Read recent gardening news snippets here…
Careers in horticulture on the decline
Gardening in crisis according to RHS
A new report by the RHS shows how horticultural companies are struggling to fill skilled positions because of a severe shortage of qualified people in the UK. Mary Keen recently said on Radio 4’s Today programme that there is a “mindset that gardeners are a bit thick” and that a career in horticulture is considered ‘uncool’. However, the range of careers in horticulture is vast and ranges from practical to academic options. On the same show Anne Gunning talked about the importance of getting primary school-aged children interested in gardening, in the hope that some will continue through secondary school and eventually take it up as a career. The RHS Campaign for School Gardening aims to do just this and has a wealth of information on the benefits of gardening from a young age.
[divider]
#rhschelsea
Twitter users to control Chelsea Flower Show garden
Visitors to this year’s Chelsea Flower Show will be able to control part of a show garden by tweeting with the hashtag #rhschelsea. The ‘Digital Capabilities’ garden features a huge screen that’s connected to a computer and conceals exotic plants. Tweeting activates the screen and panels will open to reveal parts of the garden.
[divider]
Only pick mushrooms if you know that they are safe, like the ones in this photo
Beware of poisonous mushrooms
A woman in Somerset died after making soup with mushrooms that she had picked from her garden. Not realising that they were death cap mushrooms, she prepared and ate the soup, but tragically died four days after eating it. Death cap mushrooms are similar in appearance to safe mushrooms, but eating just one death cap can kill and there is no antidote. You should only pick mushrooms if you are absolutely certain that you know they are safe – if in doubt, don’t pick them.
Rebecca works in the Marketing department as part of the busy web team, focusing on updating the UK news and blog pages and Thompson & Morgan’s international website. Rebecca enjoys gardening and learning about flowers and growing vegetables with her young daughter.
Recent Comments