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Getting Ready for Winter

Posted on Posted in Friends of Silloth Green

Copy:  Caroline Turner/Tom Brown.         Pictures:  Caroline Turner

Recently we have been busy, weather permitting, getting the Community Garden & allotment tidied up for the Winter and Polyanthus planted in the raised beds for some much-needed winter colour.  And, there is still more to do!

Moving forward our aim is to become more self-sufficient, reducing our need to buy-in plants etc. To that end we have lifted all the tender perennials, taken loads of cuttings from our favourite plants in the Community Garden and moved them to the allotment either to store or to propagate in our greenhouse.  We have also sown masses of hardy annuals and biennials for example Sweet William, Cornflowers and Sweet Peas in the greenhouse so we will get a head start on Summer colour.

Salvia cuttings
Hardy annual seedlings
Calendula seedlings in the greenhouse
As Winter is well on its way lots of birds are now coming to the feeders in the woodland areas. It is important to keep your feeders clean, ideally cleaning them weekly in order to help prevent the spread of disease. ‘Bird Flu’ is still about and from November 7th all poultry keepers, commercial & domestic have to keep their birds undercover to help prevent its spread. The advice from the RSPB if you find any dead birds is not to touch them and ring the Defra helpline on 03459335577.
A reminder that THE BIG GARDEN BIRD WATCH is taking place again from 27th – 29th January 2023.  You can register on the RSPB website and you will receive updates, top tips and can find out how to get ready.