LAST CHANCES

Leonardslee, the famous 200 acre Sussex garden is to close for good at the end of June having been sold to an eastern European businessman so take this final opportunity to see the great collection created by Sir Edmund Loder and which has been opened by his family to the public for nearly 100 years. It will be sadly missed, although Sussex is very lucky in having a number of major gardens like High Beeches, Wakehurst and Nymans so it will not be such a loss as it would in other counties. In Buckinghamshire, for example, Dropmore, which was home to the original introduction of so many trees, was never opened again after it was sold to an Arab potentate in the early 1970s.

In the current economic climate there is likely to be other sell offs particularly from the government which is likely to include more Forestry Commission woodlands. People must be innovative if they wish to protect the local assets they value. For example: a major attraction of owning working woodlands in the South of England is that it is secure from any Inheritance Tax liabilities and any income from sales of produce, is tax free. To secure the future of locally important woodlands, what about the idea of citizens investment trust (restricted in some way so no individual, or body could take it over) so that many local people could participate and even enjoy a small amount of tax avoidance? Such citizens trusts could also secure other property they feel important - just as several pubs have been saved by local villagers getting together to buy and run them for a small profit. Perhaps the English need to have a pint in their hands to contemplate such co-operative enterprizes!

Make the most of mulching whilst there is moisture in the ground. You can use gravel, bark chips but if you use good weed free garden compost mulch of 50-100mmm (2-4 inches) under the drip line of tree canopies, it will contain beneficial mycorrhizal fungi so the trees will be able to make the most of the water they receives before we get the barbecue summer weather we have been promised!

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