Hedgerows Garden Tapestry Journal

Horticulture News from Around the World:

Here are three stories from all around the world that focus on vegetables!

1. Mega-Artichokes to Power Homes?

(LONDON) - Reuters: Spanish farmers are growing three-meter high artichokes for burning in special power stations to produce electricity, the Independent newspaper reported on Thursday.

The genetically-modified monster vegetables, which boast seven meter roots, will be generating power for 60,000 people when operations in the northern towns of Villabilla de Burgos and Alcala de Gurrea begin in two years.

The newspaper said twin power stations will burn 105,000 tonnes of the dried and pulped Cynara Cardunculs each year. Farmers were persuaded to sow the prickly plant by EU subsidies and price guarantees from the electricity generator.

Burning plants for energy is not a new idea, but the biomass sector has seen a revival in recent years as environmental concerns rise. While there are already a number of biomass schemes in Europe they often struggle to compete commercially with other green energy schemes.

An Irish scheme to burn cannabis as a fuel foundered last year because of it was considered too expensive compared with wind power projects.

2. Scientists Champion Drought-Tolerant Crops in India
By John Chalmers

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - An agricultural research group said on Tuesday it has pioneered two drought-tolerant chickpea crop varieties that have reversed the fortunes of poor farmers in one of five Indian states suffering from an acute water shortage.

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), based in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, said alternative crops and the application of community-managed watersheds are solutions for the 800 million people living in low rainfall areas around the globe.

“In the semi-arid tropics, drought occurs two out of every five years. And even when there is rainfall, it is erratic, varying from year to year, and within seasons,” the group said in a statement released at a news conference in New Delhi.

“Further, only 30-60 percent of this rainfall is used effectively for crop production; the remaining 40-70 percent of rainwater is lost as runoff, evaporation and deep drainage.”

ICRISAT said that in Andhra Pradesh, one of several Indian states currently reeling under severe drought conditions, it had introduced short-duration chickpea varieties which mature in 85-100 days and therefore escape end-of-season drought. For farmers near Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, 1999 was particularly harsh: there were no rains at all after October 21. But those who grew the Swetha and Kranthi chickpea varieties harvested as much as 1.7 tonnes per hectare.

ICRISAT said Andhra Pradesh’s ’silent chickpea revolution’ — production of the pulse has grown sevenfold in the state over the past 10 years — has been a boon to farmers previously struggling to make a living from cotton crops.

The chickpea requires less investment, labor and fertilizer than cotton crops, which have long been dogged by pests. In recent years dozens of indebted cotton farmers in central and southern India have committed suicide.

ICRISAT said that in conjunction with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research it had also released five varieties of groundnut in India, three of which are tolerant to end-of-season drought and two are tolerant to mid-season drought.

The institute also promotes the conservation of rainfall through community-managed watersheds, which it says increase crop productivity and reduce soil loss.

“It’s a good approach to properly harvest the little rainfall we have,” said ICRISAT Director General William Dar, who said that of the 800 million people living in semi-arid tropics, 300 million are the ‘poorest of the poor’ and food-insecure.

Barry Shapiro, director of the group’s natural resource management program, said that expansion of deserts is affecting 40 percent of Asia’s land surface.

Advocating a long-term approach, he said scientists need to use remote sensing to identify areas of degradation, geographical information systems to locate ideal watershed areas and terrain modeling to capture rainwater efficiently.

3. ‘Super-broccoli’ to help fight cancer

BRITISH scientists have developed a “super-broccoli” that could help to combat colon cancer, it was disclosed yesterday. 

It looks and tastes the same as ordinary broccoli but holds 100 times more of the chemical sulphoraphane, which helps to kill cancer-causing substances in food. The chemical is in Brussels sprouts and cauliflower but strongest in broccoli. 

Scientists at the government-funded John Innes Centre in Norwich bred the broccoli, which could be in the shops in 2002, by crossing an ordinary variety with a wild Sicilian relative. Tests on people could start next year, New Scientist magazine said. Dr Richard Mithen, a plant biologist at the John Innes Centre, said it was acknowledged that a third of cancers were probably caused by bad diet. Colon cancer kills about 25,000 people a year in Britain.

Since 1913, the Chelsea Flower Show has been a showcase of the very best of English gardening and one of the leading events of gardening and horticultural season. Attended by royalty, celebrities and a very keen public, it is a treasured tradition each year at the end of May. The show actually started quite a few years earlier than this, in the late 1880’s, but was in a different location - it became the Chelsea Flower Show when it moved to the current premises at the Hospital.

There are many photographs and analyses of this most famous of all flower shows, each year seems to get more media coverage and promotion. This year there seems to be a glut of internet reviews, complete with pictures, video and pages of text, written by experts and laymen alike. You don’t even need to be there any more to have seen all the exhibits, enjoyed the scenery and even bought that special plant that caught our eye!! But what is this really all about? Why the big deal about Chelsea? Maybe because it is put on by the Royal Horticultural Society, that venerable institution that all serious gardeners are required to aspire to belong to someday. The RHS is revered around the world for its research, seedbanks, training facilities, demonstration gardens and library, and Chelsea is definitely the jewel in the crown of its horticultural year.

The exhibits are by much sought-after invitation only, so right there you know you are seeing a privileged selection of the best nursery and tradesmen showcasing their products and expertise. And tens of thousands of pounds are spent on each exhibit area, so this is not a cheap spectacle, not to mention the months and months of planning and meticulous preparation. This year showed an expanded selection of international exhibits which was a nice and very welcome change.

Leyhill prison’s award-winning garden at Chelsea yesterday. The design shows nature’s ability to heal scars on the landscape caused by industry

So why haven’t I been suitably impressed with all the pictures that I’ve seen so far of the show? I must acknowledge that there is no way that any media coverage can substitute for the real thing - a walk around the show - but it seems to me that all the exhibits are trying just a little too hard to be perfect, and every gardener knows that a real garden is far from perfect. These little glimpses into different worlds, loosely based on a theme which varies from year to year seem like still life paintings somehow, and not like someplace that I would ever feel like I would want for my own garden! Maybe my tastes and styles are just too simplistic to appreciate them, but any garden that requires so much explanation and reasoning isn’t my style. Far too much symbolism to figure out, who wants to work that hard? Especially after a long day working at a job, the last thing I want from my garden when I get home is more work (of the mental kind). Something basic and soothing to the soul where I can simply and mindlessly putter around and relax is my idea of a garden, and none of the fancy displays at Chelsea made me feel like I could do that. But it is always a great place to go for ideas and inspiration - just pick and choose the elements that do appeal to you and incorporate them into your own garden or plans.

Here are some examples from Chelsea this year:

The Gardens Illustrated entry called Evolutions is, along with many other of the more conspicuous gardens, brimming with post-millennial symbolism and novel interpretation	‘Evolution’ garden at the Chelsea Flower Show
The Garden of the Night	A man models a defribulator in the Lifesavers garden

———

Some of the best Chelsea coverage this year is by The Times newspaper of London - check their online special for reviews and photographs at:

http://www.the-times.co.uk/onlinespecials/britain/chelsea/

———

There are other major flower and garden festivals held regularly all around the world, and they all have their own loyal following. Although it seems like it’s been around almost as long as Chelsea, the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show first took place as late as 1990! 

Another new one that draws a national and loyal audience is the BBC Gardener’s World Live Show in Birmingham, only 6 years old.

The biggest local event in Vancouver is probably the VanDusen show, held in late May/early June. This outdoor extravaganza is based loosely on the same principles as Chelsea, but much less formal - anyone can buy themselves a booth and set up a display, no invitation needed. Many smaller companies band together and share the tiny cubicle-like spaces, usually creating more chaos than creative space management!

I decided at the last minute to attend the Gala Preview Night, and it was a great party, hosted this year by my good friend David Tarrant. Lots of delicious food and drink, every ‘gardening celebrity’ that this town can muster (plus a few from out of town as well), music, speeches, charity auctions and more. But what about the exhibits, the real reason for the show? The preview night is always a good night to have a snoop around since you can beat the crowds and everything is still at its finest and freshest. This year’s theme is ‘Evolution’ and there were a few vague attempts to portray the idea, but as was to be expected with such a loose and undefined theme, there was lots of room for interpretation and pretty much anything went! All this would have been just fine if anyone had actually shown any creativity and imagination. While Chelsea is renowned for innovation and creativity, these exhibits were, for the most part, rather boring and pedestrian. As I looked around, it seemed like everyone was using the same few plants placed around in very mundane ways. I’ve noticed this in the last few years also - one year it was the lovely Corydalis ‘Blue Panda’, I swear every booth had some of these beautiful blue flowering plants displayed! Last year it was Geranium ‘Pink Spice’, a sweet, dark foliaged hardy geranium with abundant small pink flowers. A couple of years ago, at the Victoria Flower & Garden Festival, it was the pretty pink version of the familiar white baby’s breath. While all of these are great plants, does everyone there need to show it at the same time, and in the same way? I suppose this is how ‘plant fashions’ are determined: someone decides arbitrarily that one particular plant is ‘it’ this year and everyone follows along blindly like sheep! One notable exception was a couple of nurseries that had a lovely display of native and unusual perennials, using dried grasses to make trellis-type screens was particularly inspired. I’ll patronise that creative and unusual display every time! You didn’t have to think very hard or interpret anything, it was just done beautifully, simply and with flair - excellent.

There is definitely a lot to be learned from attending one of these shows, and you’ll always get something out of a day walking around, observing. Take a notebook, wear comfortable shoes, dress in layers and hope for good weather. Enjoy the show!

Horticulture News from Around the World: 
“Robots slug it out in the killing fields” by Adrian Lee. From The Times, Jan 08, 2000.

The slug, bane of gardener and farmer alike, should be afraid. Very afraid. 

Scientists have developed a robot that not only seeks and destroys the pests but is powered by fuel made from their slimy remains.

The “slugbot” prowls on a four-wheel-drive system, relies on light sensors to identify its prey and grabs it with an extendable arm. From sighting to capture takes a mere three seconds. A prototype of the killing machine, developed by engineers at the University of the West of England, in Bristol, will take to the fields in a matter of weeks.

For the moment the robot is powered by battery, but future versions will drop the slugs into a fermentation station that will break them down into methane gas to be used as fuel. Ten average-size slugs should provide an hour’s power for the robots, which will be programmed to make regular visits to the station

Dr Ian Kelly, one of four scientists working on the project, said that the slug was chosen as prey because it could not run away and an outcry over its mass slaughter was thought to be unlikely. The snail, another enemy of the gardener, got a lucky break because it has a shell that hinders decomposition.

The robot, which is 2ft high, is designed to operate at night, when slugs do most of their damage. The pests emit a different infra-red wavelength from earthworms, soil and snails. What began as a research project to create the world’s first self-sustaining robot also promises to become a commercial success.

The Soil Association welcomed the robot yesterday as an invention that could rid farmers of slugs without the need for pellets. At present, £10 million is spent each year on the chemical control of slugs.

The “slugbots”, developed over two years at a cost of £150,000, are expected eventually to work in teams and sell for about £1,000 each.

by Judith Brand and Cyril Hume.

Horticulture News from Around the World:

Trees that live for 1,000 years astound scientists

By Nick Nuttall, Environment Correspondent, The Times

SOME trees in the Amazon rainforests are hundreds of years older than previously thought, researchers say.

The rapid cycles of growth and decay in the forests had led most experts to estimate that the trees were no more than 300 years old. But scientists using sophisticated radio-carbon dating have found that at least four species can achieve ages of well over 1,000 years. The findings emerged from a study by Anna Lewington and Edward Parker, who trawled the globe for ancient, millennial trees.

Mr Parker, a photographer and environmentalist, said yesterday that while in Brazil they heard of scientists following in the footsteps of logging companies. The scientists, led by Dr Jeffrey Chambers of the University of California, and Dr Niro Higuchi of the National Institute for Amazon Research, tested the age of trees from 13 Amazon species. “We tracked them down near the Amazonian city of Manuas, where we learnt of their extraordinary findings,” Mr Parker said. Ages were found to range from 200 to 1,400 years, with an average of 500 to 600 years.

Ms Lewington, a botanist, said: “Four species of Amazonian trees were shown definitely to live to over 1,000 years old. These are the castanha de macaco, or monkeynut tree; the cumaru; the angelim da mata; and the macaraanduba.”

The couple have spent a year visting 15 countries, including Lebanon, South Africa, Namibia, Chile, China and New Zealand. Their findings have been recorded in Ancient Trees: Trees That Live for a Thousand Years. Mr Parker said: “At the beginning of this project we were hoping to include some 24 species of trees that live to over 1,000 years. However, we discovered more and more examples of ancient trees. The number of candidates has risen now to nearly 100 species, and the list is still growing.”

It is believed that the oldest living tree may be a yew in a church yard in Perthshire, Scotland. A small-leaved lime, growing at Westonbirt Aboretum, Gloucestershire, is estimated at 6,000 years old.

Gardeners In The News:

Mandela’s garden gets a TV makeover

By Paul McCann, Media Correspondent, The Times

Down the garden path: Mr Mandela returned home to find Alan Titchmarsh, Charlie Dimmock and, right, Tommy Walsh from Ground Force. Photograph: BBC

THEY are the famous team of surprise visitors who like to sneak in and rearrange gardens while the owners are away. But the latest target of the BBC’s Ground Force was a little beyond their usual patch. He was one Nelson Mandela, of the Eastern Cape.

When the statesman returned home last weekend and was confronted with the garden they had created, he had no idea who Charlie Dimmock and Alan Titchmarsh were. But South Africa’s former President courteously remarked that the famously bra-less Ms Dimmock looked like one of the Spice Girls. In the past, Mr Mandela has said that meeting the Spice Girls was one of the greatest days of his life.

It had taken the BBC six months of talks with Mr Mandela’s security detail and his wife, Graça Machel, to be allowed access to the garden at his retirement home in Qunu. Ms Machel was sent videos of other Ground Force exploits.

The idea of a make-over on Mr Mandela’s garden came from a South African-born producer working on the programme. “We were asked by the BBC to find someone really special for the millennium show,” said Carol Haslam, executive producer. “The problem is that if you did any kind of well-heeled star, viewers might think, ‘Why are they getting all this work done for free - they can afford their own garden designers?’ We knew we would not have that problem with Nelson Mandela.”

While Mr Mandela, 81, was on a trip to New York at the weekend, the gardening team installed a pergola, a water feature, slate paving and bedding plants in a small patch of garden overlooked by his private study. When Mr Mandela saw the new garden, he professed himself delighted.

Mr Titchmarsh, who designed the new garden, said yesterday: “Nelson Mandela is one of the world’s most inspirational figures. His struggle has been a lesson to us all, and I was particularly struck reading in his memoirs how important gardening became during his imprisonment.”

When Mr Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island one of his few pleasures was tending his own small garden in the prison yard where he grew tomatoes and vegetables. It was, he has said, one of the few things in prison that he could control.

“The sense of being the custodian of this small patch of earth offered a small taste of freedom,” Mr Mandela wrote in his memoirs. “I saw the garden as a metaphor for certain aspects of my life. A leader must also tend his garden; he, too, sows seeds, and then watches, cultivates and harvests the result.”

Mr Mandela’s garden features in the millennium episode of Ground Force on January 2. During the programme, the team see the prison garden he created on Robben Island.

The garden that the team took on was bare turf round a new home that the former African National Congress leader has just had built. Mr Mandela invited his television gardeners to stay for tea after seeing his garden and read to them the passage on gardening from his book. “He seemed delighted,” added Mr Titchmarsh. “But rather poignantly, he said that he just hoped that he had enough time to enjoy it.”

The programme-makers were assisted in setting up the secret transformation by one of Mr Mandela’s closest friends, Ahmed Kathrada, who was a political prisoner with Mr Mandela during the apartheid era and knew of his love of gardening from their prison days.

Mr Mandela was surprised at his wife’s involvement in the secrecy. When he saw the garden, he said to her: “We’re not supposed to have any secrets.”

NOTE: If you are lucky enough to live in England, watch for the special episode of Ground Force on BBC in January.

“Neil Harris, a mistletoe grower in England, is full of Christmas cheer at the thought of a big demand for his crop this year, due to a ban on imported French plants”

AUCTIONEERS holding the first mistletoe sale of the year are expecting fierce competition today for restricted native stocks in time for Christmas amid an unofficial boycott of French mistletoe.

The first of three sales at Tenbury Wells, Herefordshire, the centre of the British mistletoe industry, is expected to see an influx of buyers from all over Britain after Tesco cancelled a £2 million order from France and other supermarkets hinted that they might follow.

More than 900 piles of mistletoe and holly and 1000 wreaths go under the hammer in the sale which the auctioneers, Russell Baldwin and Bright, said would let them feel the water for the two main sales at the beginning of next month.

Much of it has been supplied by travelling people or gypsies who, for generations, have harvested it with farmers’ consent.

Hugh Robinson, a spokesman for the auctioneers, said buyers were expected from all over Britain, including the Black Country, Suffolk, Liverpool and London.

“As a result of the shortage created by the import ban by some supermarkets, we expect demand to be much higher than previous years.”

Jonathan Briggs, an ecologist with British Waterways and co-ordinator of the first British survey into the plant for 30 years, said Britain relied on imports to stop native stocks being overharvested although mistletoe was now being grown in more areas of Britain than ever.

If the parasitic plant is harvested carefully, it can be removed without killing the host tress, which include apple, lime, willow and poplar. However, that takes expertise and taking too much mistletoe can affect the crop the following year.

Article and top photo from The Times, November 30, 1999