Gardens Can Change Lives?

Gardens, they come in all shapes and sizes.  From the humble back garden to the stately country park estate.  But they all have the same thing in common.  They bring great pleasure to both young and old.  They keep you fit and can reduce your stress levels.  The joy of sitting on the patio with a cup of tea admiring the colorful blooms can give you so much satisfaction.

Garden centres and Nurseries are there to readily supply the professional gardener right down to the novice who likes to potter around in their back garden.  Every garden tool, through to packs of seeds. Different shaped pots, bedding plants, shrubs and trees all lined up for the grand designer.

But it takes many years and perseverance to get an established garden. But don’t despair. If you don’t have the space, or don’t have the green fingers, all is not lost.  There are many fine gardens around the world where you can visit.

The gardens at the Chateau de Versailles in France. 250 acres filled with paths that lead to flower beds and quiet tranquil areas filled with ornaments and lakes. The Royal Botanical gardens in Kew, England. This is filled with greenhouses.  Beneath the domes, botanical science and conservation come together.  In the grounds is housed the largest Victorian greenhouse in the world.  The Bonsai house has trees that are more than 150 years old.

For something more colorful there is the Keukenhof gardens in The Netherlands. It has more than 7 million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths within its grounds.  The Netherlands is famous for its tulips and the growing of bulbs.  100 million bulbs are exported annually around the world.

Gardens also feature in many a good novel.  The Secret Garden written by Frances Hodgson Burnett based in Yorkshire, England.  Where a young orphan discovers the secret garden in her Uncle’s gloomy estate and brings it back to life.

Oscar Wilde wrote a short story called The Selfish Giant’s Garden.  The giant builds a high wall to keep the children out of his beautiful garden.  The garden is plunged into continual winter until the day the children return.

Tom’s Midnight Garden is another classic novel where Tom who lives in an urban apartment block. He slips out one night to discover a magical garden that existed many years ago.

Nursery rhymes do not escape the garden topic. Small little ditties like Round and round the garden written in the 1940’s.  But the most related nursery rhyme is Mary Mary quite contrary written around the 1700’s
Mary Mary quite contrary
How does your garden grow?
With cockle shells and silver bells
And pretty maids in a row.

But I prefer this version written in 2015
Mary Mary quite contrary
How does your garden grow?
With coco peat and coir blocks
Supplied by Boyce Agro.

Enjoy your garden, whatever size.  Real or mythical.

CHRISTOPHER HUNT

BOYCE AGRO

UK

British Gardens during the Roman Years

To get a good picture of Romano-British gardens of antiquity, we must consider their prototypes in Italy. Horticulture in primitive Italy, as in other countries, was at its beginning merely intended for practical purposes. Gradually the Latin word hortus, applied in the days of republican simplicity to a field of vegetables, was stretched, at the time of the luxurious emperors, to denote pleasure gardens of the utmost magnificence. In this latter period, the source of every new form of Roman art, including garden architecture, was Greece, which in its turn had received inspiration from Egypt, Persia, and Assyria.

Egyptian gardens are the earliest of which definite records still exist. Pictures and inscriptions, dating far back into the centuries before Christ, show that most Egyptian dwellings were built around a series of courtyards containing vegetation both useful and ornamental. Originally, a row of trees along the inner wall of the building shaded it and the enclosed quadrangle. Later, the tree trunks gave place to solid columns, and the overhanging branches to projecting rafters, which resulted in a general effect foreshadowing the Greek peristyle (columned porch or colonnade) and monastic cloisters.

Religious significance was attached to almost every feature in pre-Christian gardens, and tree worship was observed in all ancient countries. Among the favorites were the pine, the emblem of Cybele, the oak of Jupiter, the laurel of Apollo, the myrtle of Venus, the poplar of Hercules, and the olive of Minerva. The cypress was also grown in many places. Yew, although common, was not much esteemed; instead, juniper and rosemary were often employed for topiary work.   Box, too, was frequently clipped, and then, as now, considered the best shrub for edgings.

The rose, the lily, and the violet were among the most distinguished flowers of antiquity, but the narcissus, anemone, gladiolus, iris, poppy, amaranth, immortelle, verbena, periwinkle, and crocus were also cultivated and admired. Many flowerless plants like basil, sweet marjoram, and thyme were grown for their fragrance, while the acanthus was welcome on account of its beautiful foliage. Ivy covered the walls or was trained to form garlands between trees and columns.

Comments if any kindly share with us at mail@boyceagro.com. Boyce Agro is a leading exporter of cocopeat and garden supplies.

Wimbledon and strawberries - An untold Story

With Wimbledon 2015 just around the corner (29th June 2015) our thoughts don't just turn to the tennis and the manicured courts. But also the red succulent strawberry.  With 8600 punnets containing 10 strawberries are expected to be sold each day over the two week tournament. Strawberries are synonymous with this annual fortnight.

It is one of the most popular 'fruits' in the world. There are more than 10 species that differ in flavour, size and texture, yet all have the same heart shaped , red flesh and seeded coat. But did you know the strawberry is actually not a fruit. It is in fact a member of the rose family.

Strawberries have a long history and date back to the Roman times. Native to many parts of the world. Hundreds of varieties exist to cross breeding techniques.

In 1714 a French engineer commissioned to Chile and Peru saw that the strawberry native to those regions was much larger than those in Europe. He brought back a sample to cultivate in France. The end result was our sweet hybrid garden strawberry.

Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C and K also providing fibre, folic acid, manganese and potassium. Their fibre and fructose content may help regulate blood sugar levels by slowing digestion, and the fibre is thought to have satiating effect. Their leaves can also be eaten raw, cooked or used to make tea.

The vibrant red colour of strawberries is due to large amounts of anthocyanidin. This means they contain powerful antioxidants and thought to protect against inflammatory cancer and heart disease.

The even better news is that strawberries can easily be grown in coco peat grow bags and you can get a good crop of tasty fruit from the smallest garden or patio, or even a sunny balcony.

But finally just a word of warning....go easy on the fresh cream topping.

Enjoy the tennis and love the strawberries.  But bring your brolly!

CHRISTOPHER HUNT

BOYCE AGRO

UK

Use Coco Peat For Horses Feet

Yes I know, horses have hooves but whether you have a thoroughbred or an old nag the point is still relevant. Owning a horse can be quite stressful. But it is often said this is outweighed by the joy they bring. Very much like any other pet, the more you give, the greater the reward.

To keep and maintain a healthy horse they obviously need the basics. Food, fresh water, a space to exercise and of course a nice comfortable dry bed.

Coco peat can provide this with many  advantages over the basic straw or wood shavings. It is recommended by vets and farriers and is growing in popularity as an alternative.

Coco peat bedding lasts longer than the standard material and once it needs replacing, it can easily be used on your garden without composting as is completely bio degradable.

The cost of owning a horse can also be inhibitive as veterinary costs can add significant charges to the initial cost of the horse itself. Vaccinations can help reduce many diseases and some conditions can be helped with the use of coco peat. It helps to reduce hoof mould and bacterial activity such as thrush. The product can also help horses with bronchial disease and who are allergic to dust. This will be welcome news in reducing the vet visits.

I myself have recently walked on a layer of coco peat and can vouch for the softness underfoot. So as I said earlier, USE COCO PEAT FOR HORSES FEET and It makes sense.

CHRISTOPHER HUNT
BOYCE AGRO
UK

All About Basil And Its Health Benefits

Basil is one of the most popular herbs used in cooking today. It is a very versatile herb, and is used in Italian, Thai and Vietnamese cuisines amongst many others.

It has a warm, aromatic but gentle flavor, with a hint of spicey aniseed. It's well known that it goes extremely well with tomatoes, where it can be served raw in salads such as the classic Italian Caprese, or cooked into a rich tomato sauce for pasta or other hot dishes.

Basil is also popular as the prime ingredient of pesto sauce (known as pistou in France), which is made by pounding fresh basil leaves with pine kernals, olive oil, parmesan cheese and garlic to produce the distinctive thick green sauce so often used with spaghetti or as a dipping condiment.

Like most herbs, basil is widely available in both fresh and dried forms. Again like most herbs, the fresh version is generally considered to be superior. If you come across a cheap and bountiful supply of the fresh herb, you can dry it slowly in a very low oven before crumbling it and storing in airtight jars. This method of preserving it costs much in terms of flavour though, and a better option is to puree the leaves and freeze into ice cubes, which can then be dropped from frozen straight into the recipe you're cooking.

Basil can be quite expensive to buy in the fresh form, so if you become a fan of the herb you might like to try growing it yourself - it's much cheaper that way, and you can also ensure that the leaves you're using will be as fresh as can be! It's also one of the easier herbs to grow and so is ideal for beginners.

Basil is a native of warm climates, and so needs to be planted in a sunny and sheltered spot if it is to flourish. If you have a patio or terrace with a south facing wall, then sowing it in a pot there is ideal. It's all the better too if you can grow it close to your kitchen for easy picking whenever you need it!

Left to itself, basil will tend to grow into a tall, thin, ungenerous-looking plant with little in the way of edible leaves. You can encourage a more rewardingly bushy growth by 'pinching out' the plant as it grows, removing the top young leaves to encourage more sideways growth. Harvesting the herb regularly will also encourage more vigorous growth.

Basil is a tender annual, and will die off quickly in cold weather. You may be able to prolong its life by bringing it indoors at the first sign of a cold snap, or you could sow a succession of new plants indoors for a year-round supply.

Although it is mainly a culinary herb, basil does have some minor antiseptic properties, but is not widely used medicinally by herbalists. It is however a member of the wider mint herb family, and in common with its relatives it's said to be a good digestive aid.

There are many varieties of basil available, but the most popular are the Genovese type which gives the typical authentic italian flavour and aroma, and the purple-leaved 'holy' basil which is used more often in Asian cooking.

Whichever variety you choose, and whether you decide to buy it or grow it, basil is a treat for your senses and a great addition to your culinary toolbox.

Basil can be grown in home and kitchen gardens with the help of coco peat. Coco peat gives uniform and full potential grow for the plants so there is short fall of benefits.

This article is written and posted by Boyce Agro - A coco peat manufacturer and exporter from India and srilanka. 

Recent Rains Ease Coconut Production In India and Srilanka

Coconut is grown in more than 90 countries of the world, tropical countries like India and Srilanka has the maximum fields for Coconut cultivation and produces around 40-50 million tonnes of coconut per year.

Drought in Coconut cultivation areas in Tamilnadu, India and Srilanka was a concern to farmers and Industries dependent on Coconut in both the countries. Recent rain has brought a sense of relief. Rains will definitely help say the local farmers

The experts of agricultural meteorology department state that if there would have been further delay in the rainfall activity, it would have hampered coconut production on a massive level but the rain has occurred just at the right time.

Relief for farmers and industries depending on the coconut like the coco peat manufacturers in India and Srilanka.

Are You Into Landscaping? Take Advantage of Coco Peat

Landscaping is more technological than natural like understanding soil qualities, identifying native flora and fauna and lot more to consider if you want desired results according to landscape experts.

Use organic landscaping methods to get beautiful lawns and better shape for some family fun. Since coco peat is organic growing medium, it has capability to produce enormous outcome for landscaping purpose.  Mixing coco peat for soil work as conditioning and it will provide proper water and fertilizer whenever required. Due to this great characteristics it has proved less leaching of fertilizers.

Coco Peat will give instant results and also add value to your land by increasing fertility with its organic properties present in it. People always prefer less maintenance and maximum results, it is possible through organic landscaping itself when we use right mix of coco peat and it is easily rewettable too.

Coco Peat have ability to support and tremendous benefits to lawn growth to its fullest potential and gives natural resistance to diseases. It gives uniformity in lawn growth by giving nutrients at right time to maintain its freshness and give landscaping a unique support.  

Promote organic, use coco peat to gain maximum benefits out of it for landscaping applications.

Boyce Agro - Manufacturer and Supplier of Coco Peat for leading horticulture, Hydroponic and green turf construction companies worldwide. For more information, please visit www.boyceagro.com