Blooming books

We've started a library!  One book so far on grasses, which is developing into a bit of a theme.  Here's hoping it's neither too tender nor too rampant to take.  But have you seen the roundabout when you come off the M1 or M162 from the north? It is magnificent and nearly all grasses.

Anyhow, soap box away.  Scampston advert: http://www.scampston.co.uk/  The walled garden was lovely:

Why this is the only photo I took, I'm not sure, but I was kept busy putting red circles round the plant list for what was liked.  A gardener told us that all their planting is sustainable without watering so that boded well for the choices.

The lunch was lovely too.  And the shop!  I was told how to grow on, prune and propogate the plants I got - imagine that at the checkout at B&Q.

And then to Breezy knees: http://www.breezyknees.co.uk/ . You have to go to the nursery first for the tickets which is very clever - once again, advice on propogation, this time two pots of irises for £1 each.  Their gardens were magnificent too.  This is a flower we fancied:

Inside the polytunnel

An update on Cockburn.  When the judges went round on the last day of term, they got to see the inside of the polytunnel. Here it is and isn't it impressive!

And for those who prefer veg grown in the open air - Clarks Field Allotments: 

Bankers in Bloom

Once again, Leeds Ahead provided us with volunteers and the opportunity to tackle a big job. 
This time it was the Holy Spirit garden on Tempest Road.  We were greeted by Bob asking us if we could climb ladders.
After a chorus of "NO!", we decided to tackle the ivy - which is trying to get in the windows - by cutting it off from the roots.  No photos cos it is a bit anti-gardening to destroy that beautiful shiny green and Linda, who was wielding the camera, likes ivy.
I don't and so picked up the loppers with glee.  Loppers, not secuters, to give me a bit of distance from the spiders that lived in there.

Here are some of the volunteers and the grey stone band at the bottom of the wall is where the ivy was -and is no more.

Now the ground needs some plants to deter the weeds, and the ivy which will probably take to moving horizontally as well as vertically - what is the point of it?

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:

Beeston Fair

Here's our stall for Beeston Fair:

Were you there?

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!

Catch up

I'm playing catch-up again!

The daffs in the Dewsbury Road planters did well - keep an eye out for the geraniums that were put in this weekend.

Did you see this in the guardian? "The weedkiller saboteur in Cayton caused £20,000 worth of damage."

We got silver in the Yorkshire in Bloom spring judging - I don't know if we're pleased or disappointed!  The millennium garden were awarded gold, as did the Church gardens that Brian and Brian and Joy do, by Leeds in Bloom.

This is the pictorial garden being planted with a range of wild flowers.  The pictures are a couple of weeks old so maybe when I go to the meeting this evening, there will be something to show for all the hard work being done here: