Green Waste Collection

Daffodils under the snow of March 23
click photo to enlarge

Boston Borough Council's fortnightly green waste collection resumes on Saturday 5th April and continues until the autumn. The Bicker collection points are the Village Hall car park (from 8.00 a.m.) and the cul de sac at the Drury Lane/Donington Road intersection (from 9.00 a.m.). This latter location replaces the Old Chip Shop which will no longer be used. Information via Terry from George Bernard of Boston Borough Council, our speaker at the April meeting.

Gardening Websites

click photo to enlarge

This is the start of a list of gardening and garden- related websites that may be of interest to members. It will be updated fairly regularly. If you know of any sites that could be added, please post details in the Comment box. For convenience there is a link to this page in the Link list at the top of the blog.

Please note - the organisations and companies below have no connection with Bicker Garden Club, and the inclusion of a link should not be seen as an endorsement.

SOCIETIES & ASSOCIATIONS
The Royal Horticultural Society

GARDENS TO VISIT
Belton House, Grantham, Lincolnshire
Doddington Hall, Lincoln
Easton Walled Gardens, Grantham, Lincolnshire
Grimsthorpe Castle, Bourne, Lincolnshire
Anglesey Abbey, Cambridge
Elton Hall, Peterborough
Peckover House, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
Wimpole Hall, Cambridge
Houghton Hall, King's Lynn, Norfolk
Oxburgh Hall, King's Lynn, Norfolk
Sandringham House, Sandringham, Norfolk
Sheringham Park, nr Cromer, Norfolk
Newstead Abbey, nr Nottingham
Teversal Manor, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire

GARDENING FORUMS & MESSAGE BOARDS
GardenBanter.co.uk
GardenStew
BBC - Allotment Tales
BBC - Garden Clinic
BBC - Design Inspiration

ORGANIC GARDENING
Garden Organic

PLANT IDENTIFICATION
BBC - Plant Finder

THIS MONTH IN THE GARDEN
RHS Gardener's Calendar
The Gardeners Calendar

WEATHER FORECASTS
BBC Midlands Forecast
Met Office East Midlands Forecast
Metcheck.com Boston forecast

Visit to Anglesey Abbey

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On 16th February a group of seventeen Garden Club members visited the National Trust gardens at Anglesey Abbey, Cambridge- shire. This location is known for its formal gardens and free landscaping that extends over 98 acres and 23 distinct areas. Notable sculptures, some dating from the eighteenth century, are also a feature of the gardens. A particular attraction in February is The Winter Walk that showcases a wonderful variety of winter flowering bulbs, shrubs and trees. A cold but bright and sunny day allowed members to see the gardens at their seasonal best. Members also visited Lode Mill and the new National Trust cafe, both of which are in the grounds. The feedback on this, the Club's first "outing", was very positive. The next visit is on 21st June to Bressingham Gardens (Foggy Bottom) & Steam Museum, Norfolk.

2008 Programme

Cyclamen
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16th February 2008
Visit: Anglesey Abbey Gardens (NT), Cambridgeshire

20th March 2008
Talk: "Growing in containers, including hanging baskets"
by Harold Leach

17th April 2008
Plant Sale/ Seed Swap
Talk: "Garden Waste to Compost"
by George Bernard, Boston Borough Council
plus "Your Garden in Pictures"

15th May
Talk: "Beautiful Homes & Gardens of Lincolnshire"
by Nic Lance

21st June
Visit: Bressingham Gardens (Foggy Bottom) & Steam Museum, Norfolk

5th July
Open Gardens Day

18th July
Summer BBQ

21st August
Talk: "Perennials - Selection & Cultivation"
by Susan Frudd

18th September
Bring and Buy - Produce/Plants/Flowers/ Cakes
plus Produce Show

16th October
Annual General Meeting & Quiz

20th November
Talk: "Plant Histories"
by Andrew Sankey

December
Date and Details to follow

Welcome to the Blog!

Hellebore (Helleborus orientalis)
click photo to enlarge

Welcome to the Blog. For anyone who is wondering just what a blog is, think of it as a web site that has pages in chronological order, and is very easy to update on line.

This site will act as an alternative source of information about the Club. Programmes, events, announcements and other documents will always be available, but they will be duplicated here. Very useful if you mislay the paper version!

The Link List to the right will carry links to important information, so don't forget to look there too.

Over the coming year there will be information, features and photographs appearing in the blog. I hope you find time to visit, and discover something of interest.

The photograph above was taken by Tony in January. It's a hellebore from his garden. As you can probably tell, he's a photography enthusiast, and he'll be contributing pictures and articles, as well as co-ordinating the blog. He's keen to hear of suggestions for what can be included in the blog, so please let him know by posting your idea as a comment to any of the articles - it's quite easy to do.