The Drought
Latest news and updates on the drought and how horticulture is coping.
Landscapers say last year's rain and hosepipe ban are partly why material is gaining popularity.
Aeonium 'Poldark' was launched by Trewidden Nurseries. It is a multi-branching dark succulent that keeps its colour even in winter. Drought-tolerant and low-maintenance.
The theme for this year's Landscapes for Life Conference, at University College Suffolk on 16-18 July, is water.
Wetlands was the most demanding project at the Olympic Park, says Gavin Jones at client day.
Relaxed planting regimes, nature havens and move from wild flower meadows to more domestic look feature at 2013 show.
Garden centre restaurants alone cannot mitigate lost sales after bad weather, consultant warns.
People in parts of London and Berkshire are being reminded by the Forestry Commission, Public Health England and local authorities not to touch caterpillars of the oak processionary moth, which are beginning to emerge in oak trees in these locations....
Newby Hall owner Lucinda Compton grateful for lack of bureaucracy impinging on renovation of biggest borders in Europe.
HTA seeking to recruit horticultural manager following high-level departure from organisation.
Winter flowers could be seen at Chelsea Flower Show in May for the first time after the coldest March for more than a century. Garden designers are worried that their favourite flowers might not be ready for Chelsea Flower Show, which begins in six...
Scientists at the University of Reading are asking gardeners to participate in a new survey to understand how they are responding to climate change. Vines growing in Scotland, olive trees in England and longer, dryer summers were among the long-ter...
Growing alarm that licensed abstraction may not be sustainable prompts review of current levels.
What a difference a year makes This time last year, the south-east of England joined parts of the Midlands and East Anglia in drought and we were discussing the need for wise watering. All opportunities had to be taken to save water. Today we a...
With hosepipe bans expected to remain in many areas of the country, the focus has switched to saving water, Graham Clarke reports.
With the rain keeping garden centre customers away, how are their nursery suppliers faring? Can this season's sales be rescued? Graham Clarke reports.
The latest equipment can help justify irrigation in water shortage-hit times, says Sally Drury.
While lobbying for hosepipe ban concessions continues, the focus has turned to alleviating drought impact on sports facilities, Hannah Jordan reports.
With drought leading to hosepipe bans, bedding plant suppliers are striving to maintain customer confidence, Hannah Jordan reports.
Drought warnings in English regions are cause for concern right across the country, says Sally Drury.
Research into efficient irrigation is producing hi-tech solutions that may help growers to cope with water restrictions, Claire Shaddick reports.
Many moons ago, I wrote a piece that I thought was rather cool and very much of our time.
The removal of VAT exemption on products worth up to £18 posted from the Channel Isles to the mainland is hitting employment and the islands' economy. The increase in postal charges will also become a drag on the mail-order plant trade.
Summing up perfectly the anger and frustration felt by landscapers and their suppliers across the hosepipe ban-hit regions this week, Palmstead Nurseries sales and marketing manager Nick Coslett spells out the situation thus: "Water companies have ma...
HW asked garden centre managers and industry representatives what has happened since the hosepipe ban was introduced on 5 April.
With drought declared in a number of areas of the country, we asked participants at the Managing as a Head Gardener seminar last week whether they thought water restrictions would be a problem.
After the nightmare that the hosepipe bans of 2006 unleashed on parts of the garden sector, the news that drip-watering systems are to be exempted at three of the seven water companies that have announced similar bans this week, is very welcome indee...
The Environment Agency has warned that water restrictions are still possible despite a wetter December.
The four different growing systems being compared in the concept pear orchard at East Malling Research have been shown to have very different irrigation requirements, with significant drainage occurring in some of them.
Improved rootstocks are necessary to maintain sustainable and profitable top-fruit production.
Growers need to seek out practical and cost-effective ways to reduce energy consumption and cost. Climate concerns are a key issue and it is widely accepted that burning fossil fuels is a key contributor through the release of CO2 to the atmosphere.
An estimated 85 per cent of Rijnsburger dry bulb onion crops are irrigated following a recent move in the industry to production on light soils to improve quality and aid crop management. But there is little scientific evidence to support current irr...
Growers and researchers are well aware of the need to use water efficiently (HW, 20 May, 9 September and 11 November 2011). The present research examined how to deploy a limited number of moisture sensors to predict the substrate water content of a l...
Rootstocks used in the UK have been grown for decades and have limitations. There is a strong need for new rootstocks for apples, pears, cherries and plums. A number have been bred in the UK and overseas, which are becoming available to growers.
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