8 members of the Garden Views Group met at a member’s house on Dunkirk Road on Monday 16 March and explored ideas and gardening tips before looking round Mary’s immaculate garden. There were a number of highlights including two small camellia trees coming into beautiful bloom (photo by Trish) and a fascinating purple coloured shrub called Magic Dragon, a purple myrtle – Lophomyrtus.

Among many suggested tips the following were included: use Tomorite as a fertilizer for runner beans as well as tomatoes and, at half strength, for fuschias and tree peonies; start runner beans in root trainers as late as June; in a small garden try growing, in the same ‘patch’ broad beans, followed by French beans and then runner beans; plant garlic in November; what to do about ‘spanish’ slugs; there seem to be adders around at the moment; getting sweet peas off to a good start under ‘mini’ greenhouses made from top half of large, plastic lemonade bottles; avoid using thinner string for erecting canes because the birds will shred it for their nests; the pleasures of growing tea tree broome (part of the myrtle family) in Burnham; fermenting rhubarb leaves in water to create a weed killer; the high cost of rhubarb in shops and the pleasure of growing it yourself; how to propagate roses; putting ‘tar’ bands round pear and other fruit trees to prevent moths growing inside fruits.

Notes:

• In aid of St Mary’s Church there will be a plant sale on 23 May (morning) at 10 Fernlea Road (John and Linda Green)
• Also in aid of St Mary’s Church, Open Gardens will be on 27 June starting at 2pm. Tickets available at the Church or at any of the open gardens
• There is a long-established gardening club which meets on the 2nd Monday of the month at the URC hall on Station Road

Liz Smith