As winter sets upon us all, we withdraw into our homes to seek shelter from the bitter cold. The wildlife outside our windows is also rarely fond of the cooling climb and seeks shelter of its own. While those that can (typically Birds) leave, those that can’t have to make do with the frosty season
Plants mean potions, potions mean magic and magic means witches. How can you tell a witch apart? By the deadly plants in their garden. If you’re following our singular brand of logic back to its root, you’ll understand that you may well be able to spy a potential witch or warlock from the trees, herbs
All RHS theory courses If you are already studying an RHS course (most of you are, to be enrolled here – though some of you may have already completed your studies with us): Whichever theory Certificate at Level 2 or 3 you are studying, an RHS Certificate (old or new syllabus) remains a valid and
RHS COURSE CHANGES NOTICE for 2022
Exams for JUNE 2022 can now be booked; please note the RHS now raises its fees every year in September, so there is a new rate for 2022 exam fees. Students are advised to book your first exam as soon as you enrol to be sure of a place. Exams can now be sat Online at a first come first serve basis.
Elizabeth, one of our students studying Rose Growing has sent us a fabulous selection of scenic photos of Roses in Pakistan that we’d like to share with you. “These photos are of Christmas at a friend’s farm in Pakistan. So even in Pakistan, you have happy roses. I worked for six years in Karachi/Pakistan. But
RHS COURSE CHANGES NOTICE for 2022 Exams for February 2022 can now be booked; please note the RHS now raises its fees every year in September, so there is a new rate for 2022 exam fees. As the COVID situation continues to affect everyone, the RHS have decided that it would be sensible to adopt
One of the very first and most frustrating things that I learnt as a tutor was how little difference there is between the best assignments and those that only scrape a pass. Often the difference is as simple as one assignment using world class sources and another one just getting by with a few webpages.
Humans have an uncanny and incredible capacity to attribute meaning to pretty much anything and teach that meaning to others. This ability to create a language from everyday items and symbols allowed the Victorians from the upper strata of society, who were taught expressing certain things by word improper, to make grand, intense declarations of
So far in this series, we have looked at the pesticides used today, the pesticides banned since World War II, and the first industrial chemical pesticides. In this final post, I want to tell a less well-known story: how pest control functioned before the modern period, especially in medieval and early modern Europe. Chemical pesticides
In previous posts, I told the story of today’s controversial pesticides, and then went back to describe the pesticides famously banned since World War II like DDT, dieldrin, the organophosphates and the neonics. In this post, I’m going to explain how the first modern European pesticides were discovered, marketed and produced on an industrial scale.
Pesticides, herbicides and fungicides (generally considered together as ‘pesticides’ or informally as ‘chemicals’) have a long and controversial history. On the one hand, we need them to keep towns and streets pest-free to 21st century standards, and they also have an often-overlooked, vital environmental function in protecting our National Parks from invasive species like Rhododendron.
It’s official! After only one year of online study at the Academy for Distance Learning, I have just received my certificate from the RHS. I’ve passed all eight modules and I now hold the Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Horticulture! The RHS Level 2 qualification is the most recognised certification in the industry,
Note – we strongly recommend this be read in conjunction with articles titled 'Self and Cross Pollination' and 'The Importance of Pollination for Top Crop and Fruit Breeders' An F1 hybrid is the first filial ( F1) generation produced by crossing two pure bred parent plants. What is a Pure Bred Plant? Pure bred parent
Rhododendron is a very popular genus of shrubs for gardens due to its clusters of flowers, which can cover the surface of the shrub, most often in spring. They are generally evergreen (except the deciduous Azaleas) and the individual flowers are concave (tubular, funnel, trumpet or saucer shaped) with long filaments (unlike flatter Hydrangeas). They
Note – we strongly recommend this be read in conjunction with articles titled 'F1 Hybrids and Other Hybrid Matters' and 'Self and Cross Pollination' . For top fruit growers and growers of many vegetables, growing the right variety is important because of flowering and pollination times. As well as this, there are several other factors
The areas of pollination, self and cross pollination, frequently occur across many topics in horticulture so we thought we'd explain how this works. We recommend reading this in conjunction with 'F1 Hybrids and Other Hybrid Matters' and 'The Importance of Pollination for Top Crop and Fruit Breeders'. What is Pollination? Pollination is said to have
The Covid pandemic was unique for counsellors in our shared lived history. There has been no other event that has been so bluntly experienced by almost every human alive. The shared trauma of our experiences is something that will leave its mark for years if not decades to come. But for the children and young
Did you forget to make a resolution for 2023? Perhaps you simply felt this time you’d just not bother; only now nearly at the end of January when everyone else is failing in their earnest efforts to do better you feel you really should have one had one? Well, you could still have a few
Christmas is long gone and over. The New Year is rapidly disappearing in the rearview mirror and we’re not even halfway through winter. On top of that, the cost of the festive season is being felt on waistlines and wallets while new years resolutions are already falling like dominos. Yes, it’s that time of year
The beginning of a new year is a fresh chance to take lives in fresh directions. Sometimes it’s something we’ve been thinking of for some time, but on other occasions, a spur-of-the-moment decision can lead to a profound change and opportunities we could never have imagined. Here are a few suggestions for directions to consider
But don’t panic! You can still reach us via email! We will be closed from 2pm on the 23rd of December until we come back after our bank holiday on the 28th December! From then, we’ll be open from 10 am – 4 pm. Normal hours resume on the 3rd of January 2023! Email us
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