The one thing that most people know about this plant is that it was the source of paper for ancient Egyptians. They started to use it for writing on circa 5000 years ago, and carried on up until the 8th or … Continue reading
The very cold weather we have had recently has coincided with the temporary failure of heating in the tropical greenhouse over the weekend (3 nights, 2 days). The greenhouse is heated with a gas boiler supplying hot water to large … Continue reading
A member of the Araceae, Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) is a problem floating plant of tropical waterways. The native origin and spread of the species is not known but it has been recorded in both the New and Old World … Continue reading
Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a floating plant that can be used to clean up water by accumulation of toxic metals and by capturing free nutrients from the water. In good conditions it grows very rapidly and can clog river systems … Continue reading
This gallery contains 4 photos.
Over the past week the pond has been lined and filled with around 3000 litres of rainwater. It took two days to fill the pond by pumping water from the rainwater tank in the glasshouse next door.The pond base is … Continue reading
The first year of development of the Tropical Glasshouse project has been supported by a grant of £7000 from the University Annual Fund, a fund built from donor contributions. In May/June 2011 I submitted a proposal along with Liz Williamson … Continue reading
At school one of the playground sayings was “The first sign of madness is talking to yourself”. This is obviously deeply entrenched in my psyche because I began to fear that blogging was possibly a sophisticated way of talking to … Continue reading
Our intrepid tropical typographers, Emily and Sarah, are about to start putting text in to their signage designs. I’m hoping that by blogging drafts of the text we plan to use it will be possible to refine and improve the … Continue reading
Welcome to Emily and Sarah from the Typography and Graphic Communication department. These two second year students have the challenge of producing interpretative signage that will be effective in communication, look good and cope with warmth and humidity. They also … Continue reading
While attending a review of the uses of the GBIF at Kew today I took the opportunity to check out the labelling system in use in their glasshouses before heading home. Kew gardens is England’s major botanic garden with unrivalled … Continue reading
