NOTTINGHAM AND NOTTS

FUCHSIA SOCIETY

On the whole, the weather has been fairly kind to us recently and I have made the most of it by sowing a number of seeds.  If they all germinate, I am hoping to have a lot which we can sell at the many plant sales we have planned in the forthcoming months.  Please, if you have any surplus plants, bring them along to one of the meetings so that we can try to sell them.  All donations will be greatly appreciated – see below: -

Sow a Seed or Plant a Plant for Your Society

This year we intend to hold 3 plant sales in the hope of not only boosting our funds but also to promote our society. Please note the following dates: -

Plant Sales

I have also been inspecting my fuchsias which I overwintered in my 4 tier mini greenhouses and after misting them with tepid water a fortnight ago, I am pleasantly surprised (and pleased!) at the number of fuchsias that are shooting.  Even some of my Bonsai fuchsias, which I knew I hadn’t protected the roots as well as I could have are showing signs of new growth.

I hope (as I do every year!) to be able to put my ‘free’ cutting into the show this year and will be pinching out the tip soon to encourage a bushy habit.  I also purchased some other new plants at the same time and will be taking cuttings to increase my stock.

Promotional Events

‘When your garden is finished I hope it will be more beautiful than you anticipated, require less care than you expected, and have cost only a little more than you had planned.’

Thomas D Church

 CALENDAR OF CARE

Month One:

• Remove debris from resting plants.
• Do not let root balls dry out completely but water sparingly.
• In heated greenhouses spray fuchsias with fungicides to reduce fungal attacks.
• Wash greenhouse glass to obtain the maximum light available indoors.
• Do not crowd young plants: this reduces air circulation and light.

Month Two:

• Handle the plants regularly as this is the best way to learn about their individual needs.
• Water more frequently and start to feed with half-strength balanced fertilizer.
• Prune back to actively growing shoots.
• Ventilate greenhouses on sunny days.
• Pot-on young plants: pot-back old ones.
• Nip to shape.

Month Three:

• Feed and water regularly now.
• Pay attention to cleanliness inside and outside the greenhouse.
• Cuttings should be available now and will root readily.
• Take care not to let fuchsias become too leggy and large.
• If you are buying-in fuchsias, watch them carefully for any signs of pests and diseases.

Month Four:

• Continue feeding with balanced fertilizers. 
• Try to avoid steep rises in temperature under glass on sunny days, by ventilating and shading as required.
• Take cuttings and shape plants carefully.
• Pot-on fuchsias, if possible, when they show plenty of active white roots around the edges of their root balls.

Excerpt from ‘Fuchsias, The complete Guide’ by Edwin Goulding.

WILDLIFE IN THE GARDEN

GARDEN FINCHES

The finches are basically woodland birds which live on seeds – put out wild bird food if you want to attract them.  They are generally handsome and often brightly coloured with a wave-like flight path. Over the years some of the finches have spread onto farmland and then into urban areas – four of them are now common garden birds.

You cannot generalize about the garden finches. The aggressive and solitary chaffinch guards its territory whereas the others are social birds – the greenfinch helps to make up mixed flocks of 5000 or more. The bullfinch has been a farm pest for centuries and now has moved its activity into the garden, yet the chaffinch is positively beneficial in the Spring when it gathers insects for its young. The female chaffinch is as plain as a sparrow – the gaudy male goldfinch was a popular cage-bird in Victorian times.

Are Bullfinches a serious pest?

The bullfinch has always been hated by fruit growers, and with good reason. When other food is short a couple of bullfinches will strip one bud per second from a gooseberry bush or pear tree.

Until recently this bird did not move far away from its woodland haunt, but during the past 50 years it has spread into town gardens where it now breeds.

Where do Garden Finches live?

Trees and shrubs are the nesting sites for finches and each type has its favourite.  The neat nests of the chaffinch, made of moss and grass and lined with hair, are built in hedgerows or shrubs.  The goldfinch prefers something much higher and builds its’ nest in the upper branches of trees.  The greenfinch builds its’ nest in a bush, and you will sometimes find several nests made by these birds in the same shrub. The bullfinch, like the other social finches, meets its’ mate in the winter flock and the pair later fly off to a hedgerow to create a nest and start their family. The nest is made of twigs and moss with a lining of small roots.

How do you tell the Garden Finches apart?

Goldfinch is unmistakable – a black, white and red head plus black and yellow wings make it stand out in a crowd.

Greenfinch has rather more muted colours – olive green with yellow wing-bars.

Chaffinch is equally attractive with its slate-blue head and its pinkish-brown chest.

Bullfinch – is the one you ought to learn to recognize, because it spells trouble in Spring.  It is easy to recognize – powerful beak, black head, red breast and a back of grey, black and white.

What do Garden Finches eat?

Goldfinches and greenfinches are straightforward seed-eaters. Thistles and dandelions are the goldfinches; favourites – grasses are sought by greenfinches and so are the peanuts provided by some kindly gardener.  The remaining two finches are seed-eaters with variations.  The chaffinch feeds almost entirely on the ground, looking for the seeds of grasses, cereals and many other plants. At breeding time its diet changes - now the hunt is for aphids and caterpillars to feed the young chicks.  The bullfinch also spends most of the year eating seeds and in the Spring looks for tree seeds.  When they are in short supply the buds of many trees and shrubs are devoured.

Excerpt from The Bedside Book of the Garden by Dr D G Hessayon on ‘Wildlife in the Garden’: -

NEWSLETTER

If anyone wants any item included in the Newsletter, please let me know, either at a meeting, or phone me on Tel: 0115 8758928, or email: jayne.daykin@ntlworld.com  I will gladly include any article or event in the Newsletter. 

Also, if anyone would rather I send them an electronic copy, please let me know. 

Remember: It is YOUR newsletter.

FUNDRAISING

The easiest way for all internet users to help raise funds for our Society is simply by every time you search the Web you use easysearch. Easysearch combines results from Yahoo!, Windows MSN Live Search and Ask.com in one simple search, the address is http://nottsfuchsia.easysearch.org.uk  Please try it and encourage others too. Don’t forget if you make any purchases on the internet, to go through our webshop to make sure we receive commission from the retailers (currently over 2000 well known retailers), the address is http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/nottsfuchsia .