Herald - Issue 396

v THE NEXT HERALD IS OUT ON 29TH OCTOBER v 8th October 2020 • The HERALD • Page 45 GARDEN MAINTENANCE Covering the New Forest and Totton GRASS CUTTING, HEDGE TRIMMING, SHRUBS & SMALL TREES PRUNED, WEEDING & WINTER TIDY UP etc No Job Too Small Contact Christian 07780 479776 All Aspects of Garden Work Undertaken • Driveways • Paving • Artificial Grass • Turfing • Decking • Fencing • Hedge Cutting • Landscaping Hythe Garden Contractors Family company established 1977 For a free quotation please call 023 8084 3556 or 023 8084 0378 | DOWN THE GARDEN PATH | October - The Autumn Chill Sets In Advice from RHS Although we had some warmer days over September, the autumn is now de nitely here for real, and it feels colder. It’s a beautiful time of year, with the trees changing colour. Sometimes it may seem pointless raking, when the wind blows even more leaves onto the lawn, but just think of all the lovely leaf mould you can make! It’s also time to start preparing for early frosts. Top 10 jobs this month 1. Divide established rhubarb crowns to create new plants. 2. Cut back perennials that have died down. 3. Divide herbaceous perennials. 4. Move tender plants, including aquatic ones, into a greenhouse or conservatory. 5. Plant out spring cabbages. 6. Harvest apples, pears, grapes and nuts. 7. Prune climbing roses 8. Finish collecting seeds from the garden to sow next year. 9. Last chance to mow lawns and trim hedges in mild areas. 10. Renovate old lawns or create new grass areas by laying turf Halloween Family Fun is Bigger, Better and Scarier than ever at Exbury Gardens Visitors will be treated to a really spooky spectacular at Exbury Gardens this half term with the launch of a gruesome garden trail, pumpkin carving, bat box making as well as the popular Halloween ghost train ride. From 26th October to 1st November , Exbury will be transformed into a fang-tastic family Halloween haunt. Young thrill-seekers will be able to tour a ghostly graveyard in the Rock Garden - walk through cobweb arches, see monsters emerging from the ground and glimpse ghosts on zipwires. Youngsters will be able to get creative with pumpkin carving, and even learn how to make a bat box in a fun and educational workshop specially designed for socially-distanced family groups. Halloween at Exbury Gardens wouldn’t be complete without its renowned ghost train ride . A crew of ghoulish characters will be haunting the steam train tracks and entertaining families with their slapstick comedy performances - with a few frights along the way! Visitors will also be able to explore Exbury Gardens’ 200 acres in full autumn colour. It holds the national collections of Nyssa and Oxydendrum trees, and has over 450 cultivars of Acer, so o ers a glorious leaf display of autumn colour. For lovers of ower power, the Sundial Garden has a ne collection of quirky-coloured dahlias and salvias, a must-see spectacle during the autumn months, and the new contemporary Centenary Garden is lled with gorgeous grasses, plants, shrubs and trees providing a peaceful spot for the public to explore. And you will have the chance to get up close and personal with dazzling jewel lilies when Exbury’s world-famous collection of Nerine sarniensis go on show in the Five Arrows Gallery. Prices vary depending on attraction. For more information, train times and to book online visit www.exbury.co.uk or call 023 8089 1203 HOW TO MAINTAIN WILDLIFE PONDS INEOS DONATES £2,500 TO THE WATERSIDE FOOD BANK Lyndhurst based INEOS has donated £2,500 in support of the Waterside Food Bank through the international INEOS Community Fund. is grant will help support the provision of food parcels vital to those in the local community who are experiencing short term nancial hardship. During 2019-2020 the Waterside helped 2,945 people. Waterside Foodbank is a voluntary charity but COVID-19 has shown that if the Foodbank is to be sustained into the future, some of the present management positions must be salaried rather than voluntary. is is because at the start of COVID- 19 80% of the volunteers were unable to continue volunteering due to social distancing measures. The money from INEOS will be used to help the organisation to continue. Jan of the Waterside Food Bank says: “COVID-19 has had an impact on our community. In particular those on low income and in temporary accommodation, or people experiencing job loss or pay reductions. Our food bank helps those who are in a short time crisis and we have seen a 30% increase in demand because of COVID-19. This grant from INEOS will ensure that we can continue to help those who need it the most.” e £1M INEOS Community Fund was established by INEOS Chairman Sir Jim Ratcli e in March 2020 in tandem with the company’s COVID-19 “Hands On” campaign, which set up 6 new factories to provide millions of bottles of free hand sanitiser to thousands of hospitals and frontline staff every month. e fund enables INEOS sites across the world to support the charitable organisations doing vital work in their local communities at this particularly di cult time. Nathan Moore, Group Financial Controller at INEOS says: “Lots of people have experienced financial hardship because of COVID-19, with many people losing their jobs and experiencing pay cuts. The Waterside Food Bank provides the support these families and individuals need and makes sure that they are receiving food parcels. The work that they do has always been hugely important, but is even more vital now.” Advice from RHS Here are some pointers on managing your pond for wildlife; Topping up . Don’t be hasty to top up the pond during dry weather. Seasonal ponds are a natural feature in the UK, lling up in winter and occasionally drying out in summer. is can favour certain animals such as newts which can survive in the mud unlike the sh that predate on their larvae. Where additional water needs to be added try to use rainwater; tap water should be a last resort. Weed and algae control . Extensive open water is not essential for a good wildlife pond; most creatures prefer an underwater maze of plants in which to hunt, hide, feed and breed. If you do need to do some removal don’t remove too much at once. Leaving the vegetation on the edge of the pond to allow pondlife to escape back into the water is o en recommended but sadly many creatures stay trapped regardless. Silting up . If sediment removal is necessary to maintain a pond do this in early autumn and try to remove only half at one time in order to minimise the loss of mud-dwelling creatures and their habitat. Cutting back . If you have allowed the grass to grow long along one edge of the pond, strim it o and mow it in late autumn a er young amphibians have had chance to exit the pond. And delay cutting back marginals until late winter to help give maximum protection for invertebrates. Removing leaves . Don’t be too worried if a few leaves fall into your pond as there is little evidence this is bad for pondlife. However, if autumn leaf fall is excessive rake or sh out some with a net before they sink to the bottom.