At the end of October, with cooler nights on the way, our Gardening Group met to discuss what needs to be done in our gardens to prepare them for winter. In case the prospect was too gloomy, we were treated to some videos on how to prepare a Bulb Lasagne for the coming Spring.

Using the brand new Samsung screen in the room where we meet in the Harrow District Masonic Centre, we went through the checklist for winter, including:

• raking up fallen leaves;
• pruning shrubs and trees;
• planting spring bulbs;
• protecting tender plants;
• insulating containers against frosts.

We also had a list of Garden Maintenance Tasks including:

• how to care for lawns through the winter;
• caring for plants for the Festive Season;
• cleaning up the debris and what to do with it;
• winterising the greenhouse (if you have one);
• caring for tools and their storage.

We then moved on to the demonstrations of a Bulb Lasagne. This is a deep pot which contains layers of bulbs. We saw a bottom layer of tulips (which flower last), above that a layer of narcissi, and a layer of crocus on top of that. The earliest flowering bulbs are on top, with the latest flowering bulbs at the bottom. There were two demonstrations for us to copy: one by Sarah Raven, and one by Katrina Harrison of Homegrown Gardens (pictured above).

Squirrels can be a terrible pest for spring bulbs, and both presenters offered their solutions, using either sharp stones or carefully cut chicken wire providing a deterrent for greedy squirrels.

Our next meeting will be on 27 November, following the Macmillan Cake Sale!