The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that I have made it into The Northern Echo twice this week.

I surprised myself by popping up in a photo in Mondays edition.

It was a short report on the Midsummer Morris event that took place in Sadberge last Saturday.

I have had a lot to do with the village of Sadberge over the last three years, and have come to know it as a place that has held on to its community spirit.

It is one of those places where you can go out for a quiet drink after work, but end up being asked to look at someones garden and then get invited round for a meal at someone elses house before being tempted for a nightcap at another.

The Midsummer Festival was no exception. The theme was dance, but it cut through many sectors of the community.

Morning started with dancing workshops, with teams from all over the North East.

There was a sing-around in the pubs, maypole demonstrations by the village children, along with fancy dress and a village king and queen.

Further dancing on the green competed with tug of war competitions.

A ceilidh rounded off the evening.The highlight, though, was the church flower festival. More than 15 displays had been created by various local people.

Many had never done anything so public before, but they had been infected by the community bug. Even one of the pubs had put in an entry. Most were dedicated to someone special, some were sponsored and all were stunningly beautiful.

A silent auction meant the arrangements would also raise funds for the village (I saw a local TV celebrity making a calculated offer for one of the displays; I think she got it too).

Flowers have been linked to community celebrations since time immemorial. They play a great significance at funerals, weddings are filled with petals, Christmas wreaths are simply a mutated form of an arrangement and how often have you had to pop into the petrol station to get a bunch of sorries?

As a race we seem to have an unseen bond and inextricable link with flowers. They see us through every emotion from birth to death.

They have been the cause of wars, but they also help to unite communities. Do we ever really need an excuse to celebrate the beauty and diversity of flowers?

Oh, I was the one with the black top hat, sunglasses and big side drum in Mondays Northern Echo.

READERS QUESTION

Q Simon from County Durham writes: Several weeks ago I planted a magnolia tree in my back garden.

The tree seemed to thrive initially and flowered with the existing buds.

Over the last week however, I have become concerned that the tree appears rather listless in that it has leaves and small shoots but does not seem to be developing.

I have fed and watered this tree especially during the very warm weather and it benefits from a sheltered location which enjoys an equal mixture of sun and shade.

My soil unfortunately is of quite poor quality it being a new house and there is a high clay content which obviously affects drainage.

When I planted the tree I ensured that the hole was well filled with a mixture of compost, fertiliser and chicken pellets in an effort to improve the soil consistency.

Do you have any suggestions as to what the problem may be or how I can improve the feelings of my expensive plant?

A You might have a combination of problems Simon. You are right to look to the soil. New build houses are renowned for having bad gardens.

Now and again you might find a building firm that dumps all its rubbish in the garden area, and as a token gesture covers it with a few inches of top soil and then sprinkles it with grass seed.

It isnt uncommon to find half-full paint tins, oil drums and bits of plasterboard underneath the surface. Occasionally these may contaminate the land and make plant growing very hard. More likely in your case though, is the fact that you are on heavy clay. Magnolias prefer to grow in soil with a PH of between 4.5 and 7.

That is, they like acid to neutral conditions. Clay is around the neutral mark, but can move into the alkali bracket depending on location.

A simple remedy is to put plenty of ericaceous soil around the base of your magnolia and pour on a sequestered iron feed. Both are available from most garden centres.Finally, make sure the magnolia doesnt gets lots of wind, or frosts.

* Brigid presents Ask about Gardening every Sunday on BBC Radio Cleveland 95FM from 1-2pm. Questions will be answered on the day by e-mailing Cleveland.studios@bbc.co.uk, texting 07786200995 or phoning (01642) 225511. Alternatively, send questions to brigidpress@hotmail.com or The Clow Beck Centre, Old Spa Farm, Croft-on-Tees, Darlington, DL2 2TQ