After the contractor had finished the soil sampling ‘holes’ on Glencoyne Square (see last month`s edition), “let’s plant some bulbs” she said, and like an idiot I said I would try to source both bulbs and plants.
So far so good. I arranged for the Blaise Nursery to supply 800 tulip bulbs and 1600 mixed polyanthus plants, these to be delivered on Saturday morning, 9th November, to Glencoyne Square.
Come the day, not only was it absolutely pouring with rain but freezing cold with it. Now when you have that many bulbs and plants they have to be planted then and there.
So, some 10 hardy volunteers including representatives from the Regeneration team, local residents, the Architects, and United Communities, together with trowels at the ready, in the pouring rain, started what in ‘normal’ weather would have been a ‘doddle’.
At the end of just over two hours, freezing cold, soaked to the skin, and I do mean soaked to the skin, covered in mud, we looked on with pride at what had been achieved – no we didn’t! We all couldn’t wait to go home to ‘dry out’.
For my part, my hands were so cold I couldn’t undo the laces of my trainers, I shed my soaking clothes and spent half an hour under a hot shower.
So, when you pass by Glencoyne and see those floral ‘masterpieces’ remember the ‘Extreme Hole Gardeners’.
p.s. at least they didn’t need watering in!!
Mike Murch – Head Gardener!
