Monkton Elm News, Events and Tips Blog

Alliums (Ornamental Onions) are grown for their showy flower heads, which are mainly found in shades of purple, lilacs and soft white. This early summer flowerer ranges in height from 15cm to 1.8m, the taller varieties being perfect for the herbaceous border. Alliums prefer a sunny, open well drained site, and perform well when planted at a depth of 4 times the diameter of the bulb. Try Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ or Allium ‘Globemaster’ for tall, showy blooms.

We’re hosting planting workshops for youngsters to plant up primrose baskets for their mums on March 5 from 11am until 1pm and from 2pm until 4.30pm and on March 6 from 11am until 1pm.

We’ve decided to host our very own Monkton Elm Bake Off and are challenging children to get into the kitchen and rustle up their favourite cakes for the competition.

  Handy hints from our horticultural experts to help you get ahead for the coming season:

  With plants gradually coming to life, March is a busy month for the gardener. If the weather begins to warm up this could mark the start of greater activity in the garden. Now is the time to get back outdoors and do the jobs that couldn’t be tackled during the winter months.

We know lots of you are very busy so you may not have had a chance to submit your entries for our sapling giveaway yet, which is why we have extended the deadline to Monday, February 29.

If you’re an amateur photographer who is keen to get their work seen by members of the public, why not have a go at entering our photography competition?

  Time to prepare for March with eight easy things to be getting on with:

If you want to take up a new hobby then why not sign up to our beginner’s patchwork class taking place in the Craft Centre on Tuesday, February 23 from 2pm until 4.30pm.

If the weather remains mild in February then here are some tasks to tackle, giving you a great opportunity to get outdoors:

We’re inviting youngsters to have a go at decorating cupcakes during workshops in our Pondside Café from February 15 until 19 from 10am until 3pm.

LOVE will be in the air not just for humans this Valentine’s Day (February 14, 2016) but also for birds.