Pedant

I don't watch Downton Abbey but understand that many find it very enjoyable. I am also aware that there is a group of people that watch it just so they can point out period language howlers. Pedants, if you like. Now I wouldn't say that I am pedantic but I have noticed a glaring error on some construction site hoardings. I realise that if I point the error out to anyone not in the interior landscaping business they will find it as interesting as watching paint dry. On construction site hoardings.

 You can see this horticultural anomaly next to Farringdon Road station and at the eastern end of Smithfields. In order to reduce the industrial appearance of a construction site, certain companies have used hoardings with foliage instead of advertising or plain old paint. Imagine my horror when I first saw them. It was all I could do to stop myself from grabbing the first passer-by and shouting "Look, look, can you see what they have done?" The hoarding company went to Shutterstock or Dreamstime and picked out some nice neat foliage to simulate hedges and they chose a FICUS!!! Can you believe it! No, me neither! Yes, now you are beginning to understand. You will know that the ficus tree or weeping fig is an indoor plant. If the hoarding is still up in the winter it's going to look totally fake. The leaves would all fall off at the first frost.

The image below shows pretty much what the hoardings look like. Lovely, and correct in Florida, but periodically incorrect for Britain. Until we get a large dose of global warming that is.

Ficus foliage

Now if the researchers had been doing their job properly they could have chosen the following hoarding from http://www.hoardingboards.co.uk.   This one is not only correct but has railings thrown in!

Hoarding with foliage and railings.

I'm now waiting for some pedant to come along and say that the spindles should be 24mm and not 19mm as the image shows.  Oh, come on!