STUDY EVALUATES FRONT GARDENS

The RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) has commissioned a new study to understand how front gardens impact both homeowners and passers-by.



Beginning this spring, the research is part of the Society's Greening Grey Britain campaign to encourage the nation to transform grey areas into living planted spaces.  


To undertake the research, RHS scientists have joined academics from the University of Sheffield and the University of Virginia (USA), employing a PhD student.

A major objective will be to determine how gardening affects the mood and psychological health of people who have not gardened before.  Plans to help measure this include greening paved over front gardens.  The project will also address the societal value of gardens by collating evidence of enhanced communication and engagement between garden owners, neighbours and passers-by.

In the USA, the work will parallel related initiatives with other PhDs in that country.

Alistair Griffiths, RHS Director of Science and Collections, said, 'We are seeking evidence that will help us make the case for gardening to local and national government, supporting what many of us instinctively know - that green spaces have positive impacts on our health and wellbeing.'


See also; https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=879

With a little Stilton cheese left over from Christmas, I've made some Broccoli and Blue Cheese Soup

• 1 head broccoli
• 2 small onions
• 1 sprig celery
• 1 potato
• a little oil
• blue cheese (radio of about 1/3 to 1/5th of the weight of the broccoli)
• vegetable stock or chicken stock

1. Weigh the broccoli (to determine amount of cheese to add at the end)
2. chop the vegetables
3. gently fry onion, add celery.
4. add rest potato, the stem of the broccoli, then add the stock
5. cook, when nearly done, add heads of broccoli
6. whizz and serve with stilton crumbled over the top

ANOTHER NOTE ABOUT HEDGEHOGS 
Well they are rather important visitors to our gardens ...........

• Make CD-sized holes in the bottom of your garden wall and fences so they can roam.
• Leave a corner of your garden wild and overgrown (not difficult!)
• Put ramps in your ponds so they can climb out if they fall in.
• Remove netting, polystyrene cups, plastic six-pack holders, elastic bands and any other rubbish hedgehogs can get tangled up in.
• leave out food and water - meaty cat or dog food is good.
• Stop using pesticides, insecticides and slug pellets.  They poison hedgehogs and kill their prey.
• Before lighting bonfires, check whether hedgehogs have built nests inside them.
• Watch out for hedgehogs when strimming long grass.
• Build a log pile. They provide hedgehogs with insects and a nesting place.
• Go to hedgehogstreet.org, become a 'hedgehog champion' and join an army of volunteers.

(taken from the Telegraph Magazine, 2015)