Author: alpington-yelverton-admin

From Superintendent Nathan Clark. Click the image below to download as a PDF file.

March is the month when the long-awaited Spring arrives and when the pace of your gardening increases quite dramatically. At last we can get outside to start work again which is just as well, as there is a lot to do! 

Deadhead and prune

Deadhead any early spring bulbs but don’t chop back the leaves for at least six weeks after flowering, to ensure the bulbs have re-absorbed all that energy from the leaves to give you a good display next year.  

You can also hard-prune bush roses back to about 30cm, removing any dead or diseased wood and cutting back to an outward-facing bud. 

Weed and mulch

Remove weeds, then mulch beds and borders with shredded bark or compost to help prevent the weeds returning and mulch around newly planted trees or shrubs.

Lawns

It should be able to start mowing your lawn this month too, this will immediately tidy up your garden by removing all debris and leaves off the grass and smarten everything up ready for Spring. Try not to cut the grass too tight this month, it is best to leave the grass a little longer than normal for the first few cuts of the year.

Re-seed any worn patches of grass and repair any edges which may have crumbled over the Winter months.

Sowing and planting

March is generally the last recommended time to plant bare-root trees, shrubs and roses until November. 

The most important task in March is probably sowing.  Sow celery, courgettes, tomatoes and cucumbers on the windowsill or greenhouse for planting out once the danger of frost has passed.

You can also plant out the Autumn-sown Sweet Peas and sow more seed to provide a fragrant display later in the year.

Plant herbs in windowsill trays and plant any early potatoes, onion sets and asparagus. When the weather is a little warmer at the end of the month, sow onions, parsnips and the first carrots, turnips, beetroots in the open soil under cloches and salad leaves in the greenhouse.

Now is also the time to plant those summer-flowering lilies in a hole three to four times their bulb height and to sow hardy annuals to fill gaps in flowerbeds and borders.

Dividing

Dig up and divide larger clumps of snowdrops and any other perennials you didn’t have time to divide in the Autumn.

Ponds and water plant

On a mild day, drain two thirds of the water from your pond and replace with fresh water. Remove any Algae which may have formed and clear off any old foliage from marginal plants.

Pots

Replace the top half of compost in planters and containers and top-dress with slow-release fertiliser.

General tasks

Finish off any digging of vegetable plots or flowerbeds and weedkill those paths and driveways while the weeds are small.

Houseplants

Give your houseplants a little more watering as the days lengthen feed with a liquid fertiliser to encourage the new growth.

While you are working in your garden you will hear the wonderful sound of the Spring birdsong and see lots of activity as the birds search for partners and suitable nesting sites, If the weather turns cold again, please remember to keep filling your birdfeeders to give them the best start to the nesting season.

Happy gardening!

These tips were kindly contributed by local resident Cara MacColl

Lost an earphone? A Bergh Apton resident has kindly picked it up on a walk over the fields on Dodgers Lane, to keep it safe in case the weather damages it. If it’s yours, Contact us with the contact form and we can put you in touch, or check nextdoor.com for the original post from the resident.

A fish and chip van will be at the Wheel of Fortune 4.30-7pm every weds from the 24th Feb!

See their Facebook page for more details.

Please see below the official notice of Slade Lane being closed on the 4th March.

There’s a map on the download, and they are expecting it would take less than 24 hours and be reopened on the 5th March.

There is a large pothole on green lane, about 8cm deep and 2 metres long, it’s a big one so watch out for it, especially on a bike or motorbike.

It’s been reported, but if you want to add your voice you can also report it at the link on our contact us page.

Following on from a previous post about the snow on Reeders lane, at lunchtime today most of the snow has gone but one section is still pretty much impassable by small and low cars. See the image below.

Please join us for a virtual meeting via Zoom on Monday 1st March at 7.30pm, the login details can be found below.

Meeting ID – 858 3952 9331

Password – 190934

He promised to keep us posted after the last update, so below is a copy and paste from a document sent out by Garry Whiting, Heathgate Medical Practice & Lead Manager for the Poringland Centre:

Update – Covid 19 Vaccinations Message from Heathgate Medical Practice and Old Mill and Millgates Surgery

Our vaccination programme continues and we have just completed an eight day run with the vaccinations we have been sent from NHS England. This has seen a further 4,000 patients, from the nine GP Practices we are working with, vaccinated. Most have received the Pfizer vaccination and on Saturday, we were able to provide a larger number of vaccinations across a five hour window using the Astra Zeneca (Oxford Vaccine) which does not have the licence requirement of a post vaccination 15 minute rest.

In line with Government guidance, we continue to focus on patients in Cohorts 1 to 4, which are essentially anyone over the age of 70 and those who are on the national shielding (CEV lists).

Many of you have also attended for vaccination at one of the mass sites which remains an option if you have received a national letter asking you to book. Your GP record is updated automatically if you attend a non NHS Centre.

The quantity of vaccines we receive locally in any one period is still determined by NHS England, and these are delivered with a short notice period – hence why some of you have been called just days before your appointment.

I would stress again that we are restricted to vaccinating patients within the national Cohorts and we are still spending a number of hours explaining to patients why we are unable to step outside this. This is taking a large amount of our receptionist’s time and so would politely request that if you are unsure of your eligibility, please take a look at the cohort illustration I will post below.

We have had many requests for vaccination of carers. Carers fall into Cohort 6 unless they qualify on age grounds ahead of this.

You may see national messages from NHS England and the Government later today prompting patients aged 70 or above to book their vaccination as soon as possible. This either through the national online booking service or by calling 119 if you are looking to attend a mass vaccination site such as that in Castle Quarter Shopping Centre in Norwich.

We understand the national message will also suggest patients contact their GP to flag if they would like vaccination at a local Centre such as that in Poringland. If you prefer this option, please call us in the afternoon between 2 and 5pm, where we will look to allocate a local appointment where availability allows. Our lines may be busy and so you could E Mail us instead using our Practice E Mail addresses which can be found on our websites. We can then contact you with an appointment.

This is a change of message from us locally, but a new national steer to capture the remaining patients in Cohorts 1 to 4 as local Centres do not have access to the national booking schedules for those of you opting for the mass Centre sites, and local staff have found they are wasting precious time calling patients who have already booked appointments nationally.

This remains a massive task for us all and thank you again for working with us.

Garry Whiting

Managing Partner

Heathgate Medical Practice

Lead Manager for the Poringland Centre

Please see below the official notice of part of Slade Lane being closed on the 17th Feb.

Its a bit jargon-heavy, but the gist is that it’s the other side of the junction from us, so if you’re heading towards the river then you’ll need to go a different way. See the image below. They say this part will be closed for about 24 hrs, so they are expecting it would be reopened on the 18th, possibly the 19th if things take a bit longer.