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www.ilkestonlife.com ILKESTON LIFE July 2021 14

Borrowash is blooming

Life in the Garden

Hello Gardeners… If your lawn is infested by ants, speaker or online. We discuss all

Welcome to July‘s ‘Life in the brush out the nests on a dry day. things gardening giving helpful
tips and advice for that month. If
Always brush them away before
Garden’. As I sit here and write mowing. you would like to send a question
this month’s article we are blessed Keep an eye out for powdery in to be read out on air, then email
with some lovely rain for our mildew on plants, this dusty white [email protected]
gardens, it’s great to hear the patter substance is usual at this time of and you can catch us 12pm till
of showers outside and our plants year. Remove any affected parts 2pm for all your weekend garden-
have loved it - they look so healthy and spray with a fungicide. ing!
and green, I am sure everything is Warm moist weather encourages
going to go mad now!! rapid weed growth - apply specific Broomfield College plant
Usually by now I would have lawn weed killer to keep them in centre is NOW OPEN...
worked at both Chatsworth flower check
show and Gardeners World Live Feed summer bedding plants, Some good news - the plant centre
NEC and June would have been a hanging baskets, containers, etc., is now open at Broomfield Hall to
busy month but instead its given with a high potash feed such as the public again. 10-4 every day. n June in Borrowash village businesses in the village and are
me chance to work in my own gar- tomato food as this will encourage Sorry, but they can only take pay- Icentre I noticed plants being grateful for this year’s support for
den,which has been great, I have flowering. ments by card. unloaded for the flower beds, to the planting from local Blakefield
loved growing lots and I am really Other covid restrictions in place: provide a most colourful scene in nurseries in addition to Colliers
pleased with my lettuce, strawber- Gardener Steve’s Plant of Please wear a mask, front of the shops . nursery in Borrowash.”
ries and potatoes - been a bumper the Month Keep 2m apart. In chatting, the volunteers were If you would like to be involved,
don’t think you need to be a qual-
crop! I have been also redesigning Echinacea purpurea They are looking forward to seeing from Borrowash in Bloom and ified horticulturist as a volunteer
their Phill Barlow explained that
an area in the back garden with (Purple coneflower) you. they are an organisation of local as you are welcome at any level.
a new screen fencing and a new Echinacea are clump-forming With very competitively priced volunteers who, with the help If you have 15 or 30 minutes or
seating area so it’s all systems go rhizomatous perennials with sim- plants grown by the students, of sponsorship from Borrowash longer spare to help in simple
here! ple or pinnately lobed leaves and Broomfield’s Plant Centre offers a businesses, councils and donations planting or light weeding or have
Here are some of the jobs you solitary, long-stalked daisies with haven for plant lovers. The range from members or the public they other particular skills, you help
can be doing in your gardens this prominent conical central disks includes seasonal bedding, vege- are able to make such an attractive enhance the village as well as
month... attractive to butterflies. table and herb plants, alpines, and village centre. meeting others.
Clear weeds regularly around your Echinacea purpurea is an upright border perennials. In addition they re-plant areas that You never know, your support
vegetable plots, as they compete perennial with coarsely hairy, Remember please keep getting in have fallen into neglect and they could help to win Borrowash in
with your crops for nutrients and ovate shaped leaves and flower- touch with your stories, photos, have won many awards for their Bloom’s next award!
water. heads to 12cm across with light events, general gardening advice efforts, such as the 2018 Royal You may like to look at bor-
Cut back hardy Geraniums after purple rays and brown central and help with plant identification Horticultural Society East Mid- rowashinbloom.co.uk or Face-
the first flush of flowers to en- cone. Ideal for cut flowers, flower just email me at lands in Bloom and the Erewash book.
courage new growth and further borders and beds. [email protected] Mayor’s award for contributions to It may be you that I next see in
flowers. Flowering period: Summer. I look forward to hearing from you voluntary work. Borrowash, trowell in hand!
Dead-head and pick sweet peas Height and Spread: 1-1.5 metre x and See you all in August. Phill said: “We work with many Richard Parkin
regularly so as to encourage 0.5metre. Gardener Steve
more blooms. Water daily in dry Position: Full sun part shade.
weather. Soil: Any soil but well drained.
Pinch out tomato side shoots each Hardiness: Hardy.
week. Cut off any leaves growing Pruning: Cut back stems as the
below the lowest ripening fruit blooms fade to encourage new
trusses to improve air circulation flower.
and prevent diseases. Pest and Diseases: Generally pest
Dead-head bedding plants and and disease free
perennial plants to stop them
self-seeding and to encourage Gardener Steve on
further flowering. Erewash Sound
Divide clumps of Bearded Iris now Every other Saturday I join Tanya
so they have time to form roots on her lunchtime show on Erewash
and flowers buds for next year Sound 96.8FM and 103.6FM or
before the cold weather arrives. you can listen via the app, smart
Left to right: Sweet Pea; Echinacea
Purpurea, also known as Purple Cone-
flower (Gardener Steve’s plant of the
month) and Tomato.
Home-grown Tomatoes start to ripen
in mid-summer.

Bluebells at
Stanley Com-
mon Woods,
photograph
taken in
May by R J
Bramley of
Hallam Way,
West Hallam,
a member of
Ilkeston 2000
Camera Club.