Thorpe and District Gardening Club went to St Francis Church Hall, to pot up sunflower seeds with the Norwich 20th Brownies.

David Freezer
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
6:30 AM

Thorpe and District Gardening Club have been passing on their knowledge of nature to the Norwich 20th Brownies.

Thorpe and District Gardening Club went to St Francis Church Hall, to pot up sunflower seeds with the Norwich 20th Brownies.

The gardeners went along to St Francis Church Hall, in Rider Haggard Road, Heartsease, last Thursday night to pot up sunflower seeds with the Brownies pack.

Armed with compost, pots and seeds they were welcomed by the Norwich 20th’s Brown Owl, Christine Cutting, and her band of helpers, plus about 20 Brownies.

Some of the pack were already known to the gardeners because of the club being involved with the gardening project at nearby Heartsease Primary School.

Andy Street, from Thorpe and District Gardening Club, said: “Getting started, the children’s names were put on their pot.

Thorpe and District Gardening Club went to St Francis Church Hall, to pot up sunflower seeds with the Norwich 20th Brownies.

“They were shown how to plant the seeds they each were given and told how to care for them.

“Brown Owl and her team also went through the process with much laughter, as they were not as good as the children!

“The children were also drawing and painting on T-shirts they were going to wear for the Queen’s Jubilee. It was all very impressive.”

Maggie Goldsmith, social events organiser for the gardening club, commented on having a very enjoyable evening with the pack and said how well behaved and polite they all were, with the club agreeing to pay another visit later in the year.

– Have you got a story for Local Life? Contact editor David Freezer on 01603 772418 or david.freezer@archant.co.uk

Sign in to leave your comment

0
comments

I’m a garden writer/copywriter. I help garden related businesses get the word out in a clear, compelling way so they can sell more of their product or services. I’m also the author of North Country Gardening: Simple Secrets to Successful Northern Gardening and a money saving tips booklet: From Store to Garden: 101 Ways to Make the Most of Garden Store Purchases.

Phlox has been cultivated for centuries because they’re easy to grow and are American natives.

Thought of by many gardeners to be the best of all perennials, the phlox family includes some of the most widely grown garden favorites, among them varieties such as creeping phlox (P. stolonifera) and modern phlox (P. subulata). Wonderfully fragrant and long-blooming, these beauties come in a medley of colors ranging from the palest pink to ruby red.

Set out new plants in either fall or late spring. They will self-sow in late summer if seed pods are allowed to ripen on the stalks. Sow fresh seeds 1/4-inch deep in full sun, where you want them to grow, as soon as trees leaf out.

Gardeners Flock To Phlox

Powdery mildew often afflicts phlox, so keep your plants a few feet apart and take out about one-third of the total stalks, to allow good air circulation. Cut down the stalks in fall.

Secrets to success: Divide clumps of perennials and phlox about every three years, to keep them vigorous. Cut back the plant by one-third after flowering, and then dig it up and divide.

Many phlox self-sow, and usually revert to magenta color. To prevent this, deadhead (cut off faded blooms) often and rigorously. Always pinch back the weaker stems to prolong flowering and to encourage branching. Cut phlox make fabulous bouquets — they’re long-lasting and very fragrant.

The name phlox comes from the Greek word meaning flame. Phlox paniculata is commonly known as fall phlox or garden phlox. The low-growing variety, phlox divancata, is called Sweet William.

The soil should be moist but well-drained and deeply cultivated. Enrich with organic plant food, as phlox are heavy feeders.

Few plants demand to little attention.

Thin out honesty

Leave a few good plants

in strategic places, where the sunlight will eventually enhance their silvery
seed heads.

Deadhead tulips

Deadhead the last of the tulips and let their leaves die down naturally. Dig
up and bin any tulips that were not 100 per cent healthy and happy.

Feed fuchsias

Start to feed overwintered fuchsias with high-potash tomato food to encourage
the formation of flower buds.

Editor’s Note: The following information is a press release from the NJ Poison Center.

Picnics, camping and barbequing make the list of fun holiday activities for this Memorial Day weekend. Now that the warm weather is upon us, it is time to freshen up on our summer safety tips.

“Although summer is a time to kick back and enjoy ourselves, we must not forget the potential dangers that can occur during the summer months,” said Dr. Steven Marcus, Executive and Medical Director of the NJ Poison Control Center.

From barbeques to gardening, from opening pools to yard cleanup, the NJ Poison Experts are here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year to help in the event of an emergency or with any concerns.   

Food (Any food made with mayonnaise or egg, meat, poultry, fish, seafood, etc.)

• Cold foods should be kept refrigerated when not being served. 
• Do Not Cross-Contaminate!  Cooked foods should not be placed on any unwashed plates/containers that previously held raw meat, poultry, fish, or seafood.
• Always wash hands and counters before preparing food.  Use clean utensils for cooking and serving.
• Do not let food sit out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Medication (prescription, over-the-counter, herbal, dietary)

• When friends and family visit, make sure all of their medications are kept out of reach of children and pets (such medications are preferably locked up).
• Lock up all medicines – (prescription and non-prescription) – children and teens die every year because adults (parents, guardians, grandparents, etc) fail to realize the danger of keeping medicines in non-secure medicine cabinets, closets and drawers.
• Since many teens like to experiment with prescription and non-prescription (over-the-counter) medications to get high, lock up all medications even if there are no toddlers living in the home.   
• Safely dispose of any unused and/or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications in the home.  Remind the seniors in your lives to do the same. Drop-off sites are available in NJ where these medications can be properly disposed of.  Call the NJ Poison Experts at 1-800-222-1222 for local drop-off site near you.
• Use caution in that some drinks may interact with medications.  Check with your pharmacist or the Poison Control Center to find out if an interaction may occur.  Some medications can greatly increase the chance for severe sunburn.

Chemicals (pool products, pesticides, fertilizers, lamp oil, kerosene, lighter fluids, automotive fluids, etc.)

• Jugs containing lamp oil MUST be stored in locked cabinets away from food and drinks. Lamp oil refill bottles closely resemble juice containers.  It is difficult to pour the liquid directly from the bottle into the torch and frequently the user pours the liquid into a plastic or paper cup in order to then transfer it into the torch. This leaves a cup with what appears to be lemonade or apple juice sitting in it, a dangerous invitation to disaster!  When accidentally taken by mouth, such lamp oils can enter the lungs causing pneumonia and death. 
• Read the directions on the label before using.
• Keep locked up and up high and out of reach of children and pets.
• Store in the product’s original, clearly-marked container. Always use child-resistant caps.
• Store chemicals in a cool, dry, well ventilated area with a locked entry. 
• Always choose the right pesticide for the job at hand.

• Do Not apply products on a windy day.
• Wear protective clothing, masks, eye protection when applying chemicals.  Wash clothes, footwear or any exposed skin that comes in contact with chemicals.

Spring/Summer Cleaning

• Good ventilation is the key to getting harsh fumes from cleaning products out of the house.  Simply opening a window is not enough to eliminate dangerous fumes or odors.  You may want to use an exhaust fan to eliminate the fumes and to circulate fresh air into the area you are cleaning.
• Test your carbon monoxide smoke detectors to make sure they are working.
• Do Not mix products –combining products can produce toxic fumes.
• Clean when children and pets are not present. Keep products locked up and clean up all spills immediately and thoroughly.
• Make sure to properly discard medicines that are not being used.  Check expiration dates frequently on all over-the-counter and prescription medications kept in the home. Recent recommendations include combining expired or leftover medicines with used coffee grounds, kitty litter, or something else bad-tasting to children and animals. Place this in a coffee can with a lid, and discard with your household trash.

Backyard Safety

• Know the name of plants and flowers in and around your home, including your yard and garden.
• Be alert to insects that may bite or sting. 
• Make sure all gardening, lawn care products, and pool products are stored in locked cabinets.
• Do Not pick plants/mushrooms to eat from your backyard or fields.  Even experts are often fooled by look-alikes which are toxic.

Safe Grilling

• Store charcoal lighter fluid in locked cabinets, out of sight and reach of children and pets.  Swallowing lighter fluid can lead to serious poisoning. 
• When taking cooked food off the grill, do not put it back on the same plate that held raw food.
• Turn meats over at least once to cook evenly.

Sun Exposure  

• Avoid sunburn by limiting time spent in the sun especially when the sun is the strongest (from 10 am to 2 pm).
• Wear clothing to cover exposed skin (long-sleeve shirts, pants, hats, and sunglasses) and regularly apply sunscreen with a broad spectrum SPF of 15 or higher.
• Use caution in the sun because some medications can greatly increase the chance for severe sunburn even when using sunscreen.

Insect Repellant/Mosquitoes

• Apply 10% to 35% DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) containing insect repellant to exposed skin, clothes, sleeping bags, tents, etc. when taking part in outdoor activities. DEET is available in many formulations including lotions, solutions, creams, gels, sprays, and towelettes.
• Insect repellants are NOT suggested for use on very young children ( 3 years old). Avoid applying repellants to broken skin or wounds.
• Do not spray insect repellants on the face since they may irritate the eyes and mouth.  Instead, spray onto hands and then rub onto the face.
• Wear long-sleeved, loose-fitting shirts and long pants. Pants should be tucked into socks or boot tops to help insects from reaching the skin.
• Limit outdoor activities at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active.
• Eliminate standing water that collects in birdbaths, buckets and containers, old tires, unused pools and roof gutters.  Standing water is a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Call the NJ Poison Experts at 1-800-222-1222 if you suspect a poisoning. The NJ Poison Experts are always here to help with accidents or questions involving medicines, chemicals or household products, etc.

We hear from so many proud gardeners every week, it seemed a shame not to share their photos and advice with others who are passionate about their plants.

We’ve created “How Does Your Garden Grow?” — a spot on our Baylife gardening page where we’ll run readers’ photos and tips, and let them brag a bit about their green thumbs.

If you’d like to take part, please provide your name, what part of town you garden in, and answer the questions as they are shown here. Email that information along with two or three high-resolution jpgs of your garden (with or without you in it) to baylife@tampatrib.com.

Beatrice Rose, Westchase area

Describe your garden: My garden is full of colors. It cheers me up to see my flowers. Every day I find something to do.

How long have you been gardening?: I have been gardening since I was very young back in the Amazons of Peru.

Who or what have you learned the most from as a gardener?: From my mother, who also loved flowers very much. Sometimes if I’m not familiar with the plant that I want to purchase, I will research it on the Internet. I also have friends that like gardening and we share tips among each other.

What are your go-to plants?: I have so many plants that I can count on: hydrangeas, ixoras, agapanthus, azaleas and many more. But there is one that always steals the show — my bougainvillea. It has the most beautiful purple flowers, and it seems like it is always in bloom. People stop to take pictures of it, and everyone in the neighborhood knows me for it.

What was your biggest gardening mistake?: I planted three queen palms in my backyard. Later, I wanted to add some plants around them and I could not. It was very hard to dig holes, as the palm tree roots took over everywhere. I wish I had planted the palms and my plants at the same time. Well, lesson learned!

What are some challenges you face in your garden?: My biggest challenge is deer. They just have a feast on my roses! They are beautiful animals but can be a gardener’s worst nightmare. So, I’m trying again … I just added a 7-foot-tall fence made of netting. I’m hoping this will keep them at a distance.

The first time I met Del Ray resident Kevin Tullier, he was ferrying plants from an older woman’s car to her garden plot at the Chinquapin Organic Gardens.

Tullier, a first-time gardener who waited two years for a spot in the gardens, had just met his new garden plot neighbor and immediately embraced the spirit of “community” that makes the gardens such a special, sought-after place. He helped carry her plants, listened to her gardening tips and chatted happily as he ripped weeds from his overgrown plot (and broke a couple garden tools in the process).

Tullier is one of a small crop of lucky, patient gardeners who made it off the enormous waiting list of people who want to join the gardens. Currently, there are more than 350 people waiting for a single plot to open in the 171-unit gardens that stretch across a hillside behind the athletic fields near T.C. Williams High School. 

“It’s a three-year wait for a plot,” said John Walsh, the horticultural supervisor with the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities. “I just added three more people to the wait list today.”

I joined the gardens in 2007 after I read a feature in The Washington Post about community gardens in the D.C. Metropolitan area. I had developed a love for gardening as an adult, but I’d only ever played with flowering plants, shrubs and trees. Not vegetables. Everything about growing food was new to me, but the article piqued my interest and I thought, “Why not?” Like many in Del Ray, I had space constraints on our property at home—too much shade, too little room—which made the gardens even more attractive.

I called Walsh in the spring and he told me there were a few people waiting for a spot but not to worry, the list moved quickly. Sure enough, a few months later, I got a call back. 

Like Tullier, I didn’t know a thing about gardening but within days of preparing my plot and planting seeds, I realized I didn’t need to. I had years of expertise and no shortage of opinions from the gardeners around me. I wasn’t ashamed to ask either: How do you know when to pick a tomato? Should I thin these basil seedlings? How? What can I do to eradicate these weeds? 

I’m still waiting for an answer on that last one.

The plots vary by sunlight exposure, soil quality and size. At 18 feet by 20 feet, my plot is one of the biggest. It sits next to a mature stand of trees so it gets significant shade in the late afternoon. The soil is unbelievably rich. City residents pay $55 a year for a full plot, $25 for a half plot or berm, and gardeners have full access to free mulch, wood chips and water.

Tullier wanted to try his hand at vegetable gardening, but he didn’t want to invest the time and money in creating a spot at his house on E. Del Ray Avenue if his experiment turned out to be a colossal failure. So, he applied for a spot at the gardens.

“Then I forgot about it because I never heard back,” he said. He got a call a few months ago, though, and now he has a patch planted with okra, carrots and tomatoes, among other things. 

“It quickly became apparent when you get out here that there’s so much help,” he said. “And then there’s the shared stuff—the mulch, the hoses. As long as you don’t break your tools, you’re good to go. … People out here want other people out here to be successful.”

Rob Gallo, who works the plot next to mine, joined at the same time as me. Unlike me, though, he grew up gardening with family and was overcome with nostalgia the first time he passed the gardens on his way to play tennis. 

“I remember just how much joy and passion my uncle and aunt had for this,” he said. “I guess you could say it passed on to me. Their enthusiasm inspired me a great deal because I enjoyed gardening with them and it gave me a sense of community because other neighbors would take pride in their respective gardens.”

Of course, for Gallo, me and others, one of the best aspects of working your own garden is eating what grows. The gardens hold an annual summer picnic where guests share food and recipes, and compete for bragging rights in a contest for the best-tasting or oddest-shaped tomato. 

Del Ray resident Marlin Lord got his plot more than 20 years ago because he wanted to grow cucumbers to pickle for a family recipe: chow chow, a relish his grandmother used to make Cornish meat pies. Now, he grows a vast array of vegetables, and helps organize and maintain the gardens as chairman of the Chinquapin Gardens Advisory Board. 

He enjoys the gardens for simple reasons. “The fresh air, the hard work and exercise, you can exhaust yourself,” he said. “And just the pleasure of seeing your things grow.”

For those hoping to finally jump off the waiting list, Walsh said the city hopes to add an extra 20 spots at Chinquapin this year and is looking for another place in the city to create more gardens. His staff presented a proposal to the Parks and Recreation Commission last year to create gardens at Ben Brenman Park that could ultimately comprise 150 plots. The commission created a sub-committee to study the issue.

Description:

Follow @G2Bristol

Gardening tips – growing your own in Bristol with gardener Kim Britland

Bristol gardener Kim Britland gives tips on gardening and growing your own

 

Typical English weather… unpredictable! Being quite new to the gardening scene has at least taught me there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to growing your own. I think the key this season is patience.

 

I have been chatting to other keen gardeners and more often than not I am hearing that outdoor sowings haven’t germinated or that indoor sowings that have been hardened off (process of preparing plants to outdoor conditions) have not survived outdoor conditions. I think that with the drought in March and early April then the constant rainfall and occasional late night frosts and now the blazing summer heat, it has meant that neither gardeners nor young plants know whether they are coming or going.

 

Instinctively I held back and didn’t rush to get everything out, which has paid off a little. In the container garden the potato plants are looking healthy and sturdy. This week I have seen the first formations of strawberries on the window ledge. They loved the recent downpour and the plants are looking luscious and green. The tomato plants, courgettes, peas and beans I am hardening off and I have sown salad leaves in a window box and nasturtiums in containers. Make the use of your window ledges at home guys, it’s amazing what you can grow without needing allot of space.

 

I am also very lucky to share an allotment with a lovely lady, Nicky. Down there, the onions and shallots have made an appearance and the jumbo peas and broad beans are twisting their way up the cane supports. Potatoes are being earthed up and a few salad leaves have been sown, along with carrot and beetroot. It’s all exciting I can tell you!

 

Here’s a brief summary of gardening bits and bobs to keep up with over the next week or so:

 

Watch out for late night frosts.

 

Earth up potatoes

 

Lift and divide over crowded clumps of daffodils and other spring bulbs.

 

Collect rainwater. I have buckets dotted about through the garden, think I might invest in a water butt soon. Makes sense!

 

Evening slug patrol! I get out there in the garden most nights with a torch and hunt the little pests out!

 

Harvest Rhubarb. Yummy Rhubarb pie tastes great home baked with a nice dollop of ice cream!

 

Many veg crops can be sown as seed. Broad Bean, carrots, lettuce, spinach, salad leaves, leeks and chard.

 

And of course, don’t forget to mow those luscious green lawns!

 

Kim welcomes your comments and queries. If you have a specific gardening question for Kim, please message her using the enquiry box below.

 

Click here for Bristol Shops

 

Memorial Day may unofficially mark the beginning of summer, but for many gardeners who have been closely checking the evening temperatures throughout the month, it is typically recognized as the launch of the growing season.

New England is relatively well known for its erratic weather, and while it is unlikely to face a frost between now and June, it is New England. For those gardeners who simply cannot wait any longer, here are a few tips for protecting plants from late spring frosts.

• Be diligent about checking the weather forecast. While it may sound obvious, verifying the overnight low can give a great idea of whether new plants could be in trouble. Also consider the particular terrain. If gardens are on a hill or an elevation, they might experience lower temperatures than the forecast suggests. Similarly, if the property is in a sheltered valley, it might not undergo temperatures as low as the forecast indicates.

• If plants could possibly be at risk from the chill, cover them with a special frost fabric that will keep frost from forming on the plants. This protective covering is a very light fabric that won’t crush delicate starts and it is also reusable for many years. Most lawn and garden shops carry this material.

• Small plants can be covered with a paper or plastic cup, a pot, or other available covering options. This should help reduce frost and the damage it could cause.

• If plants are in containers, bring them inside or into a garage where they will be sheltered from the extreme conditions.

Preparing the Garden Beds

Even if vegetables or flowers are not planted this weekend, this is the perfect time to add manure or compost to the garden beds, especially for vegetables. Vegetables pull a great deal of nutrients from the soil, and by not adding compost, the plants may not produce an abundance of its crop. Additionally, the flavor of the vegetables is also dependant on the organic content of the soil, so adding compost or manure will also enhance their flavor. Add the manure or compost to the surface of the soil, then turn it into the top soil layer using a digging fork, shovel, rototiller, or cultivator.

Do not add fertilizers at this preparation period. Adding a fertilizer is premature and the only plants that will benefit at this time are the weeds.

Speaking of weeds, to prevent those pesky in the garden, add salt marsh hay between the intended vegetable rows. Not only will it help to control the growth of weeds, it will also keep from tracking soil from the garden. As an added benefit, that the hay will also turn into valuable compost by the end of the season.

Choosing the Plants.

Some crops should be hardy enough to withstand some low temperatures. Peas, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, chard, collards, leeks, pumpkins, squash, potatoes, carrots, and many others can survive the current temperatures just fine. Veggies such as eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and okra are more sensitive and won’t tolerate the cold weather well. These crops are safer to plant the beginning of June.

Once the plants are in the ground, make sure they have a good drink of water. Not only will water help settle the new plants into their new environment, it will also stimulate new root growth. It is also a good idea to make sure that the plants don’t go bone dry because young plants with limited root structures rely on steady water for optimum growth. Keep a close eye on young plants and give them an extra splash of water, especially on hot days.

Protecting the Plants

Both insects and larger animals can pose an immediate threat to young veggies. Here are some tips to help protect the garden.

Natural animal repellents such as fox urine will help keep woodchucks, squirrels, rabbits and other animals away from the garden.

Planting marigolds and garlic around the perimeter of a garden may deter certain insects and small animals.

Cut worm is a common enemy of many soft-tissued plants. As their name implies, these worms walk along the ground and will “cut” or bore into the stem of plants, killing them. If this becomes a problem, place a tube around the base of the plants. A cost effective way to do this is to cut the bottom of a dixie cup and slide the cup over your plant to protect the base. Since cut worms do not climb, they will avoid the newly protected veggies.

Whether its preparing or planting this weekend, the time is finally here to get those hands dirty and embark on the gratifying process of gardening. It is really not as difficult as many may think and a little effort every day will result in an abundance of fresh vegetables on the grill and in the kitchen this summer!

Information for this article was contributed by Wilson Farm, 10 Pleasant St., Lexington.