Time to go wild with African violets

Once widely popular, these lovely flowers rather vanished from view, seen as a bit chintzy, but it doesn’t have to be this way…

As someone who could never be accused of being in-step with fashion, I have always found the world of horticultural trends as perplexing as they are fascinating. In some ways they fulfil a valuable function, encouraging growers to experiment with new plants and techniques they hadn’t considered before. But the flip side is that we may overlook options that could otherwise bring us a huge amount of joy.

Perhaps nowhere is this more the case than with the African violet (Saintpaulia sp), once a ubiquitous fixture of almost every coffee table and kitchen windowsill back in the 1980s and now a surprisingly rare sight. I guess they are considered a little twee today, with many bred for the maximum number of pastel petals, lacy frills and curious colour breaks. But they don’t have to be this way. There are loads of members of the same family that are wonderfully wild and natural looking, with not a hint of crocheted tea-cosy about them.

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Time to go wild with African violets

Once widely popular, these lovely flowers rather vanished from view, seen as a bit chintzy, but it doesn’t have to be this way…

As someone who could never be accused of being in-step with fashion, I have always found the world of horticultural trends as perplexing as they are fascinating. In some ways they fulfil a valuable function, encouraging growers to experiment with new plants and techniques they hadn’t considered before. But the flip side is that we may overlook options that could otherwise bring us a huge amount of joy.

Perhaps nowhere is this more the case than with the African violet (Saintpaulia sp), once a ubiquitous fixture of almost every coffee table and kitchen windowsill back in the 1980s and now a surprisingly rare sight. I guess they are considered a little twee today, with many bred for the maximum number of pastel petals, lacy frills and curious colour breaks. But they don’t have to be this way. There are loads of members of the same family that are wonderfully wild and natural looking, with not a hint of crocheted tea-cosy about them.

Continue reading...

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Bad knees foster a new intimacy with my garden | Allan Jenkins

Lying on the ground to weed proves more rewarding than it sounds

By the time you read this I will be in hospital. Or maybe on my way home. Recovering – I hope – from an operation I have been postponing for years. I am from a generation – or at least an inclination – averse to surgery if you can cope with pain.

It’s my fault, an old knee injury from my early 20s that has lain dormant for decades. Then it returned and it’s been insistent. I stopped walking to work, my early morning strolling along the canal. It started messing with my gardening, too – kneeling can feel crucial for weeding and sowing seed.

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Bad knees foster a new intimacy with my garden | Allan Jenkins

Lying on the ground to weed proves more rewarding than it sounds

By the time you read this I will be in hospital. Or maybe on my way home. Recovering – I hope – from an operation I have been postponing for years. I am from a generation – or at least an inclination – averse to surgery if you can cope with pain.

It’s my fault, an old knee injury from my early 20s that has lain dormant for decades. Then it returned and it’s been insistent. I stopped walking to work, my early morning strolling along the canal. It started messing with my gardening, too – kneeling can feel crucial for weeding and sowing seed.

Continue reading...

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How to deal with noisy neighbours Nottingham Estate Agents

It might be a yapping dog, loud music or an all-night party. Whatever the origin of the noise, the decibel level can be both disturbing and distressing. But what can you do about it? OnTheMarket.com offers tips for dealing with noisy neighbours Most homeowners and tenants are confronted with the dilemma of noisy neighbours at […]

The post How to deal with noisy neighbours appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.

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Let the sunshine in: a designer dream home in the West Country

The clever design solutions in this elegant newbuild make it as easy on energy bills as it is on the eye

Why do people have walls, for heaven’s sake?” says Mary Morris as we stand in the light-saturated hallway of Blackwood, her bespoke energy-efficient home in Barbury, Wiltshire. Commissioned by Morris and her partner Klaus Failenschmid, Blackwood does have a few solid walls but, wherever possible, stretches of glass let natural light flood in, as well as passive solar gain (heat) and an immeasurable sense of space.

In fact, Blackwood is all about borrowed light. Why flic k a switch when you can get it for free? This is not only ecologically sound but, as Failenschmid puts it: “It is more in tune with how your rhythms should work.” Light when it’s light, and dark when it’s dark. “We don’t like to use electric lights when we can borrow from daylight,” he says. At dawn, ambient light illuminates his way downstairs and into the kitchen to put the coffee on.

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Let the sunshine in: a designer dream home in the West Country

The clever design solutions in this elegant newbuild make it as easy on energy bills as it is on the eye

Why do people have walls, for heaven’s sake?” says Mary Morris as we stand in the light-saturated hallway of Blackwood, her bespoke energy-efficient home in Barbury, Wiltshire. Commissioned by Morris and her partner Klaus Failenschmid, Blackwood does have a few solid walls but, wherever possible, stretches of glass let natural light flood in, as well as passive solar gain (heat) and an immeasurable sense of space.

In fact, Blackwood is all about borrowed light. Why flic k a switch when you can get it for free? This is not only ecologically sound but, as Failenschmid puts it: “It is more in tune with how your rhythms should work.” Light when it’s light, and dark when it’s dark. “We don’t like to use electric lights when we can borrow from daylight,” he says. At dawn, ambient light illuminates his way downstairs and into the kitchen to put the coffee on.

Continue reading...

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