Author: alpington-yelverton-admin

February is the month which should signal the end of Winter, when we can all start preparing for Spring and enjoy being out in our gardens more often, as the weather permits.

Plants to buy or enjoy this month

Shrubs: Early flowering Camelias, Jasminum nudiflorum (winter flowering Jasmine), Garrya elliptica (also known as the Silk Tassel tree)

Perennials & Bulbs: Hellebores, native Primroses, Pulmonaria. Also early Daffodils, Crocuses and Aconites.

General Garden maintenance

• If snow falls, knock it off evergreen shrubs & conifers to prevent branches snapping or bowing under the weight
• Firm back down any plants that have been lifted by frost
• Put garden compost or well-rotted manure on beds and fork it in
• Clear away old plant debris from pond margins and scoop out any leaves that have fallen into the water
• Spread a layer of well-rotted manure around roses and shrubs
• Install a nest box with a camera, so you can watch birds raising their young in Spring

Flowerbeds & Pots

• Cut down deciduous ornamental grasses left standing over winter, before fresh shoots appear
• Divide large clumps of snowdrops and Winter aconites after flowering and replant to start new colonies
• Divide congested clumps of herbaceous perennials and grasses to make vigorous new plants for free
• Move dormant deciduous shrubs growing in the wrong place
• Pot up containers with hardy spring bedding, such as primroses, wallflowers and forget-me-nots
• Sprinkle slow-release fertiliser around the base of roses and other flowering shrubs

Pruning

• Prune hybrid tea and floribunda roses, before growth restarts
• Prune late-summer flowering clematis, cutting stems back to healthy buds about 30cm from the base
• Trim back ivy, Virginia creeper and other climbers if they have outgrown their space, before birds start nesting
• Prune winter-blooming shrubs such as mahonia & winter jasmine after they’ve flowered
• Cut back wisteria side shoots to three buds, to encourage abundant flowers in spring
• Give winter heathers a light trim after flowering, removing shoot tips but not cutting back into old wood
• Prune buddleia and elder down to 1m or to the base to keep these vigorous shrubs to a reasonable size
• Cut away all the old foliage from epimediums with shears, before the spring flowers start to develop
• Finish winter-pruning fruit trees and soft fruits, including apples, autumn raspberries and blackcurrants

Greenhouse

• Remove any faded or yellowing leaves from overwintering plants
• Wash greenhouse glazing inside and out to let in more light
• Sow sweet peas in deep pots and keep them frost-free in a greenhouse and pinch out Autumn-sown sweet peas to encourage side shoots
• Sow summer bedding and tender annuals, including cosmos, lobelia, dahlias, nasturtiums and snapdragons
• Sow tender crops such as tomatoes and chillies in a heated propagator
• Plant dahlia tubers in trays to encourage shoots to develop
• Start planting summer bulbs in pots indoors, including begonias, gloxinias, lilies and agapanthus
• Cut back overwintered fuchsias and start watering them sparingly to encourage new growth

Feb/Mar 2024 edition of Eleven Says, the Newspaper of the Bramerton Group of Churches covering 11 Parishes.

This is the latest “Operation Randall” newsletter from the police, from the team specialising in rural crime around Norfolk.

A message from the Parish Council on the latest development in the VCHAP house building plan for Norfolk as a whole. The deadline for comments is 5th Feb. Some sites were not deemed to be suitable in the overall plan, and the shortfall now needs to be found elsewhere, and one of the new sites being considered is in Alpington next to Wheel Road.

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A reminder that South Norfolk Council is carrying out a Focused Regulation 18 Consultation on Alternative Sites and Focused Changes for the Draft Village Clusters Housing Allocations Plan (VCHAP) which closes 5:00pm on Monday 5 February 2024.

This consultation follows a review of representations submitted in response to the Publication stage of the VCHAP (Regulation 19), held between 23 January and 8 March 2023, which determined that one of the proposed sites is no longer deliverable (VC ROC2 in Rockland St Mary) and that another site should be slightly reduced in numbers to address heritage concerns (VC TAS1 in Tasburgh). As a minimum, the consultation on alternative sites and focused changes seeks to make up the resulting shortfall to deliver the housing numbers needed.

This affects Alpington as one of the alternative sites being considered is for 12 houses on land south of Wheel Road, Alpington (reference SN0433). This is in addition to the preferred sites for 25 houses at Church Meadow, Alpington and 25 houses at the old concrete works in Bergh Apton already included under the VCHAP.
If you have any questions, comments, or objections about this proposed additional site then you should take part in this consultation.

You can view the consultation material at the following locations:
• Online at – www.southnorfolkandbroadland.gov.uk/vchap
• South Norfolk Council offices – Horizon Centre, Broadland Business Park, Peachman Way, Norwich, NR7 0WF (open Mon-Fri: 8.30am-5pm)
• The Octagon – Mere Street, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 4AH (open Mon-Fri: 9am-5pm)
• The following libraries
Poringland, Loddon, Long Stratton, Millenium Library Norwich, Hethersett and Wymondham

The closing date to submit a consultation response is 5.00pm on Monday 5 February 2024. These can be submitted online, via the website listed above, or using one of South Norfolk Council’s hard copy representation forms which are available at the locations listed above. Hard copies should be posted back to the Place Shaping Team at the South Norfolk Council office address listed above.

Further background and supporting material relating to the VCHAP is also available through the Virtual Exhibition, from where you can also comment on the consultation, which can be accessed at https://vchap.exhibition.app.

For further information and enquires please contact the Council’s Place Shaping Team on 01508 533805 or at localplan.snc@southnorfolkandbroadland.gov.uk

Lesley McNulty Parish Clerk

clerk.alpington@gmail.com

Plants to buy this month

• Snowdrops and hellebores. Buy plants in flower, so you can choose the blooms you like

General Garden maintenance

• Clear soggy leaves, algae and moss from paths, patios, decking and steps
• Top up bird baths with fresh water and feed birds high energy food to help them through the cold weeks ahead, remembering to scrub the feeders regularly
• Repair wobbly or damaged fences
• Give your lawn mower a basic service while not in use
• Put up bird boxes in sheltered spots, on tree trunks, sheds or walls
• Clean and sharpen your tools, including hoes, secateurs and shears. Spray metal tools with oil
• Sprinkle an all-purpose fertiliser along the base of hedges and around shrubs
• Trim back ivy, Virginia creeper and other climbers
• Give empty pots and seed trays a thorough wash and scrub

Flowerbeds

• Plant bare-root roses, shrub & hedging and ornamental trees, as long as the ground isn’t frozen
• Clear away and compost soggy, collapsed stems of perennials
• Remove larger leaves of established hellebores to reveal the flowers
• Press mistletoe berries into the bark of apple trees to establish your own mistletoe plants
• Clear leaf debris from small alpines
• Move dormant plants that are in the wrong place to more suitable sites
• Check for rot on stored bulbs and tubers, and ensure dahlia and canna tubers haven’t totally dried out

Pruning

• Continue pruning climbing roses, while they are dormant
• Prune apple and Pear trees

Greenhouse

• Sow winter salads in a greenhouse or on a sunny windowsill, for harvesting in a few weeks
• Tidy up the greenhouse, disposing of any broken pots & old compost etc
• Move potted strawberry plants under cover to encourage early fruiting
• Prepare your greenhouse for spring – look at ventilation, shading & heating
• Ventilate the greenhouse on sunny days to prevent humidity building up

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The Bergh Apton & District Society 

            wishes everyone a 

            Happy Christmas

               and invites

        you to join us for our

       first meeting in 2024 on

10 January at the Bergh Apton Village Hall at 7.30 pm when we will be viewing a range of Norfolk bygone films and indulging in another of Lynton’s delicious cheese & wine buffets.

It’s also at this meeting that we learn about the visits and trips the Society will be making during the year and which speakers will be entertaining us on every second Wednesday of the month.

£5.00 per person.  Raffle also available.

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Following the previous update, we are pleased to report that progress continues with Gigaclear’s plan to bring faster and more reliable broadband to our village.

The initial design for our villages has been completed (as promised a few months ago) and the Parish Council has been shown this prior to it being finalised with their construction team. The new infrastructure will wherever possible use existing ducts and poles to deliver a new fibre cable to each property, although there will be some digging and new ducts required in some places. We thought we’d mention this as some land/homeowners might be contacted in the New Year where such new wayleaves are needed. These could need a legal agreement for both parties to enter into and this will be explained in detail if you are contacted. However, the large majority of houses will be served without the need for this.

Having reliable and fast broadband in our village is becoming a necessity for most of us and this new facility will bring an end to the frustrations of recent years, due to the unreliability of the old aluminium and copper infrastructure.

Gigaclear staff will be visible in our parish over the coming months and once they are ready to proceed, their team will be holding presentations locally for us to meet and ask questions.

When there is more news to share, your Parish Council will be in touch again.

Thank you.

St Mary’s church Yelverton will be hosting a winter wonderland flower festival 28-31 Dec, 10-4pm. Admission is free, and there will be refreshments and a raffle.

Children welcome, and can go in fancy dress if they want! See the flyer below

This is the latest “Operation Randall” newsletter from the police, from the team specialising in rural crime around Norfolk.

Winter has certainly arrived in the past week with a cold snap taking us into the start of Advent. As we head towards the Festive Season we can enjoy lovely clear skies by day and look out onto beautiful frosty gardens in the mornings.

Hopefully, as Christmas approaches, you will also find some quiet time to sit somewhere warm and comfortable, to read some of the gardening magazines and books you never found time to read earlier in the year and conjure up some wonderful plans for your garden in 2024.

Some plants to enjoy in December

Winter-flowering heathers (Ericas), will flower in most garden soils for most of the Winter months and are very tolerant of both cold and exposure. Excellent for brightening up a few pots.

Mahonias are architectural shrubs with pinnate leaves and spiny tips, with beautiful bright yellow Winter flowers with a lovely lily-of-the-valley fragrance. Most Mahonias, such as Mahonia japonica, are large shrubs up to 3m tall, however there are also more compact varieties available.

Holly (Ilex) is a great shrub at any time of the year, but in Winter it provides vibrant green or variegated foliage with bright red berries which are loved by birds and festive decorators.

Sweet box or Christmas box, (Sarcococca) is a compact, evergreen shrub that bears tassels of tiny creamy-white, strongly scented flowers in deepest winter. This plant does well in shady areas.

Skimmias are evergreen shrubs which bear tiny white scented flowers and bright red berries at this time of year.

General Garden Maintenance

• Clean, oil and sharpen your garden tools ready for Spring.
• Keep bird feeders well-stocked with a variety of treats for your garden visitors and ensure water is also available to them in freezing conditions.
• Although it makes sense to water plants sparingly at this time of year, make sure that container plants and pots in the greenhouse don’t dry out completely.
• Protect tender palms and tree ferns from frost. Pack a few handfuls of straw into the crown, tie up the leaves or fronds, and then wrap the whole plant in horticultural fleece or hessian tying it off securely at the bottom. Don’t use plastic sheeting or bubble wrap because on warm days, your plants will sweat and rot.
• Indoors, keep your houseplants happy by moving them away from warm radiators and into a sunny, cool place where they will fare much better.
• If very severe frosts are forecast, float a football on the water in concrete lined ponds. When the water freezes, the ball will absorb the ice pressure rather than cracking the concrete sides.

Fish may suffocate if ice persists for long, so melt a hole by standing a metal pan on the surface filled with boiling water. Try not break up thick ice as this could injure the fish or if the broken ice falls into the water, this will lower the water temperature further and negate the insulating effect of the frozen surface.

Fruit and Vegetables

• Crop parsnips, leeks and winter cabbages as needed.
• Pick Brussel sprouts when they are about 1inch across.
• Dig any potatoes you have planted, ready for Christmas.
• Lift and divide clumps of Rhubarb, replanting the separated sections with lots of well rotted manure.
• Plant and support bare-root fruit canes, bushes and trees, provided the ground isn’t frozen.
• Cover any kale, winter cabbages and other brassicas with netting to protect them from hungry pigeons.
• Prune apple and pear trees to control their size and shape.
• Prune blackcurrants, gooseberries, redcurrants and whitecurrants this month to remove a quarter of the old wood and create the open goblet shape to support next year’s fruit.