Filed under: Garden Advice, Garden Courses, Garden Open Days, Garden Visits, Gardening, Lifelong Learning, Oatridge College, Suntrap, Suntrap Garden | Tags: Ann Burns, Caley Society, days out, Directions to suntrap garden, Garden Advice, Garden Open Days, garden taking shape, Garden Visits, Gardeners Forum, Gardening Scotland, Italian Garden, ladybirds, lawn care, Oatridge College, Open Days, perennial, Sensory Garden, Suntrap Garden
We’re ready and looking forward to your visit.
Guided Garden Tours with John Smith, Team Leader at Suntrap,
11.00 am, 12.00 noon, 2.00 pm and 3.00 pm
Demonstrations
11.00-12.00 How to plant containers with Ann Burns from Oatridge College
12.00-1.00 How to care for Bonsais with the Scottish Bonsai Association
Garden Advice throughout the day with Brian Williams and Ann Burns
Buy some plants from MacPlants, Friends of Suntrap or from the Suntrap Garden Centre
Scavenger hunt, children’s games and face painting
Meet Eubee the 18 month old snowy owl
Relax with a cup of tea or coffee and some home baking from the Friends of Suntrap
Filed under: Garden Advice, Garden Courses, Garden Nightclasses, Garden Open Days, Garden Visits, Gardening, Lifelong Learning, Oatridge College, Suntrap, Suntrap Garden, Suntrap Garden Open Day, container gardening, flower arranging | Tags: Ann Burns, Caley Society, Directions to suntrap garden, Garden Advice, Garden Open Days, Garden Visits, Gardening Scotland, Italian Garden, lawn care, Oatridge College, pallet gardens, Sensory Garden, Suntrap Garden, Suntrap Garden Open Day, Things to do in Scotland
I thought I would check out the weather for Sunday, it’s set to be dry and sunny.
It looks like the perfect weather for a trip to our Open Day.
Filed under: Garden Advice, Garden Courses, Garden Nightclasses, Garden Open Days, Garden Visits, Gardening, Lifelong Learning, Oatridge College, Suntrap, Suntrap Garden | Tags: best in show, Caley Society, Directions to suntrap garden, Garden Advice, Garden Open Days, Garden Visits, Gardeners Forum, gardening ideas, Gardening Scotland, Italian Garden, Oatridge College, Open Days, Scottish Bonsai Association, Sensory Garden, Suntrap Garden, Suntrap Garden Open Day, Things to do in Scotland
Weeding and Edging
Moving Plants
Watering
I am officially demented. We have a rookery across the road from our house. This would be fine if we lived in the country but we don’t, it’s a small housing estate. And they are driving me to distraction. It’s like a scene from the birds – they sit on our roof and it sounds like they’re breaking in, but more importantly they eat all the bird food I put out for the robins and blue tits.
I’ve been in and out the garden for days scaring them away. Slamming doors and windows whenever they’re on the bird feeders, hanging up wind chimes, I’ve even stuck bubble wrap to various points of the fences hoping to scare them away I think it just gives them a comfy seat. Please can someone tell me how to stop them eating everything in sight?
Filed under: Garden Advice, lawn care | Tags: Garden Advice, lawn care, Suntrap Garden, workshops
It’s hard to imagine at this time of year what the garden will look like when all the leaves are back on the trees, the shrubs are flowering, the grass is green and lush and the sun is shining.
However, you can be thinking about how to achieve this.
If you’re fed up with your grass never quite looking the way you want it, you keep buying lawn seed and fertiliser from the garden centre and you leave it in the shed not too sure what to do with it. Why not come along this Saturday, March 14, to Suntrap Garden and find out the correct ways to look after your grass. It’s a practical workshop showing you what to do and not do. It starts at 10.00 am and finishes at 12 noon. It only costs £6.00, less than yet another box of fertiliser. If you’re interested give John a call on 0131 331 7283 or email him, johnsmith@btinternet.com.
Filed under: Garden Advice, Garden Courses, Garden Nightclasses, Lifelong Learning, Oatridge College, Suntrap, Suntrap Garden | Tags: Garden Advice, gardening advice, Suntrap Garden, Suntrap Gardening Club
If you’re interested in getting some new ideas or just looking to meet like-minded people why not come along to the first meeting of the year of the Suntrap Gardening Club. They meet the third Tuesday of every month at 7.15 pm in the classroom at Suntrap.
Throughout the year there will be visits to gardens, talks and hands on activities like making hanging baskets. At the first meeting there will be a talk by David Milne who was a gardener at The Suntrap Garden for some years, he now works at the college. He will be giving a talk about “New Ideas for Your Garden”. Come along and be inspired.
Filed under: BBC, Blue Peter, Garden Advice, Mission Nutrition, Things to do in Scotland, growing veg | Tags: appeal, Blue Peter, bring and buy sale, ContinYou, FCFCG, Mission Nutrition, Save the Children, Sensory Garden, Suntrap
On Wednesday 18 February 2009, Blue Peter is hosting the World’s Biggest Bring and Buy sale at the Lakeside Shopping Centre. The Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens are helping children grow and eat better food through the Blue Peter’s Mission Nutrition appeal. They have joined up with two other charities, Save the Children and ContinYou, to run the appeal.
Mission Nutrition wants to help children around the world to eat well and grow their own food. It’s also a great way to raise the profile of the community farming and gardening movement and the work their members do on a daily basis to promote the benefits of growing for everyone.
If you can’t come along to their bring and buy sale why not organise your own. A fundraising pack is available on the appeal website.
Alternatively, if you are taking part and want to let us know about it why not leave a comment below.
Filed under: Bridgend Allotments Community, Garden Advice, Garden Open Days, Garden Visits, Potato Day, Suntrap Garden, Things to do in Scotland, growing veg | Tags: activities, Bridgend Allotments Community, crafts, days out, fun, organic potatoes
Will be holding their Health Project’s Third Annual Potato Day.
There will be talks, crafts and lots of activities to take part in. Seed potatoes for sale. And, of course, there will be bangers and mash.
Why not come along to Inch House Community Centre on Sunday 22 February between 11.00 am and 2.00 pm. For more details give them a call on 0131c 664 9559. It’s going to be a great day out.
Filed under: Garden Advice, Garden Courses, Garden Nightclasses, Gardening, Suntrap Garden, container gardening, flower arranging, growing veg, hanging baskets, lawn care | Tags: workshops, night classes, apple pruning, flower arranging, lawn care, turf wars, veg and fruit growing, container growing, hanging baskets, summer, spring
Workshops
Saturday 10.00am – 12.00 Noon
£6 plus the cost of materials
All classes take place at Suntrap Garden, Gogarburn,
EXCEPT for the Apple Pruning on the 7th February (return mid afternoon).
Saturday 7th February “Willie Duncan’s Apple Pruning Work Shop”
Meet at Suntrap Garden car park 9.15am. Mini bus transport to Willie’s garden at Drumeldrie in Fife. There will be a £2 cost per person for transport. Bring packed lunch, hot drink, warm clothes, strong footwear and secateurs. (Limited places)
Saturdays 14th 21th 28th February “Flower Arranging”
Saturday April 18th “Vegetable and fruit growing in a small space” Container vegetable growing.
Saturday May 16th “Hanging gardens of Babylon “Tom Hardwick’s version” Practical workshop planting up containers and baskets for Summer. Containers, baskets and plants additional cost.
Evening classes
(7pm to 9pm)
‘Design Your Own Garden‘ 11 weeks starting 22nd April £105
‘Amateur Gardening‘ 10 weeks beginning 23rd April £ 80
To Book Workshops or Evening Classes or for more information contact:-
Moira at Oatridge College – 01506 864807
(Email mmontgomery@oatridge.ac.uk)
Filed under: Garden Advice, Gardening, Suntrap Garden | Tags: Ann Burns, Italian Garden, ladybirds, leaf mould, Oatridge College, Scotland on Sunday November, Sensory Garden, sntrap, tidying up leaves
Imagine a long pile of leaves blown into the wall next to a pavement – don’t you want to revert to childhood, jump in, drag your feet and kick leaves everywhere? I know I do and actually if I think no one is looking I admit I still do it. But in my garden fallen leaves are not fun they are just a nuisance that I feel the need to tidy every weekend at the moment.
So ‘To tidy or Not to Tidy’ is the question; make your own mind up with the pro’s and con’s below:
Tidy:
• When gathered, fallen leaves from deciduous trees make marvellous leaf mould. Collect them in leaf mould bags or use black bags, make some holes in the filled bags with a fork and hide them round the back of the shed for a couple of years. The resulting leaf mould is a lovely product, perfect for mulching plants, or for mixing in alpine or orchid compost
• Clearing leaves from the ground scrupulously at this time of year reduces the number of places that over wintering slugs, caterpillars, cut worms and grubs can hang out. Therefore you are likely to reduce some pest numbers just by being tidy.
• Lots of leaves that fall from our shrubs, trees and rose bushes will be covered in fungal spores, by removing these leaves we are helping to stop recontamination by the fungus. Composting the leaves tends to kill off a lot of these spores.
• Tidying up leaves and plant debris burns up calories; – so if you do a weekly garden workout you will be able to burn off all those extra calories and earned yourself a warm cup of coffee and a cake.
Or Not to Tidy?
• Clearing all your leaves and plant rubbish may get rid of a number of garden pests but it also discourages the ‘Good Guys’ such as ladybirds and lacewings which love plant debris to over winter in.
• Clearing removes an insulating layer from the surface of the soil, which can expose buds, rhizomes and bulbs to frost and winter wet.
• Nature does her own composting and gradually over the winter much of the dead plant material will be worked back into the soil. When you finally do your spring clean around March time you will find you have far less bulk to get rid of whether to the compost bin or wherever.
So make you own mind up and don’t feel guilty whichever you choose.
Taken from a column published in November in Scotland on Sunday by Ann Burns, Team Leader Horticulture and Landscape Construction, Oatridge College
