There are over 2,200 botanic gardens in 153 countries around the world and the UK's oldest is Oxford's.  It is fairly small considering how many plants it contains, covering about 4.5 acres, and it feels very like the Chelsea Physic Garden in London.  This may not be too surprising as they were both founded to support the practice and teaching of medicine.  The Oxford Botanic Gardens were founded in 1621 as the Physic Garden and after only a few years the yew tree (see photo below) was planted which is still in the garden today.  Read more...

Dog’s Mercury (Mecurialis perennis) is sometimes referred to as ‘dog’s cole’. It is a perennial and is found in woodlands (particularly beech and oak); and in shady places (like dense hedgerows); it is found widely throughout Britain (except Northern Scotland). Its distribution in Ireland is much more limited. It can spread by means of its underground rhizomes (stem-like structures that penetrate through the soil) and when it finds suitable conditions,  it may form a carpet of plants. There is some evidence that high light intensities inhibit the growth of the rhizomes. The plant can be quite invasive – especially in shady places. Read more...

If you have cleared a new track, there are often stumps that you want to remove.  In many situations these can be left to rot away but the process takes many years and if it is a heavily used path these represent a trip hazard and need grinding down.  There are some good commercial services offering stump grinding contracting such as Stuart Gray's (stumpbusters-thamesvalley.co.uk) which will work out reasonably - particularly if you have a full day's work for him.  Other solutions involve hiring a stump grinder or buying one. Read more...

Woods can be wildlife havens, especially if there are streams, ponds and wildflower areas, and taking photographs can add even more enjoyment to owning woodland.  Photography has become very popular with the advent of digital cameras and camera phones.  Taking good photographs is more difficult to achieve, and taking good photographs of wildlife is more difficult still.  The problem with wildlife is that it does not usually keep still! Read more...

Why do people buy old tools?  According to Ian Fraser, who sells hundreds of antique tools each year, they are mainly bought to be restored and used.  Tools such as billhooks and draw knives can be expensive to buy new and often the older tools have blades which can be more easily resharpened. Read more...

If you are lucky enough to have a brook, stream or river flowing through your woodland, you will almost certainly want to cross it.  Where the water-course is narrow, the banks are low and the water is normally less than welly-deep, then you might be happy to just hop or wade across, particularly if the crossing point is in some out of the way spot. But if the crossing point is on a well used path then a bridge may be needed. Read more...

Nigel Sardeson first realised how useful chainsaws were when he helped to clear fallen trees after the 1987 storm, but he developed an interest in carving with a chainsaw while working for the National Trust at Cliveden - there he decided to carve a few animals around the woods to surprise visitors. Read more...

There have been some comments regarding the legality of tickling trout but, as far as I know, the practice would only be illegal if you were fishing in private waters, without permission.  These days more and more people have this facility, especially those who are fortunate enough to own their own woodlands. Read more...