WHAT, PRECISELY, IS THE POINT OF BEING PRACTICAL?
PLENTY OF
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Scateurs inthe cit
Ditch the supermarket veg to get down and dirty with your own window box or kitchen garden. It’s easier than you might think, explains Moira Jeffrey.
t‘s springtime and a young person's fancy may turn to . . well. spring-like things. While women's mags introduce draconian regimes of shaving. exfoliating and calf exercises. many of us switch off and switch on (iurrlcnw's l/Vorld instead. hoping to catch a glimpse of Monty Don as he uses his big strong hands to tenderly prod seeds into little black containers. Ah. spring: daffodils. crocuses and that annual teatime conversation in my allotment-orientated household. ‘Time to get the early tatties in.’ Gardening. you see. is not just for toffs or country folk. In fact it‘s about all the fun things in life. fecundity. food. sex (yup. plants do it too) and fresh air. Even if you live in the tiniest urban flat. gardening is possible. The neighbours who look after the back green of my Glasgow tenement grow potatoes and carrots in large plastic tubs. have dwarf
fruit trees (apple and pear) against the back wall and a greenhouse that provides tomatoes and herbs throughout the summer months.
Gardening is possible even when you’re a slacker. ln our urban allotment a regime of hard work some of the time and carelessly forgetting about our responsibilities for weeks on end produces all kinds of fruit and veg including beans. tatties. courgettes. leeks. onions. strawberries. a raspberry harvest that runs from June to September and a lot of nettles.
The good news for window
gardeners is that there are plenty of
plants that are cheap and easy to grow. Look out for the many varieties of plants that are bred specifically for window boxes. At Glasgow‘s Hidden Gardens. novice gardeners can take part in free spring workshops on ‘How to Be a City Gardener'. planning and
PLANTS ARE CHEAP AND DON'T NEED TO BE NURTURED LIKE DELICATE INFANTS
planting window boxes of llowers. herbs and vegetables.
lior complete beginners. head gardener Alan llannah recommends nasturtiums. Amongst the veg he recommends are varieties of mini— caulillower and beetroot that can be grown on a window sill. ‘:\ lot of people see gardening on the telly and it looks difficult.~ says llannah. ‘But there are plenty of flowers and vegetables that are easy to grow.'
Searching out plants and seeds need not be expensive. You can \ isit specialists such as litlinburgh‘s Pentland Plants 01‘ the excellent (ilusgow' city centre .storc Duggs.
Once you've started you‘ll never look back. This year. appalled at the cost of maintaining the latest fad diet. we have invested in blueberries. You can grow them in pots. but you do need two plants to ensure cross-pollination. lt's spring. you see. and there's no escaping the reproduction btisiness.
See Around Town for ‘How to be a City Gardener’ workshop details.
‘Be daring, be impractical. be anything that will assert imaginative vision against the play-it-safers and the slaves of the ordinary.‘
Cecil Beaton, aristo photographer, was spot on. What fun is to be had in leading a practical lifestyle? Absolutely none. Bor-ing. But of all aspects of life, clothes should be the last place such rules are applied to. Follow the rest of the population into sensible shoes and elasticated waists and risk reprimanding Fashion, a friend whose sole purpose is to help you get your kicks. Treat it well and sail off to the Land of Snazzy, be cruel and it’s Frumpville for you.
As the fashion weeks draw to a close, what’s this we hear? That's right, people bleating on about how ‘you could never wear that on the high street'. Change the record. Fashion is an art form; in fact the two have always been intertwined. Consider the lines of 19205 tubular dresses with their streamlined design aesthetic, and compare that to the cubism movement enveloping the art world at the time.
Why should fashion designers send twin sets and jogging bottoms down the catwalk? Let them get on with doing fun stuff. Peacocks, not pigeons, please. (Merle Brown)
Spend, spend, spend
may look the same, there "'
and fashion. And if you fancy
displayed at the Paul
I Ah, it’s a sad time for Edinburgh, as Jenners, its longest running (and indeed, the world’s longest standing) independent department store, has been sold to the House of Fraser group. At the grand old age of 167, the stunning property on Princes Street (along with its outlets in Glasgow Airport and Loch Lomond) was scooped up for £46m, although it will continue to trade under the famous name. So while things
Smith headquarters in Milan as part of an exhibition entitled ‘Great Brits - The New Alchemists’, which runs
will no doubt be some serious changes in the way the store trades, bringing it in line with its parent company. House of Fraser intends to keep its cunent outlet in the West End, so this new acquisition will widen the grasp it has on the Edinburgh market.
I This month two of the biggest exhibition fairs arrive in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The Ideal Home and Garden Show will be at SECC from Friday 8 to Sunday 17 April.
going. we have five pairs of tickets to give away to the first lucky readers to email promotions@list.co.uk. See Around Town listings fOr details of both shows.
I Further afield, one very talented Scot will be showing off his work at the Milan Furniture Fair. Michael Cross is originally from the Hebrides and now creates thought- provoking installations with his design partner Julie Mathias. Their piece ‘Flood’ (pictured) will be
with thousands of stalls and exhibitors to give inspiration for all things indoors and outdoors. Over in Edinburgh. the Country Living Fair (pictured) will be based at the Royal Highland Centre from Thursday 14 to Sunday 17 April, displaying everything from country crafts to food
from 14 to 18 April. ‘Flood’ and more of their work can be seen at www.wokmedia.co.uk
‘I 12 THE LIST 31 Mar-1.1 Apr 2005