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www.ilkestonlife.com ILKESTON LIFE September 2021 14
Life’s ups and downs

Life in the Garden was very happy teaching at stressful day and I made a meal for

I Hallcroft and life was good.
were all bereft and afterwards they
I had a kind, loving and hard Bernard, Dora and ourselves. We
Hello Everyone, of year to ensure that next year’s variety. working husband and my mother left for home. The last thing Bernard
Welcome to September’s ‘Life in buds develop well. Sedum Specablie ‘Autumn Joy’ and father-in-law, Bernard and said to me as he left was, ‘I’ve never
the Garden’. As summer draws to * * * has succulent, lettuce-green leaves, Dora, were a lovely couple and my felt so tired in my life, Betty.’ I put
a close in our gardens, Autumn is Treetops Hospice to open topped with salmon-pink flow- Mum and dad were at that time in it down to him losing his mum and
waiting in the wings to put on its er-heads in summer, maturing to reasonable health. I couldn’t have the strains of the day.
performance and what a show it its gardens with the pinkish-bronze then coppery-red in wished for better. In the early hours of the next
morning we were awoken by our
always is! National Garden Scheme autumn. This is an ideal perennial My father-in-law’s parents, Matilda neighbour, who was banging on the
How time flies! I can’t believe Saturday 4th September 11am - as a filler plant for a sunny, well- and Jim, were also a much loved front door. We didn’t have a land
how quick this year is passing 3pm drained spot in the front or middle and important part of the family. line at this time so messages were
by. Do you think it’s because Admission £3.00 - Child free of the border. A valuable source Michael and I would spend nice conveyed through her number.
we’re busy during the spring and Treetops Hospice Care, are de- of nectar for butterflies and bees weekends with them in their cottage ‘Michael you have to go up to your
summer months tending to our lighted to be opening up their gar- in late summer to early autumn in Mountsorrel, which is between Mum’s straight away. Your Dad’s
gardens? They really do get our dens as part of this year’s National , the dried flower heads provide Loughborough and Leicester. To ill’. My husband rushed to Cotman-
attention, don’t they, where else Garden Scheme. structure and colour in the winter top it all we had a little boy, Patrick, hay only to find his mum weeping
would you want to be though! Treetops estate is a 12 acre site garden. who was worshipped by the whole and his dad dead on the living room
September might feel like there’s of woodland and grounds in Flowering period: Late Summer - family. He was a very happy, easy- floor. His father had just turned 51.
not much to do and everything’s the conservation area of Risley Early Autumn; going child and we hoped he would We were all shocked, broken and
eventually be joined by a brother or
coming to an end in the garden, Village, and was formerly part of Height and Spread: 60cm x 60cm sister. Life was good. grieving, but Dora soon had to
but it’s far from it! It is the ideal the grounds of Risley Hall. It has (2ft x 2ft); return to work at Chambers Factory,
time plant new plants and to divide been developed over the last ten Soil: Any garden soil, well I have always been a fatalist, opposite Trinity Church. Life was
believing it only takes one small
existing plants while the soil is years, taking into consideration the drained; event to change the course of things tough.
still warm, and there’s less need to needs and fundraising activities Hardiness: Hardy; completely. The butterfly effect. A short while later, education cuts
water as the days will be cooler. of the hospice. Raised wheelchair Propagation: By division in And so it was with us. Perhaps we took their toll and I was made
redundant from Hallcroft. Michael
It’s practically the start of the walkways allow guests to access spring or by softwood cuttings were tempting fate with our blissful was trying his best to morally
planting season! the woodland areas plus a 20 min- of non-flowering shoots in early happiness? Our lives were soon to support everyone. He worked very
These past few months have been utes circular walk on bark chipped summer; change in the blink of an eye. long hours himself, but whenever
busy for me I have been out and paths and raised walkways. Pruning: Chelsea chop technique Michael’s much loved Grandmother, he could he was up at his Mum’s
about in the local area visiting Throughout the year a team of in May, Cut back after flowering Matilda, died suddenly at their home trying to console her and give a little
some great community projects about 10 volunteers help care for or leave till spring as faded flowers in Mountsorrel. It was unexpected. support.
and open gardens with Erewash the gardens that provide a riot of give interest through the winter She had always been very healthy so His Grandfather, Jim, also needed
Sound. All kicked off with the colour with the many spring bulbs, months; it was an enormous shock to us all. support and help. He did not have a
Morley open gardens, I then blossom trees and beds and bor- Pest and Diseases: Slugs, snails We attended her funeral six days lat- wide circle of friends, having only
headed off to Incredible Edible, ders filled with many ornamental and vine weevil can attack also er, wearily and sadly returning home recently moved from London. It was
a community gardening project plants and there is also a Daffo- root rot. that evening. It had been a long and more or less an hour’s travel for Mi-
spreading across Beeston. It was dil walk through the woodland Remember please keep getting in
then onto Old Walled garden in where thousands of daffodils were touch with your stories, photos,
Elvaston Castle and I have just planted. events, general gardening advice Treetops
Hospice
finished off hearing from the Treetops were awarded joint first and help with plant identification garden -
volunteer gardeners at Treetops prize in the ‘Best Business, Com- just email me at gardenersteve24@ open to
Hospice in Risley, where they mercial and Places of Worship’ live.co.uk the public
will be opening up their grounds category of the Erewash in Bloom I look forward to hearing from you this
this month with the NGS, Details Gardening Competition 2018, Ere- and I’ll be back here in October month
below. wash Borough Council’s annual Gardener Steve
I have travelled further afield too. gardening competition.
I have been carrying out some as- There will be a plant stall and a
sessments with the RHS ’Its Your local produce stall selling jams,
Neighbourhood’ Scheme which jellies and marmalade, made by
took me to Loughborough and the gardeners. Visitors can enjoy
visited five different projects but light refreshments. Dogs on short
were all making their communities leads are also welcome.
a nicer place to live and work. Admission is £3 per adult, under
I would love to hear what you 16s free and the entrance mon-
have been up to in your gardens, ey goes to the National Garden
or have you visited a nice garden? Scheme which supports several
Do you volunteer in a garden, national charities including Hos-
have you grown anything new this pice UK.
year? Drop me a line, I would love Find us at: Treetops Hospice Care,
to know. Derby Road, Risley, Derbyshire,
[email protected] DE72 3SS
‘To do’ list * * *
To kick off then your September Gardener Steve’s plant
gardening, some jobs for you do! of the month
Continue to feed and dead head
hanging basket and containers and SEDUM SPECABLIE ‘AUTUMN
they will keep flowering till the JOY‘
first frosts. (Stonecrop, Herbstfreude)
Now is the time to buy and plant Sedum is a perennial with thick,
spring flowering bulbs. succulent leaves, fleshy stems, and
Plant hyacinth and amaryllis bulbs clusters of star-shaped flowers.
for forcing for an early display. There are many types of Sedums,
Fill gaps in borders with autumn they all have different uses: such
flowering plants such as Sedum, as low–growing varieties for
Aster, Chrysanthemum and ground covers and rock gardens
Japanese Anemones to extend the and tall varieties for borders.
colour to the end of the season. Sedums are easy to care for and
Keep Camellias and Rhododen- are good for cut flowers. Sedum
drons well-watered at this time Autumn Joy is a taller growing Plant of the month: Autumn Joy