Artificial Christmas trees don't smell of pine.

Yes, unsurprisingly, artificial Christmas trees don't smell of pine.   For years I would insist on a real tree at home.   As the children grew older my wife asked that the Christmas tree be installed on the 1st of December. 'For the children', she said.   Three weeks of central heating makes a real tree dry out somewhat and despite what people say, placing the tree in a watertight container and topping up with water doesn't make the trees last a lot longer.
 
A dried out tree looks quite sad on Christmas morning.   The only thing that reduces drying out is having hardly any heating in the room in which the tree is placed.   Not usually a viable option unless you want to ensure that everyone wears the dressing gowns and slippers that you bought.  And the night cap.

On the last occasion we had a real tree indoors, I planned ahead.   I had a second tree waiting on standby outside and on Christmas Eve I removed all the decorations from the first tree, cut it up in to pieces ( to avoid needles dropping as I squeezed it through the doorways) and installed and decorated the second tree.   It looked lovely and fresh for Christmas day but I thought "I'm not doing that again!"

The following year we had a very realistic artificial tree but of course there was no pine smell.   The central heating that played a part in the downfall of our earlier Christmases actually now comes to our aid with the artificial tree.   Every year I buy a bunch of pine branches and cut it up in to small sections.   Every couple of days I put a little branch on the radiator and the lovely pine smell radiates throughout the house.   The fragrance doesn't last long, however, and the branches need to be replaced quite frequently.   Extra branches are added just before guests arrive and our artificial tree fools them all!

Above: is it or isn't it?

Fake rocks and BAe Mars rover

An autonomous navigation system that will enable a future planetary rover vehicle to be in complete control of its own actions as it explores the surface of Mars has been designed by top-calibre scientists and engineers at STFC’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.   Earlier this year a courtyard garden at the laboratories was converted to resemble a Martian landscape and to aid testing of the rover, a large number of our artificial rocks were used.   As the rocks were lightweight, they were easily moved to make different configurations.   The courtyard garden was little used and staff have plenty of other spaces to relax.   The only regular user of the courtyard was an owl that perched in the same tree in the same spot.   That was obvious as a mini 'volcano' of detritus could be seen at the base of the tree.   That was the only one tree in the courtyard and it was thought that the tree would remain in place as the artificial Mars landscape was created.   This could have lead to some confusion had a journalist left out the word 'artificial' when writing about the laboratories' Mars landscape.  The rover vehicles and rocks were later packed up and sent off to a quarry in a far off land for further testing.

http://www.stfc.ac.uk/ralspace/38110.aspx

Above: Rock A1 with Robotic rover "indie" being tested on the simulated Martian landscape.




Right: BAe Robotic rover hogging the limelight on the simulated Martian landscape with boulder E and rock C1 in bit part roles.




















Below: boulder A and rock E1 (with the giveaway flat base showing.  Should have put soil around the base!)

There's more..

And for the same building, this lovely pair...

A lovely pair!

The judges at The Worshipful Company of Gardeners have kindly awarded us a lovely pair of plaques for our planted troughs in St.Andrew Street, London EC4.   The displays have just been replenished with winter bedding and it was a treat to see that on the first Monday morning after they had been replanted, all of the plants were still there!   It is not unusual for Friday night revellers to feel romantically inclined.   Without a florist open nearby and with an urge to present a floral token of appreciation to their target, suitors would often borrow a flowering plant or two.   Tell tale signs are (obviously) a large gap in the display and a trail of compost leading down the street.   This morning there was only the slightest hint of compost on the pavement and the single flowering plant that had been removed had been placed back in to position.   It just needed firming in.   Thank you to that young man that had a change of heart, at least with regard to the plant.   I hope the girl of your dreams will be in your arms tonight!

The whole tooth and nothing but the tooth

We already have a planter with a water reservoir that looks like a drip used in hospitals and now we have a planter that would be entirely suitable for dentist waiting room: the Moly.  Standard finishes are lead effect and aluminium textured but any colour is available to order.   Sizes 470 dia x 620 tall, 550 x 760 and 750x910.

Another version of an existing planter, the square long pot, now comes in any colour.   Illuminated versions have a low energy lamps or colour changing

remote controlled LED.

A variation on the kanoe planter is now available in a smaller size: 710 long x 290 wide x 490 tall.   The original version is 1800mm long, 680mm wide and 500 or 960 tall.

Spheres now available in any colour.   300, 460, 660 and 1170 diameters and similar sizes in the illuminated version:

Leather planters: tall tapered curved round planters covered in real leather. 360x800, 510x1200, 600x1500.

And the final update of this blog: the Tornado: 530x330, 530x530 and 530x790

Stainless steel planters with illuminated lettering.

Based on square illuminated planters, these have a stainless steel sleeve placed over the planter with laser cut lettering or a logo on the side.   Image for illustration purposes only.

Why not see them all....

More window boxes available from http://www.plantcontainershop.com/

Available in lead finish, aged lead, terracotta and any BS or RAL colour.

Adam window box 270mm deep, 210mm tall and in 610, 910, 1370 and 1530 lengths.  All colours. 

Bead window box 240mm deep, 220mm tall, two lengths: 610mm, 910mm.

Hunter window box 230mm x 230mm x 910mm.

Oakleaf window box 230mm deep x 240mm tall, two lengths: 610mm and 910mm.

Panel window box in three sizes: 180mm deep x 200mm tall x 760mm long, 230mm x 230mm x 910mm, 200mm x 200mm x 1220mm.

Rectangular window in three standard sizes.   200mm deep 250mm tall and 400/700/1000 long. These can also be any size as a special order.

Swags window box. 200mm deep, 210mm tall and 610/910 long.

Wheatsheaf window box 270mm deep x 210mm tall x 610/910mm.

Tudor window box 220mm deep x 230mm tall x 620mm long

Town window box 220mm x 220mm x 970mm