The Grow Institute

23/02/2023

Peat free compost - we all need to get used to it, so it was really good to have a chat on the RHS podcast about how to grow your seeds successfully peat free! Jenny Bowden also talks about our box alternatives survey here at the RHS - so well worth a listen.

‎Show Gardening with the RHS, Ep Sustainable Alternatives - Feb 23, 2023

13/01/2023

I love doing a podcast, and Claire and myself are looking forward to doing more training and development for both professional and amateur horticulturalists in 2023 - A bit late but Happy New Year!

‎Show Gardening with the RHS, Ep An Ode to the Hedge - 12 Jan 2023

15/08/2022

It was great to be interviewed by Gardens Illustrated, with colleagues from work, for tips on how to make your garden more resilient to weather extremes
https://www.gardensillustrated.com/garden-advice/dry-gardens/adapting-drought-gardening-tips/

As the hot weather in the UK continues, we ask three horticultural experts of the realities of drought on gardens and how we should be adapting the way we garden to hotter, drier conditions in the summer, and wetter, warmer conditions in the winter

06/06/2022

Well done Blue Star, always great to see your work

12/05/2022

The Blue Star team built this pergola from scratch last year, and planted some gorgeous climbers, which are all looking fabulous this spring! It's great to watch the gardens we maintain develop, and see how much pleasure they bring to residents.

24/02/2022

We delivered a positive, interactive, online training session for gardeners and head gardeners at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission yesterday, discussing biological controls and sustainability in the managed landscape.
If your company or organisation has any horticultural training requirements, we deliver online courses and sessions, tailored to your needs.

Message myself or Claire Lakey via LinkedIn, facebook, instagram or email on [email protected] for more information.

29/09/2021

well done to Blue Star, always great to work with!

Fantastic to see the pergola designed by Serge Barker, and built by the Blue Star team, feature in this article in Gardeners World magazine. Great soft landscaping installation and maintenance by the team too!

22/04/2021

https://www.udemy.com/course/a-guide-to-evergreen-shrubs/learn/lecture/25669360

Claire and I are producing a series of online courses to help you get the most from your plants

Udemy is the world's largest destination for online courses. Discover an online course on Udemy.com and start learning a new skill today.

30/08/2020

Retro colour scheme sunflowers. Swipe left to see how the sunflowers match the front door colour. Even the bumble bee is joining in! Loving the late summer colour scheme.

25/08/2020

A bowl of horticultural treasure.
I’ve been out and about collecting some cones, clippings and seed heads from Magnolia grandiflora, Ginkgo biloba, Sequoiadendron giganteum Sequoia sempervirens, and Metasequoia glyptostroboides. Some truly legendary trees!

25/08/2020

More Campsis radicans!
I first encountered Campsis radicans (great name) when John Brookes asked me to spur prune an established specimen growing up the red-brick clock tower at Denmans during my Work Based Learning 25 years ago. That was up a ladder in the depths of winter Brrrrrrrr. Now I have paid my dues (according to Kemal), I am not only able to smell the roses but to stare down the reddish orange tropical trumpets of Campsis radicans and have a private viewing of some little gold tiaras. I never knew they were there!
This what I love about studying plants, so many new and fascinating things to see and learn. If you would like to join in the plant love fest, join Nikki and I and our discussion about some of our favourite and not so favourite plants. Click the link below for a sample talk. Claire x
All about the plants!
Find all our podcasts with the link below 👇
https://youtu.be/Ss1IeYS3HOQ
Latest video link below:
https://youtu.be/Y4UyEn_ob1Mm.youtube.com/channel/UCPYExCPxKGJUfFXuxNedoHw

🌸

24/08/2020

Campsis radicans 😃

2 gorgeous summer perennials to get you started. If you want to know more about this type of plant, join us for one or more of our virtual lecture series in the autumn. Contact us at [email protected] and follow our facebook and instagram pages for more information.

Link here and in Bio for the latest taster!

https://youtu.be/Y4UyEn_ob1M