After an absence of over ten years, Exeter is to take part in this year’s prestigious Britain in Bloom competition.
The Chairman of RHS Britain in Bloom South West, Jon Wheatley, said he is "delighted" to welcome Exeter back to the competition. Exeter was one of the 'highlight' cities when the competition started 50 years ago and although it has been absent from the main category event for over a decade, its return this year has delighted the organisers.
The judges' route round the city for the four-hour assessment has not yet been decided but it is hoped to include...
The Practical Gardening Course at Bicton College is hoping to attract new students this April as the clocks spring forward, encouraging people to make the most of British Summer Time hours and the great outdoors.
The one day a week, 12 week course is for people of all ages and abilities, from the enthusiastic hobbyist to those seeking employment in the horticulture industry. With no written work, the practical course focuses solely on developing hands-on skills that can be applied to individuals’ gardens and outdoor plots.
Current student, Julie Bartlett from Woodbury, says...
Flower enthusiasts in Exeter are being sought to help a local charity provide a colourful and fragrant environment for its patients.
Hospiscare is looking for volunteers with a flair for flower arranging to join its flower team; arranging floral bouquets from small to bigger projects around the hospice.
The hospice, based on Dryden Road, Exeter, receives donations of flowers each week from funeral tributes and supporters of the charity, as well as a huge weekly donation from the Sainsbury’s store on Alphington Road.
Volunteers currently visit the hospice on a daily...
Leading Oxfordshire rose-grower Robert Mattock will pursue his search for lost roses at the Rose Festival and Garden Fair to be held at Cadhay near Ottery St Mary, Devon on bank holiday Monday 27 May. Visitors to the show are invited to bring their own plants along for identification at the Robert Mattock Roses stand at the festival.
With a catalogue of over 800 varieties, Robert Mattock Roses is one of the leading stockists of old roses in Europe, yet many more varieties have been lost down the years and Robert will present prizes to the three that he judges to be the most...
Scientists from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and the University of Reading are asking anyone interested in gardens and gardening, whether allotment holders or those who enjoy visiting gardens, to take part in a unique survey designed to improve understanding of how climate change may affect gardens and green spaces in the future.
The information gathered will enable the RHS to gain valuable insights into gardeners’ awareness and expectations of climate change, in the light of the recent bitterly cold winters, record rainfall levels, floods, and severe droughts.
During National Gardening Week (15-21 April), RHS Garden Rosemoor in Great Torrington, will host a packed schedule of events to share a passion for plants and get gardeners growing. From family-friendly planting, to inspiring the first steps towards a new career, there are activities for gardeners of all ages and abilities to enjoy.
Launched by the RHS in 2012, National Gardening Week brings together thousands of people across the country to help keep Britain beautiful by sharing and celebrating everything about gardens and gardening.
This year we are delighted to be able to welcome Mike Nelhams, Garden Curator of Tresco Abbey Garden, Isles of Scilly to present the Gardening Talk in aid of ELF. If led blindfold into the Abbey Garden you would be hard pressed to tell which region of the world you were in. Mike will lead us through this Island Paradise.
Tickets are just £5 and are available from the ELF Office on 01392 493344, the ELF Centre on 01392 247725, Kings Garden Centre (Exmouth) Otter Nurseries (Ottery St Mary) and the Garden Shop (Budleigh Salterton) or on the door. Refreshments and raffle will be...
If you've got any fruit left in your garden, as the weather turns it won't be there much longer.
It's time then for a end of season tidy up but also an oportunity to prepare for next year. Here are just a few tips for October:
Once you've picked your last raspberries, cut back the canes that have produced fruit to ground level, and tie in the best new canes. Harvest apples, pears and plums. (Make sure you store apples carefully by wrapping them up individually in newspaper). Remove tomato leaves to expose unripe fruit. Cover fig trees with netting and fill with straw to...
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Advisory Service is encouraging gardeners to check their compost before winter. Lush growth this summer means there are now heaps of grass and hedge cuttings that, if prepared properly, could be made into useful garden compost.
“Autumn is the ideal time to check compost heaps,” says Guy Barter, RHS Chief Horticultural Advisor. “Some gardeners will have just dumped their grass cuttings in a corner, which potentially will now be a smelly, slimy pile. But if mixed with the straw-like material produced in gardens at the end of...
