Spring Judging 03/04/12 [from the archives]

Well it was a miserable day, cold and wet, but it could have been worse, the snow held off until after the judges had left. We didn't seem to get much feedback from the judges, so we'll just have to wait and see what we get awarded. I can't help but think everything we showed them would have looked that much better if the sun had been shining.

We gave the judges lunch at the Ingram Gardens Community Room, which is a lovely space full of character, with the volunteers from Holbeck in Bloom who had their judging in the morning. Susan M. didn't manage to come to the lunch as she was litter picking along Beeston Road, which was in a terrible state. She lost count after collecting 20 bags of rubbish. Not sure what happened to the official litter patrol that was supposed to sort it out.

Linda and Angela then gave the presentation to the judges in the Parks Dept meeting room at Cross Flatts Park [well done Linda] before taking the judges on a coach trip round our route. They visited the allotments, drove past our Planters on Dewsbury Road, the Barrier Troughs at the Tommy Wass junction, the Cardinal Triangle bed, through the White Rose Shopping Centre and Office Park, the gardens at Evans, past the Co-op Planter, Old Lane Planters, the Miners Memorial at Beeston Cemetery and our new Beeston Road Planters before visiting Holbeck Cemetery, Herbs and Dragon Flies and finally the Millenium Gardens [or some variation on that theme].

Several people from other organisations [Friends of Cross Flatts Park and Holbeck Cemetery] helped along the way and we ended back at the Parks Dept meeting room where we had a final cup of tea, scone and natter where I took a couple of photos.

And we have it all to do again for Summer Judging on 02/07/12. Let’s hope the weather is better on the day - although we could do with some regular rain between now and then to get everything looking its best, otherwise we are going to have to start planting more drought tolerant plants - which means more fund raising!

Sara

Working Party 02/04/12 [from the archives]

Instead of our usual meeting we had yet another working party - because spring judging day is tomorrow!

We met at the Millenium Garden to do a final bit of weeding and tidying. A few bare patches got planted up. We had to leave it until the last minute as we sometimes have a problem with plants being removed or trampled by kids and dogs.

Somewhere in the shrubbery Vivienne is wielding her secateurs - be afraid, be very afraid. There are apparently lots of things that need cutting back but they are going to have to wait until after the judges have been or we won't have a lot to show them.

Angela and Christine having a tea break and discussing the plan for tomorrows judging. We [well mostly Linda] had a problem this year as the Watsonia was already booked for the judging date we were given. Instead of having lunch, the presentation and the round up in the same place, we are in three different locations, which means we have to be more co-ordinated. Synchronise watches everyone!

Then, as there was so much to do, we split up. Susan and Vivienne went litter picking, Angela and Christine finished off in the Millenium Garden and I went with Linda, Edna and David to the Cardinal Triangle - where we pulled up three black bags full of weeds [mostly dandelions and I can recognise those].

Hopefully the weather will be better than the forecast. It was supposed to rain all day today but we have only had a few spots so maybe tomorrow’s snow will not materialise either. Fingers crossed for both the weather and that the judges give us good marks.

Sara

Another Working Party 31/03/12 [from the archives]

We went to do more weeding in the Millenium Garden, and they had kept some weeds for me - however as I'm not good at identifying seedlings I only took out dandelions and stickyweed [I know what they look like]. I got told off for leaving all the sycamore seedlings [they could have been something really interesting - couldn't they?] and was banished to do some watering where theoretically I couldn't get it wrong.

Edna and Linda [who had wandered off with a wheelbarrow full of weeds and trimmings when the photo was taken] were sorting out the Yew Border.

Vivienne and Susan were weeding the Raised Beds.

There are four beds and they are colour themed. At the moment the yellow beds has daffodils, the white bed has tulips, there are dogwoods and a red robin in the red bed and some muscari flowering in the blue bed.

And Christine and David had gone to weed the Herbs and Dragonfly Beds at the top of the park. I didn't get a photo of them there but I did take a new group photo for the blog - however Edna had gone so I'm going to have to try again.

We have one more working party on Monday, which replaces our regular meeting and then it's Judgement Day.

Sara

Extra working party 25/03/12 [from the archives]

I couldn't make the first extra working party on Saturday, so I missed weeding the Millenium Garden - however apparently they have saved some weeds for me so we have an another extra working party next Saturday.

I did however have time to do some planting and litter picking on Sunday in Beeston Cemetery with Linda and Susan.

It was amazing just how much rubbish had accumulated. A lot of the grave stones have fallen apart and are too heavy for us to do anything about safely. It's quite sad as there are some interesting looking headstones.

The war graves however seem to have been looked after. They are all clean and straight. We intend to sow some poppy seed around them a little later in the year.

We concentrated on adding colour to the planting around the miner’s memorial today, as well as the litter picking.

As well as Saturday, we have a working party replacing our meeting on Monday night as spring judging is on Tuesday 03/04/12. After the glorious weather we have had this week it's not a brilliant forecast for early next week.

Sara

Working Party 17/03/12 [from the archives]

We have a regular working party on the third Saturday of every month [I think we will have a few more this month however as we have been given a spring judging date of 03/04/12], and this month we were painting some planters we had been given.

The aim was to make them more uniform as they are different sizes and finishes.

Angela catered our teabreak from the back of her car.

And everything is starting to grow - the hellebores in the millenium garden long border look great at the moment. Unfortunately that means the weeds have started to grow as well. Sara x

Community links!

Remember the mention of networking with the local police in the last post?

Well, here's an article from Linda:

You couldn't make this up!

Following a raid on the Britannia pub yesterday the police phoned Holbeck in bloom (who else?) having found a stash of cannabis growing in an upstairs room. They also found 22 sacks of compost, plant feed, bamboo canes, soil enhancer, buckets etc and wondered if Holbeck could make use of it.

Holbeck kindly rang me offering to share the ill gotten gains. Vivienne and i rushed to the pub and collected our half and took it back to the yard.

Today Parks have agreed for Holbeck to store their stash in the yard. I gave Dennis and Ian P a hand to unload and took the picture.

 

 

 

 

 

I think this will be a unique story to add to our spring brochure. It covers:

Working with other community groups, local council, and police;

Recycling - all the stuff would normally have been destroyed; and

showing that regardless of the weather or season Holbeck and Beeston in Bloom are working hard.

Good eh?

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.