Topic: Ralph Whitlock

[kenkew]

Anyone remember this chap?

[Gardengirl]

Can't say I do Ken.  Forgive me if I'm showing my ignorance - but 'who is/was he' ??? :-\

[Mrs Ava]

Nope  :-\

[kenkew]

Ralph was one of the olde world gardeners. 'A spade's a spade' type bloke. Digging through my 'olde world' box I found a load of gardening info written by him. Lord knows how old it all is. Good stuff in it tho'.

[aquilegia]

never heard of him.

I love old gardening books. I have a shortholder's encyclopedia that was written before 1935 (not sure of the exact date). It's great - so much of it is still relevant, but so much is now rubbish!

[Hugh_Jones]

I certainly remember him and have read quite a bit of his work.  However I never particularly thought of him as a horticultural expert - more a "Rambling Ralph`s Rural Ruminations" sort of chap. I certainly never reckoned much to his notion that couch grass doesn`t like peas and beans.

Now who remembers Mr. Middleton? He was a proper gardener - everything from Alstroemerias to Zinnias, with all the vegetables in between.

[kenkew]

No mention of Ralph using beans to control couch grass here. Science has certainly proved some 'old ideas' rubbish, but many ideas passed down have certainly held true. 'We live and learn,' as the saying goes.

[Hugh_Jones]

That was one of Ralph`s "Country Lore" sayings in his collection of what doesn`t like what in the garden, along with `onions don`t like beans`, `potatoes don`t like anything`, and several other gems. And I can assure you that the `couch gras doesn`t like peas and beans` doesn`t stop it coming up among my peas and broad beans.