Farewell, onker conker tree

I am standing in my kitchen with my little son. He asks me what’s all that noise outside. I tell him the neighbour’s tree is being cut down because it’s not feeling well. Why is it not well? He asks. I tell him that a tiny, invisible naughty mushroom has flown over rooftops and gardens from another sick tree and infected this one, making it unwell too, in the same way that he picks up colds and coughs from other children at nursery. But, he replies, if we get better, why does the tree have to be cut down? Well, I lament, sadly, these invisible flying mushrooms are so powerful that the tree will never recover from the sickness they bring. So, it’s better to let it go now, rather than watch it suffer any longer. Poor tree, my son muses. We continue watching in silence, as the bizzy whizzy blade of a chain saw bites into more branches. They tear and fall, leaving the sky empty.

I always admired the majestic pink horse chestnut (Aesculus x carnea) in my neighbour’s garden, as it provided a touch of nature and wilderness to an otherwise urban horizon. It was a haven for many species of birds and insects, its canopy broke the straight lines of the buildings behind, its spring blooms brightened up an otherwise monotone backdrop of magnolia painted walls. It was life. Large and bold.

Horse chestnut seeds arrived on British shores from their native land of Turkey around 450 years ago. The trees can grow up to 50m tall and live for up to 300 years. Bees and other insects love to feed off their nectar, deer munch on their seeds, and generations of children revel in the conker season.*

Taken from shootingpeople.org

Tradition has it, that on finding your first conker of the season, you should say “Oddly oddly onker my first conker”. This ensures prosperity and ‘few tangles throughout the coming season’. I rather like the sound of that. We’ll just have to nip to the park to find conkers next autumn.

Sadly, the loss of one tree is only a tiny example of the wider problem that horse chestnut trees (Aesculus hippocastanum) are facing. What was once a backdrop of our urban and rural landscapes, is now slowly dying off to two major diseases.

The deathly march of the leaf-mining moth (Cameraria ohridella), first noticed in Wimbledon Common in 2002, has already spread across most of England. The moths lay their eggs in the horse chestnut leaves, and the growing larvae then feed inside the leaves, drying them and turning them blotchy brown, making it seem like it’s autumn, in summertime.

Daily Mail image of diseased horse chestnut, Hyde Park

BBC image of larvae of leaf-mining moth

Damage to Horse Chestnut leaves

The disease which blighted my neighbour’s tree is bleeding canker (Pseudomonas syringae pv. aesculi). Spores of bacterial fungi spread from one tree to another, entering into a wound and inhibiting the flow of phloem (sugars) in the trunk, to a gradual death.

First spotted in the 1970s, The Forestry Commission believes that half of the UK’s horse chestnuts are now suffering from the disease, and it may be spreading even more quickly now because of the Greek leaf-mining moth which weakens the tree, allowing for other nasty bacteria like bleeding canker to entrap the tree.

There doesn’t seem to be a clear reason as to why the tree oozes at the site of the infection. One theory is that the tree is protecting itself by clotting up the wound, preventing the fungus from entering any further. If the infection isn’t stopped, the gummy substance turns rusty brown then black, eventually killing the tree.

I hope the neighbours will plant another fine tree in its place, for future generations of children, birds and insects to enjoy. In the meantime, farewell, onker conker tree, go conquer heaven with your beauty.

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*Beware, although the tree is reported to have a host of medicinal properties, the seeds (conkers) have poisonous saponins and should never be confused with the delicious sweet chestnut, which comes from a completely different tree called the Castanea sativa.

Join the Sugar Rush, write to your MP

We’re a prosperous nation, who can argue with that? Prosperous synonyms include thriving, successful, bouyant, flourishing. Yet for all that wealth and success, our school children are growing more obese, sick and depressed every day.

Something’s not right.

The problem is we’re all addicted to a drug on a mass scale. Grown in large plantations of Brazil and India, the drug gets shipped over here where it’s refined and turned into a white powder. Then it slips into just about everything we eat and drink, and we’re not even aware of it.

Sugar. Saccharum officinarum. A member of the grass family,  it’s a rough, shaggy cousin of the bamboo. In its raw form, it’s very healthy. There’s nothing like an energising cup of freshly crushed sugarcane at the local market, if you’re ever in Rio. Sugarcane is an alkaline food, rich in polyphenols, minerals and amino acids. That roughly translates into an all-round immune-boosting superfood. But once refined, it becomes acidic and harmful.

Field of sugarcane, Brazil

Sugarcane

Burning fields allegedly makes the harvest easier

Collecting burnt cane

Harvesting by machine

Sugar cane ready for juicing

Refinery, Suffolk, UK

Final product

It’s silent snake-like ease with which it has crept into almost every product on the supermarket shelf is staggering. Nothing has been done to curb its penetrating power until now.

Jamie Oliver and Sustain have joined forces to campaign for a sugary drinks tax, and to change the labelling and marketing of sugary products, because sugar (as I’ve written on a previous post) causes so much more harm than good.

Sugar-related illnesses include cancers, obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and dental diseases. I’m not advocating cutting out sugar entirely (I’m a cake and cookie monster) but where it’s out of control society has to take responsibility. See below for sugar counts on some of the drinks that teenagers love…

If you don’t yet know about the harms of sugar, especially on children, who guzzle fruit juices and fizzy drinks like there’s no water left on earth, then it’s worth watching Jamie’s hard-hitting Channel 4 documentary, Sugar Rush.

Otherwise, go straight here to Sustain’s campaign website where you can learn more and then, if convinced, write to your MP to persuade him or her to take this seriously, and ask them to attend a special meeting on 19th October with Jamie Oliver to hear his argument.

But it’s not just about sugar. It’s lifestyle too. Obesity can be tackled by growing and eating the right foods, and exercise. I say there’s nothing like a good dollop of fresh air, with secateurs in one hand and a rake in the other.  So, now I’ve had my rant, let’s head out into the garden, clear some leaves and cut back those sweet peas…

A word to the wild

I urge any parent to read Robert Macfarlane’s article,  A word to the wild,  in the recent National Trust magazine (Autumn 2015) about our vanishing natural words. It’s a bombshell to any parent who has a garden, enjoys woodland walks or strolls and playtime in urban parks.

In brief: Robert, a landscape and travel writer, was astonished to discover that the 2007 new edition of the Oxford Junior Dictionary (aimed at 7 to 9 year olds) had omitted some key words connected with nature. The reason – they were ‘no longer considered relevant to a modern-day childhood’.

Children apparently no longer need know or care about things such as an acorn, bluebell, buttercup, conker, heron, pasture, poppy, willow.

Their replacement? You’ve probably guessed – MP3 player, chatroom, cut-and-paste and voice-mail, among others. The disconnection with nature ‘is greater than its ever been. Nine out of ten children can identify a Dalek, but only three out of ten a magpie’. Children spend more and more time on computers and less and less time outdoors.

Robert went on a mission to collect local words, phrases and descriptions about nature, and discovered over 3000 of them in various dialects across the country. For example, he cites in the article that a Roak is an East Yorkshire term for a sea-mist that rolls into shore, and a Hazeling, in Hertfordshire , means of a spring morning, warm and damp and good for sowing seed.

The rich collection of his research, findings, and personal reflections can be found in his latest book, Landmarks (2015), which encourages readers to re-engage with the language of the natural world.

Peckham’s on the rise

Don’t take it from me, I only read it in the papers. But it’s exciting and it’s bold and I can’t wait to see it come to fruition. I’m talking about Peckham’s proposed new Coal Line, inspired by its more glamorous older sibling, the New York High Line.

The Coal Line is a disused old coal sidings leading to a depot nearby, and this regeneration project will revitalise this 900m stretch as a transport link for use by locals and commuters (both cyclists and walkers), avoiding the busy streets between Queens Road and Peckham Rye below. It will also be a catalyst for local enterprises who can set up shop in the warehouses below.

Unlike the glittering High Line, which cost $153 million to build, and is supposedly used mainly by tourists, the Coal Line is a grassroots community project created by locals who simply want to improve the area. Unlike Piet Oudolf’s undeniably stunning prairie planting design (see above), the collective envisage retaining the semi-wild atmosphere of the derelict railway line (there are mature silver birches and sycamores still clinging on to the tracks) to retain a relaxed sense of place and history.

They’ve launched an appeal for £65,000 through the crowdfunding website spacehive.com. and you can visit the proposed route at this weekend’s Open House scheme.

peckhamcoalline.strikingly.com

Fenton’s fabled apples

Fenton House, hidden gem of Hampstead

Hampstead has much to offer the visitor, from the wonderful windswept Heath, to a range of galleries, museums, pubs and boutique shops. Yet hidden up one of the oldy worldy backstreets is a real gem, often unwittingly bypassed.

It’s an elegant 17th century brick merchants house called Fenton House. This exquisite National Trust property has remained almost unchanged for 300 years. Inside you could, if you wanted, admire a collection of original baroque keyboard instruments, porcelain and paintings, but, and I’m not being biased, the real charm lies in the beguiling walled gardens, especially in summer and early Autumn.

There are many different aspects to this garden. Entering it you are greeted with a formal lawn in Italian renaissance style surrounded by clipped golden holly clouds and columns, behind which lie a coterie of flower beds loosely grouped in colour themes.

You are led around it one level above, allowing your eye to enjoy the different perspectives as you gradually descend, firstly past the world’s most striking strawberry tree, through a romantic sunken garden filled with lady’s mantle, chives, teasels and fennel, then past an enclosed gravel planting adrift with perovskias, irises and veronicas, all trailing in the ankles of the tall and strange echiums, and finally through a formal yew archway into the lawn.

Further down still, past more arches and hedging, you will find two small enchanting lean-to greenhouses holding seedlings, tender plants and succulents. Passing these you are suddenly immersed amongst a wilderness of apple trees. It feels far removed from the bustle of the high street so nearby! This is the orchard, and in late August, its sweetness fills the air. Over thirty species of apple are grown here. And if you love apples, then don’t miss the Fenton House Apple Weekend coming up, where you’ll get to try them all. Nearby are the bee hives, which I was told make delicious honey for visitors to buy.

Beyond the apple trees are vegetables and fruits of all different colours, textures and sizes, planted in what might be described as ordered chaos. There are rows of different crops, but self-seeded fennel and verbascum have been allowed to mingle in and break up the order, lending the whole space a more relaxed feel. I felt so at ease there (unlike some kitchen gardens whose militarily ordered lines scare me), that I almost helped myself to a few greens. Arthur certainly didn’t hold back, finding the patterns and shapes of the crops highly entertaining.

What’s clear when wandering around is that the gardeners love their garden, are knowledgeable and passionate about their work, and the plants thrive in response.

Visitor info here: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/fenton-house/visitor-information/
Fenton House Apple Weekend is on 3rd and 4th October
Garden entrance: £2

Decorate the lawn with chard

It’s not often you wander about a town and come across a decorative edible public garden. You might brush past an allotment or a few herbs growing in pots here and there. But an elegantly designed public garden with only edible plants is a rare thing.

But that’s just what we stumbled into when we were ambling about the beautiful French market town of Lectoure in the southern department of Gers.

Instead of familiar dahlias, peonies, marigolds and geraniums that one sees all too often in public parks, we were surprised and amused to find ourselves in a renaissance-style potage (kitchen garden) just behind the cathedral. Even more unexpected was a central feature made up solely of that deliciously colourful swiss chard, a stir-fry favourite.

The garden was enchanting, and given it was already the end of summer, some leaves were turning yellow, others starting to wither and die. Yet there was an abundance of produce ripe for harvesting such as figs, tomatoes, beans, kale, squash and gourds even. That is what made it special – no bells or frills here – just a nicely planted edible garden that could easily pass as decorative.

The French have a long tradition of growing decorative kitchen gardens, ever since medieval monasteries famously grew all the vegetables needed to make potages (thick soup) in their well-tended gardens. Hence the name potager meaning kitchen garden.

I’ve seen lettuce and cabbages grow beautifully in pockets of large Parisian parks even. If it works across the channel as a feature of public gardening, perhaps we could incorporate more decorative edible planting alongside the prescriptive ornamentals in our parks?

The more familiar we become with lovely vegetables and fruit growing in public, the more likely we’ll be to plant similar ones at home, and gradually make the switch from pure ornamentals to a blend with useful plants.

A great place for ideas and inspiration on growing edible plants in Westminster is the Regents Park Allotment Garden. Having been involved with the initial start-up, it’s a treat to know that the garden continues to provide plenty of pleasure to local community groups and passersby. Perhaps they could bow to the French and sow some onions and leeks in the Boardwalk borders too?

Edible Greek restaurants

London restaurants have a penchant for plastic plants. I don’t get it! Walk down any commercial street and I guarantee you’ll find plastic buxus screening and not a herb in sight.

In Greece for a short holiday with friends last month, I was pleasantly amazed to find that restaurants in the area were spilling over with edible containers. It wasn’t one or two, it was most restaurants. Having my little son with me, we both marvelled at the scents of the various types of basil and mints and verbenas and chilis all growing abundantly among other herbs and greens.

There is a connection between smell and taste, and certainly, in these small eateries set in the humble fishing towns of the southern Peloponnese, these herbs lured us in and ignited our hunger. They created a link between our food and the kitchen and the local area. They allowed us unwittingly to gain an insight into what people grow and eat there. In between courses Arthur waddled about from pot to pot, poking about, sniffing, tasting and marvelling at the shapes and patterns of the plants.

Come on London, let’s rip out the plastic and see some more restaurants planted up with edible containers!

Rosemary brain power

If you have rosemary planted in your garden, then you have the potential to boost the power of your brain and long-term memory.

Amazing. Of course perhaps you knew that, as the ancient Greeks, Romans and Arabs were already onto it. Ophelia refers to it as the Herbe of Rememberence in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. But,  new research at Northumbria University has proven that even your ‘future memory’ benefits! Ie remembering to do things… order those seeds, pinch out the tomatoes, switch off the hose…

Essential oils

I love to burn aromatherapy oils around the flat – zingy citrus in the mornings, calmer lavender and cedar wood in the evenings and loads in between. One of them is indeed rosemary, partly because of its renowned effects on the brain and also because of its elegant, woody mediterranean aroma. It seems to purify the air.

Anyway, those same trials have proven that our olfactory senses actually have a huge impact on our physiological state, as traces of rosemary oil were found in the blood stream of the volunteers, simply from smelling the aromatherapy oils burning in the room. It’s the terpenes (small organic molecules) in the oil that release the aromas and enter the blood. So, not just a pretty smell!

The Mind Unleashed offers a great article to delve even deeper into the world of rosemary and memory.

Here are some other important benefits of rosemary oil:

Rosemary in the garden

Being a Mediterranean plant, Rosmarinus officinalis loves the sun, free draining soil and not too much water. With that in mind, it’s an easy plant to grow, and there are many varieties to choose from, such as the creeping ‘Prostratus’ which is great for draping over edges to the erect ‘Miss Jessup’s Upright’ cultivar. You can find plenty of choice at the Pepperpot Nursery who do mail order. It’s also a wonderful plant for attracting friendly bees into your garden.

Uses

If you are growing rosemary, make a tisane by picking a 2 inch sprig of new growth and steeping it in hot water for a few minutes. Also, fresh rosemary finely chopped is sensational sprinkled over salads. And as you already know, there are countless ways to cook with rosemary, a well-known companion to lamb and beans.

Stop Food Waste – Start Gardening

Almost half of all food produced worldwide is wasted. That’s the equivalent of two billion tonnes. And we’re all implicated, from farmers to supermarkets to consumers.

The past few years has seen a growing surge of reports and measures taken to cut down on this waste, with initiatives from charities such as FairShare and WRAP, to governments and the FAO. Supermarkets continue to throw away much of their unsold food, and much more can be done if new legislations get passed.

The latest good news congratulates Arash Derambarsh, a councillor in France, who has just persuaded the French government to pass a new law barring large shops from destroying food, and is now pushing the EU to change their regulations regarding commercial food waste too.

Hopefully this sea change will come to our shores too, as Tristram Stuart is running a parallel Campaign to Stop Food Waste in Europe, which we can all sign up to.

Food Waste At Home

It’s not only supermarkets that need an overhaul in their waste departments, it’s families too.  Did you know that over half of all waste comes from consumers, and only under 20% from shops?

“We throw away 7 million tonnes of food and drink from our homes every year, the majority of which could have been eaten.” (Love Food, Hate Waste) And it’s fruit and vegetables that are wasted the most! (How often do we get seduced by the naughty 3 for 2 offer, and the extra one invariably ends up in the bin?)

Whereas as much as 30% of vegetable crops in the UK are not harvested due to their ‘failure to meet retailers’ exacting standards on physical appearance’ (The Guardian, 10 Jan 2013), we’re not privy to any commercial laws concerned with either looks or sell-by-dates.

It’s our lifestyles and habits that dictate our actions.

I believe that if families could make their gardens, balconies and patios a little less decorative and a bit more productive (although edible plants are incredibly beautiful too), start composting (if possible) and make use of our local councils’ recycling schemes, then we would in turn become more aware of our own needs, buy less and waste less.

It’s simple. Grow more! Waste less!

Prepare for a drought?

Now I feel the irresponsible fool. Only yesterday I was extolling the virtues of playing with hoses and buckets in the garden – and today I read in the papers that we need to prepare ourselves for a potential drought. So, I apologise for misleading you and want to set us straight.

Aside from recent exciting sporting events and Greece’s impending referendum, the papers today are all shouting about water shortages. No more playing with hosepipes in the garden! Roll up your hose and store it away! Replace your child’s bath time with a splish splash sprinkling of a quick shower! Scare-mongering sensationalism or a real threat? A bit of both, perhaps, as it’s not official, yet. But if our reservoirs don’t stock up again soon, having had a feeble trickling of rain between February and June of this year, then we will be instructed to ration.

Water is a precious resource, and we are all culpable of taking it for granted. In London alone there are 20,000 miles of hidden underground pipes carrying tonnes of water across the city. The Thames Valley provides 80% of our water supply, and the remaining 20% comes from underground aquifers. As surely as the sun will rise, so will water gush out of our taps. Each day, all day. But low rainfall in winter and a subsequent dry spring can mean reservoirs don’t restock enough to supply us.

Providing some of ones own water needs is very satisfying, as we’re harnessing nature’s bounty. So if you are in a position to use a rainwater collection tank, try it. You don’t need much space, just a roof and a gutter. Greenfingers.co.uk offer a sleek design. I sound like a nerd, but it can become addictive, checking how much was collected from the recent rain shower… but more importantly, it makes you (and your kids) appreciate the value of water.

Specialists Freewater UK have everything you need to know about saving water (and why!). The RHS also offer lots of help and advice on collecting and storing both grey water (used water from the home) and rainwater.