Hope everyone enjoys my Giant Sunflower. My friend Margaret grew it from seed and handed me a little pot. Before I knew it I had repotted it for the third time.

It kept on growing upwards and I had no where to put it! I took a chance and planted it in my front garden.I know it is over 6 feet high! I shall see if the seed comes up next year.

Diana

It’s lovely and rainy outside today, but with luck the weather will be better on the weekend on 19-20 June when Bovey Tracey gardeners will open eight gardens, including Ashwell, for the National Garden Scheme. As you may know, this helps to raise funds for health charities such as Parkinsons, Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Carers Trust, Hospice UK and the Queen’s Nursing Institute. The Bovey group of gardens normally raises several thousand pounds, by selling plants, wine, jam etc as well as tickets.

Only three of the larger Bovey gardens were able to open last year, shortly after the first lockdown ended. That worked well with timed tickets and all involved enjoyed the experience of one big, sunny, relaxed (but socially distanced) garden party.

This year, timed tickets will again be in operation, but tickets will probably also be sold at the gate. Tickets will be available on the NGS website https://ngs.org.uk  from two weeks before the opening.

Message from Julia

This pair of ducks arrived on my leat about a month ago so of course I fed them.  Now they are so used to me that they appear outside the kitchen door asking for food, in which case I give them seeded brown bread.  They have been known to peck at the glass!  The leat is flowing well at the moment and rather full so the ducks have a good length to swim.  Sometimes they see me quite a way up stream and cannot get to me quick enough.  Rather hoping that they will start a family soon.  Sheba has met them and her fur stands on end but otherwise we are getting along very well.  You may wonder about Mr Fox but he still visits me daily late at night by which time I trust the ducks are safely tucked up ….somewhere!

Remember that you can visit Julia’s and other local gardens on Saturday and Sunday 19th and 20th June. Have a look at the list of open gardens under the “News” tab.

Molly’s photo of foxes in her garden has struck a chord with our Chairman Julia. Sounds like her nocturnal visitor is being thoroughly spoiled.

REDWOOD VISITOR

It all started about two years ago when I threw Sheba’s uneaten food for the birds on the grass in my woodland.  The food disappeared in no time at all – every last crumb and this went on for a couple of weeks.  Inspecting a boundary fence one day I noticed ‘something’ had tunnelled under the fence from the road side leaving a definite trail.   Could it be a fox or a badger?  Both a fox and a badger had been seen around Redwoods at the time by neighbours.

Finally, I realised a fox was paying me a regular night time visit.  His tunnel fitted the size and width of his body.  This was all two years ago and during that time until now I have been feeding him nightly.  He is now known to me as Mr Fox.   Sometimes Sheba leaves him food, or he has good quality dog food that I buy, or best of all, bones from a Sunday roast with a slice of brown bread so he has his calcium!  Occasionally he has chicken and chips.  This does mean I rarely have any food to throw away.  Often, I get out of bed at 10.30pm to feed Mr Fox to avoid his food being eaten by neighbouring cats.  His food is left in a plastic bowl under a broken terracotta pot as shelter from the rain.  The only problem is that he takes the bowl into the bushes to eat in peace so now there is a daily hunt for his bowl – gives a new meaning to take-aways.

Have I seen Mr Fox you may well ask?  Maurice and I have often stayed up late but apart from gleaming eyes and a blurred outline we did not see him …… until …..two weeks ago.  It was mid-day and I was returning from the compost heap and, there ten feet away from me, in the garden, was the most magnificent fox you would ever see.  He was in prime condition, not a mark on him, big bushy tail, bright eyes with big upright standing ears.  We looked at each other for ten seconds or more and I just marvelled at my very own fox.  Finally, he melted away in the undergrowth.  He reappeared again in daylight two days later and this time Maurice was thrilled to see him slowly patrolling the house and patio.

We like to think Mr Fox will find himself a nice wife but meantime he will not go hungry over Christmas!  Afterall, he has a turkey carcass to eat up!

Julia Mooney

15th December 2020

These lovely narcissus seem to bloom earlier every year! In case you don’t know St. Mary’s Well Garden it is at the bus stop just below the parish church. It is maintained on behalf of the Garden Club by Richard Taylor, who is also the mainstay of Bovey in Bloom.

Thanks to Molly and Trevor for sending this photo of one of quite a few hedgehogs which visit their garden.

Another photo seems to be of foxes. I live across the road from Molly and have always wondered if foxes visit our garden, but have never seen one. This photo shows they are around – I suspect they are after the hedgehog food!

The weather has been lovely the past few days and I’ve been getting on with the autumn tidy. However, taking a break from gardening is sometimes a good idea and I thought you might like the Christmas Cake Recipe below from Lynda Pewsey. Lynda’s cakes are famous and always do brilliantly in the Summer Show (😢).

Here is the recipe for her cake.

Please let Lynda know if you make it – you can email her via the Contact Us tab.

Since we are a Garden Club after all, here is a picture taken today of my gazanias. I will definitely be growing these next year.

Do send me a photo if you have colour left in your garden.

I am about to divide my hostas – should have been done a few years ago, but definitely going to do it this year. So, from tomorrow (October 17th) I will have bare-root hostas to give away to anyone wanting some. I’m afraid the plant labels got lost years ago, but the photo below gives you some idea of the varieties I have.

Someone just came and took all 12 of my divided hostas! And the ones I still have will have far more growing space next season. The two on the left on the photo below will be divided tomorrow.

Hostas divided

NT Overbecks in mid-September 2020

Overbecks looking glorious in the early autumn sun on 17th September. There was a clearly defined one-way system and no problem keeping distance. The cafe and house are closed, but the staff are as welcoming as ever.

I bought some tomatoes from a well-known supermarket and was pleased with how tasty they were. It turned out they were British, and grown in West Sussex by Chris Wall. The company is called Eric Wall Ltd. You might like to have a look at their interesting website.

Pam’s tomatoes looking great

My tomatoes are only just starting to ripen, but I know that a few of my neighbours have been harvesting theirs for a few weeks.

Nearly ready to eat

If any of your veg are looking as good as these sungold tomatoes, please send me a photo and some details and I’ll post your photos here. You don’t need to be a member of the Garden Club.