Bridge Of Weir Allotments & Gardens Society


This new society was formed in February 2012. The aim is to provide the local community with growing spaces to cultivate vegetables and fruit. In doing so, it is hoped to stimulate an interest and commitment towards horticulture and advocate the benefits of environmentally sustainable allotment gardening for plot holders and the community. It is envisaged there will be a mix of more traditional allotment gardening and smaller raised beds. The group is currently negotiating land and funding. It is not expected that any growing will take place until 2013/14. It is hoped that once established workshops can be run for the local community who might wish to learn more about growing and propagation in their own gardens.


Sun 20th May – 1pm – 4pm - Shiver me Timbers - Ahoy all shipmates!


Join Fun & games with the Finlaystone Pirates & the Port Glasgow High School Drama Group. Pirate Fancy Dress a must!


Sun 27th May – 1pm – 4pm - Teddy Bears’ Picnic and Dolls’ Tea Party


Bring teddy or dolly and a picnic for a special tea party. Puppets, magic shows and games.


Sat 2nd June - Wild Night


Bookable Only - Adults £7.50, Children £5. Join a Ranger for an overnight stay in the woods and have a go at building your own shelter to sleep in. Booking and accompanying adult required


Sun 3rd June – 10am – 4pm - Volunteers Day


Celebrate ‘Volunteers Week’ by joining the Rangers tackling a variety of practical conservation tasks.


Sat 9th June – 7pm - Macbeth Ticket only - Adults £7.50 Children £5 - Experience the magical atmosphere of our woodlands with an adaptation of Macbeth performed by Port Glasgow High School Drama Group. Please bring own refreshments & seat! In addition to public events we also organise activities for children’s parties, scout & guide groups or corporate events and would be pleased to discuss your requirements further.


Garden


The array of Azaleas and Rhododendrons in flower this month, make a visit to Finlaystone, well worth the journey, the apple and cherry trees should still be in blossom. The oriental poppies in the walled garden beds begin to come into bloom in May and carry on into June. My plant of the month is the grand old Wisteria that festoons the wall and entrance to the walled garden; years of careful pruning and training have produced an outstanding specimen, which should produce masses of trailing lilac flowers in mid to late May, this plant is a member of the pea family.


Work in the greenhouse has been busy at this time of year, and many plants are being ‘hardened off’ to acclimatise them to the great outdoors. Any plants that cannot stand a late frost should not be planted in the garden before the end of May.


The vegetable garden is well underway; with plantings and sowings of potatoes, beetroot, carrots, broccoli, sprouts, kale, and globe artichokes, to name but a few. Our soft fruits are doing well and look as though they will provide bumper crops. The Rhubarb plants have been very productive, and our forced plants provided us with, sweet, tender stalks for an early season treat.


Our team of garden volunteers (including our French student ‘Amandine’) have been of great assistance to us, which we greatly appreciate. Anyone with a few hours to spare would be made most welcome; if you are interested, please ask the head gardener or reception for more information.


| www.advertizer.co.uk| 01505 613340 and 01505 874385 | 51 Bridge Of Weir Horticultural Society


All members have been busy in their own gardens. The temperatures are encouraging hardy perennials to emerge from their winter slumbers and begin to put on fresh green shoots. The unexpected warm weather in late March boosted this but was then followed by a cold snap with overnight frosts. This resulted in the shrivelling of young tender leaves and frost damage on soft growth. Some plants will just have taken a check to growth, some will be able to make new leaves in time for summer and others, well, we need to wait and see. Just goes to prove gardeners need to listen to the weather forecasts every day at this time of year and have the horticultural fleece ready. The Society continues with its programme of lectures with a talk about the growing of fuschias in the British Legion Hall at 8pm on Thursday 10th May.


On Saturday 5th May, the Society holds its Annual Plant Sale outside the British Legion Hall at the earlier than usual starting time of 9.30am. As usual everyone welcome to both of these events. Just a reminder that the Society are running a trip to Gardening Scotland at Ingliston on Saturday 2nd June, there are still three or four seats left on the bus, so if you are interested in attending this event without having to worry about transport, please telephone Anne Matthews on 01505 614895.


If you are interested in growing your own vegetables and fruit and feel you could contribute to this new venture please contact: Anna McKenzie, Chairperson on 01505 612082 or e mail: mygardenanna@gmail.com


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