v THE HERALD - INDEPENDENT AND PROUD OF IT v 11th July 2024 • The HERALD • Page 61 ✿ DOWN THE GARDEN PATH ✿ RYAN FENCING Quality Fencing & Gates 07769 706516 • 023 8084 1203 www.ryan-fencing.co.uk • Find us on Facebook A J GLEESON BUILDING & GROUNDWORK DRIVEWAYS EXTENSIONS BRICKWORK GROUNDWORK BLOCK PAVING Colours & Designs to suit your requirements Local Work Available to View CALL FOR A FREE QUOTATION New Forest & Southampton 023 8084 4180 Mobile: 07770 771475 Bramdene, Main Road, Dibden, Southampton COVERING SOUTHAMPTON AND NEW FOREST • Patios • Turf • Fencing • Artificial lawns • Decking • Garden structures • Driveways • Clearances • Brickwork • Jet-washing Call now on 07961 234448 to sow the seeds for your new outside living space or email: honeysucklelandscapes1@gmail.com See our previous work at: www.honeysucklelandscapes.com Send your local news to The Editor, The Herald, 2 High Street, Hythe SO45 6AH Meet Your Local Flower Farmer, Susie Gay by Debbie Thorne, Foresters Flower Club Beaulieu Horticultural Society will have a plant stall at Beaulieu Village Fete on Saturday 20th July. On Saturday 27th July they will be holding their Summer Show at East Boldre Village Hall. Public viewing 2.15pm-3.30pm. Membership is £10 per annum (no additional charge for members at talks) for membership details please contact Lynne Hubbard on: 01590 612408 or email: lynnehbd@aol.com Visitors are welcome to the talks for £2. Plant Sales & Summer Show Foresters Flower Club supports local charities and businesses, we invited Susie Gay to visit us on 6th June to tell us about herself and Littleford Farm Flowers, based in Salisbury. Susie’s flowers are natural, seasonal, some are wild, and sustainable. No chemicals or pesticides are used on the farm. A mixture of owers are grown occupying a half acre plot. ey deliver locally – mainly within SP5 postcode, but are open to the public with prior notice, and can deliver slightly farther. Littleford Flowers runs workshops in flower arranging, wreath making, pick your own and create and willow weaving – from willow grown on the farm. ey have a strong sense of community and love visits, especially when children are involved. e rest of the farm provides hay for a local herd; grazing for sheep and cattle; home for wildlife; some vegetables and a public footpath. Barn owls control the voles and mice and sparrowhawks control the pigeons. e owers are protected against deer and rabbits by an enclosure and rabbit fencing. Susie’s origins are having been raised on Littleford Farm and studying archaeology and then teaching. She has worked for the National Trust, English Heritage and has been a natural history teacher in a senior school before returning to Littleford Farm when her mother became ill. Susie’s sister is a landscape designer sharing her knowledge with Susie. Her sister and a orist friend encouraged Susie to start a ower growing business. Susie met Georgie Newbury on an artisan course and was inspired by her too. To convert the previous eld into owerbeds was a natural process involving a “no dig” method: mow grass; cardboard on top, dampen; compost and then layer black plastic to nish. Wire worms were a problem – eating the owers – and so potatoes were planted between the owers, wireworms eat potatoes and then are fed to the birds. Even Susie’s nine-year-old son helps on the farm with raking, weeding and all jobs needed. Seeds are sown May and by July owers are abundant. e Farm’s ethos is: • Grow naturally - no chemicals. • Farm naturally - no chemicals or pesticides. • Learn from biodynamics and culture methods according to the moon and biodynamic calendar. • Growing with the “no dig” principles. • People, archaeological and wildlife friendly. All Susie’s Floristry is oral foam free and include “hedgerow” hand tied bouquets; buckets of owers for summer weddings; farewell owers - usually buckets, wire and pin holders, which can be given to family a erwards. Susie ended by discussing an awareness of the carbon footprint involving owers. A er a very educational and inspiring presentation from Susie, we could purchase seasonal owers and cards. We were all really grateful to her. Refreshments were served (thank you!) and Lin’s fabulous ower themed ra e nished the evening beautifully. Update: SWISH on 30th May raised £150 for the Dementia Hub and £150 for Moyes Court Forest Wildlife Animal Centre – thank you to all who supported. Next meetings: 1st August: Bring & Do (Bartley Village Schedule), 5th September: Demonstration by Mel Smith “Pretty as a Picture”. For more information contact Debbie Thorne: 07769 830752.
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