News &c
Publishing pests I often hear complaints from growers who would love to find a book that focuses on pest control for houseplants: that doesn't seem to exist, sadly. But a new book by Julian Ives of Dragonfli goes some way to fill the gap. A Gardener's Guide to Biological Pest Control has a chapter on greenhouse pests, which to us houseplant growers means houseplant pests, too. The book is out on September 10 and you can preorder now.
What's your emergency? Patch Plants launched its Plant Paramedic service earlier this month - describing it as "a dedicated plant revival service that will travel door to door, reviving houseplants that have been left high and dry when holidaymakers return from sunning themselves". This announcement feels like a charming throwback to the days when we actually had a media 'silly season' every summer rather than the current apocalyptic headlines about sewage, strikes and soaring energy costs. The number you call for this botanical emergency service is, of course, "vine-vine-vine". Scrolling down to the small print, it turns out that this campaign is "launching in London before rolling out to other cities" and runs til the end of August. (The press release also says a survey of their customer base found that 10% of 10,000 respondents said they'd carried out a funeral for a dead plant. Really? If you have done this, I need more info, STAT. What music did you play? Was there a eulogy? Let me know!)
Leeds the way Grow Tropicals' Rare Plant Festival took place in Leeds last weekend after the tickets sold out months ago. I wasn't there - sniff - but if the social posts are anything to go by, the event was a roaring success. For southerners like me who couldn't make it, there have been encouraging noises from Grow Tropicals' Jacob James about a more southerly festival in the pipeline. Grow Tropicals also just announced it is launching rare houseplant subscription boxes.
Capital plants In other planty festival news... the Garden Museum in London has announced that its Houseplant Festival will go ahead again this year - it's scheduled to take place on October 22 and 23. Places have sold out fast in previous years, so it's worth joining the waitlist for tickets if you want to go.
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