LJN Blog Posts

Here is a look over some of the headlines from the past few days.

Rural Irish defy EU restrictions on turf-cutting
Ireland's remote boglands have become the unlikely battleground for a campaign of open defiance against Irish and European law.

Gardens

Scientists from the University of Stirling and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee have released a research paper which details the impact the great drought of 1976 had on trees in Great Britain.

1976 was also the year which saw plagues of ladybi

An ambitious community project in Sheffield, designed to give a primary school’s courtyard a much needed makeover, has been made possible with the assistance of Brett Landscaping.

Pipworth Community Primary School is located in one of the most disadv

Grassland butterflies have declined dramatically between 1990 and 2011. This has been caused by intensifying agriculture and a failure to properly manage grassland ecosystems, according to a report from the European Environment Agency (EEA).

The fall

Next time you give the garden spade an extra shove, listen out for the odd metallic thud.

Because, retired gardener Anthony Lawrence, from Worplesdon, Surrey, was doing just that when he dug up a live grenade.

The Get Surrey website reports on how An

Imports of sweet chestnut trees from areas affected by a fungal blight will be banned, the environment secretary, Owen Paterson, has said.

Owen Paterson has moved quickly after announcing the launch of a six week consultation on banning the import of

Sherriff Amenity, one of the leading turf care and sports equipment suppliers in the UK, is pleased to announce a 100% pass rate for greenkeepers and other turf professionals for the BASIS Foundation Award in Amenity and Horticulture, which raises th

The owner of Yellow Pages is set to hand control of the company to its creditors this week after buckling under the weight of a £2.3bn debt pile.

More on the Sunday Times website.

The earliest (medieval) glass was made using a flux obtained from the ash of woodland plants (especially bracken). Late in the 16th century, French glassmakers came to England and their glass has a higher calcium content which probably reflects the

Stricter controls over bumblebee imports to the UK are urgently required to prevent diseases spreading to native bumblebees and honeybees, University of Sussex scientists have warned.

The call follows the discovery of parasites in over three-quarters

Always a popular stop with groundcare professionals at IOG SALTEX, SISIS will be showcasing three new products for the 2013 show.

The company will be launching a new pedestrian scarifier and will be bringing two redesigned products – the SISIS Dart pe

The warm start to July has given many species a much needed boost and Butterfly Conservation is calling for nature lovers everywhere to take part in the Big Butterfly Count to help assess the well being of UK butterflies.

This spring, the coldest for

Replay Maintenance Limited are pleased to announce a partnership with the five County Football Associations residing in the East Midlands, namely Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire.

The Partnership will buil

The government's Red Tape Challenge consultation process is now open for those working in agriculture, animal health and welfare, plant health and forestry.

The Red Tape Challenge is an attempt to collect advice and experience from those 'tied up' in

RHS Wisley has purchased a range of environmentally-friendly battery-powered Pellenc equipment to keep tree & hedge cover along with grass clippings & debris in check, quietly and without fumes.

Wisley - the flagship garden of the Royal Horticultural

A review, commissioned by the Government and chaired by Professor Ragnar E Löfstedt recommended that "The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981should be amended to remove the requirement for HSE to approve the training and qualifications of

UK unemployment fell by 57,000 to 2.51 million in the three months to May, the Office for National Statistics says.

The unemployment rate was steady at 7.8%.

The ONS also said that the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in June fell by 2

Self Assessment taxpayers should prepare for a key tax deadline at the end of the month.

On 31 July those who pay tax by Self Assessment will be required to make a payment on account, one of two payments made by these individuals during the course of

The European Commission has banned the use of insecticide, fipronil, after fears about the damage it was doing to bees.

Widely used across Europe by farmers, fipronil will be banned from use on corn and sunflowers from the end of 2013, after member s

40% fall in companies in financial distress raises in second quarter, according to restructuring specialist Begbies Traynor.

The number of companies in financial distress dropped sharply in the second quarter, in the latest sign of improvement in the