February meeting:
Snowdrops, cyclamen, Himalayan poppies and hellebores were among the plants being enjoyed in our gardens at the moment, with Bill (Ashton) photographing the slide show photos shown in this post, from his lovely garden, the morning of the meeting.
Brian (Leach) took us through vegetables suitable for growing in confined spaces (pots/borders/raised beds etc) and suggested any novices could try potatoes, spinach beet, onion sets , courgettes, swiss chard and also parsley and rhubarb. We agreed to buy early potatoes and courgette seeds, for members to discuss ‘spritting and next steps’ at our March meeting and ‘have a go’.
David advised that onions planted at our Hudson School plot have not grown well. Several members of the group are keen to take some space at the plot
Pruning: Maureen explained that when pruning always cut at a diagonal to help rain run away. Providing there is no risk of frost, roses and cornus can be pruned now
Reclaiming our borders – suggested steps to improve our borders were discussed as casting a critical eye over the border and deciding anything that needed removing, changing and/or adding and then weeding, tidying and dividing worn out clumps before any further re/planting took place
Brenda had emptied and replanted a border with peach tulips (planted in groups in plastic bulb baskets which make lifting and storing easier) and agapanthus and is keen to see the results.
Tip of the month: Put coffee grounds or egg shells around hostas to discourage slugs
Indian Bean tree Catalpa-Aurea
The Indian Bean Tree (Catalpa-Aurea) which flowers July to August, was described as one of the loveliest flowers in the garden by some