from Molton Monthly Magazine November 2024

Saving Tarka - world leading otter rescue centre to expand

The newly built bridge at the West Buckland junction on the A361 opened to traffic for the first time late on Friday, October 4th.

However, despite assurances from contractors Griffiths that the £67 million road improvement scheme would be finished by the end of October, the latest schedule of closures on the North Devon Link Road goes up to at least November 9th. The roadworks should have been finished in December 2023.

The new road layout now means you can only turn left to get on and off the Link Road, and you must use the bridge to travel directly between Heddon and West Buckland. It’s designed to eliminate the dangerous right turns which led to several bad crashes over the years.

A freedom of information request sent by Molton Monthly Magazine to Devon County Council received the following reply, “The contractual completion date of these works is December 2029, which takes account of the maintenance period of the landscaping and average speed cameras.” It’s believed this is standard terms and conditions relating to ongoing snagging and maintenance of the road and verges.

Your jobs to do in November

1. Plant Tulip bulbs in containers or in flower beds for a beautiful spring display next year. Plant the bulbs at a depth of two to three times their height.

2. Prune roses to prevent windrock. Shorten the stems of tall bush and shrub roses to reduce windrock during winter gales. Prune to an outward facing bud.

3. Cut leaves of Christmas and Lenten rose type hellebores to make way for the flowers.

4. Cut down faded herbaceous perennials. Penstemons are best dead-headed and left until the spring when they can be cut back further.

5. Pruning and renovation of many deciduous trees, shrubs and hedges can be carried out from now throughout the dormant season. Do not prune Prunus species when they are dormant. Evergreens are best left until the spring.

We are having a revamp at the nursery this winter; one of the polytunnels is going to be replaced as we no longer have enough room in the spring for all the bedding plants and hanging baskets. We will also be replacing the perennial beds outside, so that they are slightly raised, to make selecting your plants easier.

Until next month, Jenny Howells