As I write this article the sun is shining brightly and we are still trying to convince ourselves that rain has got to fall soon.  Apparently some outlying areas of the town did have rain at Easter but my garden, like many others, resembles the Sahara Desert.

            The Winter really took its toll this year and many gardens have lost treasured shrubs. The one thing that all gardeners know is that it is never easy to have the perfect garden as Nature can be cruel but also that, despite whatever she throws at us, shoots suddenly appear and the garden starts to recover.  

            The Town Council had the fountain in Smiddy Hill restored, clearing out the blocked water channels and replacing both the drinking tap and the tap we use for watering etc. Imagine my dismay when just a few weeks after everything was up and running again I saw that stones etc. had been pushed back into the channels and the top of the drinking tap had been broken off. It seems that we have a mindless minority whose aim it is to destroy things without, it would seem, being caught. I would urge anyone who witnesses acts of vandalism in the town to please ring the Police immediately as things are getting out of hand and we hear of more and more incidents all the time.

            On a brighter note now we are once again, after a few years absence, holding our “In House Garden” competition. This is open to all residents and covers six different categories that cover every aspect of gardening. Please watch the local Press for details.   

            Last but not least, I am pleased to report that, due to the wide coverage of The Beacon, we have recruited some new volunteers.

Happy gardening.

Eileen Blakeley, Pickering in Bloom.