Before he died, Christopher Lloyd started his last book, Exotic Planting for Adventurous Gardeners. It was finished by his friends, and is considered one of the best books on exotic gardens you’ll find. I have published over 200 scientific articles on the ecology of bees and other insects, and am author of Bumblebees: Behaviour, Ecology and Conservation (2010, Oxford University Press) and A Sting in the Tale (2013, Jonathan Cape), a popular science book about bumblebees. A Buzz in the Meadow (Jonathon Cape) is due to be published in September 2014.

But European memories can be at times short and selective – even when it comes to their own history. If indeed Europe is a garden, it is one that’s been tilled over a continent-wide cemetery. Lest Borrell forgot about the centuries of religious, nationalist and imperial wars, including the two world wars and many civil wars – like the Spanish civil war and its bloody 36-year dictatorship that only ended in 1975 and that the Catalan diplomat should be particularly familiar with.

1)  An exotic garden can work with your architecture

Then the author described how he likes to collect, skin, chop up, freeze and cook roadkill. This was one eccentricity too far for me (and also, like the recipes, only tenuously related to gardening — it seemed more like proselytising). An upbeat book about the wonders of the ecosystem in every garden. * The Times, *Summer reads of 2019* * The exotic garden at Great Dixter – the plants tower over your head. I love the way the light streams in, as this was a particularly sunny day. Dave Goulson laat alles eenvoudig lijken, zelfs de recepten aan de begin van elk hoofdstuk (vlierbessenwijn: mmm!). Misschien omdat het ook eenvoudig is? “Verbeter de wereld, begin in je tuin.” It seems that Europe’s own colonial and neocolonial institutions are not what made it possible to build the European "garden" - with the labour of immigrants from the “rest of the world” and with the stolen wealth of the "rest of the world". Rather, according to Borrell and the rest of Europe’s white supremacists, with the fantasised ingenuity of Europeans themselves.

The striking stems benefit from the plant being grown in a sunny position and removing ageing stems to allow light into newly emerging stems. As with many bamboos, they will not enjoy getting too dry, so keeping an eye on making the soil damp at ground level is an important part of making the most of these wonderful plants. Applying a good compost from time to time to your bamboos home will help keep the soil moist and provide feed. Try also to avoid excessively windy spots. The great thing about this Bamboo is it is non-invasive; it will not wander all over your garden. A regular liquid feed as your bamboo plants establish is beneficial but can be reduced as the plant ages. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye. Lastly, pay a visit to a good exotic plant nursery. My favourite is Architectural Plants, which describes itself as the’ home of the tropical and jungly in both big and small plants.’ And, although it looks as if it may be only available second-hand or on Kindle, Architectural Plants by Christine Shaw is worth getting your hands on.Fun fact: in the land of the free, many states fine homeowners who do not keep their lawn short. The zica epidemic meant that many towns were sprayed with insecticides - killing everything, but not many mosquitoes. He declared in 1914: “We are not a young people with an innocent record and a scanty inheritance... We have engrossed to ourselves an altogether disproportionate share of the wealth and traffic of the world. We have got all we want in territory, and our claim to be left in the unmolested enjoyment of vast and splendid possessions, mainly acquired by violence, largely maintained by force, often seems less reasonable to others than to us." The Salutation in Sandwich is now closed. Its former head gardener, Steven Edney, has an unusual tropical garden in the Kent countryside (open for the NGS). It feels like he does not have a lot of knowledge about what he is talking and a lot of the book is just how he feels and what he guesses. There is very little information about the wild animals and how best to care for them. Instead it's just about the decline of insects and how badly the environment is doing.

Successful gardening very much relies upon you selecting the right plant for the right situation. Once your plants are well established, the majority should care for themselves with little more than a good mulch of organic material and feed in Autumn. Jag menar inte att vi alla ska ta på tagelskjortan och leva på hemodlade rovor resten av våra dagar. Livet vore knappt värt att leva om vi inte kunde unna oss en bit morotskaka och en gojibärssmoothie innan vi köper lite djungelgurkfrön och en statyett av en miniatyrsamuraj på vårt lokala trädgårdscenter lite då och då, men vi bör alla vara medvetna om vad vi gör och om vår påverkan på planeten", skriver Dave Goulson i sin nya, inspirerande ode till trädgårdsmyllret.

All his humbug about gardeners reminded me of The Constant Gardener, a John le Carre book and movie inspired by real-life events about a pharmaceutical firm that tested a new drug on poor locals in Africa, killing or maiming many of them. The Garden Jungle is about the wildlife that lives right under our noses, in our gardens and parks, between the gaps in the pavement and in the soil beneath our feet. Wherever you are right now, the chances are that there are worms, woodlice, centipedes, flies, silverfish, wasps, beetles, mice, shrews and much, much more, quietly living within just a few paces of you. This book will teach you a great deal about the creatures who live right outside your door and are waiting for you to get to know them. It is a constant revelation." Where Goulson’s book is so good is in suggesting specific, practical and easily implemented remedies that every gardener can adopt, no matter how small their patch. It’s easy to feel that we are powerless to stand in the way of climate change and the collapse of pollinator numbers, but, Goulson says, even the smallest act of resistance is meaningful both in the cumulative effect widespread green gardening would have on the environment, but also in the message it sends about where our priorities lie. Europe is a garden. We have built a garden. Everything works. It is the best combination of political freedom, economic prosperity and social cohesion that the humankind has been able to build – the three things together," Borrell said during the event.

From the best flowers to grow for pollinators, to creating environments for bees to nest in, this is an excellent guide to green gardening: “If you really want to leave your grandchildren a healthy planet to live on, it’s time to get out in the garden and dig.” A pond, water feature or running water is essential in a jungle garden. Providing sound and movement, water elevates the feeling of being in a remote setting. Due to the overhead planting canopy, it is unlikely that a solar-powered water feature will work, so ensure that you install some electrics to power a pump. (4) Improve your soil for lush foliage plants Elk onderwerp/hoofdstuk is even boeiend; van de mieren die ‘wandelende honingbommen’ zijn, over de oorwormen ‘die in groepjes rondhangen als tieners op voorjaarsvakantie’, tot volkstuintjes die de wereld gaan redden. Echt. Zijn idee daarover is zo geweldig, het klinkt als een waterdicht plan en tevens als ‘het enige voordeel van de Brexit’.And to end his inspirational, motivational big talk with a final wisdom, Borrell told the prospective envoys to raise their heads high and be good gardeners not only of Europe but of the “jungle”, wishing them happy diplomatic safaris.