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I CLITHEROEADVERTISER&TIMES VALLEYENTERTAINMENT VALLEY GARDENING i s a e colour


byFaizaAfzaal fai2a.afzaal@jpress.c0.uk Twitter; gclithadvertiser -


Get yourself in the


• One of the most sought-af­ ter acts on the national cir­ cuit, Ribble Valley’s very own Swing Commanders, make a welcome return visit to Mel- lor Brook Community Centre on Sunday December 28th for what has become the village’s annual Christmas show. Performing 1940s Ameri­


can swing tunes and songs containing elements of jazz, country and western swing. , Theirextensiverepertoire includes firm favourites such as Orange Blossom Special, Minnie The Moocher, In The Moodi King of the Swingers, Sentimental Journey, Chat­ tanooga Choo Choo, as well as


the occasional original song from lead singer Pete Riley - owner of the closest voice to Bing Crosby you will hear. .. There will be no support


act as the band will play two , 60-minute sets. Please note, this is a Sunday afternoon show, doors open at 2-30 and show starts at 3 pm. , Tickets priced at £12-50


are available now from the Britannia Gallery in Mellor Brook and there isunreserved seating. There will be a licensedbar


offering red and white wines by the glass or bottle, a local real ale and a variety of soft drinks.


Thousandsofvisitorswere . transported backtothe19th Centuryforthisyear’sWhal- - ley Pickwick Festival.


The festive event, celebrat­ ing its 26th year, was officially opened by historian and ghost walker, Simon Entwistle. Chairman of the Pickwick


•Committee, Mr Neil Mar­ tin, said despite the cold win­ try temperatures, people still turned out in force to support the event. “Last night was a fantastic


success. We had some of the big­ gest crowds ever - we estimate close to 5,000 people from far and wide attending. The event went smoothly on a cold crisp night: We are in the process of counting the donations and will soon have an idea what was raised for charity. “We have had lots of good


feedback from visitors and traders. The live entertain­ ment was hosted by Ribcaged and was watched by hundreds during the evening.” During the evening extrav­


£1 | f RAISED IN THE RilJBII VALLEY PRESENTS


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feiDflY 16TH TfimjRRY fE30A 7PA JOIN USATMITTON HALLTOR fi ll AND CANAPES ON ‘ '


. ARRIVAL, A EABIIEOUS3 COURSE MLAI , AND A CHARITY .. AUCTION rOLLOWED.BY AN EVENING OE ENTERTAINMENT-


TICKETS 5 5 DRESS CODE BLACK Til ■AIL PROEITSTO RAISED IN THE RIBBlf VAI IIY


.R S V P : M it t o n H a ll o n 01254 826544' M lt to n . W h a l le y , L a n c a s h i r e :B 87 9P Q :,


Child Action Northwest's Raised in the Ribble Valley Initiative Freemasons adds to eatery’s award haul


ARibble Valley eatery is again cel­ ebrating a prestigious industry accolade which will go towards making this year a’memorable onetosaytheleast.


' 7 The Freemasons at Wiswell


hasaddedtoits20i4awardshaul with the Tourism Pub Award at this year’s Lancashire'Tourism Awards. TakingplaceatTheBlackpool TowerBallroom.theeventwasat-'


tended by over 600 tourism pro­ fessionals, on the what was the I20thanniversaryofthehistoric ballroom.


-


. The Tourism Pub Award was opentopubswhichmakeasignif-


icant contribution to the Lanca­ shire tourismindustry,whilealso


demonstrating their contribu­ tion to long-term sustainability of the local community in which they live arid run their business.


Cornus ‘Elegantissima’ variety of dogwood, well


ucnownforits fiery red Stems in Winter. Great for [planting in we t water­ logged parts o f the garden 9nd good for summer col­


F e s t i v e L u n c h ' • Served 12 -


4pm daily ~ 5 2 courses £14.95. u


our with its white vari­ egated foliage. Prune every other year to keep the stem colour bright, then ju s t' stand back and admire this stunning shrub I


@ www.holdencloughnursery.com 'To Book' call - 01200:447615 w


. 5 courses £18:95 IF At ‘The Garden Kitchen!


aganza, shops and businesses were open late with traders dressed in.Victorian attire.


WRITTEN BY


JOHN FO L EY


I manygardensupanddown I the country!


S


Ranging in colours and be­ ing one of the few “evergreen”


perennials they really can go a long way to lighting up the garden, not just through the winter, but all 12 months of theyear!


Originally, in the late 1990s,


most of the early varieties of Heucheras were either purple or green, with pink white or


red flowers. Now the colours in which they are available is


never ending - reds through to orange and purples through to silver and gold, topped off


| with their pretty pink, white 1 or red flowers they really are something special! It’s not just the fact that they are evergreen which


S p o t lig h t m & i V - >;;»?-


ince their recent popularity boom Heucheras are now a firm favourite and can be found in


makes them so desirable, but it’sjust how easy they are to grow and where they will grow. If you have a dry shady area under some trees, be­ neath larger shrubs or maybe


alongside a hedge, then this is the ideal place. They can also


be grown in tubs or containers


forseveralmonthsthenplant- ed out in the ground later on in life.


There are three rules to fol-


lowwithHeuchrasforguaran- teed success:


1 - All varieties will grow


happilyinfullorpartialshade and most varieties will growin full sun, apart from the vari­ eties with pale yellow leaves, Lime Ricky, Lime Marmalade and Key Lime Pie just to name a few. Otherwise the sun will burn the leaves, turning them brown, and you can then dam­ age them from over watering thinking that they are dry! 2 - Plant in a soil that


doesn’t hold water in Win­ ter. Heucheras prefer a gen­ eral garden soil, or something very fibrous. Thick clay that waterlogs in the winter isn’t ideal. Ifyou have this problem


Are live Christmas trees any good?


Live Christmas trees, if looked after correctly, can give you interest yearafteryear. Poton every otheryear, teasing out some of the old soil, and top- 'dress annually with fertiliser in the Spring. Then once it's inside with the angel on the top, make sure to stand it on a


then stick to growing them in


flowerpotsandcontaine'rs! ' 3 - Replant established


clumps in their fourth Year. After time the rosettes of leaves will lift.out of the ground and also multiply. Be­ tween April and June you can


Jo b s to d o .... 1 - Check greenhouse Keep an eye on any plants that you


may be overwintering in the green­ house for pest damage or drying out. When mice get hungry it’s amazing what they will eat! 2 -


Topupbirdfeeders With a lack of berries on the trees


thisyear, make sure to keep your bird feeders full up as they will enjoy com­ ing to your garden and help fight your slug population this coming year. 3 - Recycle your Christmas Tree.


I f your Christmas tree is in a pot look at planting it out in the garden for


the coming year making sure to give it some shrub fertilizer in Spring. Other­ wise make sure to let the council pick up your old tree as it will be shredded


IT'S TIME TO GET


OUTIN THE GARDEN AND GET CRACKING WITH THOSE


MUST-DO JOBS...


BUT WHICH ONES? HERE JOHN FOLEY SETS OUT WHAT


NEEDS DOING AND WHEN, AND HOW TOGOABOUTIT


up and used for making mulch. 4 -Clean old pots


Use Jeyes Fluid to clean old plant


pots and seed trays ready for germi­ nating vegetables and otherseeds •


in this Spring. Cleaning them helps get rid of weed seeds and keeps your young plants weed free 5 - Hardwood cuttings Take hardwood cuttings eight


inches long from plants such as Cor­


nus and Sambucus. Stick them into the soil and watch them sprout next


spring and it will give you lots of free plants.’


6 - Final clear of leaves Now all leaves have fallen get out


there and gather up the last remaining few. Ifyou have gravel look at getting a leaf blower to blow them off the gravel rather than trying to rake them off and raking them into the gravel.


Can Ipaintmy fence now?


Now isn’t really the best time as the wood may be quite wet,


and if it's freezing cold then this can reduce the effective­ ness of the stain/paint. The


bestthingtodoatthistime ofyearisjustto check that


its secure and stable. I f not, then brace it and carry out


any repairs, then treat it in the spring.


GETINTOUCH - ♦HOLDEN CLOUGH NURSERY,


HOLDEN, BOLTON-BY-BOWLAND BB74PF


TeL01200447615(7days)


♦EMAIL INFO@HOLDENCLOUGH- NURSERY.CO.UK www.holdeiicloughmtrsery.coin


01200447615


replant them to encourage new vigour. Cut the shoots off at the base flush with ground level, discard the old roots and remove any old leaves, then replant the shoots in clumps of three with the soil flush to the bottom of the leaves, then


watch them spring back to life!


So when your next trying


to find a plant to give year- round colour, thatwon’tgrow too tall, takes a bit of sun and is easy to look after, then look no further than a Heuchera!


plate and water it three times a week, trying to keep it away from any radiators etc which will dry it out too much.


© MORETOSEE


wwwxlitheroeadvertiser.co.uk Thursday,December 11,2014 Thursday,December 11,2014 www.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk CUTHER0EADVER7ISER&HMES ■ I 00 33


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Q&A


HEREYOUCAN SEND IN AND FIND OUTTHE ANSWERS TO ANY GARDENING PROBLEMS


Should I be weeding now? Now is a good time to weed out the last few weeds in your garden. Annual weeds like meadow grass, bittercress and shepherd's purse, just to name a few, can be easily pulled up and will not come back unless they have seeded. Perennial weeds may pull up, but may need further treatment next yearto get ridof the roots.


w


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