Cherrie's Notes
We were out and about on the highways and bye-ways again recently to record a Roadshow at Ballygrainey Presbyterian Church which sits smack dab at the spot where the historic Six Road Ends meet, just outside the metropolis of Bangor.
The six roads lead variously to Donaghadee, Carrowdore, Newtownards, Groomsport, Bangor and Conlig... all in all a very handy place for a church to be.
Good planning in 1837 when the church was first built, and not by accident I鈥檓 sure.
The Women鈥檚 Institute had invited us along as part of their spring meeting, when members from all over the Ards Peninsula get together for their seasonal gathering.
The hall was decorated delightfully with spring flowers. Aluminium watering cans packed full of daffodils dressed the sides of the stage, aided and abetted by robust wooden garden forks and fresh, shiny hedgerow ivy.
Barbara Pilcher and Brendan Little were our experts for the recording and on the table before them, primroses and sprigs of dark hebe filled a pretty bowl and reminded us all of spring.
Michael, Mel and Dale, on a training attachment, were the sound team on the day but before anyone hit the go button, Julie and I slipped outside the main hall to chat to Audrey Mackie about Institute activities at a local level for the top of the programme, leaving the audience to the tender mercies of Brendan and Barbara for five minutes or so.
Happily they were all still there when we came back so it was a case of straight to the questions, which ranged from how to make rhubarb less spindly and more vigorous to how to divide a cymbidium orchid.
And in between:
* how to get rid of aphids
* is it too late to plant autumn fruiting raspberries? * suggestions for a climbing rose to grace an east facing wooden pergola near a brick well (so nothing red or orange please)
* how to encourage a four-year-old Camellia in bloom when bought to flower again and;
* seaweed as a fertiliser for tomatoes and vegetables -can I dig it straight in and is it possible to use too much?
Great questions, interesting and informative answers and as ever with the Women鈥檚 Institute, a fantastic supper!
Thanks to everybody for making us so welcome.
You can hear the all-important answers this Saturday morning just after the nine o鈥檆lock news, with further opportunities via the Sunday repeat or on-line. Just go to www.bbc.co.uk/radioulster and follow the links.
Next week we鈥檙e at Glenarm with Reg Maxwell ahead of the Annual Tulip Festival, talking garden design in Donegal with Brendan Little and Helen Mark and delighting in a delicate new Primroses, lovely woodland Epimediums, and zesty and vigorous Euphorbias.
Hope you can join us.
