Now is the time to start planning your hanging baskets, says Sherborne gardener Pete Harcom – but keep watching out for frosts.
It’s the month to start planting up your hanging baskets – with some planning now you can create one of these huge balls of flowers this year
April.. at last! Things really do get going in the garden in April, there is lots to do now:
Watch out for frosts Even if the days are warm, watch out for frosts at night, and resist the temptation to sow and plant out too early. Keep an eye on the weather forecast, and wait a few days if necessary. Protect any early outdoor sowings with fleece. The growing lawn will also need attention, including sowing fresh grass seed on any bare spots.
Hanging baskets at the ready Hanging baskets can now be made up in a cold greenhouse. Top tip – use a pot to stand the basket in while you plant it up! When it’s done, either hang the basket up in the greenhouse, or keep it standing on the pot for support. Don’t hang the basket up outside until the danger of frosts is over. I have seen some baskets in the last few years that have been ‘mounded up’ to, in effect, create a large ball of flowers. To create a huge ball of flowers lots more moss is needed to line the basket and the higher ‘mound’ (the soil is also ‘mounded up’). You need to have a basket that is not less than 15 inches in diameter, and is capable of having flowers planted through the sides of the basket (through the wire sides of the basket). Once it’s well underway, don’t forget to deadhead the flowers throughout the season, as this helps repeat flowering. These large hanging baskets my need an irrigation drip to ensure they’re watered regularly, too.
Understand your fertiliser These huge balls of flower will need regular feeding with a slow release fertiliser high in potash for more flowers. All fertiliser plant foods have ‘NPK’ on their packs. N stands for Nitrogen, P stands for Phosphorus and K stands for Potassium or Potash. Have a close look at the packs when next in a garden centre. A fertiliser with NPK of 7:7:7 would be a balanced fertiliser, 10:5:3 would be for early in the year plant growth (i.e high in Nitrogen), and for lots of flowers (i.e. later in the season, and hanging baskets…) an NPK of say 5:5:12 would be good.
The effects of the war have filled our screens and our conversations; Rachael Rowe has spoken to one local councillor who went straight to a refugee point in Krakow.
“Krakow is just one of many onward ‘safe’ points from the Ukraine border. I have spoken to too many Polish people today torn by this war. Young staff at our lodgings and in the cafes who have said goodbye to young Ukrainian men who have gone home to fight. People who have Russian friends who have been hissed and spat at. This current generation in Poland was not expecting to see this.”
Rachel McNamara on right, with former colleague Mike Miles as they arrive in Krakow
The recent events in Ukraine have shocked and appalled people across the world. However, local resident and chair of Shillingstone Parish Council, Rachel McNamara, could not stand by and do nothing. She packed a bag and travelled to Krakow with an ex- colleague from British Airways to roll up her sleeves and help. When I contacted Rachel, I was curious why she decided to go to what is the edge of a war zone, and whether it was part of a charity or NGO. “We both felt sure there must be something we could do. We’d heard the visa application process was awful and thought we could just get stuck in. We are both ex-BA cabin crew with access to cheap flights, and just years of experience travelling to strange and sometimes hostile environments. “We, like others we met yesterday and today, are independent. There are lots of ex-cabin crew that we have met here. There are a couple of charities here, but I’d say [there’s] as many people like us who just decided to pack a bag and try and help.”
Refugees in Krakow What were your first impressions of the impact of refugees on the city of Krakow? “It’s strange. Initially, we couldn’t find them, and life in this affluent city looked unaffected. But then our instincts took us to the railway station. Suddenly, the contrast from ‘life as normal’ to the refugee centre in the middle of a brand new train/shopping mall was striking. “Every day two trains arrive from the Ukrainian border. Refugees are cared for by loving volunteers with some basic financial support from the Polish government (about £6 per day). Some prefer to stay. Feeling far enough away to dodge the bombing but close enough to feel connected with their loved ones fighting or unable to escape. Hundreds of thousands are processed to Germany, Sweden, the USA and many other countries. They are hungry, without papers, with uncertain futures. “I came here with friends to help, and we are astonished by what we can do. We thought we might not be needed or welcome.”
Rachel McNamara, left, peeling apples in the refugee centre
Peeling fruit So how was your offer of support received, and what sort of things have you been doing? “Open arms! There is a volunteer process and registration with the police, but it is also possible to just dive in and start peeling fruit. This morning that’s what I did. Mike went shopping with another volunteer for sanitary essentials and spent about £200 of his own money. He came back, helped give out the essentials and then helped with lunch.” Rachel also described how refugees were helping each other in Krakow. “Refugees are getting involved themselves. Some refugees are not looking to go any further. They have left friends and family behind and want to be far enough away to be safe but close enough to feel they haven’t left properly. These refugees are starting to help the new refugees arriving. They work alongside us with food provision. Most importantly, some of the younger ones have multilingual skills in Polish, Ukrainian and English translation. Last night, we learnt from locals who are fearful for their own loved ones. Many Ukrainians lived in Krakow and went ‘home’ to fight. There is also some fear that the war will spread here.”
Rachel’s friend Mike Miles stocking up on sanitary essentials for the refugees – he spent about £200 of his own money
How can readers help? It is important to know that there is still so much to do and help with. The visa application process takes about two and a half hours. Help is needed to do that with each applicant. Volunteers are also ladling soup, giving drinks, sorting accommodation, finding funds for onward transport etc. I think sometimes we think that ‘someone else is dealing with it’. We had initially considered going to the border, but we were genuinely concerned that we should not take up required accommodation. Equally here we have chosen accommodation with plenty of availability. Many volunteers are in hostels. “There have been conflicting reports about what is needed. I think this is because what is required in Ukraine, on the border and here at a secondary refugee point are different. So here, less medical supplies are needed but more daily sanitary essentials, reading glasses, paper/plastic food dispensing stuff like plates, bowls, cups, cutlery … There is a supply here, so volunteers go and buy it each day. There are volunteers in Poland that money can be passed directly to in order to buy supplies. “Register to be a sponsor on ‘homes for families’ here https://www.gov.uk/register-interest-homes-ukrain . Then email me on [email protected] , and I will connect them with the volunteers who are matching individuals and families here to the requirements of sponsors in the UK.”
Location : The Blackmore Vale Partnership surgeries
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours per week : Negotiable (must be over 24 per week)
Pay scale : Band 7 £37,699.24 – £43,428.43 pro rata
Closing date 15.04.2022
We have an exciting opportunity available, to join our established nursing team to work across our 4 sites with a wide range of team members/professionals.
We are looking for an enthusiastic Registered Lead Nurse to join our diverse Health Care team to help us deliver care to the surrounding community, enjoy life, maintain the quality of our practice and explore new horizons. Must be able to work across our sites, a clean driving licence is required.
For an informal chat please contact, Richard Broad on 01747 856700
For a full job description and application form, please see
Activity gathers pace as the roses come out, playing their own part in the constant cycle of growing and moving, says Thorngrove’s Kelsi-Dean Buck.
Thorngrove Polytunnel
Well how about this weather, eh! It’s been mayhem the last few days and we hope the recent wind hasn’t caused too much damage to your homes and garden spaces. We can always get some unpredictable weather as we approach spring but we’d quite like it if there were fewer storms, that’s for sure!
Bring out the roses
Our plan for the end of February had been to move the newly potted up roses out of the polytunnels here, but we’re currently holding off due to the storms. By the time you read this we may have moved them out (Kelsi says that the roses are now officially ‘out’ – Ed). Roses leaving the polytunnels is a big sign that Spring is arriving and they’ll be blooming before we know it. Once the roses have been moved out and we’ve freed up the space, we’ll be potting up the new Clematis – aka the Queen of Climbers!
Our new trees will also be leaving the polytunnels in the next couple of weeks and will be on display around Thorngrove, which means we’ll then be potting up this year’s stock of shrubs… and so the cycle goes on!
The secret of an outdoor cafe
As for what else is new? The Secret Garden Café here on site has a new manager and our new menu has just launched – do stop by, say hello to Ben and his team, and give the new menu a try! Those who’ve visited the café in the last year will have seen how much things have changed since we first opened. After moving all the seating ‘outside’ to our fully enclosed patio area, revamping all the furniture and replacing the tables and chairs, we’ve created what we feel is one of the most unique and cosy café spaces in the area – and we’re not done yet!
This past week we had a new temperature control system installed, meaning your visit will be comfortable whatever the weather. Please keep your eyes peeled on our Facebook page too as there may be even more exciting news on the café very soon…
We’re always adapting and developing the site to become a place the whole community can be proud of, and we’re excited for the rest of 2022! What’re your gardening plans for the Spring? Stop by Thorngrove for a chat, some professional advice, gorgeous Mother’s Day gifts and all your gardening needs!
Prices of imported flower have leapt 40%, so here’s tips on how to grow your own – and it’s so satisfying and simple, says Charlotte Tombs.
Some of Charlotte’s seed- growing results from last year
The crunchy, frosty – or drizzly – days from late winter to early spring herald the ‘big sowing of flower seeds’ for me as a British artisan flower farmer.
I’m being hopeful here – and I’m always hopeful. Hopefully I will have chosen the right ‘must have’ flower for this season (yes there are flower trends), hopefully it will germinate, hopefully the slugs won’t eat it, hopefully it will grow into a big strong plant, hopefully it will flower in time for your big occasion, and hopefully it will be just the right shade to complement your bridesmaids’ dresses, sashes, groom or usher’s ties or cravats.
That’s a lot of hope tied up in a tiny seed that sometimes is no bigger than a grain of sand. In addition to all that hope – and inevitable failure – a lot of time is invested by growers. Flowers are perceived to be expensive (they are not, of course, when the grower has spent eight hours in the rain, covered in mud!). I have read in the trade press that it is estimated that the cost of imported flowers has jumped by 40% this year. So why not think about growing your own from seed? It is really very simple and incredibly rewarding; beneficial for your mental health and fills you with a great sense of achievement.
Charlotte’s ‘soil blocker’ gadget creates useful compressed blocks with a seed indentation in each
No equipment required
You don’t need a lot of expensive kit; a sunny window sill, a bag of all-purpose compost (preferably peat free – share one with a friend if a whole bag is too much) and literally any container to hold soil in; if it has a lid even better. Current TikTok trends have many people growing on their window sills in old plastic fruit punnet boxes from the supermarket.
There are so many different methods of growing from seed and you’ll find one that suits you; currently our spare room floor is covered with seed trays making use of the underfloor heating. And our kitchen window sill is home to old Indian takeaway containers (yes, obviously washed out…) which are home to 40 seeds each.
Charlotte’s spare room floor is currently a seed nursery
Because I sow so many seeds I do have a gadget called a soil blocker which compresses the compost and makes tiny little blocks with an indentation for the seed in the top which I then sprinkle vermiculite on to retain moisture. Just follow the instructions on the packet and as soon as the seeds have emerged, move them to a sheltered outdoor space – bring them in at night to protect from sneaky late frost and frigid winds.
The takeaway boxes on Charlotte’s kitchen window sill hold 40 seedlings each.
You’ll soon be gripped
Seed sowing can become quite addictive. There are some great social media accounts that take you through all the different steps: check out Swan Cottage Flowers on Instagram and Facebook. Zoe posts regularly and takes you by the hand through all the different steps of growing from seed. Give it a go, you’ll be hooked.
Or follow me Northcombe Flowers (or Instagram here) and I’d be happy to help; give me a follow and see my ‘Flower Farmers Year’ in photos. I promise a beautiful flower-filled feed. Hopefully.
As the weather warms, lambing and calving begin, heralding the busiest time of year for farm vets, says Damory’s Laura Sage BVSc (Dist) MRCVS.
This lamb was born by Caesarean section after the ewe did not dilate properly
Spring is finally here – the busiest time of year for our team of farm vets. On top of the usual routine work we are busy tending to emergencies ranging from difficult births and Caesarean sections to poorly calves being placed on fluid drips and hospitalised here at the practice. For all newborn animals, a good intake of colostrum (mother’s first milk) is essential. This contains nutrients and antibodies to provide energy and temporary immunity to newborns, so it is vital in preventing diseases such as “joint ill” (joint infection) and “scour” (gut infections causing diarrhoea). Close attention must be paid to whether calves and lambs drink enough colostrum; if not, they need to be supplemented by bottle or stomach tube.
Milk fever
One common condition we treat in cows who have recently given birth is ‘milk fever’ (low blood calcium), which can quickly become fatal. Sheep can also get milk fever before lambing if they have any kind of stress or diet change.
A helping hand was needed to bring this beef calf into the world!
Watch your dog
Please take care walking dogs at this time of year. Pregnant ewes can abort their lambs or suffer milk fever with the stress of a dog approaching, even if “they’re just playing”. This is devastating for all involved, so please keep dogs on leads around sheep.
Cows with calves at foot can also be nervous of dogs and people. Don’t walk between cows and calves, or allow dogs to ‘play’ with inquisitive calves, as their mothers can be protective.
Walk calmly and quietly through the field, and make sure you have an ‘escape route’ planned if you are worried.
Although busy, spring is full of variety and excitement, and the most rewarding time of year for us. Bringing new life into the world never gets old!
They’re easy to just walk past, but Alex Hennessy from Dorset Wildlife Trust suggests we pause to notice the range of ferns growing in our woodland and hedgerows, and shares her favourites.
Hart’s-tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium)
The simple, tongue-shaped leaves of this fern are a glossy green with orange spores underneath – often in stripes that bring to mind centipedes’ legs – scolopendrium is Latin for centipede. Their characteristic leaves with curled ends and sides make them quite easy to spot.
Male-fern (Dryopteris filix-mas)
When you think of a fern, the chances are you envisage something quite like the male-fern. The fronds of this species are split into many tapering leaflets, which unfurl in spring from tightly wound strands starting from the base of the plant. By summer, the plant will have exploded into a spray of fronds up to 1.15 metres high, which will then die back again in autumn. Male-ferns are one of the food plants of the angle shades moth caterpillar, which can be seen from May to October and looks like crumpled leaves.
Top image – Hart’s-tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium) Followed by Male-fern (Dryopteris filix-mas) Then Adder’s-tongue fern (Ophioglossum vulgatum) and lastly Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum)
Adder’s-tongue fern (Ophioglossum vulgatum)
Another fern named for its wildlife-reminiscent shape, this is an important indicator species for ancient meadow habitat and is much less prevalent and more difficult to find than the hart’s- tongue or male-fern. It usually appears between June and August, spending the rest of the year underground as a rhizome. It is bright green, with an upright oval-shaped frond – quite different to the frothy frond displays we most associate with ferns. Two other related plants, the small adder’s- tongue fern and the least adder’s-tongue fern, are much smaller and rarer, and only found at a few sites around the south-west of England.
Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum)
This is our most familiar fern in Britain. The golden-brown colour of dying bracken in winter is likely to be a familiar sight in woodlands, on heathlands and across many other habitats across the county. Bracken grows up to 2 metres in height and spreads underground via rhizomes. Because of its fast growth and ability to negatively impact flora and fauna if left unchecked, bracken needs to be carefully managed and this vital conservation work is often carried out with the help of the fantastic Dorset Wildlife Trust volunteers.
How a single butterfly enhances my world – and we can support these little angels of delight, says Jane Adams.
The brimstone (an old word for sulphur) is a fairly large, pale yellow butterfly, with distinctive, leaf-shaped wings. Adults hibernate through cold weather, so may be seen flying on warm days throughout the year, although they are most common in the spring. Usually seen in ones or twos, they are never very common, but are widespread. They can be found in damp woodlands, along sunny, woodland rides and mature hedgerows, and in large gardens.
It feels good to be outdoors. Up to my knees in last summer’s overgrown seed-heads and straw-coloured stems, a movement by the hedge catches my eye. It’s a yellow butterfly. After the uncertainties and fears in the world – the war in Ukraine, Covid, the lockdowns, job losses and isolation – watching this butterfly feels life affirming and gives me reassurance. Reassurance that at least one thing – the one controlled by our natural world – is still functioning. Just. Why just? Because butterflies are having a hard time. Research by the charity Butterfly Conservation confirms a ‘serious, long-term decline of UK butterflies’. And this has resulted in ‘70% of species declining in occurrence’ since 1976. The principal causes seem to be the destruction and deterioration of the places they live, and extreme weather events caused by climate change. It brings a lump to my throat to admit it, but ultimately, it’s our fault. Enough doom and gloom. This little glittering gem in front of me is a brimstone butterfly. A male with butter-coloured wings, the shape and tone of two veined leaves. And, though it dazzles, it disappears when it lands for a second within the highlights and shade of a lichen covered branch. Back in flight, its wings remind me of the waving hankies of a Morris Dancer. One minute it’s by my feet, the next it’s twenty metres away as if it can teleport. It’s exhausting to watch, but impossible to look away. Then, as swiftly as it appeared, it’s gone.
How we can help!
Even this early in the year, we can still help butterflies. Many of their caterpillars live within fallen leaves, so leaving piles of leaves around the garden (rather than burning them) will give them a home. And if you’re planning on adding new plants to your garden, buy as many as you can that are butterfly-friendly, with flowers that will overflow with sweet nectar.
Imagine a world without butterflies. No, nor can I. Hopefully we can keep it that way. We need to cherish our little harbingers of summer and life.
Help your garden butterflies:
Butterflies like warmth so choose sunny, sheltered spots for nectar plants. And different plants attract a wider variety of species; aim for flowers right through
the seasons. Spring flowers are vital for butterflies coming out of hibernation and autumn flowers help butterflies build up their reserves for winter.
The best plants for summer nectar in your garden:
Buddleia (The butterfly bush)
Verbena bonariensis
Lavender
Perennial Wallflower (especially Bowles Mauve)
Marjoram (Oregano)
by Jane Adams– Naturalist. bTB Badger Vaccinator. Nature writer. Photographer. Bee Watcher.
