Tag-Archive for ◊ surveys ◊

Author:
• Friday, April 30th, 2010

Many amateur gardeners like myself are likely to have a cherry tree in their garden, whether it is a decorative type or fruit bearing variety. And at this time of the year you cannot fail to spot them with their beautiful blossoms. Like me you can take part in the urban cherry survey which is planned to run for 3 years and is organised by the National History Museum. The aim of this survey is to find out more about the changes to the urban landscape. The cherry tree survey is anonymous and can help the National History Museum and other research organisations gain useful information about the biodiversity of the wildlife in urban areas where the trees are growing. And since the United Nations has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity this initiative is a good opportunity for the public to be involved at a local level.

Cherry Tree Survey

Cherry Tree Survey

Taking part in the survey is easy and only takes a few seconds. You just need to enter the postcode of the area where you have spotted the cherry tree and give a few details about the type of cherry tree which you have identified. There are some guidelines on the website for people who are not sure about types of cherry tree. My cherry tree is a fruit tree from a Morello variety which I planted in my garden 5 years ago, and it looks magnificent at present (as you can see in the header of this website). But I need to remember to put a net on top of my tree to prevent the birds from eating all the fruits later in the year. Some birds like the black bird or thrush do manage to get in the net anyway but all is not lost.

By taking part in this survey you will contribute to developing a greater understanding of how changes in the climate may affect where and how trees grow as part of the overall biodiversity picture.

Author:
• Sunday, March 01st, 2009

I have just received my Gardeners’ World magazine and noticed an article about whether people prefer to grow flowers or vegetables, with Alan Titchmarsh and Carol Klein sponsoring their favourites. There seems to be a lot of surveys happening at the moment as I have also seen a Gardeners’ World awards which is a survey where gardeners can vote for their favourite plants and nurseries.

You can take part in the Gardeners’ World survery on their web site.

Personally I like to grow both vegetables and flowers and as you can see from the seeds that I am growing in March – I enjoy growing a wide variety of both. But if I had to chose then it would have to be vegetables because nothing compares to freshly home-grown vegetables and the sense of satisfaction which comes from cooking and eating quality vegetables.