On Saturday 10th May, twenty five people from Blewbury and Upton visited the RHS Gardens at Wisley in Surrey. We were extremely lucky with the weather and only suffered a couple of showers, although it was pretty windy. The rhododendrons and azaleas were amazing and everything else looked really healthy and fresh. Quite a few of us came away with a few plants from the well-stocked garden centre!!
Our next talk takes place on Wednesday 4th June at The Vale Room – 7.30pm. Our speaker is John Negus who will be giving a presentation on Shrubs of Distinction.
The weather seems to have gone haywire again. Fortunately I had tied up my peas and sweet peas but my broad beans look like a few rows of leaning towers of Pisa!! Despite the weather, everything I’ve planted appears to be doing well, especially the onions and shallots. The strawberries are the best ever at the moment with plenty of bloom, but it remains to be seen if they produce fruit. The greengage tree on my allotment has for the first time been smothered in bloom. The blossom survived and teeny weeny fruit appeared but most of them have now disappeared as a result of the awful winds. Hopefully, I will get more than the ONE greengage which I had last year.
Just a reminder – Don’t forget the VPA has tools available (for a donation) which might help with some of your more strenuous gardening jobs.
The Summer Show is fast approaching – so if you haven’t got a Schedule yet, either pop into Blewbury Post Office or e-mail me on VPA.in.bl.up@gmail.com
DID YOU KNOW?
To kill off unwanted insects in the greenhouse or cold frame, bash up some laurel leaves and leave them in a bowl overnight. The damaged leaves exude prussic acid gas, which is deadly to most small insects.
How about this? Battersea Park in London was once the site of a giant asparagus field, with over 260 acres set aside for its cultivation!
Happy gardening
Eileen