15th February 2024 • The HERALD • Page 53 v GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE HERALD v ✿ DOWN THE GARDEN PATH ✿ RYAN FENCING Quality Fencing & Gates 07769 706516 • 023 8084 1203 www.ryan-fencing.co.uk • Find us on Facebook • HEDGE CUTTING • FENCING • PATIOS • TURFING • GARDEN CLEARANCES & MORE For a FREE quotation please call 023 8122 4550 or 07548 355262 AUTUMN LEAF GARDEN WORKS A J GLEESON BUILDING & GROUNDWORK DRIVEWAYS EXTENSIONS BRICKWORK GROUNDWORK BLOCK PAVING Colours & Designs to suit your requirements Local Work Available to View CALL FOR A FREE QUOTATION New Forest & Southampton 023 8084 4180 Mobile: 07770 771475 Bramdene, Main Road, Dibden, Southampton Send your local news to The Editor, The Herald, 2 High Street, Hythe SO45 6AH or email: editor@herald-publishing.co.uk Blackfield Flower Club The New Year for Blackfield Flower Club began on 9th January with a demonstration by Caroline Cooper entitled ‘In a Previous Life’. Caroline used to be a member but now lives in the Wye Valley. A hand tied bouquet came first. Caroline had made an oval shaped frame made from birch twigs. Various types of foliage were added including holly, rosemary and viburnam tinus. Beautiful orange roses (Confidential) were added together with copper coloured alstromeria. The container for this design was a chamber pot. Wire netting was used instead of foam. Aucuba provided the outline for this all round design. Sprays of mimosa and orange ranunculus were added together with some pussy willow. Caroline’s Great Grandfather’s watering can was used for this design. A small dish had been fixed to the top of the watering can and various types of foliage were inserted including pittisporum, rosemary, thyme, euonymous and trails of ivy. Cream roses, white spray chrysanthemums and green hypericum berries were added. Two old terracotta pots filled with smaller white arrangements and a terracotta robin completed this design. A wellington boot weighted down with sand provided the container for this design using floral fibre which is biodegradable in place of floral foam. Stems of fir provided the outline. Bright coloured germinis were added together with beautiful single cymbidium green orchid flowers. An identical second boot completed this design. The boots had belonged to her Dad. A large hamper was used for the final arrangement and the only design to use floral foam. Pittisporum and eucalyptus were added. Stems of a beautiful blue clematis, dark blue agapanthus, pale pink roses and darker pink roses were inserted to complete this very pretty design. Throughout the demonstration Caroline talked about the previous life of her containers and her life in banking for forty years. Meetings take place second Tuesday of the month at 2pm at the Royal British Legion Club, Exbury Road, Blackfield, SO45 1XD. The AGM will take place in February and on 12th March there will be a demonstration by Jennifer Thompson entitled ‘A Good Read’ - visitors welcome, please contact Jan Gordon on 023 8084 4835 for more details. SERVICE YOUR MOWER up and importantly remember that when you carry out any maintenance work on your mower that you remove the spark plug cap and have the correct personal protective equipment on. If in any doubt contact your local garden machinery specialist. It is easy to take your motor mower for granted and take it out to use, put some petrol in. Then once the lawn is cut, back they go in the shed for the next time, which of course at this time of year becomes less and less. The old mower doesn’t complain and is reliable to a point, but there is going to be a time when it is just not going to start no matter how hard you pull the starter cord! Some simple things to check and clean each time you use your mower could prevent that happening such as checking the oil is to the correct mark on the dipstick, making sure that the air filter is kept clean and the engine can breath, or just taking the sparkplug out and giving it a clean can make all the difference, finally keeping the blade sharp and making sure it is correctly balanced will improve the cutting quality. If you tip your machine on its side to carry out any basic checks, always make sure that the air filter side is always facing
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