< Previousworth of the strange, alien plants and in thesunshine, they look incredible and full of life. In thebackground, his similarly impressive collection of oldadvertising boards are nailed to a large shed,showing phrases as strange as ‘Dog Cakes’ andfamiliar names like Ogden’s Tobacco and Colman’sMustard. Once Cliff started collecting these, he sayshe was inundated whenever people found them,hence the eccentric display.Round the back of the cottage a more containedtrio of sections lay in a mixture of shade and sun andit’s wonderful to behold. A shady area at one end, avegetable patch and four beds mean there’s plenty togo at all year round.One thing thatreally catches our eyeis the shaded areaGARDENS028-031:Layout 1 16/5/14 14:10 Page 3LINCOLNSHIRETODAY31www.millstonegardencentre.co.uk01472 828 150 Cheapside, Waltham, Grimsby DN37 0HX EXCLUSIVESAME DAYDELIVERYAT A TIMETO SUIT YOU!Mon to Sat: 8:00—5:00pm. Sun: 10—4pmFresh Quality TurfFROM 1mTO 1000mQuality Topsoil3 GRADESBESPOKE LANDSCAPING & GARDEN DESIGN SERVICESFFRUITING AND ORNAMENTAL TREESS & SHRUBSWe have a ggrgeaatt tsseslection to enenenhahaahnccncncnnce e eananny yyy y gagagagagaardddrddeenenen!!!SpeSSSpeSpeSpeSpeSpSSpeSpeciaciaciaciaaaaiaacicilislislislist ptppt pplanlanlants ts ts ssssavaavaavaavaaaaaailailalaaililillllbleeblbto to orderFRUITING AND ORNAMENTAL TREES & SHRUBSWe have a great selection to enhance any garden!Specialist plants available to orderVEEGGEETABLESSCUCUMMBERRSSTOMATOOEESSLETTUCESGrow your own 7-a-day!Healthy, tasty, Eco-friendlyandinexpensiveVEGETABLESCUCUMBERSTOMATOESLETTUCESGrow your own 7-a-day!Healthy, tasty, Eco-friendlyand inexpensiveHHHARD LAAANDDDDSSSSSCCCCCCCAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGSlSleSleSleSleSleSleSepeepeepeepeepeepeeprsrs,rsrs,rs,rs, StS St St St StStStoneoneoneononeneeeP, P, PPPPPP,PaviaviaviaviaviiiaviaviaaviianggngngngngngngngngngngFenFenFenFeFennFenFennFeFeecincincincincing, g, g, g, gBriBriBriBriBrBriBriicksckscksckscksckscksckskssksks&G&G&&&G& G& GG&G& G&GGGG& GravravravravravravravravvrrravravravravravelselslelselselsselselelselelsllselselselsssslselssssHARD LANDSCAPINGSleepers, Stone, PavingFencing, Bricks& GravelsSSSUMMMMMMEEEEEEERRRRRRR BBBBBBEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDDIIINGNew stocccckkkkkkararararararriririirirviviviviviviingngngngngngngn w wwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeklklklklkkky!yyy!y!y!WidWiWidWidWidWiesese se seleeleeleelecctititictictictiticccccon,on,n,non ququqquq ququqquqqlalialialialialialialialilalittyty tyty tyyyyplaplaplaplalplaplaplaplaplaplapntsntsntsstntsntss, g, ggggrearearetptpt pricricricrices!es!ese!s!eSUMMER BEDDINGNew stock arriving weekly!Wide selection, quality plants, great prices!15 VARIETIES!COMPREHENSIVE COMPOSTSGARDENSwith an old tin bath hidden away under wonderfullypatterned hosta leaves. It’s really a case of the more youlook, the more you see here.To witness this garden for yourself, check out the NationalGarden Scheme at www.ngs.org.uk where opening times arelisted.028-031:Layout 1 16/5/14 14:10 Page 4added security from it spreading. Otherlive options are trained trees such asespalier fruit trees or for a more modernlook pleached Hornbeam can look veryeffective and give excellent privacy for tenmonths of the year. For a cottage garden with a twist, youcould look at a living willow structure suchas an arbour. The advantages of the livingscreens are that they tend to look morenatural and are often less imposing thanhard landscaping. They do howeverrequire more maintenance to keep themat the desired size.Non-living screens can be more of afeature within a garden and anopportunity to introduce differentmaterials such as hardwood, brick, canvasor metal. Pergolas and archways can givea real feeling of stability which in an everchanging garden can be refreshing.The hybrid screens are those that haveplants growing over a structure to giverigidity and form. A trellis with anappropriate climber can be a very effectivewall. As with a net curtain, a gardenscreen doesn’t have to have completecover for it to work. For example, three orfour stainless steel wires with a passion32 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYLINCOLNSHIRE LIVING - GARDEN ADVICEJune is a month that turns the gardeninto a rapidly changing picture as plantscontinue their rapid growth, somealready in flower and many othersforcing their budding stems upwardsinto the light. During the longest daysof the year, provided there is enoughmoisture in the soil, nearly all plants willrevel in these conditions. It is also a busy time for the vegetablegrowers amongst us. Most of the sowingincluding sweet corn, marrows, runnerbeans and squashes should have beendone a few weeks ago and you will nowbe thinking about planting out themarrows and courgettes under glass.Before you know it, you will be reapingthe rewards of all your hard work. As we spend more time in the garden,so will your neighbours! At times we allwant a bit of privacy, so how do weachieve this in a modern garden? Withall the modern planning constraints andshortages of land, houses are more oftenthan not overlooked from multiple sides.There are three types of screening,namely living, non-living and hybridscreening. Live screening usually consistsof placing tall plants in strategic places inyour garden. Examples that spring tomind are bamboo - which if the correctclump forming varieties are selectedshould be easily managed, you can alsoplant with a root barrier membrane forEd Fuller from FullersForestry brings us up to speedon tasks in the garden nowthings are hotting up andreally starting to bloom!Warm andbright!032-033:Layout 1 16/5/14 14:00 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY33LINCOLNSHIRE LIVING - GARDEN ADVICEPHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/DENNIS STEENPHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/ANNA DICKIEflower growing on them can create a reallyimpressive backdrop. The last hybrid option isa “fedge”, a cross between a fence and ahedge! Usually this consists of live willowpushed into the ground to build a fence, thiscan then be plaited to create a decorativestructure.Whichever option you choose to make yourgarden hideaway, remember some of thetaller permanent structures may requireplanning permission so please check with yourlocal authority before spending your pocketmoney.Oh, and before I forget, last month I asked ifyou could identify which of the three lawnswhere real. The only lawn that was real was thetop centre picture, the other two were artificial! Specialised Servicesin Garden DesignLandscaping andTree MaintenanceBacked by a highly-skilledand experienced team,we’ve built our reputationon an ability to provide our clients with professional, tailored gardening and forestry solutionsFREE NO OBLIGATION QUOTATIONSCall 01522 868717 or 07867 510544info@fullersforestry.co.uklwww.fullersforestry.co.ukwww.landscapinglincolnshire.comFULLERSForestry & Landscaping032-033:Layout 1 16/5/14 14:01 Page 2Spring has sprungCountry Diary34 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYThings have livened up considerably.With a phone call telling me there was aBlack-Necked Grebe on the Fitties lake,just south of Cleethorpes. At this time ofyear, this quite rare grebe was likely to bein very fine breeding plumage, unlike itsdrab greyish winter plumage.I’m not a twitcher – a bird has got tobe a ‘looker’ before I will chase off intothe countryside after it, but this bird isdefinitely a looker! As I settle downquietly in the long grasses on the edge ofthe pool it soon forgets me andsometimes even swims toward me. Theonly problem is this pool is on the edgeof a holiday camp! Every now and then the grebescampers off and I look round, only tofind either a holidaymaker standingbehind me or a bird watcher who reallyshould know better. It is some kind ofunwritten rule that if a photographer hasgot onto his bird you give them time tophotograph it. One lady walks right upbehind me, poking her camera towardsthe grebe’s now vanishing directionsaying, “I hope you don’t mind!” It’s just one of those frustrations wehave to endure and, in truth, I’ve gotused to it now. I know they are not goingto be there very long so it’s much betterfor me to resume my attempts later. I’llstay all day if I have to.Seen from a distance this looks like asmall dark, even black bird on the water’ssurface. You have to look at it throughbinoculars, or get really close to see thatstunning red eye and those snazzy goldear tufts. My favourite shot is on thesepages – which, I hope you’ll like.A close encounter with a Muntjac deerThere is a little spinney not too farfrom where I live where herons and littleegrets breed. In early January, I put ahide up - to be left in situ all summer sothey would be well used to it. About 25pairs arrived a few weeks back and I hadmy first session with them a week agowhich turned out to be quite eventful.As I sat in the hide and they all returnto their nests, I began choosing imageshere and there. Those white lacy egretplumes are really something, especiallywhen seen against a dark background. Inoticed I wasn’t getting the sharp imagesI should be and I spent some time tryingto sort this out from within the hide. Ilooked out and there across the warmsunlit meadow not fifty feet from me wasa gnarled old buck Muntjac deer, quietlygrazing the choicest plants he could find.Yes, he had chunks out of his ears anda few rip marks on his flanks. He iscertainly battle scarred but clearly stillking around here. I was able to changethe settings on my camera so the shuttersound was almost silent. I captured aboutfifty images and although he coulddetect something, it evidently was soinnocuous that he ignored it.Eventually he ambled toward thespinney beneath the incubating egretsand herons, looked back towards me andpopped over the fence, into the deepcover of the wood. I’m certain we willmeet again very soon.Checking the images I found thatalthough very close, not one of them hadthe pin sharp image I am used to.Naturally they are among the very bestMuntjac images I have ever taken, butisn’t life like that sometimes?Discovering natureRecently I was asked to put on awildlife exhibition with local landscapephotographer John Leslie, at theDiscovery Centre at Cleethorpes. Johnand I got the shock of our lives whenthey asked if we could fill the galleriesboth downstairs and upstairs. That wasgoing to need at least seventy mountedand framed images and all to be selectedand ready to hang in less than fourweeks!Although I have enjoyed goingthrough my wildlife image library toselect some favourites it has not been atCountry DiarySpring has sprungOur wildlife expert Colin Smale brings us the very latest news from the countrysideThose white lacyegret plumes034-035:Layout 1 16/5/14 13:39 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY35all easy. There are always going to begremlins attached to such large venturesbut such as there have been, all has goneamazingly well considering the numbers.I hope you will come and see it, as it runsuntil 10th September.For the first time ever, I am showingsome of my fine art images. This issomething I have been aiming at forsome years and it has not been an easyjourney on the old grey matter! Anyonewho has marvelled at the beautifullycrafted monochrome images of NickBrandt or Sebastio Salgado willunderstand why I am eager to see someof my own images plucked out of thecolour spectrum, softened, gently toned,taking all distractions away from theoriginal colour image and reborn as theemotive images I now seek.To purchase any of the photos in our wildlife articles, visit www.fotolincs.com.Black Necked GrebeBattle scarred old Muntjac, still king of his domain034-035:Layout 1 16/5/14 13:39 Page 236 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYSOCIAL SCENEHelping create veryspecial daysFor the past fifteen years, The Willow Foundation has been helping toarrange special days for seriously ill people aged sixteen to forty. The aim is tooffer an exciting experience that can be something to look forward to andenjoy, taking their mind off their diagnosis and treatment, and create a specialmemory for them and their families.It can only do this thanks to the generosity of its supporters, and a recentball in Grantham helped contribute cash to the cause. The evening includedlive music from Crazy Ape, alongside a raffle, auction and disco, and raised£2732 on the night. This will go towards making life that bit happier for somevery brave individuals.Brian and Sally JaffreyLee and Sam WilliamsonKevin and Louise BredenGemma and Neil DavisThe Nicholson familyDave Rogers and Hayley PerkinsAngela and Steve AtkinKim Robson andJulia Frisby 036-037:Layout 1 16/5/14 13:29 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY37SOCIAL SCENEPHOTOS BY RICHARD PICKSLEYThis is just a selection of photographs from this event…Visit www.lincolnshiretoday.netto view and purchasecopies of the photographsLincolnshireTodayTHE REGION’S FAVOURITE COUNTY MAGAZINEThe Mally partyTerri Taylor with Gemma andNick ThorpeThe Terry Van Gasse partyDebbie and Kevin GoochAndy Barraclough andLydia BondRebecca Cole andElla RobertsDom and Carole PiggottThe organisers036-037:Layout 1 16/5/14 13:29 Page 238 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYFASHIONLet therebe lightGerry WeberGerry Weber specialises insmart tailoring andsophisticated casual looks,reflecting the key trendswithout slavishly followingfashionThe sun is out and we all want tomake the most of it! Neutral shades,with just a hint of vibrant colour,are perfect for this time of year –bringing a sense of brightness tothose moments the sun doesn’twant to comply, and ideal for thoseevents which start indoors butbecome alfresco (or vice-versa).038-051:Layout 1 16/5/14 14:38 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY39FASHION038-051:Layout 1 16/5/14 14:38 Page 2Next >