Anna Pavord: Weekend work

Saturday 26 April 2008 00:00 BST
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What to do

* While spring bulbs are stars of the garden, summer-flowering bulbs are starring in garden centres. Look out for Galtonia candicans, a stiff-stemmed plant with flowers like an enormous white hyacinth. It grows about 120cm tall. Bulbs should be planted at least 15cm deep and the same distance apart. They are excellent among herbaceous perennials and flower between July and September.

* Trim heathers now to remove old flowers. Take care not to cut back into old wood. Layering is a painless way of propagating these plants. Scoop out a series of shallow bowls in the earth around the plant and fill them with sandy compost. Peg down the branches in this mixture, using bent wire or stones to keep them in place.

* Mark barren daffodil clumps with a cane to remind you to Lift, separate and replant the congested bulbs sometime between July and September – well before the new season's growth starts again. A generous handful of bonemeal or some proprietary bulb booster added now will help to bulk up the bulbs and encourage them to perform well next season. Some people use foliar feeds for the same purpose.

To see

* The Alde Valley Spring Festival opened earlier this month and continues until 11 May. Ride the new 118/119 Gastro Bus Route to White House Farm, Sweffling Rd, Great Glemham, Suffolk to find an eclectic celebration of food, farming, landscape and the arts. The bus routes connect Ipswich, Framlingham, Dennington, Rendham, Great Glemham, Saxmundham and Leiston with a request stop at White House Farm. The exhibition is open Tues-Sat (10-6), Sunday (12-4).

For more information call 07789 857818 or check out the website: www.foodadventures.co.uk

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