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April showers say come Gardening Matters April
Sponsored by Mark Kneebone Garden Design
and shine with U3A
Time to forget about March winds as
Members of the University of the Third
Age in East Suffolk are all set to go with
the warmer Spring sun. Light evenings
mean more time to spend on outdoor
hobbies with friends or to plan holidays
abroad if you are in one of the U3A
language groups. But don’t forget the
talks in our four Campuses if you can
make time from your U3A groups. As
members have remarked to me recently
they wish there were more days in
the week so that they can join more
U3A activities especially now that the
committee are making plans for adding
new groups to the 2017/18 handbook.
Visitors as well as members are welcome
to attend one of our talks before
applying to become a full member. The
Campus Co-ordinator or volunteers
at each venue will be delighted to
give further details of applying for
membership on the day.
Kesgrave (Community Centre) at 2.00
pm on Monday 24th April ‘The Sound of
Science’ - how we hear, the concept of
resonance and how musical instruments
work. Talk given by Dr Stephen
Ashworth
Saxmundham (Market Hall) at 2.00 pm
on Thursday 13th April ‘The Brave Men
of Suffolk in WW1’ - their stories told
through the medals they received’ by
Dave Empson
Thursday 11th May ‘Building the Tower
of St Edmundsbury Cathedral’ - an
account by the Construction Team Leader
Horry Parsons. Felixstowe (Salvation
Army Hall) at 10.30 am on Thursday 6th
April ‘A Year in the Life’ - Looking back at
a 25 year career as a Theatrical Agent by
Eve Regelous
Thursday 4th May ‘The Greatest Show
Not on Earth’ - from eclipses to distant
black holes by Paul Whiting.
Woodbridge (Community Hall) at 2.30
Monday 3rd April - Giles and Ipswich -
the life of the famous cartoonist by John
Field
No meeting planned for May
Please put these dates in your diary and
visitors please consider joining U3A this
Spring. If you are not able to attend one
of our talks please visit our website
www.u3aeastsuffolk.org.uk or telephone
the Secretary on 03001233913 to fi nd
further details of what U3A in East
Suffolk is all about.
P le a s e m e n t i o n ‘ T h e F l yer ’ wh en r esp o n d in g t o ad ver t isements
It is time to dig your
garden notebook
out. Make some
notes of where
your spring bulbs
are and which ones
need to be added
to. The leaves of
Crocuses and
Daffodils die off
Mark Kneebone
quickly leaving you
no clue as to there whereabouts. Then
they pop up next spring to remind you
that you that there are not enough in a
particular area.
There are so many varieties of Daffodils
that it is hard to pick out those of special
merit. Narcissus ‘Thalia’ is a delicate
almost icy white with 2 or 3 fl owers
on each stem. It has become rather
trendy so you may want to try ‘Scilly
White’ instead. This is similar to the
tender Paperwhites used for forcing
indoors. It has good fragrance and is
suited to the conditions of the east
coast as it likes sandy soil and a warm
summer. Plant Narcissus bulbs deeply
and they will last for years. After the
fl owers have faded away, leave the
leaves and stems to produce food for
the bulb. Do not cut them down until
they have withered away, and on no
account tie the leaves in a knot. Why
someone came up with that idea is
hard to fathom.
Welcome to Gardening Matters
sponsored by local gardening
expert Mark Kneebone who
lives in Woodbridge. Mark
offers a comprehensive range
of gardening services from
courtyards to large gardens.
Mark is available to answer your
questions. You can contact him
on 07775 620 868.
Another bulb that is starting to make
its presence felt is the fantastic
Dracunculus vulgaris. It has divided
leaves with narrow, pointed lobes
which can be splashed with silver
specks. The arum-like fl ower, which
comes in May-June, is about a foot
long but can be bigger. Smelling of
decaying fl esh, not for those with a
delicate stomach, it is a rich purple.
For a large, solid-looking fl ower it goes
surprisingly well with grasses.
If you have been planning on laying
new turf then now is a great time. The
soil is warming up and the grass will
root very quickly. Ensure that the new
turf stays damp at all times but do not
walk on it after watering as there will
be tell-tale dents in it. If turfi ng as left
too much later in the spring then it will
need to be watered every day, and will
be prone to fungal diseases as a result.
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