My Global Garden

Climate change makes trees grow faster

11. March 2010

A recent study of trees in eastern America suggests that forests could be growing faster now than they were 200 years ago as a result of climate change.The trees appear to have accelerated growth rates due to longer growing seasons and higher concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The study in Maryland suggests that this [...]

Trees are good friends

24. November 2009

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National Tree Week runs from 25th November until 6 December.http://www.treecouncil.org.uk/?q=node/858 Launched in 1975, this traditionally marks the beginning of the winter tree planting season which is great news for exploring how you can add new trees to your garden. A winter flowering cherry is a wonderful specimen for this time of year providing an attractive white [...]

Climate Change inspires London trees

14. October 2009

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London’s parks are looking particularly spectacular at the moment. The wonderful late Autumn sunshine is providing a stunning display of colours across the capital. I took these photos in one of my favourite open spaces in the capital - Hampstead Heath which boasts 320 hectares (790 acres) of parkland covered with many thousands of trees.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampstead_Heath Boris Johnson, [...]

Trees suffer in early Autumn drought

2. October 2009

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The lack of rainfall in South East England and East Anglia is producing an Autumn drought which is threatening many of our native tree specimens. The Met Offiice said that in the South East as a whole there was just 35mm of rain in August, compared to an average of 50mm. In September was only 13mm [...]

Carbon Connection - Rainforest SOS

14. July 2009

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Just one day of tropical forest emissions from deforestation is equal to 12.5 million people flying from London to New York. This impressive fact was used in my favourite garden at the Hampton Court Flower Show - “The Carbon Connection.” designed by Fiona Stephenson. Fiona created a stunning display of horticultural art [...]

Where can I buy beautiful trees?

29. May 2009

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Trees are vital to the future of our planet as they soak up carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. I want to encourage everyone to think about where and how they can plant trees - they are beautiful and easy to look after as long as you choose the right tree for the right soil and [...]

Londoners log on to have trees planted

7. May 2009

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Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, is certainly delivering on his electoral promise to make London a greener and better place to live. The population of the capital is currently about 9 million with around 1.75 million Londoners living in areas that are further than 1km from an open space containing nature or wildlife. Boris plans [...]

Anyone for Fruit salad?

16. April 2009

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According to the RHS, rising average night temperatures in March and April and more growing days a year are allowing gardeners to produce a number of varities such as kiwis, peaches, nectarines and lemons without the protection of glasshouses. We may not manage to achieve large crops in the UK’s unpredicatable climate, but, it is great [...]

Google Earth picks out palm tree

31. May 2008

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I was interested to read during my visit to Kew Gardens about a palm that is so large it can be seen on Google Earth. This new genus of self-destructive palm growing in Madagascar has been identified by experts at Kew. It flowers itself to death during its spectacular lifecycle by growing a trunk up to [...]

Kew branches out

25. May 2008

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The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew is THE place to visit in London if you want to see the world’s largest collection of 40,000 plants. I was at Kew yesterday to witness the opening of the new Rhizotron and Xstrata Treetop Walkway which adds new meaning to the expression - a bird’s eye view! Balancing some [...]