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Ely & District U3A Garden Groups 1 and 2

U3A Garden News Editor Joan Wall/David Latham

No 11 Tuesday 2nd June, 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.

David’s Daisies were identified by Julia Williams – the pink daisies which close at night in his photo are Osteospermum Jucundum. Originating from S. Africa. I have them in my garden too and have some on my ongoing NGS plant sale (takings nearly up to £400 currently!). Hardy, long flowering period and you can cut them hard back to get a second flush of later flowers.

(Joan - I popped round and bought some from Julia’s stall, as with all this time in the garden I am clearing space for extra plants.)

My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece. – Claude Monet

Judi’s Christopher Lloyd Moment

Photo of my Ely Cathedral rose. The poppy next to it came out today (don't know which one it is - can anyone help?) Anyway my colour combination is not of the best unless you're Christopher Lloyd who used to do it on purpose at Great Dixter. I'm working on it!

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What is your favourite Flower? from Pauline Lancaster Many years ago, I asked my father what his favourite flower was. I was thinking that it would be Rose, Sweet pea or maybe a dinner plate sized Dahlia. He looked thoughtful for a minute or two and then finally said GORSE! He explained that he admired Gorse for its tenacity, resilience and its small yellow flowers signifying hope. Gorse grows on poor heath soils and will resist all the worst weather that is thrown at it, high winds, low temperatures and still it thrives. He also told me that you can find a flower on a Gorse bush in any month of the year! Here on the Fens must be the least “Gorsey” area in the British Isles (not sure how far from Ely you would go to find a Gorse bush, possibly Thetford?) but other counties where I have lived, Dorset. Shropshire and Derbyshire, I have put this to the test and even on a snowy day in January I have managed to find at least one small yellow flower on a Gorse bush and I remember my father’s words. What is your favourite flower and why?

When the world wearies and society fails to satisfy, there is always the garden. – Minnie Aumonier

David’s Happy Retirement

This is a photo of our standard rose in the front garden, which we purchased six years ago. It is called Happy Retirement. It is a floribunda with no scent. I dead head it, and get another flowering, later in the year. It normally flowers in June, this year it is about two weeks early. I do not hard prune it, give it a feed from time to time, every now and then I give it a good water if dry, but do not fuss over it. I do not spray it, etc. It gets the sun in the morning only. I’m sure you agree it is looking good.

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Lynne Gathercole’s Secret Supplier I was just wondering for those that are nearby (ish) this plant man is brilliant - He grows all his own and they are beautiful. I have just been up this am for some bedding. Cheaper than the nurseries too! And he now takes cards - something he hasn’t done till now. Easy to park another bonus "#$% Garry K Bethell, 16 Chewells Lane, Haddenham, Ely, CB6 3SS Tel – 01353 741383 He is open from 9-4 pm every day (7 days a week) well worth a visit. &'()*

Pineapple Tree - Thought this might be of interest - it’s botanical name is Argyrocytisus battandieri (Moroccan broom) it is a very interesting tree and I look forward to it coming out every year. The leaves are so soft - very tactile.

Gorgeous Poppies

Ponderings from Pauline Hewitson

Pauline also recognised David’s flowers. Wearing my gardening hat, I think that the pink flowers in David’s garden, are Osteospermum. I bought these as 3 small plants 2/3 years ago, from Ely market. Every year, from early April, they provide a great splash of colour in the garden.

One of my favourite flowers are the alliums.

These are Purple Sensation, they have been in the garden for a few years now and even though they have flowered every

year, this year is their best performance and at last they seem to be spreading.

Any ideas as to how I can improve their performance?

The roses are at the front of the house and this year they have been “magnificent”, the best ever. This picture was taken at the beginning of May, before the winds came.

Can anyone name these blue flowers?

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Chris Cunnell’s Cute Characters The Blue Dancer clematis, in an earlier edition has now finished flowering, and has very attractive heads.

The white delphiniums are growing very tall and brighten things up a bit. (However I noticed this lovely little chap and wanted to find out more.) - My toadstool was purchased the year after my husband died, it’s in two pieces so can be moved around the garden, it’s quite heavy but easier to move in two parts. I think I purchased it at Oakington Garden Centre. I saw it, and it just reminded me of my husband (!) so had to buy it. I think it’s great and cheers me up. Are you thinking of getting people to send you photos of their garden ornaments and such like for the newsletter? (Yes you are the first after David)

We also have a sleeping gnome under the tree and a gargoyle guarding the back door

I wish it would rain as I have things to plant out, but my garden is way too dry for me to attempt to dig the soil.

A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust. — Gertrude Jekyll

Joan’s gripes

I am also a member of Nature the Fens Facebook page and look at their lovely photographs.

Recently there has been a thread about the lack of ladybirds. and the large number of aphids. this year– something I had also noticed. Previous years I had noticed small hairy bugs all over my plumb

tree which were identified for me as ladybird larvae. Andy cut down the plumb trees this winter due to non-productivity – so that’s where my ladybird nursery went. I noticed yesterday on my riverside dog walk, lots of ladybirds and larvae on the nettles. I have started collecting the nettle leaves with ladybirds on and releasing them on my most affected plants – it seems to be working so far. Just

praying for rain now

Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life. –John Updike

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My Gravel Garden from Pauline Lancaster

Three years ago, I started a gravel garden and here are some photos of it now. It’s fairly colourful at the moment with all this sunshine and no rain and the bees love it. It puzzles me that many of the flowers seem to prefer growing in the gravel rather than in the borders where I originally planted them! (The first photo shows entrance to my “secret” Gravel Garden)

Memories and more from Lynne Gathercole

ßBeautiful alliums called Schubertii

My husband cut the tattyà

yellow buddleia down and used the tree trunk as a base for a table - now supporting a few

more plants!

ßCan you spot the black label lurking near the toadstool - it’s

Judy’s snowdrop? Now I know exactly where it is

- +,-.

This is a rose we had on myà Mums coffin back in 2012 - I managed a strike and it now grows happily here - A lovely

reminder of her

Keep Safe and Keep Contributing. Thanks, Joan