Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail. 11th August 2018 
Cool Coat
Those dastardly Time Pirates have been busy looting again. I’m not quite sure where July went but it took the first week of August with it.
Last June was the warmest June on record on record in Wales, with Wales being the hottest place in the UK; July was much the same, and some of the August days have already been hotter than a Dragon’s Breath chilli (see Hot Lips), and which means Wales is still well on track to have had the driest summer on record, beating 1976.
It is hard enough working outdoors in the heat without worrying about my four-legged friend, so Yogi has been treated to a Swamp Cooler Jacket to keep her cool. I was a bit sceptical at first but it works a treat and has made her much more comfy in work, making my days easier too.
Simply soak the jacket in cold water and put it on, and it wicks away heat from the dog without wetting their coat. She has been so much more relaxed and is back to ‘sleeping on the job’, rather than huffing and puffing and panting about the place!
You can buy online at www.ruffwear.co.uk or buy locally at Crickhowell Adventure Gear. The advantage of going local is that you can try it on your dog; it took me two goes to get the right size for Yogi. (XS was the right fit.) Now I just need to find something similar in my size!
Hot Lips
A Welsh fruit grower who was trying to come up with a novel entry for last year’s Chelsea Flower Show accidentally created the hottest chilli ever recorded. Mike Smith, from Denbighshire, declared himself “chuffed” if a little “surprised” to learn that his peppers measured a formidable 2.48 million on the Scoville heat scale, a ‘Dragon’s Breath’ ahead of the 2.2 million achieved by the infamous Carolina Reaper.
Mike didn’t set out to breed the chilli for heat but for beauty. He explained, “It was a complete accident but I’m chuffed to bits – it’s a lovely looking tree.” The owner of Tom Smith’s Plants, set up the business in memory of his father, who he said would be “thrilled” about the Chelsea Flower Show entry.
The one-metre-high tree was grown in collaboration with scientists from Nottingham Trent University, who believe oil from the chillis is so potent it could act as an alternative anaesthetic for those allergic to conventional drugs. Experts believe that anyone who attempted to swallow one of the chilli peppers would be at risk of death from anaphylactic shock.
The Dragon’s Breath is so powerful that one drop of its capsaicin oil would be detectable in 2.48 million drops of water and by contrast, US Army Pepper Spray, used to blind and disorientate assailants, measures only 2 million on the Scoville scale. You definitely don’t want to be rubbing your eyes – or anything else – after chopping this little devil.
You may not want to grow your own Dragon’s Breath but as creators and suppliers for Show Gardens, Mike also has a stock of mature fruit trees such as oranges, calamondin, grapefruit, lemon, kumquat and Limequat – now that’s a tasty choice!
More details from www.tomsmithplants.com
Warm Welcome
The fabulous Terry Walton, Radio 2’s Allotmenteer, and I will be rolling out our (in)famous double act as we open Llangynidr Show on the 26th August.
We will also be giving a talk and answering questions during the afternoon, so do please come along and say ‘Hello’. It is my absolute favourite Show, a real ‘old-fashioned’ proper family Show, with local characters working extremely hard to make it a huge success every year and providing something for everyone, from the popular ‘dog who looks most like his owner’ competition to Vintage vehicles, stick making, a craft and garden show and lots more.
More details at www.llangynidrshow.org – put the date in your diary and see you there.
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