CRiB News February 2022

Colours for the Platinum Jubilee and WI Centenary

Gina Beauchamp – cribsomerset@gmail.com 762296

This year marks the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and the colours we plan to use for our planting around the village are purple white/silver and green. These are the colours of the Jubilee; purple and platinum, and the purple, white and green are the WI colours (and by the way, the
suffragette colours too). We suggest using purple and white million bells or petunias, silver leaved senecio cineraria and a purple and white fuchsia called Delta Sarah. There are of course other plants that will give the same effects.

We are entering the South West In Bloom competition again.
Anyone in the village can help, just by keeping your front garden tidy, weeding the drive way and having some colourful flowering plants on display. The judges drive through the village and we take them to see the highlights on foot. We would also like help from the village too , so please
get in touch and volunteer. Anyone can help with any of the following: grass cutting, lawn edging, dead-heading, watering, planting, digging, pruning etc; even if it is just half an hour of your time that would be marvellous. Children are always welcome too. If you know of an area near you that could be developed or enhanced by some pots or planting please get in touch. This year the judging will focus more on the environment, rewilding and sustainability.

The annual Front Garden competition will need to be judged before the Bank Holiday celebrations which are the weekendof the 4th June .Please get in touch if you would like to enter.

Spring Front Garden Competition.
We will judge in February/ March/April. The date will depend on the weather.
Contact Gina as above to enter.

Open Gardens 2022
We will definitely need new garden owners to volunteer to allow the event to take place this year . We have several already, thanks to those who have volunteered. It will be subject to the
status of Covid19 at the time, but the usual date of the first Sunday in June would make it the Jubilee weekend. The following Sunday is the Scythe Fayre in Thorney and it has been suggested that we don't clash with that. So Sunday 19thJune is the next available date and that date would be more suitable to allow more plants to be flowering. If you would like to consider opening your garden and would like to know what is involved, please get in touch. It would be lovely if we
could combine it with a Big Breakfast in the village hall as usual, but again we will have to see about Covid19. Any garden , large or small would be very welcome, it can be anew garden or a well established garden or one that has hada make over. It is a busy day for garden owners but it is very rewarding. The proceeds go to the village, mainly to the two churches and to the school.

Jobs to do in the garden in February
Start sowing vegetable seeds in a cold frame or greenhouse.
Start sweet pea seeds if not done on the autumn.
Give hedges a final trim before birds start nesting.
Prune hydrangeas, deadhead and cut back a third of last year's growth.
If weather allows before the end of the month, prune back roses before they put on too much new
growth.
Take cuttings of shrubs and roses now.
Plan where to put a water butt if you haven't already go tone.
Walk around your garden and dig out any weeds still growing, little and often makes it a much easier job.