Gardening: Cardwell competition and Kilmacolm flower show

At the launch of the competition in early June, various classes were given in a list of themes, including hanging baskets, containers, and best lawns.

Additionally, there are classes where gardeners are invited to submit three pictures in each category and send them to cardwellgardenfest@gmail.com. Alternatively you can hand the pictures in at the information desk at the Garden Centre.

There is a category for children under the age of 18 years, on any theme of their choice.

Once all the entries have been received the judge will get down to the serious business of examining all the entries, choosing and then announcing the winners.

It is important that each entrant accompanies their entries with their name and address and telephone number so that the judges can contact them.

A prize-giving event will take place at the garden centre on a date yet to be advised.

Meanwhile, members of Kilmacolm Horticultural Society hold their annual flower show in the Village Hall on Saturday, August 31.

Green-fingered villagers can stage their produce on Friday, or from 7am on the day of the show, before the judging gets under way at 9am.

The doors open to the public from 10am until 3.30pm, when awards will be presented. The show will contain all the usual classes including cut flowers, vegetables and pot plants. There will also be exhibits of floral art and items of home baking, jams and jellies.

Children from the local primary school can enter classes, and children of society members and their friends can enter too.

Kilmacolm Horticultural Society is one of the oldest organisations of its kind in Scotland, having been founded in 1870. Apart from having an annual flower show, meetings are held during the winter months when members are addressed by speakers of great renown on a variety of educational subjects. Additionally, visits are made to gardens and other places of interest.

Anyone interested in entering can get a copy of the show schedule or any other information by contacting show secretary Jill Russell on 01505 872393.

Do come along and support the both the society and the show and enjoy your day and hopefully the weather will be kind to us all.

Our weather has continued to show a lot of mixed patterns over recent weeks, with later dawns and earlier dusks.

A recent item on television blamed the problems on volcanic eruptions and sand storms from deserts and varied large fires in locations in various parts of overseas continents. Another recent programme pointed out that clouds above the existing cloud formations are behind a lot of factors affecting our weather and climate change worldwide.

Celosia is the botanical name for what is commonly known as Prince of Wales Feathers.

Generally they exist in bright colours of red or yellow. They are grown from seed and are good to grow in tubs and other types of containers, but in summer months they can be grown outdoors in the open ground.

Indeed, Celosia can be grown indoors and treated as a house plant; it’s ideal to brighten up a cool room after the dark days of winter. They are annual plants and should not be treated as a shrub.

Some plants, such as Cordyline, need to have the leaves gathered together and tied with a soft string or, better, a strip of material from an old pair of tights, to prevent water getting down into the central core of the plant.

 There is only one type of Cordyline which is hardy in the Australis climate, and that is the australis species of ferns which can continue to be grown outside, provided the weather is not too frosty.

Looking ahead to autumn and winter, if you are growing plants in tubs and containers, it is best to raise the pots up off the ground by using proprietary pot feet or even a few old bricks.

Doing this will prevent the compost freezing solid, should the temperature drop to below zero, which can cause ceramic pots to crack. This is expensive and but can be avoided by using plastic containers.

Should decide to prune back rose bushes, it is of great importance that you pick up all fallen debris from the soil beneath each bush to ensure that diseases such as black spot and rust do not splash back onto the bush.

After you have given the lawn its final cut of the year, clean any grass from the underside of the lawn mower, and after drying, apply some light oil to prevent corrosion. Do clean all hand tools too, and treat wooden handles with linseed oil.

Various pests can spread disease from plant to plant as they move from one plant to another, while others can affect gardens in different forms.

Midge bites are annoying, especially if you are sitting out on the patio on a humid evening enjoying a glass of wine with friends and family.

Bees are quite useful to have around the garden to help pollinate flowers and vegetables. However, wasps are beginning to make their presence felt, and they can cause quite a painful sting which may even need medical treatment as some people can be allergic to stings.

Pests such as the bright red lily beetle are easily spotted and can be picked off the plant by hand. Aphids affect a number of greenhouse plants and another pest is the red spider mite which is found in the greenhouse.

Then there’s the vine weevil, which eats away at the leaves of plants and then leaves its eggs beneath the compost. These weevils, which are creamy white in colour, eat the roots of many plants and are quite destructive. There is no known chemical for killing these grubs.

Another pest which is ticks which are becoming more and more prevalent and are often found among long grass. The tick bite causes Lyme disease, which can be quite a serious illness and is best seen by the medical profession.

Slugs and snails also cause problems all over the garden, and slug pellets are best bet to get rid of them. Slugs are worse than ever due to the increase in water levels.