Saffron - What a Valuable Commodity!

Now if I had the choice of growing any plant on earth I think I`d have to go for the saffron crocus. Not so much for its looks, more for its value.


Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. More valuable weight for weight than gold in fact. The value arises because to get just a small amount of saffron from one plant takes a lot of effort. But of course no one would go to the trouble of extracting saffron on such a small scale. To make it worthwhile you need thousands of flowers.


That means that a huge space consisting of many hectares is needed for a reasonable amount of cultivation.


That being the case somehow with my smallish garden I`ll give up on the idea and leave it to the experts.

Lleylandi Hedges Anti-Social

The Anti-Social Behaviour Bill was set up to stop, well, anti-social behaviour.  Leylandii hedges that grow and grow ridiculously high can certainly be anti-social as far as neighbours are concerned.

The problem can be getting local councils to act. The law now Councils should only be approached after neighbours have "tried and exhausted" every other means of resolving the dispute.

Legally the councils can`t act until hedges are above two metres in height before neighbours can make a complaint. And there is a big variation of charges by councils for acting on complaints, from nothing to hundreds of pounds. Another example of the UK`s  postcode lottery.

That`s The End Of Mowing The Lawn Till Next Spring

At last it looks like I can say goodbye to the gardener calling every two weeks to mow the lawn.  He put a note through the door to say that due to the frost, wet weather and shorter days (due to the clocks going back) he`d not be coming now till next spring, around March. Walking over very wet grass with a mower probably doesn`t do the grass a lot of good anyway.

That`s when it all starts up again then. Though, if there is a reasonable amount of sunshine-highly unlikely-he would happily come in between time to cut the grass if I called him up.