When they have a problem with pests, they need to be told how to solve it. What they don't want is a sermon on how they should befriend these darling little critters in their flowerbeds and kitchen gardens. It's like asking a doctor for help with your personal creepy crawlies and being told to welcome the lice in your hair and the fleas on the dog.
I do not want aphids in my garden. They suck the sap of my roses, distort the growth and carry virus diseases. But the RHS calls them 'an important part of many food chains, supporting many predators' and therefore, 'part of a balanced garden ecosystem'.
It tells us to wait patiently until wasps and ladybirds eat them. I quite like ladybirds, although they don't always turn up when I need them, but I don't want the wasps anywhere in my garden. They get in the way and quickly turn nasty. Hornets are worse. They are noisy, big and frightening. Heaven knows why the Germans give them statutory protection. And now we must contend with the Asian hornets, which are much less cuddly because their nests are enormous and they prey on our beehives. No doubt the time will come when the RHS considers them 'part of a balanced garden ecosystem'.
Esta historia es de la edición September 14, 2022 de Country Life UK.
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Esta historia es de la edición September 14, 2022 de Country Life UK.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
