Why I Blog

I want you to read my blog because you like it. Not because of who I am. Which is probably why it’s taken so long to write this page! As a former lecturer in horticulture, deprived of the pleasure of public communication, I have turned to blogging.

I believe in education, although not necessarily what is offered today. Horticulturally speaking, I think I have something to say. People have sometimes told me that I should write a book. My old head of department used to tell me that if I wrote as I spoke, people might like it...as he read and despaired of my faltering prose! But what should I write? My interests are diverse and uncommon. No one wants to read a book about cemeteries or glyphosate or soil. I could not bear the idea of laboriously writing, editing, promoting, being rejected and then at the end of the day nobody buying the damned thing.

As I turned seventy, Cathi told me about blogs. Instant gratification! I can write about any current gardening whim and immediately send it out into the ether. I can even develop themes that would never make it into a lecture. The students would sleep!

I do think there is a need for gardening information that goes beyond the elementary stuff that is repeatedly churned out in the media. When I got the gardening bug at thirteen, a friend of my father, Bob Wall, was a keen amateur gardener. He told me to take ‘Amateur Gardening’ which I eagerly devoured. He said that after two years I would learn nothing more as it would all be recycled information. How right he was. Most things in gardening are aimed at beginners. Not least the stuff put out by the gardening great!

Why call my blog ‘No dig gardener’ when I write about other things too? I even write about digging! When we searched for a title, nothing else seemed satisfactory. Brenda suggested that if anything in gardening defines me, it is my failure to dig. Ergo, when you add my penchant for self-publicity you have ‘Roger Brook no dig gardener’. Once upon a time I feared to Google my name for fear of what I might find. I now do it all the time!


40 comments:

  1. I am ever so grateful to Cathi and Po Simpson for bringing me up to date with the new format.Cathi kindly edited my words. She accepted everything I wrote but added the mischievous third sentence and the banner at the end. Is she trying to tell me something?

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  2. I couldn't possibly comment! :-)

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  3. Blogs I can build, thats easy, content is always my issue things to write about.
    I alway find your posts interesting, no idea why
    Po

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  4. I will accept any praise Paul even if it is faint!

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  5. Faint is good for me, I've never read a single word about gardening.

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  6. Great to find your blog. I found it when looking up epiphyllums of which I am a great fan. Now I shall be doing some further browsing. Not about sprouts though, I hate them.

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    1. Welcome aboard chloris
      Ironically my epiphyllums have been the only casualty of putting a better insulated opaque roof on our conservatory! They won't flower and I am going to have to look again at where I grow them. It might be they like high light intensity to flower or it might be that that they like it to be cooler in Winter.
      I searched the net for advice and found my post!

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  7. Found you from searching about Corydalis; & very interesting you are too. Will continue to use this site as you have some interesting info on it.

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    1. Hi Sharon
      Somehow I missed your comment. Belatedly pleased to know you are reading regularly

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  8. I have just been reading about the use of glyphosate on your blog from a few years ago. I have been struggling to clear a large part of my overgrown garden for three or four years, dutifully trying to be organic and digging out massive monsters of roots from brambles. Every year it is covered in an extremely healthy bindweed. The garden is riddled with it and we seem to have been digging it out for years. A lot of effort for little reward. I am 67 and although am happy to do some digging out, after reading your blog I have succumbed and bought some Roundup. Otherwise I can see I will never get on top of it and have the garden the way I want it.
    I worried mainly about the wildlife in the garden, so after reading your very useful blog I have decided to risk it. I am hoping to dig a wildlife pond next spring to help the frogs and newts in the garden.

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    1. You will gather from my articles Pat that although many folk like yourself worry about wild life friendliness I regard glyphosate as a tool for good when used responsibly. Indeed I believe it more wildlife friendly than traditional gardening methods.
      I claim that I have more wildlife in all my gardens than most gardeners
      I have frogs all over the place and have written about our crested newts.
      Please read carefully my articles on such as convolvulus control, particularly those that emphasis spraying the well developed weed rather than zapping every new shoot on sight!

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  9. Sorry I have ended up as anonymous as I'm not very computer literate. Shall visit again.
    Pat (anon)

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    1. Even computer literate people find it difficult to make comments. Two of my friends take exception to answering intrusive questions to become a follower and refuse to do so. It is easy to make comments if you have registered as a follower, other wise come in through anonymous and it is nice when you add your name at the bottom..
      I am one of those aged folk who don't understand things like twitter and all those 'social media ' ways in!.
      I myself have a google identity and make comments with ease on other peoples blogs!

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  10. A man after my own heart. Thoroughly enjoy your blog, found on a Google search for info on harvesting hardy cyclamen seeds. I am a hardy perennial lover who tries to avoid plant staking, with a wife who has totally opposite viewpoint - prompting some interesting garden conversations !!!!
    Could you please advise whether hardy cyclamen (not sure whether coum or hederifolium)seed pods can be dried off after picking from the plant ?

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  11. I clicked unknown and found…Bugsy
    Hello Bugsy
    Yes you can dry them and keep them in a packet….. but that is perhaps why when you buy a packet from a commercial source hardly any of them germinate!
    They are best sown fresh, let them have the Winter cold in their compost and watch them
    all germinate in March?April.
    It is much best to let them ripen on the plants and get there before the ants! They will be shelling themselves at that point!

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  12. Thanks Roger. The reason I asked is that I acquired 2 large seed pods from an old lady I was visiting, after expressing admiration of her cyclamen. The pods are brown and hard but not starting to split. Would I better opening them and sowing now rather than drying first. They were taken off the plant this morning

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    1. I am a little puzzled about ripe pods now as my hederifolia split its seeds in September. My coum is showing nothing yet!
      As you say the 'pod' is hard I would be inclined to split it and see what is inside. If hard seed sow them today.
      Had you said the fruit was still soft and unripe I would have advised waiting it to ripen and split!

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    2. Just a thought Bugsy perhaps the brown pods are small corms! In which case it would be fatal to split them. Just plant them! Best in a pot outside or in a greenhouse where you can keep an eye on them until they grow next September.
      The corms come right to the surface and are easily pulled out. Perhaps your old relative - probably younger than me - gave you those. I have been shifting several hundred around - still with green leaves, only yesterday

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  13. Thanks for your advice Roger. The pods were on stalks, I was with her when she broke them off so I am certain they are not corms. The plants themselves are in a rectangular container at the sheltered base of a N facing wall.
    I have just split one open and they were very squashy inside, certainly unripe. Will simply plant the remaining one and keep my fingers crossed -nothing ventured nothing gained.

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  14. Hello Roger,
    through L's blog I have found yours, and have added it to my reading list. I'm not a gardener myself, but I love gardens and some of the places you mention on your blog are on my "to visit" list for my annual Yorkshire Holiday.
    Your "Why I blog" makes an interesting read. I wrote about why I blog some years ago; if you are interested, you are welcome to read that post here.
    Anyway, I am very much looking forward to peruse your blog, finding more places to see, or maybe even some I've already been to!
    Meike

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    1. Great to see the pictures on L's blog and to visit your own where I have left a comment.
      Bolton Percy village has an open day this Saturday 2nd July and I will be on duty in the cemetery!

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  15. Hi Roger. Very entertaining and wise blog! Found you after googling that "famous Yorkshire churchyard where the gardener uses glyphosate", a distant but indelible memory from reading about your enterprise. Now we're doing the same with a steep, overgrown (lovely!) mid-Wales hillside on poorly drained acid shale. Amazing how much thrives happily in these unfriendly conditions.
    Just wanted to add to your comment about the gardening press repeating basic info after a year or two. I used to groan when asked to write the same stuff yet again until I came across a thoughtful quote to the effect that "everything that matters has already been said, but as nobody was listening it needs saying again". Can't remember who said it - possibly G K Chesterton or Terry Pratchett - but there's some truth there.
    Hope glyphosate doesn't get banned, btw: VERY useful selective aid.
    Best wishes, and keep blogging.

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    1. Great to hear from you Andi. You might have noticed that my friend and contributor Peter is from Wales and often tells me about the beautiful countryside - not to mention their superior football team and the quality of the rugby.
      As to necessary repetition of facts it is a good opportunity to infiltrate some new ones.
      My very next post is about political issues re glyphosate

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  16. Stumbled over your blog and have thoroughly enjoyed read it (I'm sure I should have been in MY garden instead though ...). We had a previous garden, 20 years ago, where we completely eradicated Ground Elder with Roundup/Glyphosate just as you have described. We had a little collateral damage, as time was short and garden was large, but that seemed a fair price to pay.

    Our current garden has Bindweed; it annoys me because it comes up relatively late in Spring and by then there are other plants in the way (in the borders) which give it placed to hide and mature. I've had reasonable success with a Hozelock Wonderweeder - its basically a vertical tube that you fill with chemical, and a spring loaded hood which you press down on the weed and it both gives a short spray of chemical, and the hood keeps it all under cover. Some risk that chemical accumulates on the inside of the hood sufficient to then drip off - most probably onto something cherished as I move to the next culprit! - but I can live what that. The "tube reservoir" is on the small-side for my garden, but I doubt that that will be everyone's problem!

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    1. Thanks for your helpful comments kGarden
      As to bindweed as far as I am concerned anything other than a well used hand sprayer is just a gimmick!
      You might have missed my article http://www.nodiggardener.co.uk/2014/08/glyphosate-roundup.html , its right down at the end of that post
      Even in the most difficult situations you can wrap the bindweed round your gloved hand and just spray into it

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    2. Thanks Roger. Maybe I can make a New Years Resolution for 2018 that I actually wind up keeping! to properly get on top of the bindweed in the borders. Its flat here, very rarely still enough to spray, so I cherish the still days, but they don't always coincide with having time for the job. I'm encouraged that you say Bindweed can be got rid of as I suppose I've got to the point of thinking that a 90% kill is as good as I will get. So 2018 will be my Bindweed annihilation year!

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  17. Just discovered your blog today and have already made a comment in your 'digging out stumps' section! I'd just like to ask if you have any advice for getting rid of weeds in a very boggy area. Our garden collects the runoff from all the gardens to the west. I did try to dig out a natural pond 15 years ago, thinking it might absorb the water but the ground around just seemed to get even boggier. So now I've filled in the 'pond' and am going to turn it into a bog garden. There are already lots of marsh marigolds in the spring but unfortunately a lot of weeds, e.g. buttercups, mixed in. The ground is so heavy it's impossible to dig them all out. There is a stream on the other side of the wall and I'm concerned that weedkiller might get into it. I'd be very grateful for any suggestions!

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    1. There is no danger of glyphosate getting into the stream, especially if you do your spraying in a dry spell. This advice would not be true about horrible materials like sodium chlorate! What a challenging area - I love moisture lovers!
      Best of luck Carol with your fascinating project. I have marsh marigold in my boggy
      areas. There are numerous great plants for boggy places. Chives can look great!

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    2. 8 months on and I have the beginnings of a bog garden. Astilbe, hosta, rogersia, primula, ferns and others thriving. Two year old cornus a bit sorry for themselves and slow growing, not sure why, but they're still alive anyway. I'm just about to glypho round the edges again but am a bit bemused about what to do with all the remnants of the marsh marigolds which are mixed in with a lot of buttercups. If I cut them right down will it be safe to glypho around them? Thanks for all your really useful blogs - I'm hoping to come to your open day in September to get even more ideas!

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    3. Sorry about the delayed reply Carol. My google alert e mail seems to have stopped coming when comments are made
      If I remember in very few weeks your marsh marigolds will have gone dormant and it will be safe to spray.
      Otherwise I suggest you carefully spray the buttercups. They spread so rapidly I expect there are plenty of extension growths beyond your marsh marigolds - complete cover is not needed to kill the buttercups
      Ask about the dogwood on open day
      My post yesterday may be of interest - best to comment on the most recent blogs

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  18. Thanks so much for your reply, Roger, and I'd just been wondering where to re-site my chives - never realised they liked damp soil! Great news about the glyphosate too - I'll certainly think about where it will be most use. I'm looking forward to getting into my no-dig gardening style in the coming year.

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  19. I’ve just discovered your wonderful blog Roger and have been reading it avidly - I know how to rock on New Year’s Eve. I’ve just moved to a new garden and intend to use the no dig approach for both veg and flowers. I try not to use glysophate unless I really have to, so I’m covering my ‘lawn’ for borders and veg beds with cardboard and compost.As you can imagine I have a mountain of cardboard after moving. I’ve brought quite a few plants with me and am wondering how big a hole I should make for the bigger shrubs.I’m struck by you saying just to get them in, its the soil and aftercare that matters, so would you recommend digging the smallest hole possible?

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    1. I can rock too Lesley. I will be in bed in five minutes, no New Years eve for me and Brenda has been in bed nearly all day with a shocking cold
      Without knowing the history of you garden I cannot give you definitive advice. If there are hard pans better to break up the bottom of the hole.
      On most sites I would make a small hole or for some things just a slit. Its not wrong to fork in compost in the vicinity of the hole but not to strand your plant in a hole of just compost, especially if your soil is clayey. I am afraid you will have to keep reading until well after midnight to read some of my previous words about these issues.
      Happy New Year

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  20. What a great blog - discovered whilst Google-searching to identify a photo of a Madeira wildflower a friend sent me - I briefly at first thought might be an Echium....no it turns out to be Agave attenuata as you posted back in January 2013 (I should of course have looked more closely at the leaves!). Loads of good and useful info - couldn't agree more with your thoughts on 'Why I blog' and recycled information, which is why I hardly ever buy gardening books any more 'cos all my early ones have enough good stuff in them, no need for repetition. Fabulous photos too. Trouble is, I need loads more time to read now.......

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  21. Just found your blog ... living in NE Scotland with a patch of land to graze 2 ponies & some hens . Sadly my croft sits on a plug of basalt and top soil is very thin before i hit solid rock ! So seeing No Dig made me look twice. Organic matter as you can guess is easily come by but i am also an Explorer and so at times the garden is left to its own devices. My last problem was an invasion of Chicory which throttled a lot of my plants and yes i had to resort to a careful administration of Glyphosphate and root removal but it is an ongoing battle . Looking forward to reading your blog and i will also be asking for some help for one of my future explorations in a very cold climate ...

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    1. I look forward to hearing your problems sorebot. The key to your chicory coming back is the root removal bit. You should wait a couple of months and respray the new growth and keep doing so until it has completely gone
      If you do have any further questions find a near relevant recent post and ask your question there

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  22. I don't know whether this is the appropriate place to comment but I am a former (late 1970s) student of yours and your fascinating blog has been brought to my attention by another of your former pupils, Peter Sandwell. I doubt that you remember me as I was an undistinguished pupil but that is of no importance. Interesting that you think there is no mileage in writing a book about cemeteries and low intervention management as this is an area in which I hungrily seek your expertise. I am recently retired (having been for some years the Director of Environmental Services in Bath) and have been asked to advise our local (Wiltshire) church on how they might increase the biodiversity and interest of their mature churchyard. With the ecochurch movement gaining momentum nowadays, this is seen as an opportunity to engage local people and get folk to think about how they are living their lives.
    So, any advice you can provide (in addition to what I will read on here) would be most valuable.

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  23. Those were the golden days at Askham Bryan. (I personally was an undistinguised student at Wye College and look at me now....ah well!)
    My problem has always been that many folk who have green instincts reject glyphosate so while my methods forty odd years ago were quite fashionable and labour saving modern 'green' methods are often inefficient and expensive. Best of luck with your Wiltshire project

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