Knot

food Tin Ferl heads up new ‘pop-up park’

By ALESHA CADET | Tribune Features Writer | acadet@tribunemedia.net

The popular Tin Ferl pop-up food service has graduated to a new venue, which the team hopes will turn into a “pop-up park” that provides Bahamians with all their favourite eats and treats.

Now located in the former Phil’s Food Service building on Gladstone Road, the Tin Ferl team said they finally have space where they can really grow alongside other vendors.

“The Small Business Development Centre heard of our need for a new location and welcomed us to join them at the site of their future headquarters and partner with us to make the old Phil’s grocery store lot an all-encompassing venue for small business growth,” said Brandon Kemp, one of Tin Ferl’s founders.

“We have a core team of vendors who are working with us to help make that location what we aspire it to be, a pop-up park of top quality and welcoming to our visitors. Some of this team includes Jessie and Neka’s Kitchen, KKM Gyros, TT’s Tasty Touch, Coconuts Handcrafted Cocktails, Nad’s Lemon Bursts, J’s Smoking, and especially Island Pops and Chop’s Conchy Conch Fritters, who have been with us since the Nassau Night Market.”

Tin Ferl (a play on the Bahamian pronunciation of ‘tin foil’) was founded in 2019.

Beyond being a food stand, Brandon describes the business as a “small business incubator with the goal to improve the ease of doing business for pop-up vendors, primarily in food and beverage.”

He said they’ve been happy to support other local vendors with marketing, business development, creating and sourcing pop-up opportunities, and advocating on behalf of the pop-up industry.

Their first “pop-up park” was the Nassau Night Market, which started in December 2018 next to the Straw Market. Due to the pandemic, they had to temporarily move to the grounds of the Dundas Performing Arts Centre, before now finding their new home on Gladstone Road.

Brandon said it is important for pop-up vendors to support one another, because then everyone benefits.

“Vendors with Tin Ferl continue to blow patrons away with their delicious flavours. A visitor to the Junkanoo Fest in Marina Village, a location where Tin Ferl pops up at every week, brought her entire family back to The New Duff’s cart to try what she described as ‘the best thing I’ve had in a long time.’ It is extremely important for the development of our country’s economy to have Bahamian-owned businesses spearheading the way,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the Bahamas ranks very low in the ease of doing business and many fail in the initial stages of their entrepreneurial journey. Platforms like ours are designed to help overcome the hurdles that many small businesses face, and provide the support needed for us rise together and see Bahamian products at the forefront.”

At the new headquarters of the Small Business Development Centre, Brandon said they hope to host up to 40 businesses weekly.

“By popular demand, we anticipate our return to the east with a secret location that will soon be announced…Also, with the end of curfew hopefully approaching, the Nassau Night Market will return,” he said.

Star standup comedian to kick off Atlantis’ Fourth of July celebrations

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer gibson@tribunemedia.net

ONE of America’s recordbreaking comedians, who is about to have his life story made into a movie starring Robert De Niro, is coming to the Bahamas to kick off Atlantis’ Fourth of July celebrations.

The resort, which is slowly starting to beef up its entertainment schedule since fully reopening, has enlisted the talents of comedian, actor, author and Netflix star Sebastian Maniscalco.

The ItalianAmerican stand-up is known for his physical and observational comedy, making audiences laugh with his anecdotes about middle class life.

He is also among the US’ top five highest earning comedians, following Kevin Hart, Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan and Trevor Noah, and selling out shows all over the place. “Standup comedian Sebastian Maniscalco is the funniest and hottest comedian on the scene. He’s currently on tour and before COVID he had been selling out arenas across the United States,” said Rick Gallagher, Vice President of Entertainment and Special Events at Atlantis.

When it comes picking acts to appear on the resort’s stage, only the best will do. Previous performers have included Bruno Mars, Alicia Keys, John Legend and other bigname stars. And it when it comes to comedy, Mr Gallagher said only acts that keep audiences grinning from ear to ear will do. “Laughter that will have you busting at the seams, which is something we could all appreciate now,” is what he said Maniscalco will offer audiences, he added.

People magazine recently described Maniscalco as “the comedian’s comedian.” The comedian’s hit stand-up specials are inspired by all the little grievances that accompany everyday life. He draws inspiration from his travels and family outings.

The Atlantis show comes on the heels of his smash-hit Netflix specials that include “Stay Hungry” and “You Bother Me”, filmed from its sold-out tour.

Maniscalco has had a series of record-breaking, sold-out arena shows, including at the United Centre in Chicago, TD Garden in Boston, The Forum in Los Angeles, and Madison Square Garden in New York City.

He has scaled new rating heights for his five television comedy specials on Netflix, Showtime and Comedy Central. He has also appeared in award-winning movies, including Best Picture winner “Green Book” and Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman”. (Robert De Niro will reunite with Maniscalo for the film “About My Father”, loosely based on the comedian’s life; De Niro will be playing his father.)

As Maniscalo’s Atlanits performance is designed as an after-dinner show, Mr Gallagher said it also presents a great opportunity for people to relax and take advantage of the resident rates for a ‘staycation’ at the Paradise Island resort. Bahamian residents can spend the weekend enjoying the waterscape and the wonderful entertainment occurring at the resort, he added.

The show starts at 9pm on Saturday, July 3, in the Imperial Ballroom. Ticket prices for residents start at $89 per person and are available to purchase now at www.atlantislive. com. To ensure the health and safety of everyone attending the event, the Imperial Ballroom will operate at 50 percent capacity and face masks are required.

Teen has his head on straight when it comes to business

By ALESHA CADET | Tribune Features Writer | acadet@tribunemedia.net

At just 13 years of age, Priden Wilson is already a seasoned businessman with several ventures to his name.

“Currently, I have multiple businesses, with multiple partners who I truly appreciate, and my experience has been excellent. My family are business professionals that I can look to for guidance, which makes it easier for me to make wiser business decisions, also, differentiate between my social and business life,” the teen entrepreneur told Tribune Weekend.

“At my age, it gives me chances to make mistakes, correct them and avoid them in the future, which will help my businesses to successfully expand,” added the A F Adderley Junior High School student.

His very first venture was the Albani After School Programme, which he created along with 13-yearold JaiDon Haley, Priden’s cousin and next-door neighbour.

“The programme, aimed for young children between the ages of 5-12, is to help children with their homework at their own pace for a small fee of $50 a month. We also have a website, Albani.com, where they can log onto to gain access to their teacher,” he explained.

His second business venture is called Another Chance Incorporated, which he created with Tysha Johnson, 13, Leandra Miller, 17, and his cousin JaiDon.

“Another Chance is a non-profit organisation truly dedicated to the act of giving. Although our mission is to provide a certain number of enrolled government school students with uniforms and school supplies each month, there will be much more to come as this organisation is still under development,” he explained.

Priden is now dipping his toes into the food and beverage industry.

His most recent adventure in business is called the Bahama P&L Bakery, which offers a wide range of local delicacies like cheesecake, pound cake, guava duff and brownies.

“The overall goal for Bahama P&L Bakery is to expand in a number of communities so that I will be able to provide young persons like myself with job opportunities. I see Bahama P&L Bakery being very successful with multiple locations,” he said.

For now, however, due to the pandemic, this business has remained on hold, but Priden still got to have an amazing experience through the bakery.

Alongside his business partner Leandra, Priden, in conjunction with Limeade Bahamas and the Myles Munroe Foundation, visited the Montell Heights community.

They gave away 300 cupcakes, in addition to 500 bowls of souse and 400 bottles of Limeade.

“That was a very memorable experience because it made me feel overjoyed knowing I contributed to feeding 500 persons in the community,” said Priden.

One of his greatest influences, he said, his is cousin, Brandon Kemp, one of the owners of Tin Ferl.

If it’s true that it takes a village to raise a child, then it must take a whole island-wide network to foster a young businessman.

“My grandfather Sidney Wilson, the owner of the Sidney & Son Shoe repair store, he really supports my businesses financially, which is greatly appreciated.

Additionally, my grandmother Margo Wilson, my aunt Sydia Wilson, my great-grandmother Magnol Walker, a family friend, Ms Gloria Lewis, my father Dominique Wilson and a close family friend Cravan Lewis. They all support me greatly whether with transportation, financially or providing continuous words of encouragement,” he said.

“Last, but certainly not least, Ms Shelly Lewis, who opens great doors to opportunities for my businesses by lining up interviews with persons like Llyod Allen and Hope Shelly Ann. There are many others in the community that support my partners and I, and we are really appreciative of everyone who has contributed to our success thus far,” said Priden.

The young achiever said he is interested in getting into more business ventures in the very near future and he currently has a few plans in development.

Rediscovering a former military man who may have written the 20th century’s most influential novel

Sir Christopher Ondaatje remembers the AngloRussian novelist and playwright who drew on his experiences fighting the Bolsheviks in prerevolutionary Russia.

“If a book is worth reading at all, it is worth reading more than once. Suspense is the lowest of exitants, designed to take your breath away when the brain and heart crave to linger in nobler enjoyment. Suspense drags you on; appreciation causes you to linger.”

– William Gerhardie

William Alexander Gerhardi (he added the “e” in later years) was born in St Petersburg, Russia, on November 21, 1895 – the fifth of six children of Charles Alfred Gerhardi, a British expatriate industrialist, and his wife Clara Annie. He was educated at the Sankt Annenschule and Reformierte Schule in St Petersburg, before finishing his schooling at Worcester College, Oxford in England.

“There are as many fools at a university as anywhere? But their folly, I admit, has a certain stamp of university training, if you like. It is trained folly.”

– William Gerhardie

After enlisting in the Royal Scots Greys in the First World War in 1915, he was commissioned the following year and posted to the staff of the British Military Attaché at Petrograd (as St Petersburg was renamed) until 1918.

He saw the development of the 1917 Revolution in Russia, which bankrupted his father, causing him to flee to exile in England by impersonating the dead British socialist Keir Hardie.

Gerhardie was attached to the 3rd Battalion of the Scots Guards during the Allied interventions in the Russian Civil War and served on the British Military Mission to the White Russian forces in Siberia. Attaining the rank of Captain, he was demobilised in 1920 and appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), and awarded both the Imperial Russian Order of St. Stanislaus, and the Czechoslovak War Cross.

Gerhardie’s first novel, Futility (1922), was written while he was at Worcester College, Oxford, and recounted his experiences attempting to fight the Bolsheviks in Russia, and also his pre-revolutionary childhood experiences in Russia. He was influenced by the tragi-comic style of Anton Chekhov. He wrote a study of the Russian author and playwright while at college.

“No fiction is good fiction unless it is true to life, and yet no life is worth relating unless it be a life out of the ordinary, and then it seems improbable like fiction.”

- William Gerhardie Futility (1922)

His second novel, The Polyglots (1925), also about Russia, is considered to be his masterpiece. (A polyglot is a person who knows and is able to use several languages.) Graham Greene, Edith Wharton, H G Wells and Evelyn Waugh championed his work.

“I have talent, but you have genius.”

- Evelyn Waugh WILLIAM Gerhardie drew on his experiences of fighting the Bolsheviks in pre-revolutionary Russia to write his first novel

GERHARDIE in later life

story is filled with a host of fascinatingly idiosyncratic characters – depressives, obsessives, sex maniacs, and hypochondriacs – often forced to choose between absurdity and tragedy. Yet Gerhardie depicts them as both charming and poignant, as they each struggle for love and safety in tumultuous times ... and the protagonist finds his conceit shredded as he falls head over heels in love with one of them.”

– Michael Holroyd

Gerhardie’s portraits of Europeans in exile, attempting to escape from the era’s upheavals, draws on his own experiences of an officer in the British Mission. He has summoned up a world adrift, where war and revolution have broken up the old order, but nothing has come to replace it. And he does it with unforgettable humour and a sharp eye for the absurd.

“To my generation Gerhardie was the most important new novelist to appear in our young life.”

– Graham Greene

In the Second World War Gerhardie served in the Officers Emergency Reserve, and worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation from 1942 to 1945 in its European Division. He was the first editor of the “English by Radio” language programme.

After the Second World War Gerhardie became unfashionable and less important. He continued to write but nothing was published after 1939. He entered a bleak period of poverty-stricken oblivion, but lived to see two of his “collected works” published by Macdonald in 1947–1949. They were revised in 1970-1974 with introductions by Michael Holroyd (the author of Lytton Strachey, 1967-1968 and Augustus John, 1974-1975) who continued to champion Gerhardie’s work. A study of world history between 1890 and 1940 – God’s Fifth Column – was discovered in his papers and published posthumously in 1981.

“But to dwell prematurely on the sadness of one’s death to others ... is like asking for money in advance. It’s commercially unsound.

– William Gerhardie

his body was cremated and his ashes scattered in Regent’s Park in front of a gathering of several admiring writers.

“We are like icebergs in the ocean: one-eighth part consciousness and the rest submerged beneath the surface of articulate apprehension.”

– William Gerhardie

Before he died, Gerhardie was asked by the Literary Digest the correct way to say his name. He replied, “Pronounced jer (as Ger in Gerald) hardy, with the accent on the a: jer-har’dy. This is the way I and my relatives pronounce it, though I am told it is incorrect. Philologists are of the opinion that it should be pronounced with the g as in Gertrude. I believe they are right. I, however, cling to the family habit of mispronouncing it. But I do so without obstinacy. If the world made it worth my while I would sit with the multitude.”

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. The author acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; Futility (1922) and The Polyglots (1925) by William Gerhardie; and from Michael Holroyd’s Introduction to The Polyglots.

An adventure through the islands in the 1940s

The book Caribbean Cruise (1948), written by Kate Bertram (with the help of her husband Dick), includes 25 very entertaining pages about the Bahamas in 1941, as experienced aboard SORA, their Alden Coastwide Cruiser.

“…SORA cost about $7,200 when she left the builder’s yard in 1940. By the time we started cruising south, we had put in another $1,000 on additional equipment, $600 on a stainless-steel galley, and some other improvements since then, exclusive of maintenance. Insurance on an $8,000 valuation…$500.”

To get to the Caribbean Sea, the Bertrams had to sail through the Bahamas, from Cat Cay all the way to Inagua, stopping at some out-ofthe-way places and writing down their experiences at each.

“Great Sturrup Lighthouse…It was very pleasant to stretch our legs ashore… the keeper took us up in the lighthouse, where we got a bird’seye view of the nearby islands… Dick traded a package of cigarettes for a fine, big crawfish…The only inhabitants were the two lighthouse keepers, and their families…One lived in solitary bachelordom in one of the houses, while his colleague lived with his wife and fifteen children…by this time, I suspect the score is now sixteen, if not more, as the good lady wore an expectant look, at the time of our visit.”

“…We were abreast of Whale Cay, island retreat of Marion Carstairs… we sailed into her harbour, where ‘No Trespassing’ signs aroused our curiosity…we rowed ashore, to be met by two of the largest, blackest, ugliest men I have ever encountered… ‘We taking you to de Boss’, said the larger of the two… we marched up a well-paved road between stone walls…to a high stone wall, the top encrusted with vicious broken glass…a strong iron gate…a yellow coupé, with the top down, swooped … through the gate… Miss Carstairs was standing next to the car, looking much less formidable that we had been led to expect… there was nothing formidable about her, at all.

‘What can I do for you?’ she asked, extending a hand in greeting.

‘I’d like to take a walk,’ I said.

‘Well, come on in and have a drink first,’ …confounding her guards, who were dismissed with the wave of a hand…”

“I shall not attempt to describe Nassau…our purpose of staying so long in Nassau was to find a competent pilot to take us down the ‘inside route’, over the banks, to Ragged Island, where the deep water begins again…we made a deal with Victor Lockhart, of Ragged Island, who was willing to sail with us as far as his home.

“…his judgment of water depths was uncanny. He would take us over banks, where the bottom seemed to be just under the surface… How much water do we have? ’Enough!’…He was always right. … Victor would never venture on deck, at night, without his old felt hat, for fear that he would ‘catch a check (a cold).

“Victor said that his father was the champion sailor of the Bahamas, and I don’t doubt it…to my thinking, it took a genius to sail one of those native craft…some of them had so many patches on their sails that the original canvas was completely obscured.

“The graveyard at Little Farmer’s Cay was a revelation…each grave was decorated with the favourite china or glassware of the deceased, the more prosperous having cups and saucers, plates and glasses, while the paupers slept under old beer bottles or cracked jelly glasses.

“We had listened to Victor’s ravings over the grand harbour at Ragged Island and were terribly disappointed…we had to anchor three miles from shore… we wandered down the road to the salt pans…sea water, let into the flat sandy pans, would dry out and crystallise in a few weeks…women were working in some of the pans, gathering the salt with long-handled tools, like toothless rakes…we spent a few days in Ragged Island…while Mrs Lockhart saw to having our laundry done and a supply of bread, baked for our trip to Great Inagua.

“We had a great run to Cay Verde, where Victor (who was still with us) insisted on going ashore…to catch boobies (a type of bird) which he considered a great delicacy…

“We arrived off Mathew (spelling is correct) …having covered 149 miles in 24 hours…on the dock, we met the refutation of all arguments on the subject of the decay of the white man, in the tropics. This refutation appeared in the form of the Erickson and Read families… These bronzed giants have rehabilitated the dying salt industry…the Ericksons treated us to the first iced drinks we had had in many moons… the sea was calm, when we departed (for Haiti)… and we had the pleasure of watching a total eclipse of the moon.”

animals Special delivery mail

By KIM ARANHA Animal Matters

Hi Mum! It’s me, Chiefie.

I just want to check in. Last week was all very strange. I was at the vets office asleep and suddenly I was in a place with trees and green grass, and guess what? I looked down and I had all four legs again! Can you imagine? How ever did that happen?

Well, once I got over that I looked up and guess who was standing in front of me? My adopted mother Star, the beautiful Bernese Mountain Dog, right there wagging her tail. When she saw I recognised her she ran over and kissed my nose just like she did when I was a puppy!

I wonder if I will meet my birth mother up here?

Then I noticed other dogs behind her. They all introduced themselves to me: they had all lived with you, Mum! Can you imagine?

There was a golden potcake called Friendly. He says he knew you as a little girl and lived in the Berry Islands with you. I am much bigger than him, but we are the same colour, There was a “gaggle” of bulldogs there, funny looking fellows, but very friendly. They said that they lived with your Dad before you were even born. They just came to say hello.

This place is pretty amazing. There are trees and grass, lakes, ponds and streams; I haven’t seen the beaches yet.

Another cool thing is that we do not need to eat: we always have full tummies, but there are bushes and trees where wonderful treats grow! You bite one off and another pops right up. At first you just can’t stop snacking but then you realise that they are always there.

There are couches, dog beds and easy chairs everywhere for us to sleep and nap, and tons of toys to play with, and the weather is always good.

There is an Italian human leader up here; his name is Francis. His helper is Nimba. She doesn’t speak much English, but is very pretty and a sweet little girl. (Some say he is a saint, not sure what that is yet)

Every few minutes there is pretty music all around the bridge that I walked over. That’s when a new human arrives and is united with all his pets. It is crazy to see them all trying to hug and wag and lick the human at the same time.

By the way, nobody fights up here…just imagine Garmin and Bella would be friends! I met Merlyn (your Mastiff, what a big girl she is) she told me that she died of cancer too, and with her was a small silky potcake called Snowball. Apparently they used to fight on earth. Well, guess what? They are best friends up here!

There is the sweetest little white puppy called Snowy. She says she lived with Scott and Bianca. I think I remember hearing you talk about her. She says she didn’t spend much time on earth, she works closely with Francis and Nimba settling in new arrivals. She is so playful and mischievous. She nips our ears and likes to swing on them. It doesn’t hurt or damage our ears, because there is no pain or injury up here, I forgot to tell you that!

Oh yes, Scruffy is here too. He looks great. He runs around with a straw hat on and sometimes sunglasses like in his signature photograph! He is a wee bit of a star.

I almost forgot, Archie is in charge of all mud craters, he got the job as soon as he got here. There are muddy and wet play areas everywhere. We all get muddy and then rinse off. He is having a ball and his friend Bart just arrived to help him.

And, here’s the kicker, I am not afraid of water anymore. Actually, lots of potcakes who hated the water are swimming here.

Mum, I definitely miss you, but we have special observation stations here. Francis, the human, sets them up for us. We can watch over our earthly humans.

You know when you said you heard me barking? Yup, well, you did. And the tinkling of my collar? Right again! You almost caught me checking on you when you thought you saw me on your bed during the night. We are not supposed to show ourselves, but I am new to this. Apparently lots of pets almost get caught when watching over their humans at first, then we get better at it. And I am not the only one watching over you, we all do!

You mustn’t cry for me. That horrible cancer is gone and I am free, with all sorts of wonderful friends and we will be reunited again. Francis told me that’s for sure!

THE RAINBOW Bridge is said to be a meadow where animals wait for their humans to join them, and the bridge that takes them all to Heaven, together.

pet of the week Laid-back Logan

By THE BAHAMAS HUMANE SOCIETY

One-year-old Logan doesn’t mind the company of the other cats at the Bahamas Humane Society but he’d really like a space he can call his own. He’s a little shy with humans, but with the right human(s) and lots of tender loving care (and treats), he’ll be sure to settle in and enjoy your company.

He’s fairly mellow so not likely to be up to too many kittenish antics. For more information on Logan and the other BHS adoption cats, please call 323-1538. Logan looks forward to meeting you!

•The BHS Thrift Shop is open. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 11am to 3pm and Saturday from 10am to 2pm. We sell gently used items to raise funds for the shelter. If you’d like to donate, we’d be grateful to accept your donation. If the shop is closed, please leave them in the main shelter. Thank you!

gardening Where’s the rain?

Driving around New Providence this week, I noticed a lot of dry gardens and natural spaces, and a few things that come along with that. Where’s the rain?

Last month (May), I was in Eleuthera and Great Exuma, and both were also dry (Exuma particularly so). I’d had word that a few days after I had moved on from Eleuthera that there was a heavy downpour in the central part of the island where I had been working on a project, but things were so dry at the time that most of it runs away and doesn’t get a chance to be absorbed and to stay around long to be used by the plants that desperately need it.

Speaking with a caretaker at a property that I work on in Lyford Cay just this week, he was a bit exasperated at the lack of rain (the property is without irrigation, by owner’s choice), as it demands more attention to attempt to keep plant material looking as it is expected to look.

Usually, it seems that the western portion of New Providence starts getting showers a few weeks before they finally make it to the eastern portion, and yet here we are, everyone is still waiting (if we’re lucky, by the time this is printed we may have had a shower or two, fingers crossed!).

With the lack of rain, I notice certain plants with high nutrient demands (Ixora especially) are showing signs of chlorosis (yellowing). This is typically due to limited Nitrogen and Iron being available in our sandy soils, as well as the relatively alkaline pH locking up these and other minor nutrients in the soils so that they are not available to be used by the plants. The rain gives an immediate Nitrogen boost to high demand plants and allows them to absorb Nitrogen (the greening and growth nutrient) through the foliage, as well as making it available in the root zone.

If your garden is professionally maintained, you may have a regular granular fertilizing programme being implemented as well as foliar or liquid nutrients being distributed through the irrigation system. If that’s the case, it is unlikely that you’ll have signs of deficiencies, and if there is an issue that comes up, it is usually dealt with quite quickly by the pro’s doing the maintenance, at least one would hope and expect that to be the case! If you don’t have a professional maintenance team looking after your garden, then my bet would be that you’ll be able to find at least one type of plant in your garden that is suffering nutrient deficiencies. I always have something growing that demands attention, as I do not use liquid fertilizers, and sometimes I am a bit late in applying granular applications to prevent deficiencies, so it becomes more of a reactive process. The rain that has fallen to date, hasn’t seemed to stay around for long. I hope that this changes soon, it will help to get some nutrients to the garden, but then in turn creates more maintenance work because the weeds will be growing at full pace, and the shrubs and lawn grass picks up speed and they begin to fill out very quickly.

Now is a perfect time to get down supplemental nutrients especially if you’ve got high demand plant material, Ixora, citrus, hibiscus, et al. When planting remember that it is important to add in organic material, compost, peat moss, landscape panting mixes, etcetera, to help hold moisture and to allow some substrate for nutrients to bind to for use by the plants.

I use a general 12-6-8 with minor nutrients at this time of year on much of what I grow, except for palms, I use palm specific blends (12-4-12) or similar, and mature fruit trees, I use 5-5-15 with minors, or similar. Everyone has their own methods and preferences, but I am comfortable with those three ratios for the purpose that I need served.

Now is also an excellent time to get pruning, because as soon as the rains settle in, things grow like gangbusters and pruning helps to keep good branching structures and keeps shrubs full and keeps them from becoming overgrown. Mulch is also very beneficial in preserving moisture, and in breaking down over time to help provide organic material to the topsoil. Raking underneath trees and shrubs removes vital organic material and leads to increased rates of erosion and most especially when the rain does finally arrive, more on that next time. For now, as always, I wish you happy gardening!

• Adam Boorman is the nursery manager at the Fox Hill Nursery. You can contact him with any questions you may have, or topics you would like to see discussed, at gardening242@gmail.com.