Homes Gardening

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:37:00 +0000

Clean the exterior of the greenhouse by washing the panes of glass with warm water and a sponge. Higher parts of the greenhouse can be reached by attaching a sponge to the end of a broom handle or a bamboo cane. Old plastic labels or a gentle jet wash attachment on the end of a hose are ideal for getting in under the window panel joints to remove the build-up of dirt underneath. Clean on a moderately windy day and let the breezes dry out the greenhouse as it's washed. Once the panes of glass are dry, insulate the greenhouse with bubblewrap to protect any plants you are overwintering, and to encourage the greenhouse to heat up more rapidly in the spring.
Check the panels for any broken or cracked glass. They should be replaced. If you are planning on doing the job yourself, then you should wear gloves and goggles. Wooden frames can be painted using a wood preservative, making sure that none of the solution touches the plants.

Growing bags

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 19:59:00 +0000

Despite only measuring 35cm x 95cm (13in x 37in), growing bags have enough space for three vegetable plants that will provide you with enough food for several meals over the summer. Plant two to three plants in each bag during spring.
Bags were traditionally used under glass and were introduced as an alternative to planting directly into greenhouse soil. Not having permanent borders meant the space could be used more efficiently throughout the year and plants would not become infected by soil-borne diseases. Today, they are still ideal for growing plants in the greenhouse, but are also perfect in a sunny spot outdoors.
Growing bags are ideal for plants that don't have deep roots, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, chilli peppers, aubergines and courgettes. Plant two to three plants in each bag during spring. Alternatively, cut a long panel in the top of the bag and sow salads in rows. Endive, lettuce, basil and rocket can be sown from spring to late summer.
If growing salads, prepare the bag as before and cut out a long panel on top of the bag. Plant or sow in rows across the width of the bag.

Currants

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:05:00 +0000

Bare rooted currant varieties are widely available for planting between October and March, while container grown currants can be planted all year round, as long as the soil is not frozen or waterlogged. If possible, buy a two year old plant – once planted it will remain productive for almost 20 years.
Grow currants in well drained soil, which has been enriched by adding plenty of well-rotted manure. Choose a slightly sheltered spot, and although plants prefer full sun, they will tolerate dappled shade.
Dig a hole that is wide enough for the roots to be spread out and deep enough, so the soil mark on the stem is level with the surface of the soil. Place the bush in the centre of the hole and gradually fill with soil, firming it as you fill. Water and finish by spreading a layer of well-rotted manure over the root area of each plant. If you are planting a number of red and white currant varieties, leave 1.5m between plants and 1.8m between rows.
Red and white currants should be trained as an open centred, goblet-shaped bush - this allows light and air to flow freely around the branches, and makes picking easier. After planting, pull off any suckers growing from beneath ground level and cut back to the stem, any branches less than 10cm above the soil – this will give the bush a short leg. Prune all other branches to a third of their original length, cutting to an outward facing bud. In subsequent years, allow branches to grow in the main framework until your bush fills its allotted space. Then, prune back the upright growing leading shoots to half their length, cutting to an upright bud. At the end of June, prune back side shoots to half their length and then to two or three buds in winter.

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 12:57:00 +0000

Leeks prefer a sunny, sheltered site with well-drained soil. As they will sit in the soil for a long time, they are ideal crop for the allotment, although many have fantastic foliage that makes them an ideal vegetable to grow in flower borders or an ornamental potager.
If possible, prepare the soil for planting in the winter. Dig the site well, removing weeds and working in plenty of well-rotted manure to improve its ability to retain water. Leeks can be planted in heavy soil, but improve the drainage by mixing in some horticultural sand. This is a hungry crop – spread a general balanced fertiliser over the soil a week or so before sowing and rake in. A rate of 60g per square metre is ideal.
The easiest method is to sow seed directly into the soil between March and April. Alternatively, you could cheat and buy ready-grown seedlings, many nurseries offer a good range. By careful choice of varieties you could have an ample supply of leeks to harvest from mid-summer until the following spring.
On the allotment seeds are best sown in rows, 30cm apart. Mark a straight line and use the corner of a rake to make a shallow groove in the soil, about 1cm deep. Sow seed thinly along the trench, cover with soil, water and label. When seedlings have three leaves each, about four to five weeks later, thin to leave plants every 15cm – the seedlings you remove could be used to plug gaps elsewhere.

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:17:00 +0000

Herbs
Spearmint, Mentha spicata; mint will thrive in most soils, to the extent that it can easily become a nuisance. To avoid this, try growing it in a container on the patio. Use the leaves to flavour new potatoes and peas.
Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis; this pretty herb produces blue flowers and has highly-scented, needle-like leaves. Plant in a sunny, sheltered area of the garden.
Thyme, Thymus vulgaris; grow thyme in a well-drained, sunny area of your garden. The leaves of this evergreen herb can be picked throughout the year. Their distinctive taste goes well with a variety of dishes.
Chives, Allium schoenoprasum; grow in moist soil and full sun. For a regular supply of delicious leaves for your salads cut off the flowers before they open.
Lavender, Lavandula; a pretty herb that produces beautiful scented flowers during the summer months. Cut and dry some to make pot-pourri.
Sage, Salvia officinalis; this strong-flavoured herb has grey-green leaves and spikes of blue flowers. Grow in a sunny area of the garden.
Oregano, Origanum vulgarea; planted in a sunny area of the garden, marjoram will grow as vigorously as mint. Children may recognise its taste as it's often used in pizza and pasta.
Coriander, Coriandrum sativum; this popular herb, frequently used in Indian cookery and salads, favours a sunny, sheltered area of the garden. Both leaves and seeds can be used for flavouring.
Sweet bay, Laurus nobilis; this evergreen shrub or small tree likes a sheltered position in the garden. Its leaves are the key ingredient for bouquet garni and are great in stews.
Tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus; grown in a sheltered spot, tarragon can spread at the same rate as mint but is not totally hardy, so cover with straw as winter approaches.

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:32:00 +0000

Chicory
There are three types of chicory: red chicory, which is sometimes known as raddichio and is often seen in mixed salad packs in supermarkets; sugarloaf varieties, which resemble lettuces and forcing chicory – this isn’t grown in the normal way. It is deprived of light, or forced, in winter to make edible white growths called chicons.
Chicory will thrive in a sunny spot with well-drained soil. It can be grown in short rows on the vegetable patch or allotment, and is also ideal for raised beds and large pots.
If you can, prepare soil for spring sowing by digging in the winter, adding plenty of well-rotted manure. Remove weeds, any very large stones and rake to leave a level finish. A week before sowing sprinkle a general purpose fertiliser (of approximately 30g per square metre) over the area and rake into the surface.
Sow seeds in July or August, for plants ready to be picked from October to December. To sow in rows, stretch a length of string between two canes to make a straight line and make a shallow trench, about 1cm deep, with a garden cane. Sow seeds thinly, then cover, water and label.
Alternatively, fill a large 45cm (18in) diameter pot with compost, level and tap to settle – aim to leave a 2cm (1in) gap between the surface of the compost and the rim of the pot. Sow seeds thinly across the surface and cover with a 1cm (0.5in) layer of vermiculite. Water and stand in a cold frame, or in a slightly shaded space in the garden.

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:00:00 +0000

Plant sweetcorn in the spring and by late summer you’ll be picking lots of fresh cobs, which are far tastier and more succulent than any you can buy in the shop.
Sweetcorn is wind pollinated and best planted in large blocks, where the male flowers at the top of the plant have more opportunity to shed their pollen on the female tassels (where the cobs will form) below. Each plant will produce one or two cobs, so work
Sweetcorn likes free-draining, moisture retentive soil. If you can, prepare the bed the previous autumn before planting, adding plenty of well-rotted manure to the soil. Don’t worry if you never had time, beds can still be made in the spring. First remove weeds and dig over the site with a spade, removing any particularly large stones. Level roughly and then work over the area with a rake to leave a fine finish. out how many cobs you are likely to need (you can freeze them) and provide enough space to achieve this.
Ready-grown plants will establish quickly and provide cobs earlier than sowing seed directly into the soil. In April, fill a 7.5cm pot with compost, make a 2.5cm deep hole in the top with dibber (a pencil will do if you don’t have one) and drop two seeds in. Cover, water and put on a windowsill to germinate. When seedlings are about 2cm tall discard the weakest one and put plants in a shady place outdoors to toughen up before planting out.

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:16:00 +0000

The garden in winter
Creating colour in the garden at this time of year has the reputation of being difficult and even pointless as many people argue they're not out in their gardens when it's wet and cold; but what about those beautiful days when the sun is low in the sky and catches the glorious red stems of a cornus?
A good evergreen foil should be the foundation of your garden all year round and it's particularly important through the winter months. It's likely to be the only permanent fixture and will give you a solid background to work with, setting off the rest of your planting scheme.
There are a number of evergreens to suit every garden. If it's a formal style you're after, crisp, clipped yew, box and bay are the right choice. It doesn't have to be wall-to-wall green, deciduous shrubs add value and a mixed border will give a more relaxed feel with dark, bare stems.
Taxus baccata yew
Laurus nobilis sweet bay
Buxus sempervirens box
Camellia japonica camellia

Berries add a burst of colour to the garden as well as providing food for wildlife. These valuable winter jewels come in a surprising range of colours, red being the most obvious but shades of orange, yellow, pink, white and even vibrant purple can be just as spectacular and a talking point.

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:26:00 +0000

The ever-increasing number of tender plants on offer may not withstand sustained cold without some form of protection. How you protect your plants from the effects of cold depends on the type of plants and the situation they are growing in.
Plants that are trained against walls or tender plants growing in the open ground can be protected with simple, fleece-covered frames. Alternatively, sandwich a layer of bracken leaves or straw between two large sections of chicken wire and use this to cover plants during frosty evenings. Tender bulbs, corms and tender, herbaceous plants (that die back) should be covered with a thick mulch of manure, straw or old leaves to prevent the soil from freezing. In the spring, new shoots can be protected with a loose layer of straw or a bell-cloche.
Evergreen plants will benefit from a thick layer of mulch around their bases to keep the soil frost-free. This will allow them to take up moisture during periods of cold weather and stop them from becoming dehydrated.
Tender plants should be grown in pots so that they can be moved inside during bad weather. Take cuttings of those that cannot be grown in pots and overwinter these in a warm greenhouse, ready for planting in spring.
Protect the crowns of tree ferns and insulate their trunks by wrapping them in layers of fleece or hessian stuffed with straw. Cordylines and palms should be treated similarly, by tying their leaves into bunches, to protect their crowns.

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:48:00 +0000

The effects of cold
Cold weather and particularly frost, causes the water in plant cells to freeze, damaging the cell wall. Frost-damaged plants are easy to spot, their growth becomes limp, blackened and distorted. Evergreen plants often turn brown and the leaves of tender plants take on a translucent appearance. Frost problems are often made worse where plants face the morning sun, as this causes them to defrost quickly, rupturing their cell walls.

Minimising damage
Prevention is far better than cure, so try to minimise the damaging effects of cold on your plants:
Avoid golden or variegated plant varieties that are often more tender.
Choose plants that are reliably hardy in the area where you live.
Avoid high-nitrogen fertilisers as they encourage plants to make lots of sappy leafy growth that is particularly susceptible to damage, especially early and late in the year.
Make sure tender specimens are planted in a sheltered spot, under large trees and shrubs or against walls, give them some heat and protection during the winter.
Ensure that plants with tender flower buds or shoots are not planted in east-facing sites.
Leave the old growth of tender plants unpruned over the winter months. This will help to protect the central crown of the plant and take the brunt of any frost damage. If plants are cut back hard in autumn new growth could be damaged by frost.
Cold air and frost always descend to the lowest point in a garden so avoid planting tender plants in obvious frost pockets.

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 19:22:00 +0000

Wood is potentially one of the most environmentally friendly materials we can use in the garden: it’s a natural material that can be sustainably grown, it takes less energy than other hard materials to turn into products such as planks, panels and furniture, and it absorbs harmful carbon dioxide as it grows. But there’s a huge demand for it.
The shortage of fence panels earlier this year, when many householders needed to replace ones felled by the storms, was put down to European producers exporting more to China and Dubai - and in parts of the world trees are being felled in a way that damages the forests, the people who live in them, and the wider environment.

The growing, harvesting and processing of new timber uses energy and water. Where possible, use recycled or reclaimed wood. Re-use the wood you already have, or offer it to a local re-use project.
Buy locally produced wood products that are FSC certified, which will mean less transportation costs.
If the wood you want comes from abroad, make sure that it's FSC certified, with a chain of custody number.
With any wood that doesn't carry the FSC logo, find out what kind it is and check to see if it's from an endangered species (see good wood guides). If it is, try to find an alternative.
Support the work of conservation groups such as WWF, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and The Woodland Trust to implement responsible forest management in the logging industry worldwide.

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 14:54:00 +0000

Many pests and diseases can be minimised by good gardening practices such as careful feeding and watering, crop rotation, and choosing plants that suit the conditions.
Use barriers such as mesh against flying creatures and products such as copper tape, rings, grit or mats against slugs and snails.
Try biological controls such as nematodes which use one living organism to control the pest without harming humans, pets and other beneficial creatures. These work very effectively but require a minimum temperature to work, and are expensive for using on large areas.
Encourage natural predators, such as ladybirds and lacewings, by creating wildlife habitats and hiding places in your garden.
Try companion planting to deter pests.
Choose plant varieties that show resistance to pests and diseases.
Avoid overfeeding young plants – lots of lush growth will attract slugs and snails.
Use chemicals as a last resort, making sure you use the right product for the pest, disease or weed. Don’t buy more than you need, and dilute exactly as directed on the label. Apply it at the right stage of a pest’s lifecycle. Spray in early morning or late evening, when beneficial insects are not foraging. Do not spray if it is windy or about to rain.
Store chemicals in their original containers in a cool dark place, out of reach of children and pets. Spray surplus diluted product on level, bare soil or over an uncultivated area such as gravel or a driveway, away from drains, ponds or watercourses.

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 18:52:00 +0000

A worm is a long, creeping animal, with a soft, often segmented body. They don't have legs but instead are covered in hairs or bristles that help them to move. They breathe through their skin, which must remain moist to absorb oxygen from the air.
They've existed for about 600 million years. There are about 34,000 different types of worm; many are so small you wouldn't be able to see them without a microscope!
Worms are hermaphrodite, which means they don't need another worm to reproduce. They lay their eggs, which hatch as little worms. Worms can live for up to 10 years.
Worms eat their own weight in organic waste, soil and minerals and excrete their own weight in castings daily, which makes compost and enriches the soil. One acre of worms can break up about 50 tonnes of soil. They don't eat living plant tissue, and so don't hurt plants either. They truly are a gardener's best friend! Some people even keep them as pets, feeding them on kitchen scraps just so the worms can make them lots of lovely compost for their gardens.

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:55:00 +0000

What is pollination?
Pollination takes place when pollen lands on the stigma of a plant. It then travels down to the ovary and it's here that the ovules are fertilised. Most plants have flowers with the male and female parts present in each flower. Mostly, plants rely on insects, such as bees, to take the pollen from the anthers to the stigma.

Pollination by insects
An insect can pollinate flowers accidentally when the pollen is rubbed off the body of the insect. Plants can produce nectar within flowers, a sugary liquid, which many insects feed on. Pollen is a useful source of protein for some insects, such as bees. Insects are attracted to the flower by scent, colours and nectar. They carry pollen from flower to flower, while collecting nectar and pollen for themselves. After pollination, the plant produces a seed, which mostly grows protected inside the plants' ovaries.
It's not always insects that pollinate the flowers; plants may use the wind, birds or even bats as pollinators! With wind-pollinated plants - such as grasses, cereals and some trees - the flowers are very simple, with no bright colours or nice smells as they don't need to attract the insects. These plants have both male and female reproductive parts and they make a lot of pollen. This is why a pollen allergy is called 'hay fever'.

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 16:12:00 +0000

Photosynthesis
Most plants are really lucky - they don't have to go out shopping for their food or spend time cooking it. They just sit around in our gardens waiting for sunshine and then they make their food themselves.

Plants
They use the sunlight and the green in their leaves to make sugars from carbon dioxide (which they breathe in through their leaves during the day) and water. This sugar is then used to give the plant energy so that it can grow. This process is called photosynthesis and is the most important process on the planet, as many other plants and animals depend on plants to survive. Most of the energy is used to make new plant material, although some of it is stored by the plant for use during the months when there is less sunlight.

During the night, plants breathe in oxygen. This is called respiration. The plant also needs minerals to grow, which the plant takes from the soil where they are dissolved in water. The plant releases any water that it doesn't need into the air through its leaves. This is called transpiration.
Plants are the only living organisms that can make their own food. This is one of the main ways of deciding if something is a plant.

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 18:44:00 +0000

A weed is simply a plant that is growing where it is not wanted. But why are they considered such pests? Here are some things you didn't know about weeds.

Wily weeds
There are many ways in which they succeed in popping up in the most inconvenient of places:
by growing very fast, often smothering other plants to get the most light, minerals and water
by producing lots of seeds and having lots of different ways of spreading them around
by germinating their seeds quickly
by producing seeds that survive over several years
by having effective defence systems that protect them from being eaten by animals or picked by people, for example, stinging nettles
by multiplying in more ways than one, usually making new plants along their stems

Interesting facts
Stinging nettles are often used in herbal medicine for cleaning the body and making the heart work better. Nettles are packed full of vitamin C and new shoots are often used to make tea.
There are many superstitions linked to weeds. For example, if you hold a buttercup under your chin and a yellow shadow appears, it means you like butter. Or, finding a four-leaf clover brings good luck. And if you touch a dandelion you will wet the bed! The French word for dandelion is Pissenlit, which directly translated means 'wee in bed'. Weeds such as wild carrot, cow parsley and celery grow at least 350 seeds on a single flower-head. Wild clematis grows climbing, sprawling stems up to 30m long (100ft) - that's about 20 people from top to toe!

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 20:16:00 +0000

Step-by-step guide
1 First your children should place some crocks at the base of their plant pot.
2 Then they need to half-fill the pot with soil or compost.
3 Help them to dig up a dandelion. They must get most of the long taproot up with it, without which it will quickly die. (The taproot is the straight, tapering root growing vertically downwards and forming the centre from which subsidiary rootlets emerge.)
4 Help your children to plant it in the pot, and firm it in with more soil or compost.
5 Let them water it well, then put it on a windowsill.
6 Look at it regularly. They should see it grow buds, then the flowers will open, then they'll die, and finally the seed clocks will form.
7 Their dandelion should grow quite a few flowers. They can count how many it grows, then see if they can guess how many seeds it has produced - hundreds!

Useful information
Many plants are known as weeds because they are successful at growing where more delicate species would die. Dandelions are strong plants. In fact, the trauma of being dug up will actually stress the plant and cause it to produce more flowers, rather than killing it. Eventually it's likely to die in the pot.

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 14:31:00 +0000

The function of all flowering plants is to produce seeds. Once the seeds have grown and ripened, the plant has to get them to somewhere that they will be happy growing.

Plants have many ways of spreading or dispersing their seeds.
gravity - heavy seeds will just fall off the plant.
wind - very fine seeds will blow away on the wind. Some seeds have special parachutes or wings to help them fly, for example, dandelions.
hooks - the seeds are covered with hooks which catch on to a passing animals' fur; they then catch a free ride to another place where they are rubbed off later.
animals - the seeds look like tasty treats for the animals to eat, but they pass undigested through the animal. Animals, including birds and insects, sometimes bury the seeds.
pepperpot - the seed-pod is like a little pepperpot and sprinkles the seeds over quite a wide area.
exploding - the seed-pod bursts suddenly, throwing all the seeds out over a large area.
floating - some seeds grow with air trapped in them, so they can float away from the parent plant.

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 18:50:00 +0000

Your children might know what is inside an apple or an orange - but what about some of those exotic fruits at the shops? This exercise will reinforce the fact that a fruit is a plant's way of dispersing its seed. And it should stimulate their imagination.

What you will need
some exotic fruit from the market or supermarket. Look for ones they have never seen before.
an adult
a sharp knife
a pencil and felt pens
paper folded into four quarters
Step-by-step guide
1 Ask children to choose one of the fruits and write its name down in the first box on the paper if they know it.
2 Next they should draw a picture of it in the second box. Tell them to look carefully at it. Has it got a pattern? Does it have hairs or prickles? What colour is it?
3 In the third box, they can draw what they think it looks like inside. What colour is the flesh? What about the seeds - are there lots, or is there just one pip or a big, hard stone?
4 Cut it carefully in half for your children. Did their drawing look similar to the inside of the fruit?
5 Ask them to draw it in the fourth box. Again, they need to look carefully, so that their picture shows what is really there.
6 Try it again with different fruits.

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 18:56:00 +0000

Create a record of your garden to help children appreciate the changing seasons and see the value of simple and regular observation. Recording things provides memories for the future
What you will need
a scrapbook
sticky-backed plastic
old seed catalogues
a camera
scissors
glue
paper
felt pens and crayons

1 Ask your children to draw a picture of themselves in the garden, write the date and their address underneath it and stick it on the first page of their scrapbook.
2 They can collect leaves and plants from the garden and put them in their scrapbook. Help them to put sticky-backed plastic over them, and to write their names by them.
3 They can draw pictures of different parts of the garden.
4 Or they can take photographs of the garden. Maybe they could choose one part, and take a picture of it on the first day of each month for a year. Then they can see how much everything changes.
5 Encourage them to keep their scrapbook near a window and draw or write the names of the birds they see coming into the garden over the different seasons.
6 Stick in the seed packets of any seeds they grow. Give them old seed catalogues to cut out pictures of plants they want to grow - or they may like to design their dream flowerbed!
7 They can draw, cut out and label any wildlife they find. They might see frogs, butterflies, hedgehogs, ladybirds, beetles, ants, bees, caterpillars, foxes - the list is endless.
8 Why don't you get them to ask other people in your family, or visitors, to add something to their book?

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 15:12:00 +0000

What you will need
new terracotta plant pot of any size
emulsion paint in a range of colours - at least two
wide and thin paint brushes

Cover your work surface with old newspaper, and ensure your children are wearing old clothes or a painting apron. Now they're ready to paint their pot with a base coat of emulsion. They don't need to paint the base, and only need to paint inside down to the bottom of the rim. Then they can stand it on an old coffee jar lid to dry. Wash their brush and let this dry too. When they've decided how they are going to decorate the pot, they can paint it on with the thin brush. They can paint spots or stripes, flowers, a face, or even some ladybirds! Tell them to let their imagination go wild or try some of our design suggestions below. If they are using more than one colour for their decoration, they need to let the paint dry between each colour.

Tips and advice
Always try to use water-based emulsion paint for this project, as it's very easy to clear up, and it dries quickly.
Your children will probably be tempted to paint everything at once. Avoid this. Wet paints will run together and make a mess!
Talk about the design with your children before they start, then let them get on with it. Just ensure they have the right amount of paint on their brush - neither too much nor too little

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 14:00:00 +0000

Let your children go conkers! By collecting tree seeds and planting them, they will learn how to plant while reinforcing their understanding of the link between seeds and plants.

What you will need
a plant pot
crocks
soil and compost
some tree seeds - conkers from a horse chestnut tree, acorns from an oak tree, and helicopters from a sycamore tree are all good ones to look for

Take your children for a walk in the park or in the countryside to collect some seeds. Conkers are always a good seed for planting. Check their seeds do not have any holes in them - if they have, it means insect larvae will be inside eating! Place some crocks at the base of a pot, then nearly fill it with soil, mixed with some compost. Ask your children to plant their seed about 2cm deep, then cover it up with soil and compost, watering it well. They can put their pot in a shady place in the garden for the winter. Ensure the children check it from time to time to see if the soil is too dry - but they shouldn't overwater it! Explain to your child that they will need to wait until spring to see if their seed has sprouted. They can grow their tree in a pot as long as they keep repotting it into a bigger pot whenever it gets too cramped.

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 12:49:00 +0000

Wrongly accused
An insect is a small creature with three body parts (head, thorax and abdomen) and three pairs of legs. Many have wings. Most of them undergo complete changes of shape during their lifecycles.
Several 'creepy-crawlies' common in the garden are wrongly known as insects: centipedes, millipedes, woodlice, spiders, scorpions, harvestmen, ticks and mites are all from the family Arthropoda. All insects are arthropods, but not all arthropods are insects.
Interesting facts
All wasps die in winter, except the queen.
Only bumblebees and honeybees live together in colonies. Most species of bees live on their own, some in holes in the ground.
Grasshoppers sing by rubbing their hind legs against their front wings; crickets sing by rubbing their front wings together.
Some plants eat insects! They do this by catching them and dissolving their bodies, then they absorb the juice. This gives them nitrogen, which normal plants get from the soil - but these plants live in places where there isn't any.
The larva of the rare Death's Head Hawkmoth squeaks if it is touched.
Most beetles can fly, but the ground beetles you may find in your soil have lost the ability to fly - they scuttle everywhere very fast instead.
The Chilean red-leg spider can eat mice and birds. The funnel-web spider has fangs, which can pierce bone, and its bite can kill a person in two hours.

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 13:53:00 +0000

How do they survive?
Cacti and succulents have adapted to grow where there is not much fresh water, in places like deserts. Deserts get very little rain, are very hot during the daytime and often frosty at night. A prickly cactus stops birds and animals trying to eat them for their water!
About cacti
Most plants get rid of litres of water every day, by a process called transpiration, giving out water through their leaves (a bit like when we sweat!). Cactus leaves have become a lot smaller so they don't lose so much water; most have shrunk to spines or hairs but some have disappeared altogether!
The stems are green to make food for the plant, because the leaves can't do it any more - they are too small.
Cacti stems and ridges expand to store lots of water when it rains. Think of a camel that stores food in his hump! This guides as much rain as possible to the roots.

noreply@blogger.com (saffron) — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 17:03:00 +0000

Introduce your children to the metamorphic lifecycle of moths and butterflies. Collecting and observing caterpillars will foster their interest in the natural world and increase their awareness of the local environment.
How long will it take?
Approximately 20 to 30 minutes to set up.
What you will need
glass jar
some caterpillars
plant for food
magnifying glass
Step-by-step guide
1 Help your children to look carefully around your garden, in the park or countryside near you for some caterpillars. Damaged leaves provide clues to where they might be.
When they find some, they need to put them in a glass jar. It is very important that they put some of the plant where they found the caterpillars into the jar as well. Most caterpillars only like one sort of food - they are very fussy!
3 Your children need to keep checking each day that the caterpillars have enough food and that it is nice and fresh.
4 They will not need to put any air holes in the lid of the jar, especially if they take the lid off once a day.
5 Now they just need to watch and wait . . . and wait . . . and wait!
6 Their caterpillars should get bigger, and might even shed their skin.
7 After a while, they will turn into a chrysalis. They will look as if they are dead, but wait patiently.
8 One day each chrysalis will hatch into a butterfly or a moth. Now your children can let them out into the garden.