ASplashofHeaven

Try These Tasty Food Combinations

2014-10-27T14:40:00.001-07:00

1. Macaroni Cheese & Bacon Pasta

2. Venison & Shallots

3. Gorda Cheese & Sliced Mushroom Toasties

4. Rice & Vegetables sprinkled with Soy sauce and pepper.

5. Cheese & Chicken On Pasta/Rice

6. Seafood Rice

7. Pork & Noodles

8. Cheese & Tomatoes on Toasted Rolls & Sprinkled with Paprika.

9. Fried Prawn Rice & Fried Onions

10. Warm Cockles sprinkled with pepper and placed between buttered Brown Bread Sandwich

11. Roast Organic Courgette

12. Barbecue Mince Samosa

Rabbit Farming

2014-10-27T14:28:00.001-07:00

Rabbit is second most farmed meat in europe, according to Radio 4, 19th Oct. 2014.

Peppermint Tea Helps You Sleep Soundly

2014-10-23T13:20:00.001-07:00

Why does mint tea help you sleep soundly?

Basically all mint plants: peppermint, spearmint etc contain MENTHOL. This compound can be extracted from these mint plants and looks like crystals.

Menthol has local anaesthetic properties than settle the stomach and relax the system.

Tummy troubles and uncomfortable positions cause a bad nights sleep but mint tea will do away with these issues.

In fact the author has never come across anything as effective as mint tea.

Even a few leaves in hot water relaxes the body and makes you want to go to bed..it is unbelievably effective.

How To Make Mint Tea:

Just pick a few leaves from a mint growing in a pot on your windowsill or garden and throw them in a cup or mug.

Boil a kettle of water and then pour the boiling water into the cup or mug and leave for 10 minutes. This is called an INFUSION.

After 10 minutes you can drink the mint tea and off to bed you float.

It is simple as that.

Try it..you won't be disappointed and you will have the best nights sleep you have had in a long time.

2014 has been a good year for tomatoes

2014-08-09T04:53:00.001-07:00

An abundence of tomatoes.

British summer 2014

Keep Tools Well Oiled

2014-07-27T10:59:00.001-07:00

Keep Tools Well Oiled

Assembling Potplants For House Move

2014-07-22T16:56:00.001-07:00

Assembled Pot Plants

Woodland Garden

2014-07-22T16:44:00.001-07:00

Woodland Garden

Edging Lawns For A Neater Appearence

2014-07-19T01:18:00.001-07:00

Edging A Lawn

Installing A Cat Ladder In Your Garden

2014-07-10T11:35:00.001-07:00

If you have a cat that likes climbing up onto rooftops, conservatories etc but ends up getting stuck, then it might be a good idea to install a cat ladder.

This is a novel idea I came across when a client asked me to secure the cat ladder her son had made while on a visit.

So I used green string to attach it securely to the vine frame on the left and the trellis work on the right.

We have yet to find out if Misty the cat will utilise this resource but being a curious cat it seems likely.

Hopefully I can get a snapshot of when this event occurs.

The ladder needs painting with brown paint to blend into the surroundings but for the sake of highlighting this construction, I photographed it as soon as I had secured it.

Small Back Garden Maintenance

2014-07-09T17:08:00.001-07:00

You have to take my word for it that this garden looks much better in real life. The phone camera does not have wide angled lens (No model does so far 2014)...and so many flowers are out of sight.

Anyway...keep the garden neat and tidy. Only 2 hours per week are needed; weeding, mowing & forking.

Trim the edge of the lawn with edging shears or a pair of scissors.

Place blooming potplants in your field of view from the house (in this case the kitchen window looks out on this little garden). Hide potplants that have finished flowering behind flowering potplants).

Deadhead roses.

Keep the soil nicely forked and tilled.

It may be small but a tiny backyard can be made "Pretty As a Picture" with a couple of hours work per week.

Hanging Basket Shaped As A Pig

2014-07-09T16:40:00.001-07:00

This basket is made of woven fibre and can be used year after year.

The customer asked me to stick another plant in..I just pulled out the old dead root of last years plant and replaced it. I then topped it up with some fertilizer and thoroughly watered it in.

Forked around roots of plant for vital air supply and water regularly.

General purpose compost will do. In fact it is all you need in a garden.

I have used garden soil to pot up before...in fact it might be better considering the microbes already present.

Remember water, light and air for the roots are important.

Deadhead when old flowers die to keep plant in flower for longer.

Photo of A Wheat Field

2014-07-07T09:55:00.001-07:00

I took this photo while stopping for a cigarette break between gardening jobs.

Just chilling out and enjoying the view.

The photo came out better yhan I thought it would, considering it is a samsung pocket (S5300), 3 MP I believe.

If I was not a gardener, I would have become a farmer. The.mind wonders when looking at such views. On breezy days the waves in the corn resemble the waves of the sea.

This is our sustenance, our bread, our cereal.

Such a wonderful sight.

How Many Types of Gardener Are There

2014-07-05T06:00:00.001-07:00

I have put together a list of types of gardener and underneath given each job type a very rough, approximate score out of 10 for the amount of knowledge required (in no particular order.)

Residential/Home Visit Gardener

This is one of the most varied and interesting gardening jobs that also requires initiative.

One is required to know everything from weeding, soil composition, types of flowers to building small walls and best growing conditions for each plant. This list is endless. However, the customer is often a major source of information particularly regarding the plants they have already grown or are growing in their garden.

Sometimes a garden owner will not have a clue and leave everything to the gardener.

5-10/10

...........

Nursery Gardener/Plantsman

This job entails growing, caring for and propagating 100's of different types of plants.

A university education in horticulture may be required or learning on the job experience over many years may suffice.

10/10

..........

Estate Gardener

An estate gardener may be part of a team and may specialise in one area, such as lawn mowing. Another team member may be in charge of the allotment growing vegetables.

The head gardener will be expected to know everything and allocate responsibilities according to the knowledge of each team member.

1-10/10 depending on area of gardening.

...........

Council/Local Government Gardeners

Usually council gardeners are just required to strim grass verges or cut large grass areas whilst riding upon sit-on lawnmowers. Other gardeners may be required to plant out flowerbeds or hanging baskets.

3-7/10

.........

Landscape Gardener

More often than not this type of work is closely related to building work such as laying of patios, erecting fences & walls and so forth. Ability to engage with prospective client is required. Avoid shoddy work so as not to be regarded as a cowboy. Recommendations are forthcoming for good workmanship & timekeeping which in turn leads to more work. Hard physical work though.

7/10

........

Garden Designer

This profession requires an academic qualification and is regarded as one of the most complex art forms.

Knowledge of all of the above and more is required including colour co-ordination, drawing skills, written skills, management skills and bookkeeping skills. Also customer service skills are required.

10/10

..................

As the above list demonstrates, there is a level of gardening to suit all ranges and abilities.

Imagine Living On Mars...

2014-07-04T08:41:00.001-07:00

Or any other inhospitable planet in the solar system and then being shown photos of a veritable paradise you never knew existed?

This paradise was known as planet Earth.

On it were streams of running water, lakes, lush forests, an abundance of animals and fish and birds that flew in an atmosphere.

None of these things you had seen before. All amazing in technicolour glory. Gobsmacked, you stared at these photos before realising the only problem being that it was to far away. You could not experience this wondrous world in person.

Actually, another small problem that you became aware of was that these animals, plants, fish and birds were disappearing at an incredible rate.

The people living on earth were destroying their habitat.

What would you do?

Hard Economic Times Extend Into The Garden

2014-07-04T04:33:00.001-07:00

It is easy to stuff flowerbeds with newly purchased plants from the local gardening centre but you can make your current selection look good.

Forking the soil over (especially) around the roots and removing weeds will boost plants dramatically. Weeds compete for light, water & nutrients and thus depleting your favourite plants of these resources.

Clipping.

Clipping the odd branch sticking out too far, or a bunch of leaves that stick out can cause plants to release growth hormones and thus stimulate growth.

Dead heading

Dead head flowers as they die, the plant will produce more flowers. If you leave it too late until all the flowers are finished..the plant will "retire" until the following year.

Composting

Grass cuttings, leaves, vegetable peelings. Dig these into the soil to give plants in your garden a much needed nutrient boost. Lay seaweed on soil surface rather than digging into soil as decomposing seaweed can deplete soil of nitrogen.

Watering.

Drench plants upto 3-4 times per week with water from a watering can or bucket. A light sprinkling will NOT be good enough.

Learn To Propagate.

Propagation is a big subject so I will not detail it here. It will save a lot of money. Basically, sticking cuttings from your plants into the soil or pots.

2014 Is The Best Year For Gardens In The UK

2014-07-03T00:12:00.001-07:00

2014 - Perfect weather. Just the correct amount of sunshine and rain for beautiful gardens.

The end of June & beginning of July were a bit dry.

The most important lesson from 2014 is that plants need the best locations.

Flowering shrubs need shade & shelter.

Grass needs water.

Most other plants can be placed in areas where there is a mix of shade, sun & water.

Potted plants should be placed in their alloted positions at start of summer. The reason being is that if a plant goes from a damp spot to a dry spot in the middle of the growing season, it will wilt or flowers dry up. Potted roses are an example.

Read the label.

Most plants are sold with instructions: best soil, watering instructions, sun or shade, etc.

Water pots when needed.

Fork potted plant roots occasionally to get air to roots. This will boost growth and good health in the plants. The results are noticable.

Deadhead roses and other repeat flowering plants to encourage new flowers, otherwise plant will think it has finished its task and stop flowering.

When Is A Weed Not A Weed?

2014-06-29T14:40:00.001-07:00

Answer: When it is a flower that has been cultivated in a nursery?

Wrong.

Foxgloves are not cultivated in garden nurserys, they are found in the wild, yet they are not considered weeds.

The point is, if the weed looks nice and has pretty flowers, why destroy it or uproot it?

Of course if it looks unsightly, then by all means get rid of it.

This is something to consider when examining your beloved flowerbeds.

Cats Doing Their Ablutions In Your Garden

2014-06-29T13:57:00.001-07:00

There is nothing worse than finding cat poo among your flowers. Well there is actually, but lets not go there.

Apparently, before the black death (back in the 15th century) cats were kept on leads.

However, because rats were considered to be the harbingers of the black death, cats were allowed to roam freely to kill any rats in the vicinity.

Since this time (in England at least) cats are no longer required to remain leashed.

Until there is a change in the law, you, the gardener will have to suffer the consequences of this outdated custom.

I told a builder about this and his reply was something along the lines of "I don't mind a cat on my lawn, now if it was a lion, that would be a different matter".

Fair point. If you do not mind cat poo in your garden.

And God forbid if Lions are allowed to roam freely in english gardens. Never mind picking up their poo, just avoiding them would be a trial in itself.

Would A Rose Smell As Sweet By Any Other Name

2014-06-29T13:54:00.001-07:00

Shakespeares quote was written 400 years ago.

I did read once that over the last 400 years all roses did not have a scent and that scented roses were reintroduced in the 20th century.

Why this is so I do not know.

So, for 400 years did it occur to people with unscented roses...

"Well actually roses might smell as sweet or actually have a scent, if they were known by another name."

Strange but true. Apparently.

My Favourite Garden

2014-06-28T05:12:00.001-07:00

This is my favourite garden I work on.

The customers breakfast table room/evening dining room looks out onto this garden.

What a delightful view every meal!

My Methods To Achieve This Garden...

- Keep the soil well nourished

- Keep the lawn well fed, cut and SCARIFIED

- Concentrate on what you can see NOT what you cannot see..i.e. Don't waste time tidying up behind the shed but concentrate on the field of vision.

- Use flower pots to decorate the garden: Stick them among the flowerbeds where there are gaps in colour.

- Edge the lawn with a spade.

- Use seaweed liquid fertlizer on the flowerbeds.

- Fork around plants to get rid of weeds and oxygenate plant roots.

- Stick plants with large flowerheads at back of garden and those plants with smaller flowerheads nearer the house so you can see them.

- Keep lawn weedfree by using a lawn-based weedkiller.

- Keep structures such as sheds, furniture painted and looking tidy.

It is hard work but keeps one fit and the sight is uplifting. Better than looking out onto a rubbish dump.

Hire a gardener if you are too busy or disabled.

Fruit is so good for you...eat as much as you can

2014-06-22T14:29:00.001-07:00

It is said that an apple will wake you up faster than a cup of coffee...it is true.

The reason is that contains a chemical peptin? that I have noticed stops the eyes being puffy.

It withdraw toxins from the body which cloud the mind and stops a build up of unwanted aging toxins.

However, a good mixture of fruits should provide a varied mix of vitamins that help rejunevate your mind and body.

Each morning the author eats fruit for breakfast: apple, banana, pears or oranges.

Keep that fruit bowl stacked up and force feed it to yourself until you grow to love it.

Your body will thank you for it.

Clematis Climbing Over A Camellia

2014-06-21T07:51:00.001-07:00

The above photo shows how decorative a clematis climbing over a Camellia tree can be.

It reminded me of icing on a cherry bun, so I had to take this photo.

Once the flowering is over you can cut back the clematis until it regrows the following year.

How To Protect Your Cherry Tree From Birds

2014-06-21T07:42:00.001-07:00

The above photo shows a cherry tree with a pole and an upside down basket on top. The basket is supporting a plastic net that has been draped over the entire tree (need step ladder).

If the netting has holes or tears in it, you can peg them with clothes pegs to stop the birds getting to the fruit on the tree.

This is a novel idea and it works.

Turn Lawn Into A Flower Garden

2014-06-21T04:50:00.001-07:00

The photo above shows how to turn a grass area back into soil. I did this this morning.

Basically, it just involves turning the turf upside down.

Upside down turf is a great fertlizer as it decomposes into nutrient rich soil.

Although it takes weeks for the turf to break down into soil, you can begin planting straight away.

Over the weeks ahead, you just need to fork the soil over and spike the roots of any new plants.

The reason I turned this grass verge into a flower garden is that myself and the customer agreed it was the best option because even after mowing this area just seemed bare and looked messy as soon as grass grew again.

This is hard work but the results are well worth it.

In another post I shall show the after effects of this process and what a flower should look like.

Underwater Gardens Around The World

2014-06-21T00:42:00.001-07:00

Although the world has many interesting places regarding trees, shrubs and flowers, one part of the world that has always captivated my attention is the world under the sea, namely coral reefs.

Corals are not actually plants, they are animals but for all intents and purposes have an appearence that is plantlike.

The are of course seaweeds to look out and anemones, fish, lobsters, crabs and other animals to see as well.

The are underwater 'gardening' projects being undertaken by conservation societies around the world, namely to protect reefs and underwater ecologies.

This is a new area for the author and more research needs to be done before going into more detail.

For now, just consider the exhilaration of floating above underwater "gardens" and interacting with the animals such as dolphins, shoals of fish and even sharks.

So, yours truly needs to learn about scuba diving and equipment and the best places in the world for this activity.

If you are interested in underwater reef exploration you might like to read up on the legendary Jaques Cousteau and his adventures, films, innovations regarding the sea.