Our Gardening Club.

Following the renovation work on Sarehole Mill that started in March 2011 and the creation of new gardens, volunteers on an ad hoc basis also tackled nettles, wrestled brambles, and untangled ivy to clear space for wildlife planting.  This continues, as do the brambles and nettles.  Perseverance is the order of the day.

This summer a regular gardening club started. Volunteers mainten the existing gardens and we are establishing new ones around Sarehole Mill.   Gardening tools have been purchased for our use.  We meet twice a month until the end of October and intend creating a garden oasis of appropriate woodland plants and wild flowers alongside the mill pool and around the mill itself.  Details of the club are on the website www.shirecountryparkfriends.org.uk. 

We are lucky in having The Shire Country Park on our doorstep in Hall Green.  Actually our doorstep is within The Shire Country Park, running as it does from the Solihull boundary in the South, along the River Cole Valley to the Ackers Trust in the North.  Along this natural ribbon of wildlife, enthusiastic volunteers take part in conservation work days enhancing and preserving the various sections of river margins.  Sarehole Mill Gardening Club is one of the groups under the umbrella of Sarehole Environmental Action Team that serves the River from the Mill along to the Stratford Rd via Greet Mill Meadows.   Each section of river has its own group, and they are shown on the above website if you are interested in joining them or just browsing the activities.

Of course Sarehole Mill café is very conveniently placed along the River Cole for those who enjoy the less strenuous but no less important activity of taking refreshments within attractive surroundings.  

We have had several workdays since the Gardening Club started, the first one with  just two volunteers who became totally drenched.  I was well covered but with my hood over my head, I could not see what I was doing so I decided it was easier to just get wet.  (Again)!  Since then, workdays have been, remarkably for this summer, sunny and much enjoyed by the 8/10 volunteers who regularly attend. 

During one session we learned that judges for the Britain in Bloom Competition were visiting the mill and its surrounds.   In what I can only think was a mad rush of blood to my head, I offered to drive out (somewhere) to fetch lots of ivies of various strains to plant at the mill.  I am not a bad driver.  I just don’t enjoy it very much.  As far as I am concerned, it is useful and I try not to travel too far outside Hall Green.   Some people might even describe me as a Sunday driver.  I am not!  I drive like that every day of the week.  I am though, a very good passenger and my map reading skills are nearly always perfect.

However, now I have a sat nav and it is great.  It was a wet day to start with and then became wetter and finally the rain became a deluge.  Drivers passed me in wild clouds of spray but undaunted I concentrated on the gentle voice explaining where I should go next. The infrequent pinging, called to mind plane journeys.  I expected small packets of pretzels to materialise.  Then magic, I was there and the rain stopped.  Fibrex Nursery houses the national collection of ivies.  I had not been aware there were so many different kinds being used to tackling the common ivy that grows up trees and down dales.

Back at t’mill, we planted 70 odd ivies, cleared up dead leaves and rubbish, planted more ferns, weeded, swept up and had coffee.  Lovely!

Apparently the judges were impressed!     More anon!