Today’s Garden Ideas

Just call my man the slug whisperer… He never lived down the reputation so creatively given by our neighbours. It all started years ago when we decided to plant a herb garden and the basil was scented by slugs from a 20 mile radius. Slugs like basil, it appears. We caused a mass exodus down the back gardens in our street. Our neighbours were fascinated, and rather pleased, I’d imagine…
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Although wasps are a familiar summer time pest, one that has seen a re-emergence recently is the mosquito. These two fliers can make your spring and summer garden a nightmare instead of the haven it should be. As the weather becomes sultrier, insects will proliferate and become more active so what can you do to minimise their effect on your and your neighbours’ lazy warm relaxing evenings?
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What is the most gorgeous, visually extravagant flower you can think of? If you were to go by the name alone, it would have to be the Bird of Paradise. Admittedly, it fails its adoring fans by lacking any marked scent, only making up for this deficiency by being very possibly the most spectacular cut flower to be found at the florist, and it lasts for weeks in the vase. But is it possible to grow the plant itself at home? I just had to find out.

In order to understand how to care for this Bird, it is important to know about its natural habitat. It is related to the banana and naturally grows in coastal areas or on river banks in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. This has a tropical, humid climate, so in temperate regions the Bird of Paradise needs a hothouse or conservatory.
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