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www.ilkestonlife.com ILKESTON LIFE October 2021 14

Life in the Garden

Dear Gardeners… • Clear fallen leaves off lawns as Pest and Diseases: Powdery mil-
Welcome to Autumn and to Oc- regular as possible to allow light dew may attack.
tober’s ‘Life in the Garden’. Yes, to the grass. Throwback Time with the
and isn’t there’s that Autumnal • When planting blueberry plants
make sure you have an acid soil or Blue Skies team!
feeling in the garden. As I sit and
write for your October gardening alternatively you can grow them in They write:
the late September sunshine is fill- pots of ericaceous compost. Our job here at Blue Skies the
ing the room, the light is gorgeous • Divide congested clumps of Limit Events and Adventure is to
at this time of year, do you agree? Rhubarb by digging up and split- book and organise gardening day
In our gardens at this time we can ting into several pieces. trips where we send our resident
expect that dew on the lawns in a • Plant spring bedding plants such Horticulturist, Gardener Steve on
morning, an array of spider’s webs as wallflowers, Bellis, Primulas his travels around the country.
and the leaves are gearing up for and winter pansies for spring Over the past three years we
their colourful finale! Oh, don’t display. have travelled miles from Surrey
you just love Autumn? Gardener Steve’s Plant of to North Yorkshire and visited
Autumn is the season for bulb the Month gardens of all shapes and sizes and
planting. These are the bulbs that Euonymus alatus such variety like, RHS Harlow
we plan now, and they produce (Burning bush) Carr & Wisley, Ness & Cam-
our spring displays. There is a bridge Botanic Gardens, Biddulph
whole range of different varieties Euonymus alatus is a dark-leaved Grange, Hardwick Hall and Hid-
of bulb, so whether you’re looking shrub, these dark leaves are seen cote just to name a few.
for bulbs to come up in your lawn, for most of the year but in autumn During the month of October, the
ones to grow in containers and it comes into its own when the fo- garden day trippers went in search
ones to grow in shade under trees liage turns vivid shades of scarlet of Autumn colour, and we headed
there’s a variety for every space. and crimson. off to arboretums and gardens that
I would love you to share with The summer flowers are small, but show off their seasonal shades.
me what bulbs you are planting they result in attractive purple and So, its throwback time to our
this autumn, Oh, aren’t i nosy! I red fruits which split open to form October destinations that we have
will let you know what I’ve been four winged lobes with a bright been lucky to visit which were
planting next time we meet. orange seed at the centre. The Westonbirt Arboretum in the Local authors launch new transport
bark is also attractively winged
To do list for this month and very unusual. It’s a great beautiful Gloucestershire country- book project - You can help
It is a busy time in the garden so specimen shrub in a mixed border side, Himalayan garden in North
Yorkshire and Batsford Arboretum
here are some jobs that you can or front garden, where its magnif- in the heart of the Cotswolds. o you remember the relating to Ilkeston’s canals, road
be getting on with and there’s few icent autumn colours can really D‘tracklesses’, or the traffic and rail transport including the
extra this month!! be appreciated. I have one in my We are so looking forward to and crowds on Bath Street on a trolley buses and trams. It is hoped
• Lift Dahlia tubers, Begonia garden and it’s a plant I wouldn’t getting our garden day trips up Saturday before it was pedestri- the book will take the same format
tubers and Gladioli corms to be without especially at this time and running again with our trips as Railway Tales with roughly
hopefully commencing in 2022 and anised?
store dry over the winter months. of the year. Do you have any family connec- one third photographs, one third
Remove the dead foliage before The Royal Horticultural Society we have missed welcoming our tion with the canals, road haulage history and one third stories and
storing them. has given it its prestigious Award lovely guests and visiting beautiful or now lost bus companies? Any anecdotes.
• Clear the straw from around of Garden Merit (AGM). gardens. Paul Miller, also Chairman of the
the base of strawberry plants to Flowering period: Flower in If you enjoy visiting gardens, flow- amusing or tragic stories? Or do History Society said “We’ve been
increase ventilation. Shear back summer and outstanding foliage in er shows, botanical gardens, stately you have any interesting photos wanting to write this follow-up
old foliage to encourage fresh new autumn. homes, garden centres and would from the past? book since before Railway Tales
growth. Height and Spread: 200cm x like to meet new friends plus want- Local historians Grant Shaw and was finished, nearly ten years ago,
• Continue to plant bulbs for a 300cm. ing a great day out, why not get in Paul Miller have launched a new but other things have got in the
glorious spring display. Exposure: Full sun or partial touch with us. book project, the long-awaited fol- way. Now we’re keen to get started
• Plant bare root and containerised shade. During the pandemic we have kept low up volume to their 2012 book on this worthwhile and hopefully
ornamental trees and shrubs. Soil: Moist but well drained. in touch with our guests on our ‘Railway Tales’ which charted the entertaining new project”.
• Hardwood cuttings can be taken Hardiness: Hardy. mailing list with a newsletter with history of Ilkeston’s railways in the If any reader has any material
now from deciduous shrubs. Propagation: Semi-ripe cuttings. news from the Blue Skies team Age of Steam. Railway Tales has which they think might be use-
• Harvest squashes and pumpkins Pruning: Prune out damaged, dead plus gardening advice, a quiz and a to date sold over 2000 copies with ful to this project, then you can
before the first frosts as they will or crossing branches in late-winter terrible garden joke from Gardener all profits going to the Ilkeston contact Grant and Paul on new-
go mushy. to spring. Steve! & District Local History Society, bookitems@gmail.com or by post
If you would like to be added to which is a registered charity. at c/o 320 Heanor Road Ilkeston
our mailing list, with news on fu- While there is much research still DE7 8TH. Any photographs will
ture day trips and receive our free to be done the authors are now be scanned and returned as soon as
newsletter then please get in touch appealing to local people for their possible and of course you will be
with Michelle at Blue Skies The stories, anecdotes and memorabilia credited if it’s your own.
Limit on 07413 408751 or email
infoblueskiesthelimit@gmail.com
* * *
Remember, please keep getting
in touch with your stories, photo-
graphs, events, general gardening
advice and help with plant identi-
fication.
You can send me an email to:
gardenersteve24@live.co.uk
I look forward to hearing from you
and I’ll be back here on this page
in November’s paper.
Until then, enjoy your gardening!

Gardener Steve
Plant of the Month: Euonymus alatus (Burning bush)