- Edibles, Food, Garden Design, Gardening, gardens, Landscapes & Gardens, Landscaping, Nature, park, Vegetable Growing
It’s all about the people !
Digital Radio, always on, step through and listen now ! Most people are so interesting, it’s just a matter of coaxing them to talk to you, then asking the right questions.-
Are you passionate about your garden ?,
Do you have a favorite landscape ?,
Would you like to be interviewed ?
We started this series of horticultural based interviews with one simple idea, which was, that within our very diverse industry there were many people :-
both Homeowners,
Designers or Creators,
Builders,
or Visitors and Admirers,
who had fascinating stories to tell about their everyday lives.
We have not been disappointed , in fact, we have been surprised by how many folks have a real passion for all things outside, particularly by how many people would like to reconnect with nature.
Tiger Rhus So with that in mind here is a day in the life of… Ann & Chris. the co-hosts of Growing Trends, we ventured out last Saturday, bright & early, just as the sun was rising :-
5.00 am Saturday
Ann & I had literally, a ‘field day’ on Saturday.
We each got up at the crack of dawn, and went to interview Farmer Steve, at Weston Red Barn Farm
We arrived at 7.30am and had already missed Steve, who had picked a crop of fresh peaches for Cindy ( his lovely wife) to take to market some 50 miles away.
Early one morning , Weston Red Barn Farm Steve & Cindy have, for the past 25 years been slowly developing Weston Red Barn Farm to a traditional working farm, specifically to show kids how farms are part of the community. They have Apples, Peaches, Chickens, Goats, Horses, a Farm Shop, Pumpkin fields, along with a wedding venue. It keeps them very busy throughout the summer and autumn.
8.00am
One of Steve’s farm workers arrives to feed the chickens, goats, ducks, and horses, calls Steve for us, who appears over the horizon in a 4 wheeler…
We set up the Mics, the recorders,then we interviewed Steve for around an hour, it could have been much longer, Steve had a fascinating journey and one that you will be able to hear on our show shortly at Growing Trends Internet Radio
A few snippets : –
They have an amazing 12,000 – 15,000 school children visit them every year !
They have 67 weddings at the farm in a year.!
Old Milk Churns I happen to know one of the current family members , of the family that invented the milk churn, their company was called Express Dairies, they developed the original milk churn to take milk from the ‘shires’ to London on the newly built railways, for the burgeoning population of the city.Needless to say they made a handsome profit !
Of course these days most milk isn’t delivered by horse & cart, or by electric milk floats – yes way back in the 60’s milk in England was delivered by battery powered eco-friendly milk floats, as a youngster I often helped the ‘Milkman’ on his rounds for an extra shilling or two.
Express diaries Ok, so back to the interview.
The Farm is about to lay out it’s Pumpkins for sale so Ann found a few pumpkins lying around and ….posed for a quick picture – they sure look impressive !
It’s fun here… There was even time for a spot of ‘picking’, in my miss spent youth we would go ‘Scrumping’
These look yummy ! 9.30am
With our interview completed, it was time to rush back to interview our second fascinating person of the day.
Alan Sargent was over 4000 miles away, and 6 hours ahead of us, in Petworth, West Sussex in England.
A must for Head Gardeners. Alan has a most varied career in horticulture :-
He has Built or,
Designed and Built dozens of Chelsea Flower Show Gardens,
Design & Constructed Award Winning Landscapes.
Formed a Trade Association,
Judged Garden Exhibits,
Written Books
Found time to be a Head Gardener at one of England’s finest and busiest Estates – the 12000 acre Goodwood Estate – with its 44 acre gardens, airfield, horse racing,and motor racing circuits.
Goodwood estate the race course…
The Race Course the motor racing circuit. – or for the Petrol heads as Alan refers to them !
Alan’s skills are legendary, and he has a keen eye for detail – I am a detail freak too, so I love his workmanship !
One of those more famous English Schools His stone work is superb.
Ann and I were to coin an English expression ‘Plum Tuckered’ – you will need to look up it’s meaning, here’s a clue to replenish the reserves we stopped for breakfast..
10.30am back home.
It was time for that quick breakfast, and of course coffee – coffee in America is so good …
Then we quickly reviewed the recordings, packed up the recording gear. Headed off to the lake some 53 miles away for a well earned break, sailing our little racing cruiser ‘Stiletto’
Stiletto – Capri 25 It’s amazing how relaxing an afternoon sail can be.. this week it was a tad hot at 100f but still fun.
This Weeks Show
This weeks show will be about a fantastic store that brings in it’s very own miniature pony each weekend, where it has a small coral in the ‘Fairy Garden’ at the back of the store. – you can buy all many of things for creating a miniature garden !
We are also talking to Richard Benfield a Garden Tourist Guru, whilst he is on his travels, around the world, we caught up with Richard in Western Australia.. do listen to the show at.. Growing Trends Internet Radio if you, or you know someone that would be fun to interview drop us a line and we will get back to you.
In the meantime we have a website telling you more at www.grotrends.com
You will be able to hear all about Weston Red Barn Farm, along with Alan’s adventures in the coming weeks.
If you have someone in mind we could interview drop us a line briefly explaining who & why.
Ann & Chris.
Views: 30
-
Growing Trends
We wrote to some of our friends and colleagues this week to ask if they would listen to our new internet radio show ‘Growing Trends’ on www.cravingtalkradio.com , it’s on air daily at 1pm and 7pm central time. You can also find us on LIve365 if you have the free app, or you can download a broadcast from the site to listen to it as a podcast.
The next ‘Big’ media is Digital radio We made it this flexible, because unlike most radio shows you can hear us anywhere, so the shows time might be great in the USA but a little different in say England 7pm and 1am GMT. – I know we are good but, staying up until 1am to hear Ann & Myself is a bit of a stretch.
Digital Radio, always on, step through and listen now ! What I really wanted to write and say was thank you, thank you for listening, we gained a huge number of new listeners this week, which enabled us to sign new sponsors – yes we need sponsors like everyone else. The sponsors are great, they agree to sponsor us for a modest monthly fee, we in turn give them at least four free interviews a year, and mention them at least once a month when they are not being interviewed.
Listen to our digital library anytime If this sounds interesting and you would like to be a sponsor, drop us a line we would love to hear from you. If you are passionate about your garden landscape and you would like to talk about it, drop us a line
Have you taken a trip to the woods today? The Japanese have discovered that trees give off scents that actually have a calming effect on us, listen to Kelly Daniels ( the picture above is one from her gallery – The Kelly Gallery) talking about this in her interview airing at 1pm & 7pm daily.
I read today that antidepressant microbes in the soil have been discovered, called Mycobacterium vaccae, it’s been found to mirror the effects on neurons that drugs provide.
Which reminds me, I was digging in the soil today and I came across this large black disc with grooves all over both sides, I put it to my ear but I couldn’t hear anything…. if you get time do tune in and let us know what you think, or if you have some suggestions, we want to make the show about the all the wonderful people connected to our industry.
Views: 39
-
Are you a passionate gardener ?
Ever since we started our radio show, I’ve come to realize how diverse, passionate and simply fascinating today’s gardeners really are.
Whilst still at school, working in the vacations a friend and I would plant new woodlands in England, we planted well over 1 million trees in that period – of course at the time they were tiny 2+ 2’s ( thats two year old twice transplanted). In subsequent years, I’ve designed hundreds of gardens and commercial properties with the team planting many hundreds of thousands more trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, herbs, bulbs and corms. The most amazing sight , during this time was , seeing a chap in America transplanting trees ( about thirty or forty actually) some weighing over 650 tons, that were 60ft tall, with a 15ft deep x 45 foot wide rootball – now that is impressive, requiring a multitude of additional skills, not least irrigation some 40ft high into the tree itself!
Over the years we have met some truly wonderful people, who have a real passion, for flowers, or just orchids, or roses, or lawns, or even garden structures.
I remember building a gazebo for a client, who then asked for a copper roof, we then had to weather it so it went green quicker.
Or the client who’s passion was a weed free lawn – he would ‘swish’ the dew off the lawn every night before he went to bed !
Or the client who always tried to ‘scalp’ his lawn – the solution was to quietly add some washers to his mower settings and thus prevent the blades being set to low – not sure if he ever figured that out.
Or rose grower who tended his roses at night using a miners type lamp..
Or a lady who spent more than 8 hours everyday in her absolutely stunning perennial garden.
The one thing in common was that they derived a huge amount of peace and relaxation, working in the garden in touch with nature, it was like the ultimate stress release.
One of our radio show interviews touched on this when we discovered that research shows that woodland trees give of a chemical that we find calming as we walk through a woodland.
The point is they all had a passion that drove them to achieve results most of us would struggle with in all walks of life
In other words they got the maximum achievement out of each and everyday, and the garden helped them recharge their batteries just as a good nights sleep does !
I’ve always believed in attention to detail, striving to find the easiest yet pleasing on the eye finish to areas, using where ever possible natural materials, such as bricks, timber, wrought iron ( if you can find it), etc. to complete projects. When it comes to planting you cannot beat using a color wheel to develop contrasting colors schemes and have them blend with one another to create a complete picture.
If this all sounds familiar and you have a passion for gardening, no matter where, drop me a line and we will try and interview you for our show. It can be as short as a hello or as long as an hour, that’s really up to you.
In the meantime do tune in, as it’s digital radio you can listen anywhere, you will find Growing trends on www.cravingtalkradio.com daily at 1pm & 7pm central US time, or if you prefer using an app were on Live365.
Views: 126
-
Growing Trends our new Radio Show
About three months ago, Ann ( my Co Host on Growing Trends) & I were given the opportunity to Host a radio show, we were basically given the chance to create our very own show, we wanted to be a little different, so after much thought and deliberations ‘Growing Trends’ was born, we would both love to hear what you think ? What we could include in the shows?
We’ve been having a ball talking to the most amazing folks in their spaces, they are in our midst and yet we hardly ever see them in this light, we all rush around in our daily lives, heads buried in smartphones or tablets, completely disconnected with the nature that is all around us.
Our guests are all connected by either their garden or the landscape where they work, some are keen gardeners, others technical experts in their field, all are in tune with nature, it’s as if it’s a constant healing process.
“A little oasis in the middle of suburbia.”
( Belinda & Terry’s Garden)
All find time to re connect almost daily with their space, we feel so privileged to be able to hear all their stories and bring them to you usually in their own homes.
Sometimes the recordings will be a little quirky, it’s because we are not in a studio. Some are far away, and we have to rely on the internet, which gives an odd echo from time to time, but talking to folks in Australia, England, South Africa, brings us all together.
“Chestnut growing down under!”
( John Stanley’s Australian outback)
We caught up with John in Australia early one morning.
“In my global work I see new trends in merchandising, display, social media marketing, general retailing, culinary eco-tourism and lifestyle retail”
we will catch up with John again shortly in the meantime.
“Finding happiness in a garden – how it’s done at the Kelly Gallery”
(Kelly Daniels – The Kelly Gallery)
Kelly was just inspirational , almost magical, her photography is enchanting.
You can find us on the internet at www.cravingtalkradio.com , or download the phone app Live365 or you can download Growing Trends as a podcast from the website.
Our upcoming schedule is both varied, fun and very different, here’s a few pictures taken on locations we visited..just wait till you hear the stories…
( half-pint McGee !)
“A simple stunning memorial garden”
” A sculpture park extraordinaire”
Views: 59
-
Weekend Landscape & Garden Projects
if you need some inspiration for a small landscape or garden project read on….
We’ve been designing & building dream gardens for homeowners for 40 years now, winning awards, being creative and watching various trends come & go, customers desires and generally listening to clients wishes.
Some have been quite modest… as below.
others rather more ambitious..
Almost all the clients, wanted to complete some of the work themselves. The part they most wanted to do was the planting, either spring, summer or fall bedding, bulb planting, or perennial , shrub and herb planting. Recently we have seen an interest in vegetable growing.
Being folks that listen to our customers , it’s how we win awards, we also understood that we would have to make it much easier for folks, than a traditional planting plan we started out a few years ago to develop a new easy way to layout a planting scheme- we consulted other experts , eventually settling on one method with two products ( one a normal version the other an eco friendly version). inspired we then applied for a patent.( this in itself should be the subject of a blog all on its own)
Last week I am very happy to say we picked up our patent for the “Weekend Garden Kit”, which I have to confess was exciting, a big thank you for all who helped us, of which there were many.
Here’s how it works.
This simple to use system enables you to place the plants & features in the correct position without the need for time consuming setting out or measuring.
By using a grid system , we can add the position on the pot label, it makes the whole process much faster, and less likely for error. – they actually come as part of the kit.
so to set this out all you need is the special landscape fabric and where to plant or place the feature.
The result should then be this
To make this even easier we developed a free app called “PicaGardi” available on iTunes, Google play and Kindle to enable you to see ‘How ‘ an idea might look in your own project before you buy, take a look it’s fun and free and works on Phones and Tablets.
You can download it here www.terratemplates.com
You can either select a picture from your ‘Gallery’ or take a new one with the ‘Camera’ button, then press ‘Ideas’ to see and idea float across the screen, tap it, pinch, scale and place to see how it would look on your project.
If you would like to make some comments or suggestions or just receive more information please fill in the form..
Views: 37
-
Landscape gardens for a purpose
Today I thought we might make a start on Landscape gardens with a purpose. There are any number of reasons for starting to develop a landscape, or for that matter to continue with one that has been developing over the years. Sometimes we want to create spaces for particular needs and wishes, these can range from play areas, to formal areas to potagers and topiary etc.,
We can also create gardens for those among us who have, for what ever reason lost or been born without all our senses or are disabled in some other way.
Lets start with one of the senses…sight.
We designed and built our first Garden for the blind some 22 years ago at the Chelsea Flower Show in London, the idea was to use the other senses of touch and smell to create an interesting area for someone who could not ‘see’ the flowers or structures, but was able to take in the various scents and feel the different textures.
So in addition to be able to hear water, touch stone, brick, wood and plant leaves, you could also smell flower scents, touch and smell aromatic herbs etc.,
It was also possible by using different textures of paving for someone to ‘feel’ their way around the garden and know (with practice) where they were.
Some years later quite by chance I had the opportunity of taking a partially sighted student on our sailing boat.
It took this fellow about five minutes to understand where the wind was coming from, and his sense of touch was so good he
was able to adjust the sail trim & thus the boats heeling just from feeling the mainsheet with one hand. His other hand was holding the tiller and the pressure from the rudder told him how easily and thus quickly we were sailing..
Moving to wheelchairs.
Creating a garden for wheelchair access requires a few sensible initial planning steps. The first is, it is really quite a good idea to have a hard surface on which the wheel chair can travel ( or should I say perambulate, mmm much more descriptive) around the landscape.
So concrete, asphalt, hard paving in the form of brick or block or slabs all work well. Grass, bark, gravel etc are not very suitable as they tend to make it much harder to move the wheelchair, they also tend to make it dirty.
The next considerations are the width of the path – I’ve always believed paths should be wide enough for two people to walk side by side, it’s much more friendly and inviting to take an afternoon ‘Constitutional’ walk around your garden landscape – it reminds me of the age old tradition of the mayors of towns and village ‘beating the bounds’ once a year. With two people walking side by side a path width is best at around 5ft ( 1.4m) , this works well for a wheel chair too as most need about 32inches clearance when considering the users hands.
The final and perhaps most important design consideration apart from the initial access and egress is the ground contouring, often gardens have changes in levels, these can be quite severe at times and often involve steps ( wheel chairs are not good with steps), they are also an incredible amount of work on steep slopes. So a wise soul has come up with a standard that suggest fairly sensibly that a slope of no more than 1 in 12 is used ( that means 1ft change in level for every 12 ft travelled) , well it could also mean 1m change in level for every 12 m travelled, but I figured that was obvious. To this I might suggest that a 1in12 slope hundreds of yards long isn’t such a great idea with out some resting landings as it is still a lot of work involved. So there is an additional requirement for a landing every 30 ft in length.
Finally, if an event is planned it isn’t that hard to create a temporary access ramp that can be removed when its over.
In the picture below we created a disabled ramp, that double as a pretend boat launching ramp.
Views: 32
-
Interview spots
We thought one of our interviews should be on board a sailing boat, after all it’s about as tranquil and peaceful as
a lovely garden – unless like yesterday it was blowing at about 40 mph ( then it requires a little more skill and a lot less sails)
First however our next interviews are going to be fun.
The first is in an absolutely amazing sculpture garden, that has 13 Henry Moore sculptures among a host of others that are equally interesting. Sculptures are fantastic for creating a interesting focal point in a garden, leading the eye from one part to another as you travel through the garden and it’s story unfolds. Sadly sculptures like these superb Henry Moore’s are beyond most folks budgets, although a number of firms make very acceptable stone sculptures, urns and statues.
The next is with a truly traditional organic vegetable grower, this is a growing trend as we discover more and more information about some of the effects of GMO seeds and the long term effects of today’s insecticides & pesticides.
The opportunity to design, develop and use the garden landscape is now more important than ever, with the erratic climate swings we’ve been experiencing, growing your own vegetables is both economical, generally healthier in many ways, and fun.
Schools are beginning to realise that not only is it a learning resource but also a huge cost saving when it comes to providing nutritional foods for the kids to eat – the kids learn where their food comes from, how to grow it, and then how to prepare and eat it – a truly win, win , win situation.
With the advent of vertical gardens, and mixed planting in pots, it’s possible to grow herbs and vegetables even on the smallest of spaces, all you need is light, protection from extreme heat and cold and of course water.
This herb pot is quick & easy to create and will last most of the summer.
Views: 68
-
Growing Trends internet radio
Yesterday was the launch of our new internet radio show, it’s really all about people, how they make a difference to the environment they live in, how they have created their very own paradise, landscape or garden space, where they retreat to recharge their batteries after a hectic working day.
Each has it’s very own charisma, all are different, personal, delightful and special, Ann and I are very grateful to these wonderful people opening their truly amazing spaces to us, to interview them.
You can find us at www.cravingtalkradio.com – Growing Trends, we hope you will enjoy each visit with us. Please do, drop us a line at info@grotrends.com ask a question or request we visit you, or like us on Facebook – Growing Trends where you can see more pictures of the garden landscapes we visit each week.
Views: 30
-
Some great landscape detail.
Let’s start with the unusual, well perhaps not unusual more not where you would expect it.
A car park in Portland, Oregon.
Miniature gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show
A Joker water fall with brick edge
A very large tree being moved.
A moon gate
Hawaii – a different way for a tree to remain standing !
A clever way to screen pedestrians from too much sun..
Providing shade at the upper level
Immaculate aftercare
Is it Art ?
an interesting restoration or is it pub conversion?
“Knapped flint’ walls are just amazing..
a lovely old stone wall…
Building stepped walls is not easy, this one has been
very well thought out.
Views: 45
-
Growing Trends our new internet radio show is going to be on air very soon
Growing Trends on Craving Talk Radio – www.cravingtalkradio.com
The preparations are all done, we’ve been working flat out on interviews, not too mention how to be heard above the noise of a garden landscape – it’s amazing how birds, ponds, sirens, planes, wind, dogs & cats make noise. No just kidding, they all add that true ambiance to a garden landscape.
We are so lucky our guests are interesting, knowledgeable, fascinating, often busy people, who find a huge amount of relaxation and enjoyment from their gardens, they all experiment with plants and vegetables, most have pets, they all absolutely love spending time in ‘their space’.
It is a real privilege to be invited into their space with them to conduct these interviews. Ann and I really appreciate the time they have given us to bring some remarkable interviews to you on Craving Talk Radio – www.cravingtalkradio.com.
We have a really exciting lineup of interviews from around the world, all with a sense of humour, knowledge, fun and we think informative.
Trends like miniature gardens, growing vegetables and herbs in amongst traditional planting or in pots, not just in a traditional garden but also on decks, roofs and other smaller spaces.
Our schedule will be available shortly…if you would like to ask us a question or have an unusual garden landscape drop us a line at chris.coope@grotrends.com telling us more and we will get back to you.
We will also be talking about ‘How to ‘ features, which will help you plan and develop your own space.
Ideas & trends from around the world, with expert views and advice, and of course light hearted banter from Ann & Chris
We hope you will enjoy our show…
Ann & Chris
Views: 95
-
Growing Trends internet radio show
Well, it finally happened, it’s definitely been awhile coming. Ann & I are just a few interviews away from having our very own radio show on the internet !
This is quite an event, especially as my brother ran two radio stations for many years in the UK, some other parts of the family have run a Newspaper for almost 100 years in the sleepy lovely little town of Henley-on -Thames, where I was born enough moons ago to wonder what on earth I’m doing ?
Well, it sounded like fun at the time, I’m all for fun !
We will probably give some ideas to a bunch of folks, as we discuss and interview homeowners & experts from around the world on such diverse topics as, planning a project, design, construction, plants, growing fruit and veggies, likes and dislikes, brickwork, stonework, fencing, trelliage, gazebos, pergolas, seeding and turfing, planting, ponds, pools, roof gardens, xeriscapes, irrigation, lighting,
If you would like to be considered for a Garden visit, send us an email at info@grotrends.com telling us why we would enjoy visiting your garden.
Views: 69
-
Ground Preparation
It seems that Spring or is it Summer has finally arrived to the MidWest ?
It’s at times like these when one misses being in England with it’s very much milder climate, although their winter was a tad wetter than normal ( I hear wetter than the past 200 years !).
So back to the MidWest, the bunnies are hopping around, the snakes are emerging, grass has turned green, buds are bursting and flowers are appearing, hardy folks are out and about in their yards, starting to tend the vegetable gardens in ernest.
With that in mind I thought it might be an idea to talk a little about the various methods to use to prepare ground for planting.
Easy Way :
The easiest way to prepare ground is to first cut down any vegetation to as close to the ground as possible – rotary lawn mowers are good for this, so long as you have walked over the ground and removed any large stones, branches or other debris, it also helps if the found is reasonable flat.
Next all that you need to do is to cover the area to plant in a thick coating of newspapers, then cover these with reusable landscape fabric and secure in place.
It takes about 4 – 6 weeks to clear all the growth beneath, but when you do lift off the landscape fabric ( carefully as you can keep this for future use) and then removed the newspaper you should find bare soil beneath. Simply replace the landscape fabric and plant through this to complete you project.
Harder Method :
Cut down the growth on the area – usually with a rotary lawn mower ( do check for objects first).
Now for the fun part, stripping off the growth, this can be a strenuous operation if you use say a spade to ‘chip’ the grass and weeds off, alternatively you can use a rototiller and take a quick romp across the hard ground until a fine tilth is established, of course you have just spread a kazillion weed seeds as you do this. If the ground really is ‘too hard’ it helps to soak the area with water the day before.
Now all you need to do is to rake to an even level – do make sure that the ground slopes away from buildings, as when it rains you don’t want the ground to become waterlogged or allow water to accumulate near walls or on paths etc.,
Finally you can place and secure the landscape fabric, and complete the planting of your project.
Planting :
The planting technique is basically the same for both techniques :-
- Water thoroughly all plants to be planted.
-
Keep plants in shady position until planting.
-
Cut a 6 inch ‘x’ in the landscape fabric in the desired planting position
-
Dig a hole approximately 50% larger all-round than the plant pot.
-
Keep this soil nearby.
-
Add a small amount of planting compost to the base of the pit, together with fertilizer and if you have it a corn based super absorbent.
-
Mix these materials together and add some water until you have a ‘porridge’ or as ‘she’ who must be obeyed would say a ‘mud pie’
-
Select plant, tap edge of container to facilitate removal of pot, and carefully place in pit.
-
Carefully backfill soil around plant and firm into position.
-
Fold back landscape fabric carefully to the stem of the plant.
-
Apply approximately 2-3 inches of mulch ( keep at least 2 inches away from plant stems)
-
Water thoroughly, and again every other day for the first two weeks.
Views: 71
