Hello again,

Since last writing here there have been a number of additions to our rapidly increasing mix of gardening resources on the web, and I thought this morning that it was time I listed them here.

On the main Gardening-Notes site there are three new gardening articles:

Fuchsias in Great Variety - a response from a fuchsia enthusiast (myself) to people who claim that fuchsias are boring because they’re “all the same”

Garden Paths - a concise look at the benefits from having good paths around your garden

Safety in the Garden - an important topic, especially as most accidents to individuals happen in home and garden; without becoming paranoid and chasing after an illusory risk-free environment it makes good sense to minimise the dangers which inevitably lurk in our gardens.

Returning to the subject of fuchsias, further varieties and photographs are gradually being added to our new specialist site on fuchsias: the-fuchsia-file. As I think I said in a previous posting on this blog, I did wonder whether to hold this site back until it was in a more finished form, but decided rather to let it grow and develop while on public display. Take a look at what we have so far. By the way, I am still very enthusiastic about the Thompson & Morgan DVD on fuchsias which was given to me by a friend as a Christmas present.

Finally, I’ve revised the UK Garden Magazines page on our BrunleaBooks site, and the US magazines page is almost ready for launch.

That’s all for today,

- David -

I’ve been promising for some weeks but things have gone very slowly. It’s a much reduced version compared with the one I’d intended to upload around now. I’ve been working very slowly recently. Click here for www.the-fuchsia-file.co.uk

It currently has brief notes on a dozen cultivars which I wrote in a relaxed style while staying with my son at Christmas time. There are some others drafted at that time still to be checked, and these should be added quite soon. Also, I’m planning to add more photos very shortly.

On the site you’ll also find links to fuchsia books, and on the home page I highlight a DVD on fuchsia cultivation produced by Thompson & Morgan in the UK. (I’ll try to find an equivalent DVD for our North American visitors shortly).

That’s it for now. Enjoy the new site as it develops,

- David -

It’s several weeks since I added an article to the main Gardening-Notes site. In the limited time available I’ve been thinking more about the new fuchsia site, which I hope to be ready very shortly. However, today there’s a new article on starting a new herb garden. We have a few more herb-related articles in preparation, so look out for more. Our main bookselling site also has a good variety of titles on both growing herbs and cooking with herbs.

- David -

Returning readers will have noticed that there’s recently been something of a gap in postings on this blog. Partly that’s because of time pressures away from the computer, and also what little time I have been able to spend on the gardening components of our sites has been devoted to adding notes on additional varieties to our new fuchsia site - which I hope will be ready for launch at the latest by mid-January.

When it comes you’ll be able to look up notes on individual fuchsia varieties, with photos where I have them available; those for which I don’t currently have photos will need to stay confined to black and white text until next flowering season. I’m hoping to have around 40-50 varieties on the first version, with more being added as time goes on.

You’ll be able to find books about fuchsias and links to sellers of fuchsia plants. There will also be articles about fuchsias from recent issues of newspapers and magazines from around the world, and more.

We’ve one or two other surprises up our sleeves as well, but you’ll have to wait for those.

Meanwhile, it’s Christmas eve today. Wherever you are, if you’re on holiday this week, have a great time. For ourselves we’ll be rejoicing at the memory of the birth of our wonderful Saviour.

Best wishes,

- David -

ps. Why not take a quick look at the current fuchsia book pages on our bookselling site, BrunleaBooks. These will be updated and expanded when the new specialist site is launched, but meanwhile there are several interesting items to be found there.

I see it’s a week since I wrote on this blog. I haven’t been too well, and have scarcely been out of the door for days. Then today, just as I was feeling a bit better a drain blocked and I had to go out into the yard to do something about it. Well, enough about that! The point is that it got me out of the house, and I took a quick look at the hosta border.

There’s virtually nothing left of it now, and we’ll see no more of it until the spring, but being out there reminded me of the photographs I took a few months back and never uploaded to any of my web pages.

In recent years I’ve become quite a fan of hostas. There’s such a variety of them. Here’s one photo from my garden, but for more click here for my new hosta article.

Enjoy the autumn gardening. It’s a bit wet and gloomy here, but work done now will stand in good stead for next year.

- David -