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'In Bloom' - Newsletter - November 2006

November 2006
THE PENNINE VILLAGE OF LUDDENDEN
Silver Medal - Britain in Bloom 2005

With Christmas approaching and the end of another year in sight it seems appropriate to take time and briefly look back on what has been another successful year for the village. The plant stalls in Spring again proved popular with everyone and will be repeated in 2007. Matt and Debbie at the Lord Nelson have been brilliant in their support and our thoughts are with them both after the recently loss of Jean, Debbie’s mum. The village en masse has been spectacularly colourful throughout the year with everyone doing their bit. This was recognised in our achievement of the Silver Gilt medal in Yorkshire in Bloom.

Then there was the BBC Radio 4 program "Lives in a Landscape" which it must be said made the village sound an extremely interesting place to live!

Our recent bulb appeal has again been very well supported with approaching £300 being donated, this covers the cost of our Spring displays for 2007 and also the cost of the new bulbs that have been dotted around the village in various locations. Our thanks must go to all who have given so generously and the recognition of our efforts has also been gratefully received.

What of the future?

Everything bodes well for out entry next year. The projects undertaken throughout 2005/6 will start to benefit the village in the competition. Several members both past and present have been approached by Yorkshire in Bloom in recognition of their involvement to become judges and mentors and this is a reflection of the environmental and sustainability standards we are achieving. So 2007 should be a very interesting year.

What’s been happening around the village?

Jobs undertaken this month have been restricted to cutting back and clearing areas that all gardeners have to do in autumn. The churchyard was given the works along with the riverbank wild flower meadow. A compost bin was emptied and removed from Highfield after it began to lean over. On checking the contents it became apparent that the material due to the dryness of the location was not rotting down properly so a new site will have to be found for the bin. All the planters, tubs etc have now been replanted for spring. The ivy in Brigitta’s garden has been removed and will be replaced with clematis and honeysuckle to add more interest to the location and also provide nectar for wildlife.

Jobs to do this month

November into December is a relatively quite time in the gardening calendar. Now that the first frost and heavy rain have made their presence felt working the soil becomes very difficult so is best avoided. There is time to prune wisteria back to two or three buds that should flower next year. Honeysuckle and late flowering clematis can also be given a good cut back. Check and clean out house gutters as with the leaf fall they can block up the overflow down house walls. Make your own leaf mulch for next year by collecting them up. Then place in a bin bag, tie it up and then with the garden fork make some holes in the plastic to allow water and air in and finally store them somewhere such as behind the shed. Those people who have a pond should clean the surface of leaves regularly Decomposing leaves use up valuable oxygen in the water and also help create algal blooms. If you want that rose garden, from now till February is the time to plant bare-rooted stock.

Dates for the diary

December 2nd 2pm to 4pm - Advent Fayre at St Mary’s

December 19th 8.00pm - Christmas Carols at the Lord Nelson

Bird Life

If you have a bird box now is a good time to clean it out with warm water and a mild detergent. Allow them to dry and then place a fine layer of straw or hay to offer a roosting site for the birds when temperatures dip. If you don’t have an existing box it is not to late to put one up. Always place the box in a sheltered quiet area of the garden, which is shady in summer so as to avoid young birds overheating. With temperatures falling continue to put out a good range of food on your bed tables and feeding stations. I’m finding the fat balls with are freely available at pet shops and garden centres are proving very popular with robins, blue, coal and great tits. My other feeders have a selection of niger seeds, peanuts and assorted seeds all of which are going doand wn a treat with the local bird population. As the robin is the traditional wild bird shown on Christmas cards encourage them into your garden with a plate of mealworms. After the slow start this autumn due to the mild weather, greenfinches, gold finches, chaffinches, blackbirds and dunnocks are frequently visiting my station, along with the tit family members and robins already mentioned. Don’t forget to provide fresh water especially on frosty days in shallow vessels for drinking and bathing purposes.

Finally as this is the last newsletter of 2006 may we thank all villagers for their continued support and wish everyone a Happy Christmas and peaceful New Year.