Ash Tree Dieback Disease Hits Somerset

It Doesn’t Seem Real Until it Happens to You Yes, folks, it finally happened to us. We had a good run, but the dieback got us, right in the Bridgwater Road, which will be closed for five days this October to take down infected Ash trees. Ash saplings infected by the Chalara fraxinea fungus were… Continue reading Ash Tree Dieback Disease Hits Somerset

Apple Pollination Groups & Dates

October is a Good Time to Plan Orchards October is main bulb planting time. Why am I making you think about pollinating fruit trees? Pollination happens in blooming Spring over six months away, which is literally a whole year. But the bareroot tree planting season is almost ‘pon us merry fellows, starting when weather permits… Continue reading Apple Pollination Groups & Dates

Resting behind your Laurels

Cherry Laurel is a delightful name for Common Laurel, despite not getting proper cherries off it – the birds don’t complain, though. It is such a popular evergreen hedging plant in British gardens that although it’s not native, it’s known abroad as the “English Laurel”. No one understands good old Prunus laurocerasus Rotundifolia like the… Continue reading Resting behind your Laurels

Good Growing October Weather

October’s forecast is looking mild, with nights mostly over 7C (the temperature under which plants generally stop growing) right until the end of the month. Warm Octobers extend the growing season into Official Autumn, squeezing the best out of plants that bloom until frost stops them, such as many dahlias, repeating roses, and late flowering… Continue reading Good Growing October Weather

Homemade Fig Jam Recipe

With Homegrown Figs There’s nothing quite as jammy as the satisfaction of your own fig jam crafted from fig you grew yourself in a British Summer. Serve without elaborating, and let your dining companion ask you where this sweet, honey-like jam is from. Only then tell them that you are part of an elite club… Continue reading Homemade Fig Jam Recipe

Hedgerow Jelly Recipe

Make a unique Jelly from Country Hedges & Wild Plants This recipe uses fruit commonly found in mixed hedges and wild plants (identify before eating them). Wild plums generally ripen around late summer, apples & crab apples generally ripen later, both can be found in quantity in time to mix with blackberries, and whatever else… Continue reading Hedgerow Jelly Recipe

Apple Muffins Recipe

There’s Nothing Quite Like Baking with Home-Grown Apples in your Apple Muffin Recipe. Their fresh, crisp flavour brings out the best in these delicious apple muffins. Whether you have an orchard in your garden or a single beloved tree, these muffins are a wonderful way to showcase your apples. For this recipe, we recommend using… Continue reading Apple Muffins Recipe

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