THE President of Colebrooke Women’s Institute, Valerie Pennington, welcomed members to our November meeting, which was held at Colebrooke Parish Hall.

Our speaker was Caroline, from Bernaville Nurseries, who gave us a talk and demonstration about planting containers for winter and spring.

She used various plants that would give colour during the winter and showed us how to under-plant with spring flowering bulbs to then give colour going into the spring.

She also showed us how to do a “bulb lasagne” with different types of bulbs planted at different depths in a container to provide a colourful display in the spring.

She also advised that when pruning shrubs and plants in the garden to leave some plants unpruned for animals to live in (eg hedgehogs).

The unpruned shrubs and plants can also provide some colour during the winter months as well.  It has given us all some idea for planting in our gardens and tubs for colour all year round.

The business part of our meeting then followed.  The Red Earth Group meeting which we had hosted had been enjoyed by the other Women’s Institutes that had attended.

It was decided we would go to the Devonshire Dumpling at Morchard Road for our Christmas meal in December.

Our meeting in December will be our Christmas meal.  Our meeting in January will be a games and social evening and will be held at Horwell Barton at 7.30pm.

On November 12 members met at the Amenity Area in Colebrooke to plant the holly tree we had purchased, initially for the Devon Federation of Women’s Institutes Environmental Challenge, and also in memory of Agnes Burrow who passed away earlier this year.

Agnes was a founder member of Colebrooke Women’s Institute when it was formed in 1968.

It will also be in commemoration of the late Queen Elizabeth II, herself a WI member.

Agnes’ daughter, Jenni Pitts, attended the planting.  The members of Colebrooke Women’s Institute would also like to thank Barbara Pitts and her family for allowing us to plant the holly tree in the Amenity Area.

AA