GARDENING

In November it may seem as if winter has already arrived, but the ground is warmer in November than it is in spring, making this an ideal month for successful planting.

Bulbs, plants, shrubs and roses can be planted in the garden in November.

Planting in autumn gives new plants a head start of almost an entire growing season. This is especially important in the case of plants that flower in spring or early summer. If these plants are not planted until spring, they will probably not flower as profusely. November is therefore a good month to plant bulbs, border plants, trees and shrubs in the garden.

Lawns with a scattering of snowdrops, crocuses or narcissi can be very pretty. If you want the flowers to return in abundance the next year, make sure you do not mow the grass until the bulbs have died down completely. As a general rule, you should not get the lawnmower out until six weeks after the last bulbs have flowered. Choose early-flowering bulbs that flower before the end of March. If you would like to have flowers growing among the grass, dig up a section of turf with a spade, plant the bulbs underneath and then replace it. The flowers will appear the next spring.

Another important task in November is to take precautions to protect plants from the winter cold.

St. Andrew's Wives Association

Our members and guests have thoroughly enjoyed our two most recent meetings. Firstly, on September 23rd, Gillian Paige gave us a slide show and talk called 'Operation Christmas Child'. This was about the scheme to provide decorated shoe boxes, filled with cuddly toys, hats, scarves, coloured pencils, notepads, toiletries, etc. to send out at Christmas each year from a depot in Norwich to needy children around the world. They could be children in Novograd in Bosnia, which is twinned with Norwich, or children in other countries in Eastern Europe. Gillian's slides showed us some of the miserable conditions many of the children live in, and their joy on receiving a Christmas box, as they normally have to get by with just the very basics of life. Many of our members have been encouraged to start filling a shoe box for this year's delivery to the children. Our church has supported this charity for several years, and it was wonderful to be able to see the happiness that these boxes can bring.

The speaker at our latest meeting on October 14th was Jenny Sparks, who entitled her talk The Complete Cowsbody', so that we really had very little idea of what to expect. However, it soon became clear that Jenny, instead of being a complete 'dogsbody' and living 'under the paw' like so many of us dog lovers, had in fact become a 'cowsbody' by looking after cows. This was the fulfillment of her childhood dream of owning a farm. Eventually, in her forties, Jenny began with one small Dexter cow, kept in her garden. From this small beginning she was eventually able to build a larger herd and acquire a farmhouse with land. Eventually Jenny was tending not only a large herd of cows, but also a flock of sheep and a donkey sanctuary!

Jenny's talk was full of charming humour and fascinating information, mostly about her beloved cows. It seems that being a waitress and lavatory cleaner for them was very much a full-time job, with midwifery skills also being required. We townies will feel more confident when crossing a field of grazing cows in future. If approached we now know to stare into their eyes, point a finger, shake it, and use our voices in an authoritative way. Jenny's respect and affection for her cows was clear. She pointed out that, like human beings they are all individuals, each with their unique DNA but with 'nose prints' instead of fingerprints.

If anyone is interested in joining this friendly group, please ring our membership secretary. Helen Middleton on 01263 821118.