The sale outside the co-op was a reasonable success.

You'll notice that we were selling before we had time to put the sign up!

Lots of people are away this week so the meeting on Monday might be a bit sparse.
Have you noticed a clematis on the yard fence?  Have I been hacking at it thinking it was mile-a-minute?  Here it is in flower - not on the millennium garden side, but on the side facing the park - isn't it pretty?

Leaving it to the sun

It's been a quiet week but the sunshine has been busy. 

This is the blue bed in the millenium garden with the red behind.

 

And this is the red - I think the blossom is japanese quince - so there could be fruit for jam, come the autumn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one is a work in progress - dill from my seeds for the veg initiative in the front and behind are the cosmos for the Cardinal triangle. And you can just see some of the pepper and tomato for the plant sale on Saturday - outiside the co-op - see you there!

Not doing it for the judges

Monday's meeting was at the Barkly Road planter to spread some compost before the parks department came and put the chippings down to put the weeds off growing and because this is meant mostly as a shrubbery.  I can't say that I'll miss the weekly bag of chickweed the bed has been producing!

I took this just as I was leaving, everyone else is very industrious still.

Had you noticed that the baskets are out on the lamposts.  I hadn't, as Angela says, I should spend less time watching my feet and more with my eyes on the world.  They are not quite up to photographing yet.

The tubs outside St Anthony's were up and ready and this bed was mulched or chipped or whatever by Thursday - I did notice that - head up, Judith.

Then on Saturday a couple of us went over to fill the St Anthony's tubs.  This is where they are,

and here's a close up, to brighten your day.

 

The rest of us stayed and worked in the Park, on the Bowling Green Border:

 Stage 1 consultation:

 Stage 2 implementation

Stage 3 Admiration

 

The long borders in The Millenium Garden are really looking good for the attention and if you spot David twice, you're right, he put in a heck of a lot of work.



And then in the afternoon, it rained, which is just how it should be!


Today, if the weather had been organised by Yorkshire in Bloom, we would have been panicking about being ready for tomorrow and the judging.  We were saying that we could have been as ready as we ever were.  Judge for yourself!

St Mary's Joy and the Brians have their garden well in hand

a close up of a trough by the church

This cross of daffs is not very flowery, though still well marked out.  It was my first vol with Beeston in Bloom.

 This tub ...

 and this one are both outside hairdressers on Town Street.  Do you think it a coincidence that they are so lovely?

And this is part of the herbs and dragnflies garden - I think it was named for the group that donated it, rather than the contents - at the top of the park.

Linda gave out the veg seeds for the RHS initiative on Saturday so we'll tell you how that goes. And the next big thing is the plant sales - my toms are coming on a treat.

We've been given judging day for Yorkshire in Bloom - it's the 15th April.
 
On Thursday some of us joined with the Love Beeston, Clean Beeston campaign and litter picked on Harlech Road and Maud Avenue. It is going to be a weekly Thursday morning thing, meeting at 10.45 at the Hamara Centre and picking for an hour.  The council are doing a big pick up and street sweep at the same time.

Saturday was the extra working party. It was also a beauuuutiful day. I took two layers off, digging out pink geraniums from the band-stand-to-be and replanting them in the bowling green border ( yes, that place again). Susan's usual steady enthusiasm kept me on task and it felt like a job done.

 

Linda and Christine tackled some of the monster grasses in the long bed and replanted them as well as sprucing the Millennium Garden.












The yellow and white beds are the ones that really show spring.



 



These crocuses, or is it croci, are doing really nicely

and though they don't stand out the hellebores are looking lovely too.
 

Well, what do you know?

"Not a lot." because although this is dated Friday, I wrote it on Sunday 17th Feb.
It's been that sort of week.
I've spent most of it indoors, but to goodish effect - Holbeck in Bloom have got their website up, though it doesn't make it onto Yahoos list so click here to help push it up the rating!
I've also, with Linda's help, got some more photos on our website photo page. If you have any you think could go on the website, send them to either Linda or me and we'll see to it.
And, I've also inset the blog on the website.  Mostly, I must admit, to see if I could.  I'm not sure that there is any more point to it than that, but it won't do any harm!  I think.
I had a little camera walk on Saturday 'cos it was so lovely and, before the battery ran out I got

the planter where Jessamine runs into Barkly Road.

We took it over last year and it is desperately in need of a litter pick.  Memo to self - take carrier bag for litter next time I take the dog a walk.
And I'm not a reliable weed recogniser so I don't know if this is, or not, but it is in flower.

Spring, spring, spring, spring!


It was lovley to see people enjoying the millennium garden in the sun and I was going to go for close ups

 - and the camera battery ran out.
If you are observant, you will see that our Treasurer has changed.  Vivienne, who has done the job for so long and so well has stepped down and Sara has taken her place which is why her picture is now on the blog. Thank you from all of us to Vivienne and best wishes to Sara.

Here we are again!

Sara took over the publishing of the blog but now it is back to its old address and she has valiantly offered to copythe year (or is it two) across!

You'd think January would not be busy but we've had a working party in the Millennium Garden.  These primulas didn't seem aware that snow was forecast and we were a bit in two minds as to whether tidy would be better or worse for the plants.

This is not us working - though Angela is doing a bit of networking with the community bobbie. This is us having a well deserved break.

 

 

And this is what it looked like on Monday!

There is going to be a big change in the near future in the foreground of this picture.Linda and Vivienne have consulted with the metalworker who is, as I write, making the arch to go over the path.

The other bits of winter work ongoing are

• improving the website
• planning the trough and planters for Autumn!

We never close.

The Summer Judging

I don't know whose the house is but it was a lovely intro to the park:

The pictorial (wildflower) garden is starting to show its true colours:

The millennium garden was looking lovely:

Inside, we had planned it just right, there was room for everyone:

Brian and Brian were there from St David's and St Mary's:

Edna contemplating the success of the allotments:

Angela (Councillor Gabriel) entertaining the judges:

Vivienne with a pair of prize winners:

Betty sets the world to rights with Adam (Councillor Ogilvie)

They seemed to like the scones:

All done and dusted:

The Millenium Garden has the full beauty treatment.

Thank you, Leeds Ahead, for bringing us the volunteers from 'Homes and Communities Agency'! 
It rained all day, from drizzle to downpour, but we were not dejected.  We dug, pruned, pulled up, pulled down, planted and uprooted.  Altogether we put in over 100 hours into the Millennium Garden, the Watsonion windowbib and the pictorial border.  Unfortunately we're still waiting on the photos but they will be edited in when we get them!

Welcome to Beeston in Bloom

This month is a big one for us - not only has spring finally arrived, but we have the Yorkshire in Bloom competition and a plant sale in the next two weeks.  Busy, busy!
Here's a taster of what we've been doing recently:

The Parks Department cleared a patch we call 'the Cardinal Triangle'

We put in phormiums for a permanent planter

Next time you go down the White Rose look left as the road veers right and you'll see the daffs are out.  Next weekend we're planting 'cheap and cheerful' seeds for summer.

It's not all planting - we had three goes at the Russian Vine near the Millennium Garden

No job too small - a planter at the Hamara Centre on Tempest Road