Noel Kingsbury

On hearing him say ‘When it comes to strawberries, I like the bit just below the skin’, one could be forgiven for thinking Toby Buckland, a blue-sky sort of man. However, just forty minutes of conversation revealed an erudite, practical gardener, whose knowledge is far more profound than ever divulged on television. From widespread press coverage, it’s clear that the Buckland PR drive has been rather successful, as most will [...]

Typically textbook; herbaceous plants are classified according to plant lifespan. That is, annuals, biennials and perennials, where the latter outlives the former. The widely accepted definition of the herbaceous perennial, is hence a plant that lives longer than two years. No surprises there. However, as so cleverly argued in Noel Kingsbury’s recent article in the Plantsman, entitled ‘The long-term performance of herbaceous perennials‘, despite their prototypical portrayal and the best [...]

Everyone has their clandestine vices; mine is reading the Daily Mail. Something, which prior to this heroic disclosure, was very much kept under the radar. The daily digestion thereof, requires limited mental aptitude and its content certainly not to be accepted as gospel. However, the entertainment value is priceless and this week was no different. As expected, the focus of current coverage is the imminent Royal wedding of Prince William [...]