Summer 2005

Newsletter Summer 2005

From the Post Bag

British Seed Houses Ltd – a mention of Cadix a top performing perennial rye grass. This offers exceptional wear tollerance. It is a short leafy plant with dark green leaves. Perennial rye grass cultivars are remarkably free from diseases – like the red thread in my lawn now and also because they compete so well there is little space for weeds to get going. www.britishseedhouses.com

Tracy emailed with her final RHS Diploma certificate with commendation

Jardin exotique do Roscoff - Jardin Gerges Delaselle

(Ile de Batz) sub tropical effects.

Joanna sent a picture of the germination of the forget-me-not seeds – absolutely amazing results on the 3 jiffy 7’s we supplied.

KM from North Wales has written of her RHS Advanced Certificate studies:-

“Please find the enclosed sample of marked work in response to the request at the end of lesson 9. Mr O’Grady has been an excellent tutor, being very encouraging. He has been most helpful with comments and suggestions where I have found the work more difficult. I am learning a great deal form this course and only hope that I can muster up enough to pass the exams in July.”

Eccremocarpus scaber one of the earliest and longest flowering climbers. Seed is usually available - do send us a sae.

GK Studying Garden Design

“ I found the course to be exceptionally well laid out and presented with the modules in a very good order for learning steadily without being overpowering and more importantly with no real rushing which I think is important whilst you are learning.

I found the best part was when I was being shown how to correctly do perspective drawing although all modules gave something especially as this was my first Design course in Landscaping and Gardening. I have just passed a City & Guilds but truly nothing to this scale or fullness … with such a good and helpful tutor I was able to digest my errors and have hopefully achieved my first step towards a better understanding to what clients want and how to achieve it for them.”

An event being held in Wiltshire in September

BH from Oxfordshire sent in the Response at the end of the course form – he had studied for the RHS General Certificate and wrote:-

“I felt the RHS General in Horticulture was very thorough and I have recommended it to one of my work mates at Blenheim. Every part of the course relates to my gardening at Blenheim, I enjoyed the fruit and veg + grass + pest and diseases, I had excellent feedback and Gordon Malt (tutor) gave me good positive guidance during my course. For the content and tuition given the course is value for money, and the feeling of having a step on the ladder in gardening."

A colourful "grasses" section of the exciting small island just off Brittany

BTC from West Sussex wrote in to say:

“Just to let you know that I have today received the RHS examination results, and that I have passed with a credit. So to say that I am pleased is to put it mildly!

Again, I must express my thanks to you and your staff for all the help and guidance you gave me during my studying for the examination. I sincerely mean it when I say that my results would not have been achievable had it not been for your help, both during the course and in the way that the course itself had been devised and developed. From my previous experience in working up courses, I know that obtaining that essential balance between ‘spoon feeding’ the student and providing just the right amount of information to act as a catalyst to ‘fire’ them forward with the desire to find out more for themselves is very far from easy. But your course did it!

Once again many thanks, and I am now trying to decide what I want to go forward with as my next line of horticultural study. You may have to put up with me again on another course!”

Gardens are for children.

PN from Wales has let us know of her web site.

I have already been selling my plants on ebay …. Successfully. Yesterday I started a web site www.pottingsheddirect.co.uk was launched awaiting the software to create the site now …another thing I have never done before. Thank you to Frank Franks and yourselves. Keep you informed of progress … who knows I might complete the degree yet!

One of our climbing cut worms - a moth caterpillar. They can be found with diligent searching - they make so much damage and leave their droppings, you can be sure they are close by. They are almost a year round pest.

RJ from Suffolk who is on his 4th course with us has written “please thank everyone, on my behalf at the H.C.C. for their excellent work and help”

The Countryside jobs service details may be a useful contact.

Countryside Jobs Service

The Morrlands, Goathland

Whitby

North Yorks

YO22 5LZ

Tel: 01947 896007

Fax: 01947 896474

email ranger@countryside-jobs.com

www.countryside-jobs.com

British Association Representing Breeders (BARB)

This organisation has sent me a beautiful booklet - Information to Licensees with the Schedule of Protected varieties of Hardy Ornamental Nurser stock plants (HONS). It is of interest to commerical horticultural students. The contact email address is barb@barbuk.force9.co.uk

The work of BARB is to protect plant breders rights. Some of the stunning new protected cultivars include:

Hosta 'June'

Physocarpus 'Diabolo'

Hibiscus 'Lavender Chiffon'

Rosemarinus officinalis 'Roman Beauty'

Cover picture of Sambucus nigra 'Black Lane

There are 104 hardy stock varieties in the 2005-06 schedule. It is interesting to read about how the legal status of varieties is in place unter the Plant Varieties Act 1997 wand the European Plant Breeders Rights Regulation No 2100/94. Also it is interesting to read of the royalty payable - which would currently be 25.2p for Cistus x hybridus 'Gold Prize'. Plant breeders rights provide a great incentive for plant breeders to raise and propagate new plants.