A little chap called Borage caused a stir on the opening day of the Chelsea Flower Show.  Borage is in fact a garden gnome belonging to Jekka McVicar who made the little guy part of her nursery though forbidden under Royal Horticultural Society rules.

Having been reported for fishing in the water, she was ordered by officials to remove the ornament. Jekka, a winner on numerous occasions previously, complained that “Gardening can be too serious”. She went on to say that her gnome was certainly not tacky but subtle.

Complying with regulations he was removed from her exhibit. The opening brought in its fair share of celebs with Helen Mirren and Rod Stewart among the admirers.

It seems we are always being encouraged to make use of our gardens and any green space available to us. This is of course very sound advice however it seems postman Jabur Hissan may have taken the advice a little too far having buried over twenty nine thousand letters in his garden.

The postman worked a route in Birmingham each day neglecting to actually deliver the mail but rather bury it in his garden. The thirty two year old man received an eight month prison sentence having had his actions deemed as a “devastating security risk”.

The presiding judge condemned the mans behavior as irresponsible causing people to miss out on important bill payments.

Its getting close to that time of year again. For some its the most romantic day of the year while for others its the biggest scam of the year. It can be easy to forget or indeed not know how your significant other feels depending on how long you have been together.

Restaurants tend to be very busy on Valentines Day every year so sometimes it can help to think outside the box. Some garden dining may just work out to be a great idea. Obviously in the UK, its February and of course its cold but depending on what type of setup you have such as outdoor heaters or protection from the elements it might just work out.

It can be a very romantic setting when planned right. Perhaps a beautiful Rattan Garden Dining set would work out as a good option. You can decorate it and its surroundings whatever way you like, keep the light at a restaurant level, get lots of nice food and make a great evening of it.

Urban foxes have been in the news lately with claims of an attack on a one month old baby. This has prompted many groups to warn people about feeding the animals. It seems many people are leaving food out in their gardens for the fox as they see the animal as a cute friendly visitor.

Many people enjoy seeing the fox run around outside their homes and recent advice from the RSPCA suggested leaving out scraps for the animals was a good thing. The group claims that an attack is “extremely unusual” and the fox will normally run away upon confrontation. The RSPCA have come under criticism for continuing to make their leaflet available.

Pest control experts have warned that foxes are wild animals and a more regular rubbish collection service is required to help keep them away. Unfortunately it seems that some people still insist on leaving out food in their gardens.

In keeping with celebrating its status as UK City of Culture, Derry will play host to a “city centre garden trail”. This entails the creation of gardens within the home as well as on rooftops and other landmarks around the city.

There are four artists involved with the project – K.Holten, H.Ackroyd, D. Harvey and L.Morris. The work will relate to the various changes the city sees throughout the year.

Gardening experts will be utilised in the maintenance of the projects with instruction from the artists. The event is free to the public.

The RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) recently began its search for the “Young School Gardener of the Year“. Their goal is to find “the most knowledge, enthusiastic and talented gardening pupil in the UK” – a big ask! but they will certainly do their best.

Any pupils of schools involved in the “Campaign for School Gardening” program run by the RHS are welcome to enter. Currently the program has over sixteen thousand members all under sixteen years old.

It is up to staff members at the various schools to nominate a pupil for the competition. The list will be whittled down to just sixteen participants upon which each person must create a visual document showing off their skills.

Among the judging panel is well known broadcaster and gardening enthusiast David Domoney. Previous winners included Lucas Hatch (just eleven years old) who scooped last years prize.

So as we enter the 2nd month of the year its probably fair to say that a few of our new years resolutions have already flown out the window. All that talk and bravado about how this was the year you were finally going to get in shape and get fit has sadly fallen by the wayside.

However as the weather starts to get (slightly) better it may be time to get back out into that garden and do some work which of course in itself is a great form of exercise. Another obvious advantage is that you will have nice fresh natural healthy food to eat.

The Royal Horticultural Society of Britain have recently announced plans for an “Edible Britain” project.  The program will begin on the eight of April and will focus on the creation of fresh vegetable gardens in various public settings around the country.

Community Garden associations are set to benefit with over thirty thousand complimentary packets of seeds been give out including varieties such as parsley, chives and marigolds.

The popular Scottish TV show “Beechgrove Garden” will hit every TV screen in Britain this coming April after bagging a Sunday morning slot on BBC 2. The show will also arrive with a new presenter in the shape of Chris Beardshaw.

Beardshaw has many years of Horticultural experience behind him having been a previous gold medal winner at Chelsea. It is thought that he has been brought in to deal with the more nationwide appeal that the programs producers will wish to tap into having previously concentrated on more northerly temperatures. He is also considered quite easy on the eye which as we all know is certainly no disadvantage when it comes to television work.

The show will look to rival the well established Gardeners’ World as well as ITVs offering fronted by Alan Titchmarsh – “Love Your Garden”.

Many people greeted the news that over one hundred thousand pounds is to be spent on a so called garden of dead trees with disbelief this week. The exhibit due to take place at the renowned Chelsea flower show will hit the tax payer hard in the pocket.

The idea behind the event is to educate people about the dangers of garden pests and other problems which may cause damage to the country’s flora and fauna.

Recent job losses in the industry are behind many critics objections that such a lavish amount should be spent on the project. The designer behind the project is the acclaimed Jo Thompson. The exhibit will contain a “beautiful” and an “ugly” area with striking comparisons made between both.

The flower show attracts over one hundred and fifty thousand people annually.