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The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- The Herald Scotland
Alan Titchmarsh's 5 showstopping plants every gardens need
The host of Love Your Weekend explains: 'So what makes a showstopper? Well, quite simply, it's a plant that can stop you in your tracks when you walk out into the garden.' How do I make my garden look pretty? Alan Titchmarsh's top 5 plants Lupins – Cashmere Cream Alan comments: 'This is a glorious border perennial, shortish seasonal flower. But these tall spires of bloom are shown off by the starry leaves, almost like a firework from that central stalk. 'Slightly smaller flowers will emerge from lower down the stem if you chop this off [the main Lupin stalk] once it's faded." The 76-year-old shares Lupins, which 'remind him of his childhood in Yorkshire' come in all sorts of colours, including blues, purples, reds, yellows and whites. He adds: 'Imagine walking into your garden and having some of these in your border because on a warm sunny day, you get a sweet fragrance from them as well. It's a pretty good all-rounder, the Lupin.' Ever thought about planting Lupins in your garden? (Image: Paul Maguire/Getty) Foxglove – Illumination Flame 'This one is rather unusual, it's called Illumination Flame, but if this ain't the showstopper, I don't know what is,' Alan says. The Gardening Club presenter continues: 'The lovely thing about Foxgloves is they will seed themselves around your garden. These amazing twin spires of beautiful flowers are rather different from normal Foxgloves, which are much more rounded at the edge of the petals.' Alan reveals a lot of them are biennials, which means you sow them one spring to flower the following year, and after that, 'they will die down and disappear, but they will still shed their seed'. He recommends Foxglove Illumination Flames as they are 'glorious' and grow in most soils and partial shade. Alan explains: 'For me, to bring some beauty with a kind of natural flavour and feel to the garden, the Foxglove is matchless and in this case a definite showstopper.' Poisonous Plants Found in the UK Penstemon – Laura The Penstemon Laura variety has 'deep dark plum flowers' known as 'Blackbird' or 'Sour Grapes' with purple and green flowers. Alan says: 'For the front or the middle of a border, they are smashing, they'll arrest your eye but they will carry on blooming right the way through the summer until the frost.' Dahlia – Muchacha Once planted in the spring, these 'superb' plants bloom from midsummer right until the frost of autumn, according to Alan. He shares they are 'full of flowers and great for cutting' and come in all sorts of sizes and colours, except 'true blue'. The 'gorgeous' flowers are quite 'juicy,' which means they like to live in moist soil (but not waterlogged). It's best to avoid planting them in 'dusty sand' otherwise they will make 'really poor plants'. Alan adds: 'In good, reasonably rich earth and full sun, they will flower their socks off. They are a true showstopper.' Delphinium - Highlander Bolero This bright, 'statuesque' plant can 'stop you in your tracks at the other end of the garden' and if grown well, can each up to seven or eight feet tall. To grow 'spectacular' Delphiniums, which are Alan's number one choice, he recommends using 'loads of muck, well-rotted garden compost, and to make the soil as rich as you possibly can.' But be warned, because this makes it attractive to slugs and snails. How to Get Rid of These Common Garden Pests So to manage this, Alan advises: 'When those shoots are emerging from the ground in March, April, control your slugs and snails then and you'll find these healthy shoots will shoot up and produce these glorious spires of flowers with smaller ones coming from the sides.' Recommended reading: He continues: 'When the central one fades, you can cut it off and get (albeit smaller ones), these side shoots coming up, with their own show of flowers.' Alan describes the Highlander Bolero flowers as 'almost like cake decorations' due to the double layers. His top tip is to cut them back once flowered and 'feed them well' in summer to 'boost them for next year'.
Metro
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
EastEnders star's son, 2, rushed to hospital after eating ‘toxic' plant
Victoria Bye, the wife of EastEnders star James Bye, has opened up about a terrifying situation that saw their son rushed to hospital. Victoria and James have four children together called Edward, Louis, Hugo and Rufus. Over the weekend, Victoria took to her Instagram page Life With The Byes to reveal Rufus, who is 2, was rushed to hospital last week after eating a toxic but common plant found in UK gardens. She wrote: 'More of a public service announcement than a post really but as we all know, life with kids is anything but predictable. So, after spending the night in hospital (I swear they'll start charging us rent soon) after Rufus decided to snack on a plant in the garden — one I didn't even know was dangerous. All hell let loose. (full video in next post – wouldn't let me post here).' Victoria went on to reveal that within minutes of Rufus ingesting the plant, his 'tongue had started to swell', he was 'screaming' and they quickly had to call 999. She added: 'Thankfully he's absolutely fine now. But it turned out the culprit was Italian Arum, a really common plant with bright orange berries that looks innocent but is seriously toxic if ingested. 'I mean, I had no idea. And once I started looking into it… turns out there are loads of plants like that quietly minding their own (deadly) business in UK gardens. 'So, in true mum fashion, I made a list. For anyone else who didn't know either. Because no one needs that kind of adrenaline on a Tuesday afternoon.' Victoria's list features plants including Foxglove, Yew and Lily of the Valley. The list is incredibly helpful, as she's also notes the specific parts of the plants – such as bulbs or small flowers – that are the most toxic to humans. More Trending Victoria's husband James Bye left his role as Martin Fowler in EastEnders earlier this year. Want to be the first to hear shocking EastEnders spoilers? Who's leaving Coronation Street? The latest gossip from Emmerdale? Join 10,000 soaps fans on Metro's WhatsApp Soaps community and get access to spoiler galleries, must-watch videos, and exclusive interviews. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications so you can see when we've just dropped the latest spoilers! Martin died in the show's live episode in February. As part of the anniversary, the Queen Vic exploded, putting multiple lives in danger. Martin became trapped under a beam and had to wait for the emergency services to remove it and free him. However, due to how long Martin was stuck, as the beam got removed, he suffered crush syndrome, which killed him. If you've got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@ – we'd love to hear from you. Join the community by leaving a comment below and stay updated on all things soaps on our homepage. View More » MORE: EastEnders confirms Martin Fowler replacement on fruit and veg stall – and it's unexpected MORE: Emmerdale's Danny Miller pays loving tribute to 'beautiful' pregnant wife Steph MORE: Emmerdale legend reunites with co-star just months after TV exit
Times
27-06-2025
- Business
- Times
Thirsty data centres are sucking up Britain's scarce water supplies
Britain's data centres are consuming close to ten billion litres of water a year at least as the country braces for widespread drought, The Times can reveal. Two regions are in drought, with more likely to follow, raising the possibility of summer hosepipe bans as rivers hit 'exceptionally' low levels, highlighting the squeeze on Britain's water supplies despite its rainy reputation. Yet there is no official estimate of how much water the nation's 450-plus data centres are using to keep their servers cool. The chairman of the Environment Agency (EA) has warned that England is heading for a national shortfall of five billion litres of water a day by 2055, more than a third of the 14 billion litres a day used now. But that is without factoring in the rapid rise of thirsty generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT. The British tech industry and the EA have been working in recent months to gauge water demand from data centres today and in years to come. Neither will publicly disclose a figure on data centres' water use. However, figures released under transparency laws suggest that water companies are already supplying at least almost ten billion litres a year to 231 data centres, the equivalent of 3,980 Olympic swimming pools. The snapshot, obtained by the technology campaign group, Foxglove, and The Times, suggests Thames Water is far and away the biggest supplier of water to data centres. About half of the UK's water companies were unable to provide figures to Foxglove, in part because data centres do not have to report their water usage. 'It is deeply alarming that over half our water companies have no clue how many data centres they supply, nor how much water they are hoovering up,' Donald Campbell, of Foxglove, said. This information void exists as the government eyes data centres as a totemic part of its economic growth plans. Labour has said AI will 'turbocharge' growth, with £39 billion committed for more data centres in the next five to ten years. Debate is also intensifying over the greater water demands of data centres running AI models. On June 10, Sam Altman, the OpenAI founder, mounted a defence of ChatGPT, saying an average user query required just one fifteenth of a teaspoon of water. So, what is the truth? Is the growth in data centres and AI a threat to Britain's water supplies, at a time when climate change is already increasing the risk of droughts? Most of the concern over data centres' environmental impact has focused on their energy use. Less understood is the impact of their water consumption. The Times's analysis has focused solely on water used directly for cooling the data centres themselves. While a small number are believed to use air cooling, most use water. The most water efficient are 'closed loop' systems, while the thirstiest are 'open loop' ones. The estimate of close to ten billion litres of water being used by about half of the UK's data centres is based on figures released under environmental information requests, The Times's conversations with individual water firms and, in the case of Thames Water, an unpublished report by the consultancy, Jacobs. The total is equivalent to the annual water use of 189,781 people, more than the population of Oxford. The tally is almost certainly a large underestimate. It covers only about half of the data centres and the figures for Thames Water are three years old. TechUK, the industry group, estimates there are 450 to 500 data centres in the UK. The group was unable to say what proportion uses each cooling technology. However, Luisa Cardani, TechUK's head of data centre programmes, said: 'Generally, you could argue that the newer data centres, especially when they are in water-constrained areas, will choose types of cooling like liquid cooling [closed loop] or direct to chip cooling [another approach] because it's more efficient.' Britain's data centres are mostly running servers powering websites, cloud storage and the latest hit series on Netflix. However, servers running AI models are much more water intensive. A study last year found ChatGPT uses four times as much water as previously thought. Some experts think the fears over water use are overwrought. Henry Shevlin, associate director at the University of Cambridge's Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, noted most things of economic value consume water, from agriculture to football matches, and data centres running AI models are neither an exception or an outlier. 'Is the juice worth the squeeze? To the extent that we do care about economic growth, we should be prioritising economic and resource-intensive activity in areas that are also going to give us big payoffs. Obviously AI has phenomenal potential here,' Shevlin said. Still, he said the tech industry should be more transparent about water use in Britain and the government could demand more openness. 'Revealing estimates of water usage and electricity usage are, let's be honest, they're not deep, sensitive corporate secrets,' he said. The result should be more water efficient data centres, Shevlin added. Anglian Water has even suggested data centres could be cooled with heavily treated effluent, known as recycled water, rather than water drawn from rivers and reservoirs. Growth in AI is 'likely to result in a large and rapid increase in the number of data centres in England', the Environment Agency said on June 17. The concern, it said, is many will be built by 2030, before new reservoirs and water transfers are complete. Britain's first new reservoir in more than three decades, Havant Thicket near Portsmouth, will not be full until 2031, for example. 'It is therefore critical that water availability is considered early in the planning stage [of data centres'], EA officials said. Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, has recently overruled local councils to give the green light for building new data centres, once at Iver in Buckinghamshire last December and this May for one at Abbots Langley in Hertfordshire. Water industry sources believe new data centres in the next five years could need the same amount of water as 500,000 people. Thames Water said southeast England was already water-stressed and the region was earmarked for a large proportion of proposed new data centres. 'This brings a challenge between safeguarding our finite [water] resources while supporting the UK's growth strategy,' a Thames Water spokesman said. Water UK, the industry body, said: 'We need planning hurdles cleared so we can build reservoirs quickly'. An EA spokesman said: 'We are working with the technology sector to understand their needs, to help develop sustainable solutions.' Campbell said: 'Water companies and the government are walking into this future with a blindfold on. Ministers and water companies need to wake up — the likes of Amazon, Microsoft and Google must not be given carte blanche to drain our rivers and streams.'
CBC
29-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Family of woman found dead at Surrey, B.C., supportive housing facility calls for change
The son of a B.C. woman whose body sat in a supportive housing unit for 11 days before being discovered was at the legislature Wednesday. Diane Chandler was battling depression and addiction issues when she moved into Surrey's Foxglove housing, where her children believed she would be safe.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Data centre blitz threatens Labour's net zero hopes
Sir Keir Starmer's bid to boost the economy with a slew of new data centres threatens to undermine Labour's net zero goals, campaigners have warned. Just one £10bn data centre project in the North East will emit as much carbon dioxide as one of Britain's busiest airports, highlighting the difficult trade-offs facing the Prime Minister as he seeks to both improve growth and reduce emissions. A complex of 10 facilities near Blyth, Northumberland, will generate more greenhouse gas emissions than Birmingham Airport, which carries 12m passengers per year, planning documents show. The project, which will cover 133 acres, is being helmed by Blackstone-backed QTS and was touted by the Prime Minister last September as a 'huge vote of confidence in the UK'. Work is expected to start on the site later this year. Martha Dark, of the non-profit group Foxglove, said: 'It is difficult to see how the Government plans to reach its manifesto commitment of hitting net zero by 2050 when it is approving construction projects that add the impact of a major regional airport to our annual emissions.' Data centres are crucial to artificial intelligence (AI) and Sir Keir has made establishing them a key priority as he seeks to harness the new technology. Data centres were designated as critical national infrastructure last September and the Prime Minister has identified certain areas as 'AI growth zones', making it is easier to build there. The projects require huge amounts of power. In a report this week, Alex de Vries-Gao, founder of the Digiconomist website, calculated AI data centres would need 23GW of power worldwide by the end of 2025. The UK's average national power demand is around 30GW. Tech companies have turned to nuclear to try and meet the surging demand for power in an environmentally friendly way, including restarting ageing plants. However, the industry has struggled to bring nuclear power online fast enough to meet rising demand. Both Microsoft and Google reported increases in their carbon emissions in their latest annual reports. In a paper published in the journal Joule, Mr de Vries-Gao said: 'There are early indications that these data centres could exacerbate dependence on fossil fuels.' The 'hyperscale' data centre in Blyth, which received the green light earlier this month, will emit 184,160 tonnes of CO2 per year once operational. Northumberland County Council, which approved the scheme, said the facility would double its overall industrial emissions and represent 12pc of the county's overall emissions by 2030. Council documents show officials asked QTS to consider adding more renewable power or battery storage facilities to its plans, however the developer had 'discounted' these as impractical. The data facility's expected emissions assume the UK remains on track with its plans to decarbonise the grid. In an environmental report submitted by QTS, the operator said it had received feedback that the council was concerned the project could 'throw off' the local authority's own green target of carbon neutrality by 2030. Councillors agreed to proceed with the scheme regardless. Ms Dark said: 'The most optimistic forecasts for this new hyperscale data centre in Northumberland say it would create close to 200,000 tonnes of new carbon emissions each year – somewhere between the annual emissions of Birmingham and Edinburgh airports.' A Government spokesman said: 'Our Clean Power Action Plan will enable the development of new energy intensive industries such as data centres, helping to grow the economy. 'Advanced modular reactors will play a particularly important role in growing energy-hungry sectors like AI and we're shaking up the planning rules to make it easier to build nuclear power stations across the country.' A Northumberland County Council spokesman said: 'The council's strategic planning committee carefully considered a wide range of issues contained within the environmental statement submitted as part of the application under the EIA regulations. 'In making their decision members noted that the applicant will be utilising a high number of sustainable practices which will help to mitigate its carbon footprint. The applicant will also continue to look at innovative technology throughout the life of the development, which could in the future help to mitigate against this further.' A QTS spokesman said: 'The right energy mix is crucial for building this vital infrastructure. From day one, our industry-leading design and advanced water-cooling systems will drive maximum energy efficiency. We are further committed to finding new ways to reducing future emissions by integrating renewables into our energy supply and repurposing residual heat to benefit the local community.' Blackstone bought the site in Blyth, Northumberland, that QTS now plans to develop last year after the failure of Britishvolt, an electric vehicle battery business, which had originally intended to develop the land. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
