Wicked planting

I bet builders hate home-renovation shows. They must cringe as DIY celebrities Buff and Fluff [skills not included] randomly wave power tools around with seeming disregard to the rules and regulations that professionals must comply with. I also cringe at...

Too much soil in your soil

As I write this, I’m flying back from the UK after attending the Arboricultural Association’s annual conference; Soil and Trees.  It was a fantastic conference, well worth the effort and it was truly an honour to be able to speak at it.   Soil compaction was a...

Into the rabbit hole

I love the fact that trees don’t read books and that the laws of nature don’t always seem to apply to nature. I love this, and to serve as a constant reminder I have my very own illiterate disobedient tree in my backyard. It is a cutting from an old apple tree. The...

Up the duff

Who would have thought the word ‘duff’ could have so many different meanings? I’ve just searched it on the internet and the international variations are quite… extreme. In my mind, ‘up the duff’ was going to be a slightly suggestive heading connecting urban soil to...

Not with the blue grease

Many years ago, I met a horse whisperer. I was flying first-class and it was the first time I had been up-front during a long-haul flight. It was an upgrade of an upgrade and I was thoroughly enjoying the experience – as one does when is served pre-take off...