Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
5th December 2020
Book Early …
Thank you to a few readers for the gentle reminder for another suitable Christmas present suggestion, which I can make in my column. I’m really not the best self-marketer.
My autobiography Barefoot and Before is still available from Amazon, or from Book-ish in Crickhowell. Chronicling my training to become the first person to run barefoot across Wales, the actual run itself, and the motivation behind it, it has some wonderful reviews and 91% 5* ratings.
I have also self-published a few other books. Personali-trees – whether you are a keen gardener or not, you will almost certainly have a favourite plant, tree or shrub. During thirty years of gardening I noticed that people’s choices of preferred plants often reflected various aspects of their own personalities. Just choose your favourite tree, shrub or flower and Personali-trees will offer a tongue-in-cheek insight to your personality based on your choice. A great light-hearted conversational book that will surprise you by its accuracy and endorsed by Peter Gabriel, Piers Morgan, Francis Rossi, Alex Jones, Russell Grant and of course everyone’s favourite ‘Allotmenteer’, Terry Walton. You can find out which is their favourite tree, shrub or plant and what it reveals about them too.
Allbutt’s Allsortium is a bumper book which I describe as a ‘Nature Lover’s Companion and Gardening Guide’. It is a real ‘bran tub’ of great information, creative ideas, humour and wisdom.
And Celebrity Chit-Chat is a compendium of the numerous celebrity interviews I have done over the years. You will find out some surprising secrets from our favourite celebrities.
You can find out more about all my books at www.lynneallbutt.co.uk/category/books/ Thank you in anticipation.
Be Kind – To Nature
I was pleased to see the Plant Britain initiative on Countryfile last weekend but at the risk of being a bit of a killjoy, I do worry a bit about the lack of realistic guidelines given when it comes to planting trees. It is a great concept but please research or take advice which tree would be best to plant in your chosen location. I was once asked to quote for a job that involved planting three oak trees in a small back garden because ‘they were his wife’s favourite trees’. I politely declined. It may sound like common sense, but unfortunately, it’s not so common these days.
I love the idea of ‘planting something’ that is suitable for the room you have. It doesn’t have to be a tree. Other plants can be chosen to provide food and or habitats for our numerous varieties of wildlife.
And there’s no need to go bonkers with a spade or trowel either, there are also other ways you can contribute to the wellbeing of our countryside. Making sure birds have food (and clean water) through the harsh winter months, providing suitable habitats for various species, clearing your garden of netting and other items, which are hazardous for hedgehogs. ‘Netting’ includes the nets on recycling boxes and on football goals. Our prickly friends can get tangled up so quickly and the more they struggle to free themselves the more tangled they get, so please just make sure the nets are of the ground and out of the hedgehogs’ way.
The most important thing you can do to make a difference is to give a damn. I get bent out of shape when I see people have fly-tipped all sorts of waste on our beautiful mountains, or left their fireworks and food packaging in a rural car park.
Yes, it’s a great idea to plant more trees – apparently 8,000 years ago a squirrel could travel from Land’s End to John O’Groats without touching the ground, staying in the tree canopies the whole way – but there are many, many other tree-mendous ways to contribute to our beautiful countryside too.
Pines and Needles
This weekend is the most popular weekend for putting up the Christmas tree, although this year a lot have gone up earlier in an attempt to lift the spirits, other than the alcoholic kind.
If you are displaying a cut tree indoors, always choose one before it is netted (and be mindful of hedgehogs and netting, remember!) so you can check it is a good shape and not already dropping its needles. A lot of Christmas trees are cut in October and kept in cold storage to enable suppliers to keep up with demand, so it’s just possible a few won’t have been stored properly and will be shedding needles before you get it home.
Once home, cut the net off (and dispose of carefully) and let your tree ‘relax’ somewhere cool and dry before bringing it into the house. Cut an inch or two off the base of the truck and stand in water to let it drink. Bringing it straight into a hot house can encourage it to ‘throw off it’s needles’, just as you would throw off your coat.
If at all possible stand your tree in water to display too, but it must be safe and secure. The last thing you want is it falling over and spilling the water everywhere. A 6ft tree will get through up to 2 pints of water a day, so be prepared to keep it topped up to keep the needles in the best health. Some people use lemonade to ‘feed’ their tree or apparently sugar in the water will help too – but that’s even more reason to make sure it doesn’t get knocked over. Try not to position right next to a radiator or wood burner for obvious reasons.
There have been various trends for non-real Christmas trees over the years. Popular colours have included black and even pink, a few years ago wooden trees were all the rage – a little ironic really – and most recently there was a market for upside-down trees displayed from the ceilings. I expect there will be some ‘trendsetters’ who will be hanging masks from their trees this year.
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