Gardening

The Gardening Group will continue to meet on the second Monday of each month at 2.30pm and will start the new season by meeting in the ACIP room in Le Bugue (weather and ambience permitting) when gardeners, old and new, will discuss gardening and try to help each other with ideas and plants/seeds for our gardens.

This year we will also be concentrating more on liaising with local French gardening groups to get a better understanding of local conditions, and to help us integrate more into the local community through our shared interest.

We will continue to visit member’s gardens which may include demonstrations of gardening techniques like pruning trees and vines, how to take cuttings, etc. as well as general discussions about gardening and gardening techniques.

Additionally, members have asked about visiting interesting or specialist gardens and nurseries in the Dordogne/Lot, although we do need a volunteer to be responsible for organising visits and working them into the programme.

At a member’s suggestion, the seed swap will take place in February and we will continue to explore the use of the greenhouse we have been offered with a view to starting our plant swaps in April/May, depending on the weather.

‘GroundForce' has been a success and last season we were able to provide a number of people with varying degrees of help and support, mainly where they were physically unable to undertake tasks themselves. Thanks to everybody that turned up for any or all of the ‘events’. As one of our number said, "Isn't this what it was supposed to be about, all helping each other?" - so perhaps the odd ache and pain for our volunteers is worthwhile.