Sat/Sun 29th/30th Oct - Preparing for Halloween! - 1pm – 4pm
Join us making scary masks, spooky lanterns and many more terrifying things in preparation for our Halloween celebrations.
Mon 31st Oct - Halloween (Ticket Only) - Tickets (priced £7.50 adults & £5 children) required for this ever popular event featuring the ‘Youth Section of Greenock Players’. Pumpkin soup included.
Sat 12th Nov - Conservation Day - 10am – 4pm Have you ever wanted to get involved in practical conservation?
Why not
join the Rangers tackling a number of essential conservation tasks around the estate. All you need is energy, enthusiasm, old work clothes, boots, waterproofs and your lunch, unless you wish to buy one in the tearoom!
Sat 19th Nov - Christmas Tree tagging begins
Bring the family to choose and ‘tag’ your Christmas tree. Return in December to either dig up or cut down your choice. Sun 27th Nov - Getting to Know ‘Yew’ - 1pm – 4pm
To celebrate ‘ National Tree Week’ join a Ranger led guided walk around the woodlands and afterwards help decorate the trees on Captain’s Field. Garden
Autumn colours are spectacular this year, particularly the Acers at the top of the garden. The avenue of ‘Cornus Kousa’ in the walled garden is very colourful with its red leaves and strawberry type fruits. The ‘Judas trees’ in the fountain beds are very obliging by offering the wonderful aroma of burnt sugar as their leaves change colour.
New play train in the woods
The new train has been installed in the woods and following a naming competition will be called ‘The Flying Finlay’.
Head Ranger David Finnis says ‘We are always carrying out improvements and repairs to the play equipment, but some occasionally have to be replaced. ‘Puffi n Billy’ the old play train built by our previous handyman Billy Millar & George MacMillan many years ago has now had to be replaced
by a new engine & carriages.’
The picture shows the new, un-named, train being installed in the woodlands by Estate Ranger Paul Easthope who designed & build it.
Renfrewshire RSPB
The Renfrewshire RSPB Local Group will be holding their November meeting on Friday 4th November at 7.30pm in the McMaster Centre, Robertson Park Renfrew. The talk will be on Landscapes and Nature by Neil Mcgregor one of Scotlands leading photographers. We are hoping for some brilliant photographs.
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BoW Horticultural Society
The fi rst evening of the new session was held on Thur 14th Oct.
Mr George Neil gave an excellent talk on growing Sweet Peas, drawing on his years of experience of growing and judging. He introduced the subject by talking of the trial beds for sweet peas at House for an Art Lover in Bellahouston and the Scottish Championship. To win the Burpee Bowl, the top prize at the Scottish Championship, exhibitors have to show 6 bowls of sweet peas, each containing 15 stems. His talk then gave a detailed insight into growing sweet peas, looking at both growing for pleasure and the preparation needed for a show. Starting the peas into growth can be a challenge; it was advised to remove a section of the seed’s black covering and to set them onto damp towel in a propagator until they have sprouted. Thereafter potting into individual pots allows control of the growth, George does around 300 plants but others may want to be less ambitious to start with. Plants for the garden can be made bushy and more prolifi c by nipping the top to force the plant to grow multiple stems but the fl owers are likely to be smaller. Peas grow best when planted in two spade depths of soil and they are fed well, George uses cow manure and additional top feeding. Pot grown peas need to be in containers with around two feet of soil. Show growers are advised to grow a main stem and cut out side shoots. George’s friends must appreciate his generosity around 4 weeks before a show, he takes all fl owers off the plants as this produces good strong fl owers ready for display, those he removes he passes on. Although smell may be important for the gardener, for the judge it is not of interest. George’s down to earth presentation style and his wealth of knowledge provided a very entertaining and educational evening.
Sam Houston’s talk could not take place due to ill health, we wish Mr Houston a speedy recovery, our thanks to George for stepping in at relatively short notice. The speaker for the next meeting will be Andrew Barrowcliffe; he will be “Cooking with Vegetables”. You are welcome to join in the evening’s entertainment on 10th November.
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