in the field of horticulture if you are a good business man as well. ilima...See Moreprairiemoon2 z6b MA
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