Plant of the Week – Rosebay willowherb

Chamerion angustifolium – Rosebay willowherb Other common name:  Bombweed or Fireweed in the US Family: Onagraceae Rosebay willowherb can be found throughout the UK, it is a native species commonly found in open spaces and clearings in grasslands, farmlands, roadside verges, woodlands and gardens. It is a rhizomatous perennial species which can quickly colonise bare and

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Plant of the Week – Bramble

Rubus Fruticosus – Bramble Other common name: Blackberry Bush Family: Rosaceae Genus: Rubus is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants with 250–700 species. Raspberries and blackberries are common members of the genus. Details: Brambles have long, thorny, arching shoots, which can grow 1.8-2.5m in length. Brambles can become a problem where seedlings are allowed to take root, or where stems of established plants have rooted at intervals.

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Plant of the Week – Giant Rhubarb

Gunnera Manicata – Giant Rhubarb Other common name: Chilean or prickly rhubarb Family: Gunneraceae Genus: Gunnera may be evergreen or herbaceous rhizomatous perennials, and range from small creeping plants to very large with huge leaves. The tiny red-brown flowers are small, borne in narrow panicles or spikes to 1m in height and may be followed by small berry-like fruits Details: G.

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Plant of the Week – 17th Aug 2016

Pelargonium – Geranium Other common name: Imperial Butterfly Family: Genaniaceae Genus: Pelargonium can be perennials, sub-shrubs or shrubs, sometimes succulent and mostly evergreen, with palmately lobed or pinnately divided leaves and clusters of slightly irregular, 5-petalled flowers Details: With its lemon-scented leaves Imperial Butterfly’ is a very floriferous, compact cultivar with viola-shaped, large white flowers. The upper petals are centrally

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Plant of the week – 10th Aug 2016

Passiflora ‘Betty Myles Young’ Other common name: Passion Flower Family: Passifloraceae Genus: Passiflora Details: Betty Myles Young is a large, vigorous, very hardy vine that holds on to its leaves well over winter and produces 30-40 lightly scented flowers per day for months on end which stay open for several days. Plentiful large decorative green fruit ripening to yellow

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Clean-up removes suffocating weed from Tottenham River

Floating pennywort was pulled from the River Lee on Sunday (July 3) in a bid to stop the non-native invasive weed choking the water. The weed spreads rapidly feeding on nutrients in the polluted river and the clean-up was spearheaded by water charity Thames21. The charity last week revealed the river is more polluted than

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What’s the hype all about?

Over the past 6 months it has become apparent that people are not receiving mortgages due to the occurrence of Japanese Knotweed within their land. However there is still a small minority of people not believing that a Japanese Knotweed problem will effect a mortgage agreement….. Below is what a Santander spokesman had to say

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Plantwatch: A great year for wildflowers

This has been a fantastic year for wildflowers, and for anyone driving on holiday it’s well worth stopping to look at road verges, where the plants are stunning. Now is the time for the towering spikes of purple foxgloves and pink rosebay willow-herb. The climbing plants are also bursting with flowers, and the heavenly scent

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Ragwort concern for Cheshire farmers

AUTHORITIES in Cheshire are being urged by farming leaders to get to grips with ragwort – a toxic plant which poses serious risks to animal health. NFU’s Nantwich group secretary, Louise Young, added: “Ragwort in south Cheshire is rife and it’s a particular problem in areas adjacent to where cows graze or fields where winter fodder

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Don’t do it!

For those eagle eyed viewers, you may have noted that Japanese knotweed was on T.V last week on channel 4’s ‘Help my house is falling down!’ The occupier had a small amount of Japanese knotweed probable 1-2 metres squared in total surface growth in your average London terrace back garden. The show had appointed a

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