‘Chill December brings the sleet,
Blazing fire, and Christmas treat.’
(Sara Coleridge, 1802-52)
HEYWARD ROAD ROUNDABOUT
Well, as Sara Coleridge says in the last verse of her poem, ‘The Months,’ it’s time to sit around the fire, or radiator, and do some thinking.
One thing I have been thinking about lately is the proposed ideas put forward for the Heyward Road roundabout. Firstly, there was the notion of erecting an enormous deckchair. Now lately, it’s the concept of a giant surfboard (which would be much better suited to Newquay or Croyde.) I must admit that the thought of either of those artifices standing in ugly prominence to welcome people to Westward Ho! sends shudders down my spine.
The fact is that holiday destinations do not need advertising like this if they are worth visiting. If people enjoy their experience, they will come back as repeat custom. Not only that, they will tell their friends and relations, word of mouth is one of the best advertisements there is. Therefore, the best plan would be to turn Westward Ho! into a place people want to visit. The poor village is going through an identity crisis, it doesn’t know who or what it is.
I understand what Ron Baddick is trying to accomplish with these ideas, after all, he is a businessman and wants to attract visitors to the resort to make money, that’s what businessmen do. There’s nothing wrong with that of course. However, a giant deckchair or surfboard is no use to man or animal. Whatever the chosen object is will cost the poor fellow loads of money and would be essentially unjustifiable.
I though, have an alternative plan, one that is fully sustainable, will look great, and will be beneficial for man and animal alike. Let’s turn the roundabout into a mini nature reserve. Okay, it won’t be teaming with mammalian life because it’s an island, but it could well be heaving with butterflies, bees, insects, and birds. Moreover, being an island like it is, the inhabitants will be unmolested, allowed to go about their industry freely.
This idea isn’t as strange as it seems because they have been beautifying roundabouts in Canada for years. The attached photo shows a roundabout in Brentwood Bay, Vancouver. It has the upper canopy of the trees (artistically set off centre,) then the shrub layer in the middle, and the flowers at the base. In this case, they are massed plantings hemerocallis (day lilies,) but in our roundabout’s case, it could be a wildflower meadow. Heywood roundabout could be a beauty instead of a beast, something for all living things to enjoy. All we need is a council with a bit of imagination and a caring social conscience, and as council projects go, would be cheap as chips (compare the cost of the Jubilee Square fiasco!) Still, I guarantee it won’t happen, after all, all human governmental authorities are incompetent and can never fulfil the desires of the people they, in theory, represent.
FIVE LITTLE JOBS
Although we’ll be spending much of the winter indoors just dreaming about getting into the garden again, there are some jobs that can be done when the weather is open and amenable.
Firstly, make sure to put your garden tools away in good order. Clean them off and give them a light coating of WD40 to keep the rust at bay. Don’t worry, by spring all the ‘nasty’ elements of the WD40 will have evaporated and will do no harm to the soil. Don’t forget to oil any tools with moving parts, such as loppers, shears, and secateurs.
Secondly, if you have any nest boxes, now is the time to clean them out. Remove the old nesting material that might contain mites, which could possibly infect the young fledglings next season, and then swill them out with boiling water.
Thirdly, if we have an extremely cold spell and the pond freezes, we must make sure to keep a part of the surface open. This is to allow the transference of gases and prevent the build-up of toxins. Whatever you do, please don’t break the ice with a hammer. It would cause irreparable harm to any living creatures therein. If you have fish, it could well burst their swim bladders and they would end up dying a horrible death. Instead, you can put a large rubber ball in the pond before it freezes. The water will freeze round it and then you can lift it off for a while before replacing it. Alternatively, if it’s too late for that and the pond has already got its coating of ice, then a saucepan of hot water placed on the surface will thaw it out and create the hole that way (see photo.)
Fourthly, if you have any pruning left to do, do it this month when there is no frost. Pruning is one of those jobs that are good to do at the earliest opportunity. It’s then out of the way and you don’t have all winter to worry about it.
Fifthly, and finally, December is the perfect month for planting tulips. If there’s no frost and the ground isn’t waterlogged, get those tulips in now. You will get a glorious show in late spring and early summer.
GOODBYE
Sadly, this will be my final garden column for the Bideford Post. December seems the most appropriate month to say goodbye, January being traditionally the time for a new start. I am moving onwards and upwards as the saying goes, and in future, I will be concentrating full time on the more substantial elements of my writing career. These will include gardening books, short stories, and hopefully a novel or two. It’s been a grand couple of years or so and I wish you all the best. Take care and enjoy your gardening.
You can visit my websites at cherrytrees.weebly.com
and henrybutterfied-author.weebly.com
“Finally, don’t forget, always work with nature, don’t fight it.”