Hippyshopper

Solar Garden Sculptures from Micromark

The latest line of garden beauties from Micromark takes the solar garden light and embeds it in sculptural stone-style elements called the Twist, Tango, Waltz and Bolero. Each is accented with long-lasting LEDs. No price given, but Micromark claims they offer "value for money" so they're probably not astronomical. [GT]

Micromark Outdoor and Garden lights

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Hydrohobby, for all your hydroponics gear

Instead of leaving the basement idle, or worse, a catch-all for junk best either recycled, given away or (worst case) tossed, consider turning it into a year-round garden. With a Hydrogarden Grow Tent (for example) you can get a hydroponic garden up and running in surprisingly short time without having to know much - according to HydroHobby, anyhow. Growing it yourself would be the ultimate in local-local-local produce, and with hydroponics you know exactly what's going into the food (and therefore into your body). This particular setup costs £175 for a 1.2m version, or £345 for a 2m box. [GT]

Hydrogarden Grow Tent

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World's Tallest Organic Roses

Show her you love her thiiiis big - but are still green at heart - with the world's tallest roses from Organic Bouquet.  (Not that you can get them in time for Valentine's Day; they're sold out until early March.)  Grown at high altitude in Ecuador, the roses are nearly two meters tall, with blooms spanning ten centimeters across.  (They recommend you also spring for the galvanized steel vase-cum-bucket to keep them in, at an additional modest charge.)  $250 USD for one dozen; $450 USD for two dozen.  (At that price they'd better be fair trade!)  [GT]

World's Tallest Organic Roses

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Rhimax Durable Felt Paper

Providing a biodegradable (and lower-cost) alternative to landscaping fabric or Rosin paper, Rhimax felt paper adds nutrients to the soil and reduces erosion. It's also made from recycled paper materials which you can buy in 100cm or 50cm roll width or custom sizes for large-scale projects. It can also be used for drop sheets in painting projects, ground protection in garages, etc. [GT]

Rhimax felt paper

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Instant Bonsai - just remove genes

Scientists in Japan, working with colleagues in Michigan, have figured out a way to genetically suppress growth in plants, resulting in miniature versions.  If the growth hormone gibberellin, controlled by genes GAMT1 and GAMT2, is reintroduced, the offspring come out normal.  The result's been dubbed instant bonsai, with potential results ranging from real live pine trees to hang from your car mirror as a natural air freshener, to grapevines tiny enough to grow next to the sprouts on your kitchen worktop.  While genetic engineering is involved, it's quite different to splicing fish DNA into tomatoes: gibberellin is absent in dwarf plants that exist in nature already.  [GT]

Instant bonsai [in Japanese]

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Call for proposals for six art gardens in Quebec City

Quebec City's 400th anniversary occurs in 2008, and part of the celebration involves six Contemporary Ephemeral Gardens. Each garden will be designed by a living artist, to be established in the heart of the festivities, and to live only so long as the celebration does, from June 10 to September 28, 2008. Each garden should address the three major themes of the festival:

Where the river narrows;
Your history, my history, our history ;
and Sowing the seeds of culture.

[GT]

A Call For Creation Of Contemporary Ephemeral Gardens [via Land+Living]

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The Organic Gardening Catalogue

For those who still like to curl up with a (recycled newsprint) catalog and individually select each seed, herb and compost option over a myriad damp and dreary winter afternoons, the Organic Gardening Catalog has everything from biological pest controls to pear trees for your brand new partridge. All purchases go to support Garden Organic's charity work promoting organic farming. (Yes, of course you can just order stuff online instead; what year did you think this was, 1977?) [GT]

Organic Gardening Catalog

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For Pete's sake lay off the peat

The Scottish Wildlife Trust has added its voice to those of Alan Titchmarsh and Monty Don in urging gardeners to stop using peat.

Although peat only covers 3% of the earth, it is an extremely importantant wildlife habitat - and consequently part of conservation. Added to that, peat bogs actually lock-in carbon from the atmosphere, that would otherwise contribute to the greenhouse effect.

Unfortunately, amateur gardeners are not heeding the message and there has been no change in their consumption of peat as a growing medium.

To hear on Monty Don's views on climate change and how it affects (and indeed should affect) gardening, check out this month's Gardeners' World magazine.

[Via Independent]

2006 roundup #12: Los Angeles urban farm bulldozed

There were bigger stories and bigger injustices in 2006, but the story that touched me came from Daryl Hannah's environmentalist video blog, involving the  bulldozing of an urban farm in Los Angeles.  The farm had supported dozens of dirt-poor migrant families with its produce, and the produce - absorbing massy carbon dioxide from the smog - was spectacular.  But, a corporation bought it to turn into warehouse space, and though it sold for $6.5 mil USD to them, they demanded $16 mil USD from the Public Land Trust to give it up.  Folk singer Joan Baez tree-sat to try to save the farm but ultimately it was destroyed.  [GT]

Original stories: Los Angeles urban farm bulldozed | Joan Baez braves bulldozers for LA organic garden | Daryl Hannah on green architecture

Primrose offers Eric and Buzz, the ducks

The rather improbably named Eric and Buzz sculptures are ducks made of cold-cast bronze, for your garden (which, given the weather, may well still be in bloom). They're 34cm tall, with a hand-finished bronze patina and weatherproof, so you can stick them right out in the snow, er, muck, right now if you like. Buy 'em both at once at £129, which means you save £20, or buy one or the other at £75. Available sometime in 2007. [GT]

Eric and Buzz - Garden duck sculptures

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2006 roundup #27: Using Nature to natural effect with Green Cone and Can-o-worms

I reviewed the Green Cone a few months ago, but basically, it's a solar-powered (in the simplest and lowest-tech sense: it uses black plastic to make the sun get hotter so it reduces the contents into compost more efficiently) cone that you dump any kind of food into.  Dairy, meat, the regular, it doesn't matter.  It does have to be buried partway in the ground, though, so it's not for urbanites (but I'll revisit electric composters later).  The Can-o-worms takes this a step further, being a stack of five worm habitats that you layer organic waste into.  By the time you've laid on the last habitat, the bottom one is full of compost ready to be emptied, and the process continues.  Again, no mains power involved; they both use natural principles that've existed since either the Big Bang or "let there be light" (or your personal equivalent).  [GT]

Original stories: Review: Green Cone solar-powered composter | Can-o-worms

2006 roundup #28: Plonk: kills bugs, dead

We wanted science behind our home remedies in 2006, and science did not disappoint.  Fave story: farmers in India, too poor to use conventional pesticides, started dousing their crops with rotgut.  Here comes the science: it works; plonk kills bugs dead.  Maybe every good Hippyshopper should have their own still in the basement?  We also saw publication of The Truth about Garden Remedies: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why which breaks down whether you can kill slugs with beer, whether you should buy commercial compost tea, and what Epsom salts do for your pH.  While Grandmother may be wise, it's great to have evidence.  [GT]

Original stories: Plonk: kills bugs, dead | Review: The Truth about Garden Remedies: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why

2006 roundup #31: Logmaker burns, Umbrella stand waters

Often we end up with heaps of stuff we should recycle, but it would be nice if there were something we could do in our own home.  The Logmaker gives us an option for those piles of old newspapers: stuff them in there and it reverts to something not unlike the chunk of tree it once was, suitable for placing in some warming glowy fireplace (and do scatter the ashes on your garden afterward).  Gadgets like this, with a long life, an obvious application, and which are fun to use, are absolutely the best.  The Eco-friendly Umbrella Stand was another one - the spike you hang your umbrella on which enables the water to drip into the plant, saving you mess and reusing the water.  We really need more like those in 2007.

Original stories: Logmaker, Logmaker, get me a match | Eco-friendly Umbrella Stand

How green is your Christmas tree?

If you must have a live tree in the house at Christmas (and many of us don't feel the holiday's truly there without one) seriously consider a root-balled tree so that it can be re-planted when the season's over. No matter what, you should be buying from a British Christmas Tree Growers Association certified retailer to ensure your tree is local, sustainable, well-cared for, and will survive the entire season in good condition. (Then compost or mulch it, if it's not up for replanting.) [GT]

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Hen & Hammock

So many people are going for huge, and frankly, tacky, outdoor decorations this Christmas. Skip that and do something that not only blends in beautifully to nature, but it actually attracts beauty and doesn't have to be taken down at the end of the season. I refer to the Pack of 4 bird seed Christmas decorations from Hen and Hammock, which are traditional bird feed done up in a festive way. This way you have the chance to see nature's feathered pretties, which are also self-cleaning for the most part. £5 for the set of 4. [GT]

Pack of 4 bird seed Christmas decorations from Hen and Hammock [via Treehugger]

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Bionic Gloves let you till with your bare hands

While this probably isn't quite what you think of when you think Bionic Gloves, it legitimately is hand-wear that increases your grip strength by providing strategic support along the fingers and palm. By doing similar things with your wrist it also enables you to carry more, longer, and with less injury to your hands. Okay, you won't be crushing coal into diamonds, but you will have a reasonable shot at a better golf drive or pulling weeds up in a single dangling mass. Available in white, tan and driving black. [GT]

Bionic Gloves [via SciFi Tech]

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Tree Shop, for the person who has everything

As opposed to being one of those eco groups that plants random trees as an act of kindness, Tree Shop lets you pick your own specific trees from over six million traceable options, and plant them in an area where you know needs kindness (ie, your back garden). Selection includes broadleaf and coniferous trees, hedge plants, brushes, fruit trees, planting accessories, and more. They also have a comprehensive service via Woodland Improvement for those wanting to plant large areas. [GT]

Tree Shop

Related stories: Tree Art, drawn by trees | Ecoist: buy a bag to plant a tree | Make it a Treeflight

EarthBox: a complete garden in a pot

Well sure, we'd all love to have fresh garden vegetables with next to no effort - but apparently with the EarthBox we actually can.  Using a combination of smart fertilizing techniques and water management that prevents both over and under watering, it's mostly smart thinking, rather than technological advancements, that make the EarthBox look like an appealing piece of gear. And at only $60 USD for an entire kit, it looks well worth a try - I'm thinking about picking up one for myself. [GT]

EarthBox [via Hugg]

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Seattle hires goats

Instead of dosing the English ivy and blackberries on a high-altitude hillside (where any pesticides would inevitably flow downward into the groundwater), Seattle hired goats to eat them.  For £1250 they got 280 goats, which methodically set to consume the entire fire hazard in an area that would be labour-intensive and unsafe for humans, and difficult for machines.  Eating 5-6 pounds per day, with 280 goats, the entire project should be finished by the weekend, with no ill effects beyond some manure.  [GT]

Goats make quick work of weeds

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Bouquet Bouquet non-floral bouquets

Sometimes flowers just aren't appropriate - allergies, venue restrictions, or wanting to give a gift that's pretty but still practical. Bouquet Bouquet makes useful items into what looks like a flower, but when you're tired of looking at it, you can disassemble it into usable components. The Classic Baby Bouquet, shown here, is composed of a sleepsuit with matching vest, hat and mittens made of organic cotton, a facecloth, premium soap and five pairs of socks. £50. To get a first-hand look, visit the UK's Biggest Baby Show October 20-22 at Earls Court. [GT]

Classic Baby Bouquet from Bouquet Bouquet

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163 things you can compost from PlanTea

We've mentioned PlanTea organic plant fertilizer before, but here's a nice set of tips from them: a whopping 163 things you can compost that you may not have previously considered.  I know I hadn't thought about doing freezerburnt fish (that means Flashman the goldfish is going out in the heap tomorrow morning) or even, to be honest, stale peanut butter sandwiches.  164 if you go straight to the end: British organic gardening writer, Bob Flowerdew, swears by peeing on his compost saying that urine acts as an accelerator. Actually he refers to it rather delicately as 'recycling his cider and beer.'  So drink up, lads!  [GT]

163 things you can compost [via PlanTea]

Compost me, Belu water bottle | Compost anywhere with the Urbanwaste Composter | Rolypig: World's cutest composter?

Ready to Grow rare and unusual seeds

Ready to Grow provides chilli, tomato, banana, exotic fruit and flower seeds from all around the world. Pictured here, for instance, is the Solanum Mammosum, a shrubby perennial from Ecuador that is also known as the Nipple or Titty fruit, and has homeopathic applications. (Yes, yes.) Despite recent changes in UK shipping rates, it's still only 80p P + P, no matter how large your order. [GT]

Ready to Grow

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Barwinnock fragrant herbs

Barwinnock Herbs offers a tailored mix of starter herbs for those with a blackish tinge on their thumb or who simply have never had an herb garden before.  You can plump for a culinary herb starter at £16, which is Angelica, Chives, Welsh onions, Fennel, Horseradish Lovage, Mace, Marjoram, Mints Rosemary, Sage, Savory, Tarragon, and Thyme; the Perfumed Garden (£17.50) which is Catmint, Balm of Gilead, Bergamot, Camphor, Lavender, Eau de Cologne mint, Hyssop, Chamomile, Cotton Lavender, Meadowsweet, Melilot, Southernwood, and Wormwood; the Fragrant Chamomile Lawn £35.00 for 100 seedlings) which is a mix of grass and chamomile, or five cuttings of Russian comfrey for £2.50.  These are not seeds!  They're actual bare-rooted plants, which are much easier to get growing in your own space.  [GT]

Barwinnock Herbs

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Orkney Seaweed for Your Garden

Seaweed has long been used on gardens to help promote plant growth. Orkney Seaweed Company has updated this idea and manufactures liquid seaweed. They point out that their liquid seaweed product is a true organic product, made without the use of chemicals from fresh seaweed. They offer two main variants, Seapower for the commercial grower and SimplySeaweed for the amateur gardener,which is available from Harrod Horticultural. [John]

Orkney Seaweed Company Ltd

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The Lazy Environmentalist

The Lazy Environmentalist bills itself as an emporium where originality and sustainibility are inextribly intertwined. Here the curious may purchase such varied materials as the Archeologist Tub (pictured at left), a Pair of Oak Dibblers, Cartapesta Roses, and a Baby Cocoon. A most unique collection of items, you will no doubt agree. Each item is listed with its own "eco-footprint" tracing its orgin and impact on the environment. The site also includes an eco-glossary to further aid the customer.

The Lazy Environmentalist

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Save some Rio Negro Basin with Staro

Psst, wanna buy some rainforest? Staro has optioned 500 square km of virgin treeland in downtown Rio Negro Basin for us to pick up one piece at a time. A whole acre costs £65 but if you're not up to that you can do a much smaller piece of land. Staro is keeping the area from slash-and-burn farming, and turning the area into a conservation zone for sustainable agriculture. If you want to learn more, check out Rainforest Saver. [GT]

Save an acre of rainforest with Staro [via StyleWillSaveUs]

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Barnet Garden Project provides chemical-free veg and a hand up

Barnet Garden Project is now harvesting! Club members are eligible for a box containing large variety of high-quality chemical-free produce, including huge, mild onions, and high quality salad potatoes. Those who work at the Barnet Project are adults with disabilities who, through this, can supplement their stipends without having their benefits affected. They can also gain valuable work experience that enables them to go on to other endeavors (though many choose to stay on with the garden). The garden is primarily irrigated with a drip system and rainwater, and fertilized primarily with compost. [GT]

Barnet Garden Project

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Plonk: kills bugs dead

Reports in from Hindustan indicate that spraying crops with cheap booze may well be better than commercial pesticides - and cheaper, too. Rotgut costing around 100 rupees a dose worked comparably to professional grade toxic chemicals costing 3000-4000 rupees. Farmers moved over to this solution (which is apparently being endorsed by the scientific community) because pesticides were doing more harm to the crops than good in killing pests. So next time you have aphids on your tomatoes, try dumping some of that undrinkable red on them. [GT]

Another route to organic food: Get the pests dead drunk

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Solar Crystal Ball Garden Lights

You can pretend its Christmas in July, er, August, with this fairy-string of Solar Crystal Ball Garden Lights at a very modest sale-priced £18 for 9 balls of white light.  Use them now in the garden, and string them around your favourite conifer in December.  One day's charge powers them for six hours at night, and as usual, they turn on at dusk and turn off either at dawn or when they run out of juice.  From The Green Shop.  [GT]

Solar Crystal Ball Garden Lights

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Big, fat Scottishworms

Scottishworms is the biggest worm farm in all of Scotland, and they say their worms "are considerably larger and fatter than our competitors' worms and because you buy direct from the breeder the worm will reach you in perfect condition." The worms are all Dendrobaena Veneta Worm, aka Dendras, and suitable for composting, wormeries, bird and wildlife food, and of course, fishing with. They produce worms for Organic Resource Management, which is a huge composting company with huge compost, and are working with the government even as I type to set up worm-based recycling schemes. You can order worms from them directly online, plus a variety of wormeries and worm food. This is one product that, when you die, if you're so inclined, you can take with you. [GT / John]

Scottishworms

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Cosy Slug Hutt eco-friendly slug trap

Do not give your beer to ungrateful slugs. It will only kill them. Instead, get a sustainable, eco-friendly Cosy Slug Hutt. Walk around your garden at night and note where the slugs are coming from. Place the Cosy Slug Hutt where the slugs are thickest and they will creep demurely within. Then you can just scatter them into your local rubbish tip and know you're contributing to the cycle of life instead of just poisoning a pest. Everybody wins! [GT]

Cosy Slug Hutt

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PlanTea organic plant tea

Fertilizing plants organically seems to all to often involve messy composting or other substances which are somewhat unpleasant to have on your kitchen worktop. Enter PlanTea, a totally organic fertilizer which is easy to use - it comes in a convenient pillow that remarkably resembles a teabag - and unlike most organic plant food, it smells pleasantly of kelp and dried flowers with a whiff of ocean salt air. No nasty burning chemicals, and perfectly safe for kids and pets if they decide they fancy a nibble. Each teabag brews 2 cups of concentrate or 5 cups of dilute PlanTea. $10 per box, which contains a dozen bags. [GT]

Product page: PlanTea

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red flower floral beauty products

Your skin is as delicate as flowers and honey, so, the logic goes, flower