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Ely & District U3A Garden Groups 1 and 2

U3A Garden News Editor Joan Wall/David Latham

No 17 Tuesday 14th July, 2020

Welcome to U3A Garden News that we hope will keep you in touch during the Covid-19 lockdown. The Garden Groups are going to be a joint enterprise, U3A Garden News.

Joan and David continue to edit your contributions and Peter Lee arranges the distribution, and its success depends on your continued contributions to the content. Joan and David thank you for your contributions for future issues, please continue with your good work: short items, questions, photos, or simply something amusing. Please feel free to answer or ask questions and contribute your garden related thoughts. Thank you to the people who print off the newsletter and deliver it to members who do not have email.

It seems like a lot of you have been working hard in your gardens and with this spate of good weather I hope you are finding time to sit back and enjoy all your hard work. There are obviously still jobs to do – weeding, mowing and harvesting as the plants are enjoying the wet and dry spells.

Chris Cunnell has found some colourful plants in her garden to bring her satisfaction.

The agapanthus, crocosmia and day lilies are now opening

Sadly my lawn is looking really bad after I put weed ‘n feed on it and despite the rain has many burnt looking areas. I wonder what the feeling is amongst the readers is about artificial grass? I would be keen to hear good and bad reviews, recommendations (if allowed) for a good installer and best type of artificial grass

I have some lovely sea holly out which the bees love, I think I counted 8 the

other day.

(Ed) which brings me onto my next subject

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Wildlife Watching It seems that many of us now have time to pause and watch the wildlife in our gardens. At the beginning of lockdown there were a lot of comments that, with the lack of traffic and other noises, people were hearing the birdsong more and other wildlife coming to places they had not been before. More people are now talking about the hedgehogs in their garden and birds becoming semi tame and coming close and demanding to be fed as they raise their 2nd or 3rd brood.

This week I have received a lot of pictures of insects and other wildlife making use of our hard work and beautiful blooms. Personally, I can watch bees for ages – so busy in their search for nectar.

Julie Peacock, although not a garden group member likes reading the newsletter and sent in some of her wildlife pictures.

I took these photos at the weekend. Bees love the globe artichoke flowers. (Ed What a lovely flower)

The frog surprised me when I went to pull a weed in the camomile lawn. (Ed I believe there were several frogs benefitting from the cool and shade)

Jennifer Bedford tells us about her bumble bee colony

Some time ago I abandoned a compost bin as I found the compost almost impossible to turn and the door to access the magic brew had broken. I invested in a drum which can be rotated to mix the vegetation. Actually, I now find when the rotating bin is almost full that it needs Samson to turn it but that is by the way. Anyway, I left the old bin with an ancient wool rug over the top to help it brew. Sometime latter on

investigating the state of the mix I lifted the lid to discover several bumble bees crawling about the rug. Gently lifting the rug lots of bees rose and moved in my direction. I hastily replaced the rug and on investigating later the bees were bumbling (sorry ) about on top of the rug. I gather these bees do not attack unless they feel threatened! These are, I believe, white tailed bumblebees though distinguishing them from buff tailed is tricky as apparently the bees look very similar. (Ed They have a lovely selection of flowers to choose from. I have put out several upturned plant pots and “bug houses” but they will choose where they want to live)

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Lynn’s early walk around the garden with a cuppa - beautiful peacock butterfly on a tomato Leaf Lovely red admiral on our water feature.

Chris’ black ladybird with red spots.

(Ed - There are 46 species of ladybird in the UK and about 3,500 species worldwide – so why are there still so many blackfly on my beans?)

Lynn’s Favourite Poems

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Chris Cunnell has been working hard on her front garden makeover. Today

we added a Cordyline Banksii Electric Star in an

Opta Balmoral Purple jar. I intended to do a makeover of the small rockery, but

the bees love the plants so at the moment I am leaving

it as is.

The Yuccas in my gravel garden are starting to open, they look beautiful with the white flowers against the other plants and gravel. I just wished the flowers lasted longer.

(Ed) To lower the tone of this Issue

My life seems to be one long battle against birds and bugs and small furry creatures. I don’t have fruit cages but plant various soft fruit in various places in the garden. I usually just use garden netting over said bushes. I also spend time freeing birds trapped in the net or freeing my dog who chases the birds into the netting and shreds the netting. I also curse the pigeons who land on the top new growth of the bushes, breaking them, to get at the fruit through the net. This year I had an idea. What the birds can’t see they won’t go looking for, so I used some garden fleece to cover my Loganberry bushes – and what do you know – the best crop in years. I half-heartedly tried it on the other soft fruit. However, I have discovered fleece does not stand up to the winds we have been having, as the picture shows. Next year my garden is going to look like a harem as I dress it all up in my old net curtains (I am thinking about getting some coloured ones to brighten the place up). Wait till I get started, ranting about the squirrels.

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Lynn Gathercole will readily admit she is obsessed with photographing her garden and here are some more contributions.

1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6.

1. Border colouring up now 2. These shoes are not meant for walking 3. What this plant is called - I have lost the name of it - pink flowers on very long

stems- would love to know - I bought it at Cranbourne Manor gardens in Dorset - a few years ago and brought it with me from Dorset. Have two large clumps now.

4. Beautifully scented. Wish you could smell it "#$% - fabulous - brown patches on the lawn behind - grass undergoing repair!

5. Pinks This is a very old variety highly scented - if anyone has any highly scented pinks such as Doris, willing to swop cuttings

6. President. Gone mad - need to train it up wires next year!

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7. One of my lovely Alliums broke off with the windy conditions - so had to put it in a

vase - never mind, enjoying it indoors 8. Two years ago I was given these cut hydrangeas for a vase from a friend, I took a

cutting from them! Don’t know where to put them now - may outgrow their pot! 9. Heuchera purchased at Twenty Pence nurseries - fab leaf colouring. 10. Succulents Finally trailing - idea originally found from the RHS magazine 11. A pretty succulent - no idea what it’s called! With very pretty orange flowers - I don’t put it

outside - stays inside all year round. 7. 8.

9, 10.

11.

Thank you for all your contributions and please keep

sending them in.