Blog

After 23 months of cancellations, it was a real pleasure to greet members and friends, old and new, at our first meeting, when we heard about Great Gardens of Great Britain by Andrew Babicz.

His love of horticulture came from working alongside his father in the grounds of the ‘big house’ as he was not allowed in the kitchen where his mother worked!

After school he started as an apprentice gardener at Inverewe Garden for the Scottish National Trust and then went onto study at RHS Wisley and at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. He has also worked at Kew and Hampton Court as well as for several London Boroughs.

His other hobby is photography; members were given a photographic tour of gardens from Scotland to Sussex and Cumbria to East Anglia; from grand houses to municipal parks, and the gardens’ special features were explained.

As every garden is different, members were advised to take a notebook and lots of photos when visiting open gardens to help them plan their own gardens, get ideas on colour or planting schemes and to list what plants to add to their wish list.

As each day lengthens trees, shrubs, plants and bulbs are bursting into life. The buds and blossom on the trees is a sign that Spring is in full flow - some tree flowers are just ornamental whereas fruit tree blossom promises rewards in the late Summer/Autumn.

The birds in the hedgerows and garden shrubs are getting ready for the nesting season, flying hither and thither with twigs etc as their intricate nests are built camouflaged by the new growth. In the garden many of the earlier daffodils have gone over, but tulips are taking their place. From origins in the Ottoman Empire to fame in the Netherlands, this is a flower that has remained popular for centuries. Tulip flowers come in all shapes and colours – some like wine glasses others like a ballerina's tutu.

Also starting to fill those blank spaces are the perennial plants, their new new shoots ready to take over from the spring bulbs. In the next few weeks it will be the time to start sowing annual seeds – one season wonders that will give a splash of colour, most of which are loved by bees and butterflies and can be cut and brought inside to be enjoyed.

This is also the time of year to start sowing your summer crops. Many people grew their own food for the first time last summer, this led to a seed shortage in parts of the country, so make your "shopping list" and enjoy an afternoon out at a nursery/garden centre (socially distanced, of course) and buy your seeds. Word of warning though - with the unpredictable British weather be wary of late frosts so keep an eye on the TV Weather Forecasts before sowing or planting
out.

Please take care everyone and stay safe until this nasty virus has been beaten – we will let everyone know as soon as we get the go-ahead to reconvene meetings

It doesn't seem possible that it is a year since the Gardening Club held its last meeting – all the hopes that things would be back to normal by June, then October were dashed as this nasty pandemic took hold. But our gardens became a place of refuge, allowing gardeners more time to enjoy their hobby and also introducing many non-gardeners to the joys of growing their own vegetables and flowers thus making the lockdowns bearable as “pottering around” and “staycations in the garden” became the norm.

Now with Spring upon us, it's time to plan ahead so that a fruitful and colourful garden can be enjoyed later this year. Local Garden Centres are open so you can obtain seeds, bulbs and plants. Also some of the supermarkets and DIY Stores are stocking a selection of ready-grown plants. Although the weather can be a bit temperamental enjoy the lengthening days and warmer temperatures.

Remember: March Winds and April Showers bring forth May Flowers!

As soon as we have any information regarding holding meetings at the Day Centre again we will let you know - the biggest problem at the moment is social distancing in the hall but as soon as things improve it will be super to welcome everyone to our meetings again.

Spring is on its way – days are getting longer, even the sun feels warm when it breaks through the clouds.

Although we have had rain followed by more rain and the ground is saturated, walking around the village the gardens are starting to look colourful with the snowdrops and hellebores in flower and other spring bulbs starting to poke their heads through the soil. On the shrubs new buds are forming, ready to burst into leaf. It is at this time of year greenhouses and indoor windowsills come into their own, giving pots and seed trays that extra warmth to encourage growth. But Mother Nature has a habit of tricking us all, so be patient, keep an eye on the weather forecast, before planting out plants and vegetables in your garden. Outside, to help your plants get a head start, cloches and protective fleece can be used to cover up the growing areas to help warm up the soil.

Now is the time for planning ahead for the summer months too – seed and plant suppliers are starting to send out their catalogues to tempt everyone. With this nasty Covid virus constantly changing it is unlikely that lockdown restrictions will be lifted totally so once again gardens and parks will be our solace and will help to lift our spirits. Once we get the “go ahead” to resume our monthly meetings it will be good to catch up with members and hopefully to welcome new members who have got “the gardening bug”.

What a strange year 2020 has turned out to be - since March our gardens and the act of gardening has been a vital source of solace to many.

Over the spring and summer months gardens have been tended, flower borders have burst with colourful plants and shrubs and those growing vegetables for the first time enjoying home grown bounty.  Country walks have become popular, with the many footpaths and unspoilt vistas around the village being enjoyed by both old and young walkers. The garden has become an extra room outside – a place to sit, play and enjoy life!

Since the clocks changed, the days are becoming shorter and the temperature is dropping as the winter months approach so now is the time to put many tender plants and shrubs “to bed”. If you have an empty shed or greenhouse, pots with tender plants or shrubs can be moved inside. Alternatively they can be wrapped in fleece or bubble wrap to give them extra protection.

Unlike Lockdown I, the garden centres can remain open this time, so there is still time to buy bulbs to plant in pots to give you a blast of welcome colour in the Spring. It is also a good idea to give shrubs and flower borders a mulch with compost (home made or purchased). This will help to give protection to the border plants from adverse weather and improve the fertility and health of the soil.

The RHS has advised that the garden at Hyde Hall is open if you fancy a trip out – but remember to book your entry time via the internet.

As 2020 starts to draw to an end, The Mountfitchet Garden Club would like to wish all our member and local residents a “Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year and 2021”