News

Happy New Year to all customers. Two products for the start of year is the electric propagator and the extra large propagator. They are great for getting seeds growing early in the year, ready for transplanting in the garden when it gets warmer. Both can be ordered in the Grow Your Own section.

https://gardenis.co.uk/collections/grow-your-own

XL Propagator - extra large seed propagator – Gardenis.co.uk

Christmas Quiz

CHRISTMAS QUIZ

1. What country do Amaryllis bulbs originate from?

2. What Christmas decoration might you find growing in an apple tree?

3. The British Isles has one herd of Reindeer. Where can they be found?

4. Traditionally white Chess pieces are made from the wood from which type of tree?

5. Each year Bergen sends a Christmas tree to the people of Newcastle and the people of Oslo send a Christmas tree to London, in thanks for what?

6. What are Poinsettia flowers said to resemble?

7. What C can be added to Oranges to make a pleasant smelling Christmas decoration?

8. The tradition of burning a Yule Log, stretches back to when Pagans celebrated the Winter Solstice. In England, the log would usually be Oak, what type of log is traditionally used in Scotland?

9. For the UK to have an official White Christmas, according to the Met Office how much snow has to fall?

10. Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s German husband made the tradition of having a Christmas tree indoors popular. In 1841 he put a tree up in which royal residence?

11. Christmas Bush is a plant with small green leaves and cream coloured flowers, that turn a deep red in the run up to Christmas. In which country is it often used as a decoration?

12.Norfolk Bronze is a type of what?

13. The Sandringham Estate, where the Queen spends Christmas, has a 20,000 acre estate. What product is it most famous for producing?

14. How many Christmas Cards were recycled by the Woodland Trust scheme in January 2008, was it; a. 12.8 million b. 34.7 million c. 49.3 million d. 73.6 million

15. According to the RSPB, the Robin is resident in the British Isles all year round, and does not migrate. Which summer migrant might pass for a Robin if it was to paint it’s chest red? It is slightly larger, hides out in thickets and sings a good tune.

16. Which type of Palm tree found in the Middle East produces a fruit often ate over the Christmas period?

17. Norway Spruce , Fraser Fir, Nordmann Fir, and Scots Pine are all sold as Christmas Trees. Which type is the most popular in the UK.

18. What type of bedding plant has a winter version that can survive the cold months?

19. What is placed in front of the Temperate Glasshouse at Kew Gardens over Christmas?

20. Bedford Fillbasket, Cromwell and Wellington are all types of what?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

ANSWERS

1. South Africa 2. Mistletoe 3. Cairngorms, Scottish Highlands 4. Holly 5. Help from Britain during WW2 6. The Star of Bethlehem 7. Cloves 8. Birch 9. One single snowflake within the 24 hour period 10. Windsor 11. Australia 12. Turkey 13. Apple Juice 14. d 15. The Nightingale 16. Dates 17. Nordmann Fir 18. Pansies 19. Ice rink 20. Brussel Sprouts

From our garden and nature info site https://www.gardenandgreen.co.uk

A gardeners tool belt to carry your mobile phone, rose secateurs, etc when you are out and about in the garden, when weeding and pruning.

More info and to buy online, click the link below;

https://gardenis.co.uk/collections/grow-your-own/products/gardeners-tool-and-secateurs-belt

Kneeling mats seem to be one of the more popular items for gardening gifts. The good thing about this one, now available and ready to dispatch for delivery within a few days, is that it is much wider than most that are available. A lot of them are just the width of a person, so then the gardener is stuck in one place, unless they clamber up and move the kneeling pad along, which sort of defeats the purpose of them. This jumbo version allows the gardener to shuffle to the left and right, so they can access more of the border, without having to get up.

More info and to buy online, click on the link below;

Extra large kneeling mat - large gardening kneeling pad for weeding etc. – Gardenis.co.uk

New in stock and ready to send out, for delivery within a few days, this electric seed propagator is great for growing from seeds and getting an early start on growing plants for the coming garden season. The heated base provides warmth for the soil, so it speeds up germination.

More info and to buy online, click below;

Electric Propagator - 8w - heated propagator, seed propagator – Gardenis.co.uk

Good news! After months of being unavailable the 350 litre water butt can now be ordered. This water butt is sold as a 350, a double 700 litres, and treble 1050 litres kit, all great for larger gardens. Also, before it went out of stock in the summer, there was quite a lot of restrictions for the delivery of this size barrel, and it could be delivered to part of England. This is now thankfully over, and they can be delivered all over GB once again.

https://gardenis.co.uk/collections/grow-your-own/products/large-350-litre-water-butt-kit

Raw sewage is pouring into our rivers and coastal waters regularly, all across the country. The government got a lot of backlash this week when it voted down an amendment to the Environment Bill, that would have demanded water companies stop releasing sewage into our waters on a regular basis.

I've learnt quite a bit this week about the issue, and one thing stands out is that a major reason for the sewage releases is that the pipes can't cope after heavy rain, so the sewage is released into rivers, otherwise it would start flooding out onto residential streets from manholes. This is because the rainwater shares the same pipes as the sewage. I have made another post a month or so ago about how water butts can help prevent flash floods, and clearly they are a solution in reducing the chance of sewage spills. This is because, using my original example, of a 10,000 homes, if each are fitted with a 200 litre double water butt kit (the bestseller), then that would hold 2 Olympic swimming pools worth of water, after heavy rain. This means that all that rainwater is not going straight into the sewers, so it reduces the chance they will fill so quick, resulting in a raw sewage release into the rivers and coastal seas. 

I have not heard anyone mention this as a quick and easy solution to help the problem. Considering raw sewage is not just poop and wee, but anything that goes down the drains, including bleach, household cleaners, hair dye, medicines etc, it's a massive issue. Only 14% of English rivers are classed as being in a good ecological standard, according to the Ennvironment Agency in 2020. Yet another good reason to buy a water butt!