Every month we like to share some art for garden-lovers. Since January we've been showing plates from a 19th century book of plant engravings, The Temple of Flora. The illustrated volume accompanied Robert John Thornton's botanical masterpiece explaining the theories of the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus. The book was undoubtedly...
Are you connected to, or interested in, the architecture business and sustainable building? Then you'll know the UK Green Building Council wants new buildings and infrastructure to have 'nature-based solutions' by 2030. You probably also know that using green walls in interiors, or to clad exterior surfaces, offers many benefits....
At a recent job, we installed dripline as part of creating a new lawn area. We took a series of photos so we could share the whole of the subsurface drip irrigation installation process with you. Laying the dripline The first task was to prepare a base layer of topsoil. We put...
It's time for another post of garden-related art. This night-blooming cereus is from The Temple of Flora. Many people consider Robert John Thornton’s New Illustration of the Sexual System of Carolus von Linnaeus to be the greatest of all flower books, and The Temple of Flora is Part III of...
Helping children and young people to engage with the natural world is more vital today than it has ever been. The government's strategy for green education involves teaching even the youngest children about the importance of nature and how people connect with it. The idea is that young people need...
Are you concerned about climate change and increasingly hot, dry summers? Worried that an irrigation system might be wasting precious water? It may seem counter-intuitive, but having a well-designed irrigation system might actually save on your water usage compared to using a watering can. In the UK we experienced a...
You may be someone who practices mindfulness deliberately, or you may not. However, those of us who are gardeners tend to practice it accidentally even if we've never heard of it! It's very natural to be aware of all the sights, sounds and fragrances when you're in a garden. Being...
Bees are a vital part of our existence, as they pollinate many of the food plants we rely on. But did you know that of the 24 species of bumblebee in the UK, only 7 are now counted as common? Some are incredibly rare nowadays, with numbers declining for several...
It's time for our regular botanical art post! Here's another beautiful picture for all you plant-lovers. It's a lily from The Temple of Flora, the illustrated volume from Robert John Thornton's amazing 19th century botany book. This particular engraving is called The Superb Lily. However, the picture is not of...
It's time for our regular botanical art post! Here's another beautiful picture for all you plant-lovers. It's a lily from The Temple of Flora, the illustrated volume from Robert John Thornton's amazing 19th century botany book. This particular engraving is called The Superb Lily. However, the picture is not of...