Tree Health & The Landscape - Seminar (Part 1)

Last week I attended a seminar which was hosted by Barcham Trees on Tree Health and The Landscape. Following an overview by Colin Moore of the Landscape Institute, Dr. David Slawson from the Food and Environment Research Agency spoke. After a brief resume of the pests which are currently affecting trees and shrubs in this country we were left in no doubt as to the seriousness and scale of the threats this country currently faces. 

Several of the main contenders (Including Phytophthora ramorum and Chalara fraxinea) could potentially change the British landscape as we know it, indeed this is happening already with the large scale felling of Larch trees in Wales and South West Scotland.

Agrilus planipennis - Emerald Ash Borer  has recently been introduced to this country via imported package material

 As landscape professionals the advice was:

• Get involved - look for signs of disease and pests on site, disseminate knowledge with colleagues and clients, promote initiatives such as OPAL which encourage people to study and explore their local environment;
• Awareness of current legislation; 
• Adopt best practice - eg. source planting stock which have been propagated and grown in this country, avoid possible spreading of diseases through thorough cleaning of footwear.

Worryingly, when asked what the greatest threat to trees and vegetation in the UK he answered that we probably did not know what it was as it hadn't been discovered yet............

Robin Snell and Garsington Opera House

Attended an interesting lecture yesterday evening as part of the 'Inspire' series of lectures hosted by the University of Brighton (http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/whats-on/gallery-theatre/public-lectures). The speaker was Robin Snell who was project architect for Glyndebourne Opera House prior to setting up his own architectural practice.

Topics covered included man-made versus natural, Cedric Price and Fun Palaces, how buildings sit in the landscape and how the way a building is constructed can profoundly influence the design. 

A  key early influence was Joseph Paxton, famous for Crystal Palace (currently very much in the news - (http://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/chinese-developer-plans-to-rebuild-crystal-palace/5058418.article) which employed a revolutionary, modular, prefabricated system and glass. 

A recent project is Garsington Opera Pavilion at Wormsley which was designed to be de-mountable due to planning constraints although the planning authorities have subsequently decided they are happy for the building remain standing throughout the year -  interesting to see how lifelong influences and concerns manifest themselves in a modern building which nevertheless sits comfortably in a very traditional English landscape. 

Sloe Berries

The warm summer has meant the hedgerows have been overflowing with fruit for free, Crab Apples, Rose Hips, Brambles and of course Sloe Berries have all been plentiful in our local field edges. 

Many of the gardens, allotments and community gardens have fruit trees which have been laden with apples, plums and greengages - I doubt if enough people make use of this food for free preferring the convenience of supermarket  prepacked fruit. 

Part of the problem is that much of the fruit becomes ripe at the same time however there are scores of recipes for preserving fruit and enjoying produce throughout the winter - and few more delicious (or fortifying on a cold winters day)  than Sloe Gin

Sloe Berries have a variety of names in the different counties of southern England; Bullens, Heg Pegs, Slags, Snags, Winter Kecksies and Winter Pick are all local names for the fruit of the Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa). 

These tart and berries are pretty unpleasant raw but can be made into a clear jelly as well as Sloe Gin. The recipe we use (handed down through generations) is a pound of sloes to a pound of sugar topped up with gin - the berries have to be pricked with a pin prior to bottling but freezing them will achieve the same result. (Many folk reckon that it is best to pick the berries after the first frosts to achieve a similar result). The bottle is then supposed to be agitated on a daily basis for the first few weeks however my father used to place the bottle in the boot of his car - a particularly efficient alternative!