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
Horticulture is one of those subjects that feel counter-intuitive to online learning. The very practical aspect of it makes it seem a bit silly to get a distance learning course to teach you how to pot a plant instead of, say, going to a local college to be taught in person. However, if you've ever
Education opens doors to success windows of opportunity and in at least one case, gates to new possibilities. Such is the case with ADL success story Annabella Baker. Originally from Italy, but now living in the UK, Annabella faced a tragedy all too familiar to many when she lost her airline job during the Covid
Gardens are hard work.  Behind every immaculate lawn and carefully tended flowerbed is a never-ending struggle between nature and gardener. Of course simply leaving the garden to its own devices isn’t really an option; Untended, plants will grow freely for the whole of spring and summer and even into autumn. Worse yet, an uncared for
Some stories of educational achievement soar into the heavens. Of individuals who through hard work and toil overcame the challenges in their life to achieve. Certainly, at ADL we’ve seen and helped many individuals achieve their dreams through completing a course which helped them get a place at university or begin a new career. This,
If you’ve been in the UK over the past weekend you might have noticed you had a day off on Monday (or looked on enviously as other people had a day off). The coronation of a new monarch in Charles the Third means a new era. One that the Monarch is especially keen does not
If you’re looking for a side business or career that combines a love for fitness and a mentoring role. personal training might be for you Personal training is at it’s heart all about being able to help people live healthier, happier lives. By combining physical exercise with essential lifestyle changes like diet they help their
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