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Clithcroo Adverlfser &Tlmes,Thursday, February 14,2013 8


www.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk Q 1 0 / 1 i i e r - s d l d o 1 1 ± 1 * V


Fed up with the same familiar options when It’s time to thjnk


Arl tin U/if-h th o eonrsA Q & A


Here you can sendv in and find out the / answers to those gardening problems


With the|B|B|C| Young Gardener of the Year enre Your Child The ACE Factor!


about your child’s forth-coming birthday party?


Been there, done that and your child is desperate for something different? Then Pendle Leisure Trust has the answer with a quirky alternative to the usual fun factory or sleep-over options -


How do I stop slugs and snails?


Slugs are one of the most annoying pests in any garden and the key is to get out there early! We.use blue slug pellets and the trick is to spread them lightly across the entire garden now! Catch those first few slugs appearing from their dormant period and if you kill them before they lay hundreds of eggs then you have cracked it. Slug pellets only become dangerous when you exceed the recommended rate of use. You aren't trying to knock them but with the pellets! Make sure you sprinkle them in every comer as it is there where they will be hiding before they pounce on your prize Hosta!


Can I chop down my Crocosmia?


You can either chop them down wheathey start to die back in Auturnn or leave them until early Spring, when you see the new green emerging leaves. Leaving the old leaves on over winter will help any hibernating bugs, like ladybirds and beetles, .


^arid they will also protect the young shoots from frosts in the ■ Spring.


When rrlo I feed my Shrubs?


Firstly when feeding shrubs you want to use a specialist pelleted shrub fertilizer, which will give them all the nutrients thej’need throughout the year rather than all at once. We use a Vitax conifer shrub fertilizer and the best time is mid March before a rain is due to help wash it in. Just be careful when sprinkling it on to not leave any on the leaves as fertilizer can bum the leaves and damage the plant.


IN general there are two types of places that you can buy plants from - garden centres and plant nurseries - but what makes the two different? A plant nurseiy will sell 95% plants


and you will also find that most have been grown on site as well, whether it be from seed, division, cuttings or some other form of propagation. A ■ garden centre will generally source its plants from several suppliers, but also sell many other products which are related to gardening. When choosing plants for your


garden It Is very important to know what will grow where you want it, as a plant which likes a dry sunny situation will not grow down by a stream in the shade. So coming back to the nurseries growing the plants on site, this means that we know where they will grow best and can advise you on that right plant for the right place. When you are planning on spending any amount of money on your garden, this is worth


knowing as you will have every success growing those plants for many years to come. Another benefit of plants grown


on a nurseiy is that they will be used to the surrounding climate. Being grown from young they have developed and grown outside most of their lives and when planted out in a garden it is no different, as


Jobs to do


1- Slug Pellets In the middle of the month,


just about now in fact, is the time to sprinkle your blue slug pellets around the garden to . help prevent slug damage later on. So reach for your pellets and get sprinking!


2 - Tidy Flower Beds Spring isn't too far away and before too many plants shoot through make sure your flower beds are tidy.


3 - Cover vegetable plots Use large sheets of ideally black plastic to cover any vegetable beds. This will help warm up and dry the soil making an ideal seed bed for then sowing into.


4 - Firm in newly planted trees ' Any trees planted in the


autumn will want firming in around the base in case the strong winter wind has rocked and loosened the root ball, the


roots will need a good contact with the soil to succeed and this . will help that.


S - Prune Dogwood and Willow Any dogwoods and willows


appreciate a hard prune every couple of years. This helps encourage strong new stem colour and also helps keep the plant at a manageable size.' Chop to one foot high now and give a feed in a few weeks.


The Garderii Kitchen 4^ www.holdencloughnursery. com


Mil I !:i


M': I , Hellebonis niger


THE Christmas Rose "Helleborus niger" is in full flower at the moment bearing


masses of pure white flowers. They appreciate a semi shade location with a well drained soil. Remember with


Helleborus that when they are planted tiy to avoid disturbing them because . if transplanted they Will sulk and not flower for a few years!


01200447615 child f i y t a k e h p w ! * ^ ' Tmlh F A C TOR P A R T Y


opposed to plants that have been grown in heated greenhouses and poly-tunnels all in the aim of making them look perfect! Coming back to the plants being


grown outside, this will also affect the range of plants that you can buy. There are millions of different types of plants available, but they are not all hardy. However, whe.n you know


that they have been grown outside then the varieties offered by a plant nurseiy will be hardy varieties and certainly suitable for growing outside in your garden. All that is left then is to find out what thrives in sunshine or shade, and it always seems the aim of most gardeners to find out what grows in heavy clay like wet soils, which in the "dribble valle/' is common ground! Now with spring fpeiing like it is


just around the corner it is a great time to start going back out into the garden, with the days getting lighter. All we are missing now is for the temperature to rise, but here at the nurseiy it is all systems go to get the new cafe built and opened ready for Easter. The plasterers are well on their way now and the final floor coverings are going down, so a busy few weeks lie ahead and very shortly the potting of plants begins on the nurseiy and before we know it we will be back at the shows again!


An ACE Factor Party, where your child can be a star for the day. With their group of friends, they will perform and record two of their


> _____ _


favourite songs onto a CD to take home.


• I spotlight


Using The ACE Centre’s state-of-the-art recording studio and with help of a professional sound engineer, they will be able to let their inhibitions go and their singing voices flow! Supervised throughout by a party co-ordinator, firstly they will practise the two songs before recording them. And while the tunes are edited and put onto a CD, there’s time for a bite to eat - with a choice of party food options- and dancing and games in The ACE Centre’s purpose-built dance studio. Each one of the party guests Is given a CD of the two tracks as a lasting momento to play to family and friends for days, weeks and months to come! So, the next time you are asked: “what can I do for my birthday?” - you know


just the answer - an ACE Factor Party at The ACE Centre in Nelson!


THE ~ . . . Ipendle leisure trust Ccmmitt«dloyfn;r ■ . I CENTRE for the day!


Become a star


* For more d e t a i l s or to book


Call: 01282 661080 email: bookings@acecentre.co.uk


.


The ACE Cent re, Cross St reet , Nelson BB9 7NH www.acecent re.co.uk


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