Sharon's Gardening Snippets

Sharon's Gardening Snippets Gardening the Organic way.....every little helps! SHARON'S GARDENING SNIPPETS:
This page is for everything related to gardening in the community.

Articles, advice and community workshops/talks on pruning, planting, digging, pests and diseases, composting, month by month gardening jobs and more………. I came to Horticulture later in life, retraining at the age of 40 and was one of the best decisions I ever made - you will find us gardeners are a group all of our own (sometimes to the point of obsession). I have always been interested in Organic

Gardening and encourage this approach where ever I go. I also write regular articles for C.O.G.F. (Cumbria Organic Gardeners & Farmers) and our local magazine In-Focus. I also volunteer as a RHS North West in Bloom Judge and RHS Green Plan It mentor, am a guest gardener on BBC Radio Lancashire’s gardeners question time on a Sunday. I teach gardening skills and more at schools and help lead regular local community gardening events, including talks and In Bloom. I have always said, I am a Jack of ALL trades in gardening and a master of non, as it is such a wide subject from all sorts of plants: Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Veggies, Pests, Diseases, Tools, Gardening Techniques, Good Husbandry, Pruning etc., etc. Most of the work I do these days is voluntary but, I love to pass on what knowledge I have, to those that are interested (hence the creation of this page), as Horticulture is such an important subject, especially in todays ever changing climate. So, I hope you enjoy this page and do feel free to ask any questions, as it adds to the pool of information for the group!

This weekend is the flower show at Harlow Carr and next weekend is Arley garden festival which includes entry to the gar...
19/06/2026

This weekend is the flower show at Harlow Carr and next weekend is Arley garden festival which includes entry to the gardens!

As I keep reminding everyone ……this one thing for your lavender every year is so important!
19/06/2026

As I keep reminding everyone ……this one thing for your lavender every year is so important!

Thirty years of growing lavender has taught me one absolute truth: most of these plants don't die of old age. They die because of one very specific pruning mistake. A lot of folks think these tough little Mediterranean shrubs just want to be left alone. So they let them be. Then, a few seasons later, they wonder why their beautiful, fragrant mound has turned into a straggly, brittle wooden broom that snaps in the first winter frost. Lavender absolutely needs a good haircut to survive. But there is a very fine line you have to walk with the secateurs. Literally. There is a specific point on the stem you need to keep your eye on. Cut above it, and the plant stays supple, exploding with lush growth and blooms next year. Clip just an inch too low, however, and the plant simply calls it quits. It will never grow back from that spot. Once you know what to look for, it takes about five minutes to sort out a whole bush. I’ve put together a note on exactly where to make the cut (and the crucial window of time to do it in) so you don't end up tossing out perfectly good plants...

19/06/2026

The size of a bee tells you whether it produces kilograms of honey, pollinates specific crops, or lives alone without a hive — and Britain is home to around 270 species of wild bees. 🐝

The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is the only species that lives in large colonies. A colony of up to 50,000 workers produces honey. It is also the only British bee that does this.

All the others are largely solitary — and they are the real engine of pollination:

Bumblebees (Bombus) are two to three times the size of a honey bee and can pollinate tomatoes in greenhouses using sonic vibration — a technique the honey bee does not possess.

The hairy-footed flower bee (Anthophora plumipes) is a fast-flying solitary bee, often mistaken for a bumblebee, that emerges early in spring to pollinate lungwort, comfrey, and other deep-tubed flowers.

The red mason bee (Osmia bicornis) builds mud cells in hollow stems and cavities and is one of the most efficient orchard pollinators.

The patchwork leafcutter bee (Megachile centuncularis) cuts neat discs from leaves to construct its nest cells.

Mining bees (Andrena) are among the first to emerge in spring, often working flowers before any other species is active.

Sweat bees (Halictus and Lasioglossum) complete the work flower by flower, usually unnoticed.

The honey comes from Apis. The pollination comes from all the others. 🌿

Hope to see some of you there……I will be on the Myerscough College Stand tomorrow!
12/06/2026

Hope to see some of you there……I will be on the Myerscough College Stand tomorrow!

Learn more about New Shoots, the RHS initiative to increase diversity and tackle the skills shortage in horticulture.

UPDATE: Just realised the original video wasn’t attached! I was intrigued at it though, as the video I think was showing...
06/06/2026

UPDATE: Just realised the original video wasn’t attached! I was intrigued at it though, as the video I think was showing you how to NOT prune roses for flowering ( though it wasn’t clear). The headline just said how to prune for more flowers, but there was no voice over, no information and even the final version was incorrect. So, if you are looking to produce a more bushy plant on a rose bush and to produce more blooms, you should cut down to the first or 2nd set of leaf nodes to an outward facing bud. So here is an alternative video, which shows the correct technique ( though do check your type of rose - as there is a couple of variety of rose that only flower once a year). :

If you ask me, every garden should have a rose, so if you're tempte...

If anyone is free and can help:
29/05/2026

If anyone is free and can help:

28/05/2026

Hi guys we need your help!!

We are looking for
- hammers
- screwdrivers
- clamps
- saws
- Pairs of clamps
- Carpenter's square
- Drills
- Tape measures
- Paint brushes

If anyone has spare or old above we would kindly ask if you could donate them for woodland makers
Coming soon

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Great Eccleston

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