We had brilliant weather to look round Crook Hall and Gardens today. We had 20 people from our community group that is based in Neville's Cross to go together so we got the group booking discount of 10% on the entrance fee. After a brief introduction and welcome, we headed out on an hours tour with Head Gardener Anne. The best tip we were given during the tour was to dip cuttings into honey to help propagation and also as an antiseptic. We had lunch at Crook Hall and the scones were still warm from the oven and were delicious! For more information please visit the Crook Hall website: http://crookhallgardens.co.uk
0 Comments
I posted a quiz question on Friday and it has sparked a debate on the Facebook group.
Some prefering to water in the morning in order to avoid have damp cold plants because damp leaves at night can lead to fungal problems such as powdery mildrew or sooty mold. Other's believe it is best to do the watering in the evening as less water gets wasted through evaporation and hence more water goes into the roots. To watch a great video with advice from an expert gardener please click on this link which takes you to our Facebook group. We had a great time meeting the wider community at the Neville's Cross Ecofest this year. Mant thanks to St John's Church and all the volunteers who organised such a lovely event. Many thanks to our members for donating their home grown plants! We sold all but 4 plants! The remaining plants have been left in front of the Church are available to takeaway for free. We have a request for aplings from small native trees (eg hazel, birch, holly, rowan, hawthorn, crab apple) or shrubs. If anyone has any unwanted saplings growing in their gardens (NOT sycamore, oak etc) that can easily be dug up then please get in touch with via the 'contact,' section of this website
on The Gardening group is going on a trip to Crook Hall on Sunday 1st July at 11am.
An optional extra is a guided tour with the Head Gardener Ann (very talented lady) this is an extra £2 a head. There is no obligation to go on the garden tour. Crook is an enchanting place to visit, a real 'must-see'. We have a few places remaining , please get in touch if you'd like to book a place. Website: http://crookhallgardens.co.uk/gardens/ Did you know that St Cuthbert's hospice has a Victorian greenhouse selling plants, they also have beautiful grounds that you can walk around (it was lovely surprise to see the highland cows today!). The greenhouse is cash only, most plants are about £1 each.
The lovely cafe is open Monday - Fridays. The Greenhouse is open Monday - Friday 10am - 2pm Card payments are accepted in the cafe. Cash payments only in the greenhouse. Park House Rd, Durham DH1 3QF I thought I would share pictures of my clematis which brings me a lot of joy.
When I purchased my house, it had a Clematis Montana growing over the porch, I was delighted by the number of flowers and the wonderful scent (a mix between baby powder and marshmallows), but I was disappointed by how short the flowering season was. I started to investigate if there were any gardening techniques or tricks to prolong the length of flowering, and unfortunately, there are no gardening 'hacks' to be found. I eventually found a species of Clematis on the Taylors Clematis website, called Montana 'Continuity,' which flowers from May to September! So, I bought one in May 2017. I have attached a photo gallery of it's progress and pictures of the clematis today, whilst my original Montana is starting to lose it's petals the Continuity is growing new flower buds! I am really pleased that I had bought it, and as a side-note my original clematis also has a blackbird nest which we can watch from our front room window - I'm pleased that my garden has given nature a helping hand. The gardening group had the great pleasure of being able to watch the presentation given by a group of Permaculture students (Joanna Jaguar, Alli Allium, Rik Redwood, Shannon Shrubs) from Abundant Earth. After the Gardener's Walk they took their information away and applied the tools that they have been taught through their course including a Plus, Minus and Interesting (PMI) analysis. See the diagrams below for the three different sites that are being considered. Here is a brief outline of the garden walk on Sunday 13th May 2018, at 14:30
14:30 Meet at St. John's Church Welcome and introductions. View 2 potential sites around the church. The theme of 'Unity' was proposed to some of the church council members. 14:45 Geoffrey Avenue field View the undeveloped land at the bottom of the playing field (we think it is currently owned by New College). This land offers a good opportunity to support wildlife and wildflowers. 15:00 6 George Street Visit Amy's garden and see how she has maximised her space (hot drink and biscuit provided). View possible pockets of land adjoining the A167 on the walk to ..... 15:30 Redhills Lane Visit the site of the potential 'flagship' garden at the old entrance to Durham Johnston school. Several members of the group have gardens nearby which attendees are welcome to have a look in. 15:45 Mark's Garden, Redhills Lane A brief visit to Mark's garden next to the Redhills Site, this is optional 16:00 End Please note that the weather may be changeable on Sunday. The route is mainly flat but please wear footwear suitable for walking on uneven surfaces. The distance between St John's Church and Redhills Lane is 0.6 miles, so the total length of the walk will be approximately 1 mile. |
AuthorMandeep Smith, novice gardener! Archives
July 2018
Categories |