GARDENING

CEFN CRIBWR GARDENING CLUB LALESTON GARDENING CLUB

January is the darkest month and reliably unreliable! Snow, frost, wind, rain and cold. Never mind the days are getting longer (that doesn’t really help does it!) The author Josephine Nuese once said “anyone who thinks that gardening starts in the Spring and ends in Autumn is missing the best bit of the year - for gardening starts in January with the dream!” Isn’t that lovely. Buy seed potatoes this month, the early bird catches the worm and the early shopper catches the best range of potatoes varieties with so many to choose, love it! If you are lucky enough (or clever enough) to have cauliflowers growing in your plot, bend the leaves over them, this protects the curds which when exposed to long periods of light will turn green developing flower buds, making them inedible. Beware! Moles start to mate this month, digging more tunnels, more molehills, hopefully not on your lawn. After mating the male leaves immediately leaving the female to tend her pregnancy and look after the young. Huh, I’m saying nothing! Natural odours is an excellent way to get rid of them, bloodmeal and bonemeal do the trick and they break down into nitrogen your plants will love!

Chris Early

PORTHCAWL FLORAL ARRANGEMENT SOCIETY

We enjoyed our last meeting in December with a practice night making Christmas hanging decorations. The festive theme included mince pies and drinks to round off the evening. We also thanked Maureen for her many years teaching us the basics of flower arranging. Carol will be taking over as our tutor in future meetings. We have a full and varied programme for 2023 with 3 demonstrations, 6 practice evenings, a talk by the head nurseryman at Bute park and a club competition all before July. All our meetings will be held at Gilgal hall on the second and fourth Wednesday evenings of the month at 7 for 7.30 start. Visitors and members are always welcome and can enrol at any time. We plan to arrange some excursions and social events and have a Facebook page and WhatsApp group for more information. Our first meeting in January is • Grass Cutting on 25th and will be a Practice • Hedge Trimming • Tree Services evening making a Parallel • Turfing Winter Wonderland. • Decorative Gravel • Fencing Happy New Year from all our members,

Alison Thomas Club Secretary (01656 222985) RELIABLE LOCAL SERVICE Call Rhys Home: 01656 745560 Mobile: 07854 911166 Mobile: 07805 138819

January is the coldest month of the year, the middle of Winter and there are very few jobs recommended to be done. However, you can check the tubers and plants over wintering in the greenhouse, keep feeding our feathered friends, make sure they have ice free water too. Don’t forget to check your ponds for ice. Those beautiful seed catalogues are there to be browsed, time to choose and plan what you are going to grow in the new season. Those glossy colourful photographs are so tempting! We at Laleston Gardening Club have reflected on the previous very busy year. 2022 has been an extremely successful one for our Club and with our membership now exceeding 250 members we look forward to another great year packed with social events, trips, interesting lectures, fund raisers and community activities. May we wish all our members a very Happy & Healthy Blooming New Year!

Sue Ford