291 December 18 - Gryffe Advertizer

32
The Advertizer
Kilbarchan Smile Gateway
Garden
The Kilbarchan Smile volunteers
have been busy in the Gateway
Community Garden and around
the village this season. Children
from Kilbarchan Community
Nursery visited the Garden to
harvest potatoes and to plant
Spring flowering bulbs. The Girl
Guides braved the rain and the
dark to do their own ‘tattie picking’ and to plant out the wild flowers they had
grown from seed and the MP, Mhairi Black, came to the Cross to plant a
Hazel sapling donated through a partnership between the Woodland Trust,
Sainsbury’s and ITV, as part of the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy. One
of the key aims of the Woodland Trust is to plant native trees with the aim
of creating resilient landscapes for people and wildlife.
Due to the unpredictability of the weather over the next few months, the
regular Gateway Garden Open Days, usually the 2nd Sunday of each
month and every second Wednesday, have to be suspended. However,
anyone who wants to visit is welcome to call, between 9am and 4pm, 07952
169341 for information or 07751 461859 for access.
Renfrewshire RSPB Local Group - Friday 7th December - McMaster
Centre, Donaldson Drive, Renfrew PA48LX. 7.30pm.
Yvonne Boles will deliver an illustrated talk entitled ‘Black Grouse‘ All
welcome.
Kilmacolm Horticultural Society
Kilmacolm Horticultural Society invite you to a special pre-Christmas event
as part of our 140th anniversary year. FLOWER ARRANGING FOR
CHRISTMAS will be presented by Ms Jane Gordon, our area demonstrator
for the Scottish Association of Flower Arranging. To be held in the New
Community Centre, Kilmacolm, on Wednesday 5th December at 7.30pm.
In addition to the floral art arrangements, which will be auctioned at the
end of the evening, we are holding a Christmas Tombola and Stalls plus a
Raffle. Refreshments at the buffet table, with mulled wine or mulled apple.
Everyone welcome, members - free, non-members £2. If you would like to
join the Society for an annual subscription of just £5, please come along
and sign in at the door. We offer a range of activities, including winter
lectures, annual Flower Show, Spring bulb competition, Summer Outing,
and a Plant Sale at the annual Coffee Morning. Further details from Jill
Russell on 01505 872393. or see our website: www.kilmacolmhorticulturl.
com.
BoWeir Horticultural Society
Members welcomed Lesley Hinde, teacher, from Linwood High School
and past and present pupils: Dean, Dylan, Hayleigh and Kerry. They told
us the untimely death of former pupil, Craig Hepburn, and the desire for
something good to come out of tragedy, was the catalyst for creating the
Craig Hepburn Memorial Garden. A grassy slope was chosen and pupils
set-to creating pathways, laying chipped wood, building raised borders and
barrelling tonnes of topsoil up to the garden.
Thousands of hours have gone into this project with contributions from pupils
and support from the community and local businesses. An unattractive
area has become a colourful outlook for everyone, with an orchard and
borders growing flowers, fruits and vegetables – chillies a speciality. There
is now a large greenhouse/outdoor classroom, gazebo and BBQ where
pupils spend time studying or relaxing. It is also a welcoming place for
wildlife and to widen habitat appeal, bat boxes, bug hotels, ponds and bird
baths have been added. For many pupils this is their fi rst experience of
working with nature and wildlife. Pupils discuss project management and
fund-raising; agree planting schemes and propagation, then germinate,
tend and grow crops organically. In addition to the pleasures of growingyour-own,
pupils are learning from hands-on experience about teamwork,
communication and problem solving.
Through the RHS Campaign for School Gardening pupils’ knowledge of
horticultural matters has blossomed. Their achievements have been
rewarded with appearances at Gardening Scotland; winning a Gold for
a “pop-up” Garden; achieving Level 5 in the RHS Campaign for School
Gardening and a listing in Scotland’s Gardens Scheme yellow book, a
“first” appearance for any school. Included in the RHS Rocket Science
experiment, they tested seeds which had been into space to discover if
this would affect germination (it didn’t). Dean was shortlisted for Young
Gardener of the Year and attended the Awards Ceremony at RHS Wisley
and was immediately offered an apprenticeship!
The Society’s AGM will be held on Thursday 13th December at 8pm in
The Bridge. The future of the Society will be discussed and members are
requested to attend.
Deciduous trees are now dormant and the next few months are ideal for
tree planting, particularly bare root trees which can be found in nurseries.
Watering newly planted trees through the Spring and Summer is essential
for good establishment.
Deadline date for our January 2019 issue - Wednesday 12th December- you don’t want to miss it!!
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