GARDENING

Nerine bowdenii.

Luca's New Garden with Bridget Sudworth

SHOULD DESPAIR overwhelm you when watching David Attenborough’s programmes contemplating the appalling state of our planet, then take heart from nature. Robust and allforgiving, Mother Nature never goes away even when abused. A simple example is the state of our gardens where growth may have crept out of hand but hacked down, chosen plants leap forward with great energy to fill the gaps. We removed a huge clump of over planting that contained a bush rose, a spiraea (Anthony Waterer), a Jasminum (J.Nudiflorum) with many self layered off-shoots, a volunteer ash tree, ground ivy and of course, the inevitable brambles. With roots still in place, the rose has sent up lovely fresh shoots, many small jasmine plants, apart from

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ALL ASPECTS OF TREE CARE AND DANGEROUS TREE REMOVAL TREE PLANTING Utilise the generous grants now available to restock neglected woodland or areas of wasteground the original retained one, are now potted up for the next plant sale (whenever that may be, Covid pending), the spiraea is sending out fat little leaves and there is space for new planting.

Let us hope that given a proper chance, we can repair some of the damage that is being done elsewhere in our nation to restore at least some things that mend the balance for flora and fauna.

I have read that a tidy garden is perhaps not as healthy as one that has gone wild - and with winter clearing, creatures’ winter hiding places can be disturbed but once in a while it is for the benefit of all that tidying up has to take place. There has to be a limit to verdant chaos so November is the time to set things right.

It’s a time of great satisfaction to find out what has been struggling below the over-growth and give things a chance to flourish; a period of discovery and recovery, if you like.

Check your apple storage for the one bad one that will affect all, get any bare root transplants heeled into the veg patch or wherever there is space till you have room to plant - including those roses from suppliers, move plants that are in the wrong place after cutting off surplus growth and replant as soon as possible, continue clearing up some of your leaves to bag up (though I like to leave some drifts for the birds to check through first as they are

full of insects) and don’t forget to feed the birds. At great expense, we feed them all through the year - I know this is a contentious subject but they do come to rely on it (get lazy about finding their own food?) but give us enormous pleasure and maintain a constant supply of interest by being in the garden as well as an aid to eating some things we don’t want though they don’t seem to like slugs. Who does?

Above all, do check your bonfire should you be among those enthusiasts who like to celebrate Nov 5th - little hedgehogs often burrow into pre-prepared bonfires for winter hibernation. We always move proposed bonfire material from one place to another nearby just before lighting to check that nobody is disturbed. So important to look after those prickly people - I have not seen one hedgehog this summer - first time in years

Surplus apples can be made into chutney. - but got a bit excited when clearing a patch beneath the bird table to find droppings which are quite distinctive proving that somebody had obviously been there.

Many of you will remember (and may have suffered) the appalling floods in and around Muchelney in 2014 - at the time, we lived in N Herefordhsire but took a particular interest in the plight of those people who were flooded and the state of the land which they farmed.

It was of some interest to discover that grass apparently did not suffer as a result of being under water for nearly 3 months (though don’t rely on the national news to ever give you anything positive as an aftermath) because the water protects the grass from the effects of frost damage which may be more harming.

In fact, it was apparently a medieval practice to deliberately cover grassland with water to protect it during winter. But advice on lawn maintenance is to wander round your garden with a fork, insert it up to full height of the tynes on a grid plan to give it a chance to drain and get some fresh air into those roots.

As for Luca - he now has more space outside but has actually hung up his spade and forgotten the den-quest. His main winter task is to spend careful time experimenting with different

Full ground preparation and laying service available The Farmhouse, Somerton Door, SOMERTON, TA11 6JA Tel/Fax: 01458 272091 www.evergreen-turf.co.uk • info@evergreen-turf.co.uk Luca has hung up his spade for the year. positions on the sofa to achieve total comfort - see photo above! With the clocks going back and afternoons getting dark earlier, he moves from his quiet safe daytime corner (in between compulsory walks!) to the sofa which is draft free and doubly comfortable. Quite neat for an old street dog! Winter soups are important warmers; then sit back and relax a little - a lot of work has been achieved!

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LEE HOLMES Garden Machinery 15 Cary Court, Bancombe Business Park, SOMERTON

Tel: 01458 274261 • www.leeholmesgardenmachinery.co.uk ● Sales ● Repairs ● Servicing ● Sharpening ● Call out ● Robotic installations

Moggs of Wells (Engineering) Ltd came to be based at Cannards Grave, Shepton Mallet in 2008, selling, servicing and repairing all types of garden machinery.

Over the years the choice of machines available has increased considerably, so rather than presenting what may often seem a bewildering choice their aim is to offer what they consider to be the best products, and particular emphasis is given to those manufactured in Great Britain.

You will therefore see a selection of Westwood garden tractors, in 2 wheel and 4 wheel drive, capable of cutting not only long field grass using a very sturdy high grass cutting deck, but also finely kept lawns, combined with their unique grass sweeper system capable of collecting damp cuttings without clogging. These machines have a wealth of features to make

mowing larger areas a pleasure instead of a chore, and come with a choice of engines (mainly Kawasaki ), and different size cutter decks ranging from 36” to 50” cutting widths for either mulching or grass collection. They even come with a full 3 years’ warranty.

Moving on, one can see the classic Hayter Harrier roller drive rotary mower, a concept first introduced by Hayter would you believe back in the 1960’s, updated over the years, and most recently just last year, the range now comprising some 12 different versions, starting with a 16”cutting width, through 19” right up to 22”, with 3 versions particularly aimed at the professional user. Engines used vary from Briggs & Stratton, Loncin and Honda, and for domestic use the Harriers have a 5 year warranty.

As an alternative there are the Masport machines from New Zealand, which, having a similar climate to our own, have therefore been designed to cope with similar conditions (e.g. wet grass!).

If you need a chainsaw, hedge trimmer or brushcutter, there is the magnificent range from Echo in Japan, beautifully engineered to give long-lasting performance, as evidenced by their 5 year domestic warranty (2 years for professional use).

Finally, there are zero-turn ride-on machines from Ariens now being built in Britain, which have amazing agility and can really reduce the time taken to cut any area of grass, but most especially when manoeuvring around objects.

All of these machines can be serviced and repaired in a comprehensively equipped workshop staffed by two knowledgeable engineers, both

having attained Briggs & Stratton Master Service Technician status (probably the best qualification in the industry).

Other makes supplied include MTD, Cub Cadet, Lawnflite and Toro, and these too can be fully serviced and repaired as required, including warranty work.

Beyond that, since there are so many different brands in the market, it becomes more a matter of providing advice regarding other suppliers or repairers in the local area who might be able to assist.

Moggs of Wells (Engineering) Ltd have a showroom where a variety of garden machines can be viewed, demonstrations can be facilitated by prior arrangement, and there is free parking on site.