Holcombe Brook and Summerseat WI

January offers a bit of slack in the gardening year but it’s a good time to tidy up the shed and garden.  By the end of February, aim to have pruned your roses (to an outward facing bud) and removed last year’s top growth from perennials. Ahead of birds nesting in the spring, prune hedges to keep their shape.  Make sure you cover your outdoor tap to protect from frost and try to keep off the lawn on icy days, so you don’t damage the grass. If you have a wisteria, to keep it manageable give it a winter prune to 2/3 buds per  stem. If you planted  any winter pots keep an eye on them and pick off faded flowers to encourage more. You can buy pots of flowering bulbs that you can sink in the garden or bring indoors in a bright but cool spot. We defy anyone not to be cheered by a pot of daffodils.   If you have a pond and it freezes you should make a hole so wildlife can survive but don’t whack the ice, try standing a pan of hot water on it until it melts through and r...

 Happy  New Year to all our members, family, friends and neighbours!

Our latest book for discussion was The Botanist's Daughter by Katie Nunn "This story takes place over two time periods, late Victorian and modern day. It encompasses three countries, Britain, Chile and Australia, two heroines, a villain and lots of plants. If that’s not got your head spinning, this pleasant, undemanding, page - turning epic will fill a few lockdown hours very adequately. A hidden box, containing a diary and an album, starts the action and leads us into family secrets, journeys into the unknown and parallel lives. One leading lady begins life anew; the other leaves it. The world of seed and plant collectors, and the ruthless competition to discover new spec imens, takes us to Sydney’s Botanical Garden, Kew Gardens, Cornwall and the foothills of the Andes. We found the story well told and researched, but too ‘Mills and Boon’. Characters were predictable and cliched, some dropped with little ceremony, leaving a hole in the plot. Others circled th...

Our gardening group may not be able to meet up but they've been busy sharing  photos of their autumn produce and late summer flowers. Notable among these was the fabulous sunflower growing contest! Our winner was Liz whose sunflower grew to an amazing 108" (2.74m).  The shorter days and lower temperatures may herald the end of the growing season but now is the time to think about changes and splitting perennials.  If you’re planting bulbs keep an eye out in the shops as they sell quickly but you can plant tulips as late as December. If you haven’t done it before try planti ng layers of bulbs in a container so you get a succession of blooms. Vary the dates when they bloom (the packaging will say when) to have a long flowering season next Spring.

Craft Group Reunion! Our Crafters/Knitters have been really busy over lockdown, some even preparing presents for Christmas!  While Ruth has made 50+ little canula covers for babies. We also managed to have our first distanced meeting outside at the Hare & Hounds. Fantastic time catching up with friends we've not seen in so very long. Jam and Jelly Recipes These simple recipes will help us make the most of any fruits harvested this month. Cinnamon and Apple Jelly 1.5kg diced apples and 1l water Thinly pared rind of lemon 5cm crushed ginger and 20cm cinnamon stick 500g granulated sugar for each 600ml juice Add everything to saucepan and boil for 1 hour or until apples are pulpy Let drip through jelly bag for 6-12 hours Measure juice and weigh correct sugar Slowly bring to boil, stirring, then boil for 10mins Test for set, add to hot, sterilised jars. Sugarless R aspberry Ja m 225 g raspberries fresh or frozen but thawed 1 tablespoon honey Half teaspoon vanilla essence 1.5 tablesp...

Never mind 2020  – how much do you remember of 2019? Why did Piers Morgan cry on Good Morning Britain? The Queen, at a meeting of Sandringham WI, took part in which TV quiz?  Jimmy Chipolata joined Nottingham University as its first official what? Who taught us all how to “spark joy” by folding our knickers more neatly? Why was the first all-female spacewalk cancelled? What task did Angela Kelly, the Queen’s dresser, do for the Queen? Why are the Co-op’s new range of gingerbread figures PC? Which actress was accused of hypocrisy by flying to join a climate change protest? What May event did M&S mark with a special lettuce, guacamole, bacon and tomato sandwich? According to a Radio Times survey, one in five people have pulled a sickie from work to do what?  What are students banned from doing when guest speakers are welcomed to Oxford University?  Name the serial killer played by Jodie Comer in hit series Killing Eve? What did Diane Abbott apologise for doing...

Cocktails on Zoom Lockdown doesn't have to mean losing touch with friends or having a chat over a glass (or two!). The cocktail group continues to meet every Wednesday at 7:30pm for a chat on Zoom. New members are welcome. The Gardening What’s App Group As you would expect, the Gardening What’s App has seen a lot of activity in what is a busy month for gardeners. Photos of favourites are shared as are plants, cuttings and seedlings. Squash, cucumbers, poppies and cosmos are among the many plants grown. Deb   and Susan had a problem when an overnight air frost damaged their acers but that’s what  happens in May... fine weather with nasty surprises to vex us from time to time. Let’s   not forget though that May is also a time to sit in and enjoy our gardens too. And if you can drag yourself out of bed at 4am and go in your garden   you’ll be serenaded by a Dawn Chorus of birdsong.