In April we held our second talk of the year at Stainton Village Hall. The guest speaker was Steve Bradley who came along to talk to us about bulbs. Steve and his wife are experienced horticulturists who also offer free advice on their website garden.help.
Bulbs can be planted into lawns, to make them look natural throw a handful of bulbs and plant them where they land. Take care if using a bulb planting tool as these are awkward and cause injuries which could even require surgery. Instead a weeding tool can be twisted to produce the correct size of hole for planting.
Bulbs can also be planted into containers and Steve explained how best to plant these in layers for a succession of blooms. He explained that we could use a similar layering technique in a border to extend the timings of bulbs in flower.
Steve explained that he likes to think of bulbs as herbaceous perennials which can flower year after year, he did not approve of some of the garden programmes on TV advocating that bulbs be discarded after only 1 season. He advised us to feed bulbs when they have finished flowering to encourage healthy bulbs for the following year.
Steve was an entertaining speaker and had us laughing out loud at his witty take on situations.
On Friday 1st May we are having a trip out to Howick Hall Gardens in Northumberland.
On Friday 5th June the trip is to Littlethorpe Manor and Ripley Castle.
Julie, Fran and Kate