Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail. 13th August 2016
Don’t be ‘Left’ Out
Today, the 13th August is International Left Hander’s Day, a day to celebrate being left handed, and to raise awareness for the everyday challenges of being left handed in a world designed for right-handed people.
To be honest I have never given left handed gardening tools another thought until a reader wrote in a few weeks ago to ask if I could recommend left handed secateurs. I asked a left handed colleague for advise and he recommended Felco as being the most comfortable to use although left handed models from Darlac, Fiskars, Wilkinson Sword are worth testing out too.
I was intrigued to know what makes the left handed secateurs different and basically they have the blades reversed, like scissors.
There are two types of secateur blades: anvil and bypass. It is the bypass secateurs (which have a cutting action similar to a scissor) that particularly benefit from a left-handed design. With the blades reversed and hand grips comfortably positioned for left-hand use, the cut is clean and sharp – vital to prevent damage to the plant and possible infection.
The Original Blackberry
I love blackberry picking at this time of year as it evokes fabulous memories of long productive harvesting walks with my Nan. It irritates me immensely to see that if you Google blackberry, the fruit has been demoted to page 3 in favour of the mobile phone.
However, I have to forgive the Internet as it also provides me with a few more unusual recipes for my beloved berries.
I have recently made the most delicious Blackberry and lavender syrup. By steeping the lavender in the blackberries as they simmer, the flavour is infused into the juice. This fragrant combination creates a lovely syrup that works as a topping for breakfast treats like pancakes or waffles or a bowl of ice cream as well. It will thicken when chilled so re-warm as necessary for serving.
You will need:
- 6 oz blackberries
- 7 oz sugar
- ½ pint water
- 2 tablespoons dried lavender
Bring the blackberries, sugar, water and lavender to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 40 minutes or until thick and blackberries are very soft. Strain through fine-mesh sieve and let cool.
Wonderful Welsh Plants
I have recently found the most amazing little plant nursery and it’s right on my doorstep! I can’t beat their own description which reads, ‘A beautiful plant nursery set in the old walled kitchen garden of a Victorian Gothic house specialising in hardy plants grown in Wales which are structural, unusual, edible, herbal or fragrant.’
A few weeks ago I wrote about the virtues of the ‘Eau du Cologne’ mint and was delighted to find it stocked in abundance at the Walled Garden, Treberfydd. And not only that but it was proudly taking it’s place amongst a number of other varieties of mint including chocolate and the gorgeous Moroccan mint with it’s pretty bright green crinkled leaves and which is first class for making mint tea.
I also treated myself to a rather unusual Vietnamese coriander, which has highly aromatic edible leaves. It grows to approx. 1 m high and apparently has an ‘infinite’ spread, which will be interesting.
Alison and her cheerful crew are all extremely helpful and knowledgeable and I am looking forward to participating in some of the workshops and events they hold throughout the year. I had just missed the rather civilised Flute and Champagne Evening where guests were invited to stroll around the beautiful walled garden with a glass of bubbles and being serenaded by flutes. You don’t get that at the garden centre chains.
The Walled garden is at Llangasty near Llangorse in the stunning Brecon Beacons and if you do have to travel a little way to get there, then Brecon, Crickhowell or even Hay on Wye aren’t too far away to make up your day out.
Tel: 01874 730169 or visit walledgardentreberfydd.com for more information.
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