July 2018
Our annual Garden Party, this year held at the home of club treasurer Julie Wood, went off
without a hitch. The weather was fine and mostly sunny, allowing the 30+ members
and non-members attending to enjoy a very pleasant evening. Julie's garden was a
wonderful surprise and a delight with much to look at and admire, with hidden treasures
everywhere! There was food and drink to enjoy, a free raffle and even plants for sale!
In the relaxed atmosphere everyone actually had time to talk to each other!
without a hitch. The weather was fine and mostly sunny, allowing the 30+ members
and non-members attending to enjoy a very pleasant evening. Julie's garden was a
wonderful surprise and a delight with much to look at and admire, with hidden treasures
everywhere! There was food and drink to enjoy, a free raffle and even plants for sale!
In the relaxed atmosphere everyone actually had time to talk to each other!
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Summer Outing to Birmingham Botanic Garden June 2018
This year's annual club outing on 18 June was very enjoyable. We were highly organised and set off right on time at 9.30, arriving at the Gardens at 10.40.
The hothouse area we walked through to get to the gardens and the main terrace was well established with some very interesting plants. Most people descended on the café for a drink before setting off to wander round in what was a perfect temperature. Parts of the garden were an absolute delight – the Rose Garden offered a real feast for the senses. The Lake and Alpine Garden were quite a treat and the Bog Garden was fascinating!! Obviously there were areas that needed work, but that is to be expected in any garden lacking funds. Most people found time to go back to the café for lunch, before finishing the day in the garden centre and shop, leaving to return to Southam just 5 minutes late at 2.20. A good time was had by all!
Now we look forward to the Garden Party at Julie Wood's house in St Marys Close on Monday 16 July: free food and drink, a raffle - what more could members (and non-members) want?!
Julie's address will be emailed out to the club members in time for the garden party.
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Growing Fuchsias - Malcolm Beerman - March 2018
Malcolm gave us a practical and very interesting talk on all aspects of growing fuchsias. He demonstrated how to take cuttings, how to repot your plants (with a extremely nifty 'small pot in bigger pot' trick which impressed us all! (see this page and video for how it works)
Ideally a fuchsia should have sun in the morning and evening and shady in the day. His main message was that more fuchsias are killed by over-watering than any other cause. Test them by knowing how much the pot should weigh, and watering when the pot feels light. Don't assume that because they are wilting on hot day they need water, first move them into shade and misting, only them water if they are still drooping, but make sure they aren't soaking and sitting in water. He recommends feeding with Chempak once a week, or Miracle Gro at one third strength.
He cuts his plants back in October and overwinters them in a cold greenhouse by standing pots on sheets of polystyrene and covered with 4 layers of fleece.
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Birmingham
Botanical Gardens - Simon Gulliver - February 2018
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Simon gave a summary of the evolution of the Botanical
Gardens which were started by a group of businessmen in 1829 and opened to the
public in 1832. Originally on the outskirts of the city, the gardens are now in
the area of Edgbaston which is synonymous with the more widely known cricket
ground. Amounting to 15 acres in total, 12 of which are open to the public,
they have 4 glass houses which hold collections of tropical, sub-tropical,
Mediterranean and arid plants.
Simon showed a selection of the more unusual
specimens that can be found there including a 250 year old Juniperus chinensis (right) which
is kept behind iron grilles to prevent damage or theft. It is in fact a bonsai
tree presented to the gardens in 1995 by the city of Omiya in Japan.
Another unusual plant unique to the gardens is Dicksonia x
lathamii (left) which was raised by an ex-curator over 100 years ago as a hybrid
of Dicksonia antartica and Dicksonia arborescens. The renowned plant hunter Ernest Henry Wilson was a trainee
botanist at the gardens from 1893 to 1897 and this is recorded on a blue plaque
on the side of the entrance building.
The talk was a timely introduction to our planned visit in
June and gave us hints of what to look out for in the gardens.
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Warwickshire's Wild Flowers January 2018
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| Bee Orchid (Stockton) |
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| Thistle |
He also showed us how you can 'read' the landscape via plants: for instance, a carpet of bluebells indicates pre-1600 ancient woodland; local place names with 'moor' or 'heath' are the legacy of areas of acidic soils which would have been covered in heather before the advent of deep ploughing during the 18th-century agricultural revolution.
Steven has also produced an online catalogue of Warwickshire's trees as well as being a talented artist - he brought some stunning prints for sale.
Steven's photos are certainly worth a browse - this link is to just one album, but there are many wonderful images to peruse!
Please note that all photos in this report ©
Steven Falk.
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Gardening in the face of Climate Change - December 2017
David Cropp was trained at Pershore, like many of our speakers. He gave a slide-free talk, telling us to accept climate change and follow our instinct when gardening, rather than obeying the calendar, seed packets and gardening magazine 'Jobs for this week'. His tips can be summarised as:
- Plants are much tougher than you think - just try new ones
- Water less and more carefully; weed less, as weeds hold soil structure and provide shade for soil
- Leave stones in the soil to help structure and keep the surface cool
- Chuck slugs and snails in the compost heap if you have to - killing them just leaves a vacancy for more
- Steep chilli and garlic in oil for some weeks, then strain and dilute at 1:10 with water with a tiny drop of detergent. This may deter some pests. Don't use pesticides as pest predators may be killed too
- While David told us using peat was acceptable, the RHS's Gardening in a Changing Climate report (2017) recommends, among other suggestions, that we should all ask for and use peat-free composts. Peat bogs store considerable amounts of carbon and support wild life* and take tens of thousands of years to form.
David recommended we try growing Cucumber Mini Munch, strawberries Maras du Bois and Gariguette, Apple Lord Hindlip.
* A brief downloadable summary of the RHS report recommendations is here.
Reg Moule's Q&A Session November 2017
For our November meeting, Reg Moule from BBC Hereford and Worcester answered a wide variety of questions for us. He was extremely entertaining while imparting some of his vast knowledge. We were all very impressed that he could answer so many questions 'on the spot' with no notes at all, while being funny and instructive!
Brief notes of questions and answers can be accessed here and if you want to catch up with his programmes you can listen online via the BBC iplayer on Sundays between 12 and 2. Alternatively listen to catch up for past episodes.
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Gardening on Scree and Gravel - October 2017
Don Everitt joined us for our October meeting and gave a really interesting talk on gardening on gravel and scree gardening. He has been gardening for many years, since training at Wisley after WW2, and he shared the benefit of his wealth of experience as well as showing us many slides.
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| Beth Chatto's famous gravel garden in Essex, planted on a disused car park area (photo credit: theguardian.com) |
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| The Beth Chatto Gardens |
He explained that growing in this situation is not difficult, provided that it is in a really sunny area and plenty of humus is incorporated in the bed right at the start. Raising the planting area helps with the sharp drainage that is essential, as does the gravel which surrounds the necks of plants. No watering will be necessary so this is a labour-saving way of gardening!
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| The Beth Chatto Gardens |
Helen Yemm who writes the Daily Telegraph's useful section Thorny Problems gives guidance that a bulk sack of gravel (from horticultural suppliers) will cover about 12 sq metres.
Most plants in pots will also benefit from having a top dressing of horticultural grit to help with waterlogging and increase drainage.
Don's numerous slides showed us how almost any plants, apart from real moisture lovers, He kindly made his talk notes available for members to download here
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All about Wood - September 2017
In slow-growing trees, the rings are close together resulting in hard wood. Fast-growing trees put on a lot of growth each year, and the rings are wider apart, so this wood is soft.In a tree trunk or branch it is only the outer rings which contain living cells and where growth takes place. If a tree loses a branch or is damaged in some way these outer layers try to grow over the wound in order to protect the tree from disease.
Since taking early retirement Ian has helped out at Bridewell Organic Garden, Witney. The garden is run as a mental health recovery service providing social and therapeutic horticulture in a working garden.
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Summer Evening at a Club Member's Garden - July 2017
David Forster kindly hosted our annual summer garden party in July. We had a perfect warm, sunny evening and enjoyed looking round his riverside garden and seeing his new plantings. With all the food brought by members to share, and drinks provided by the Club, we had a wonderful evening and caught up on all our gardening and other gossip. We went home relaxed and well fed, with many of our members off to prepare their plots for Southam Open Gardens in a few days.
There is no meeting in August, so we meet again on Monday 18 September. Have a lovely summer!
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Our programme of speakers for the year is now complete. We will reconvene on Monday 18 September 2017.
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On May 15th, Frank Hardy gave us a fascinating talk entitled ‘Behind the Scenes – creating a Chelsea Flower Show Garden’. None of us had any idea what a complicated system it is: the length of time involved in the application, design and planning process, with no guarantee of a place would deter all but the most determined. Chelsea is THE flower show to be seen at, and a medal changes fortunes overnight! However, we understood that if you only get a Bronze medal – you are not invited back!
Summer Visit to Spetchley Park – 21st June 2017
Julie wrote this report for the blog:
We were blessed with a hot and sunny day for our annual
summer trip this year to Spetchley Park in Worcestershire. Fortunately, we had
the luxury of an air-conditioned mini-coach in which to enjoy the journey
across the counties. Spetchley Park
itself is a few miles from Worcester, and is an extensive 4,500-acre estate, 30
acres of which comprise gardens and parkland open to the public.
We began our visit through the small visitor centre which included
a plant sales area and shop. The walk into the garden was through an area of
mature shrubs and trees which would have been a sea of crocuses and other bulbs in spring. The large walled garden was densely planted with shrubs,
herbaceous perennials and summer bulbs, most of which had sadly gone over due
to the very hot and dry weather we have had this summer. Around the outside of
the walled garden were lots of roses of all shapes and sizes. One in particular
which caught my eye was called ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ after the TV programme. It
was rose of the year in 2010 and has large clusters of flowers opening a deep
yellow and fading to a creamy white.
Walking through a tree-shaded area we eventually came out
onto the side of a large lake which has a great view of the house and the
surrounding parkland. At the side of the house a courtyard area housed a carriage
in one barn and in another barn was an extremely interesting display of the
history of the estate. It had a time lapse film showing how the lake had been
dredged in 2013 removing over 60 years of silt build up. What was a metre-deep
lake becoming a three-metre-deep lake which is much healthier for the wildlife
that live in and on it. There was also a large interactive computer screen on
which you could view old photographs of the estate though the ages and the current
plants and trees through the seasons.
Just to the side of the tea room are the kitchen gardens and
glass houses. These again were showing the effects of the dry weather. There
was one shrub however that was very puzzling and had many of us guessing (see
below). On our return the invaluable internet revealed it as a pomegranate.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable visit despite a lot of
the plants being past their 'sell by date’. It could have been much worse, it
could have rained!
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Our programme of speakers for the year is now complete. We will reconvene on Monday 18 September 2017.
On May 15th, Frank Hardy gave us a fascinating talk entitled ‘Behind the Scenes – creating a Chelsea Flower Show Garden’. None of us had any idea what a complicated system it is: the length of time involved in the application, design and planning process, with no guarantee of a place would deter all but the most determined. Chelsea is THE flower show to be seen at, and a medal changes fortunes overnight! However, we understood that if you only get a Bronze medal – you are not invited back!
Frank
gave us a unique insight into what is involved, based on his experience building show gardens with his students at Pershore College. He told us how involved the students were, and how proud of their success. We heard that at least three times as many plants as are needed to ensure sufficient are at their peak for the show, and how the students learned to push some on and hold others back to get them flowering on exactly the right day. He can tell what day a plant in bud will come into flower.... All the plants are set out in pots, which is astonishing - no soil or pots must be visible anywhere.
We left with new respect for Chelsea exhibitors, and watched this year's show on TV with awe for all the work involved.
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The Labour-Saving Garden
Philip
Aubury began his career as a student at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, then
studied at Pershore College of Horticulture for the National Certificate of
Horticulture. Following various career moves, and the attainment of the RHS
Master of Horticulture Diploma, he was appointed Director of Birmingham
Botanical Gardens in 1987, a position he held for 20 years until he retired.In his extremely interesting talk on the Labour Saving Garden, Philip covered most aspects of gardening:
Planting
Shrubs, ground cover and herbaceous perennials are best for labour saving. Bedding plants are good for instant colour, and vegetables are definitely not!
Tools
He brought along a selection of labour-saving garden tools for us to see, including a hedge trimmer, an adjustable rake, pruning saws, a strimmer and many other smaller items - even a flame gun, and we were shown how to use this equipment properly. His advice regarding smaller garden equipment was to buy stainless steel rather than pressed steel. It costs more but lasts much longer.
Planting
Shrubs, ground cover and herbaceous perennials are best for labour saving. Bedding plants are good for instant colour, and vegetables are definitely not!
Tools
He brought along a selection of labour-saving garden tools for us to see, including a hedge trimmer, an adjustable rake, pruning saws, a strimmer and many other smaller items - even a flame gun, and we were shown how to use this equipment properly. His advice regarding smaller garden equipment was to buy stainless steel rather than pressed steel. It costs more but lasts much longer.
Techniques
Test your garden’s pH, because understanding this saves a lot of time and effort with planting - you can then buy plants that suit your particular soil so they are more likely to survive and fewer trips to the garden centre!!
Test your garden’s pH, because understanding this saves a lot of time and effort with planting - you can then buy plants that suit your particular soil so they are more likely to survive and fewer trips to the garden centre!!
Use mulch to keep
weeds down and cut the need for watering.
Among many useful tips about using chemicals
in the garden, Philip told us that Path Clear is much better as a
patio cleaner than Roundup as the effects last longer - definitely a
useful tip for what can be a major job!
Overall this was a
really interesting and informative talk by a very knowledgeable speaker.
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Making a Sensory Garden
On Monday 20 March, Christine Vick from the National
Herb Centre at Warmington near Banbury, gave us a fascinating insight
into all the senses that need to be
considered when making a Sensory Garden: Sight, Smell, Touch, Sound, Taste,
Activity, Movement, Stillness. I’m sure most of us would have thought
of some, but not all of these senses. Christine brought many examples of sensory plants
with her – all of which were for sale.
Texture and foliage are important in sensory gardens
Image credit: goo.gl/ggDmVD
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Image credit: goo.gl/ggDmVD
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My Desert Island Vegetables
Pauline Pears started her career testing weedkillers, but in the late 1970s joined an embryonic group that was interested in growing plants without chemicals. Today, that group is known as Garden Organic and Pauline is officially the charity's longest serving member. She's editor of The Organic Way.
Pauline Pears started her career testing weedkillers, but in the late 1970s joined an embryonic group that was interested in growing plants without chemicals. Today, that group is known as Garden Organic and Pauline is officially the charity's longest serving member. She's editor of The Organic Way.
Pauline has grown vegetables organically at home, and on various allotments, for many years. During an interesting and wide-ranging talk she listed her favourite veg, chosen as being very flexible in terms of when they are sown, and requiring very little supervision and care, as well as being tolerant about harvesting regularity.
Pauline's favourites turned out to be:
Chard - spinach beet, Rainbow, or Swiss
Leeks - any
Beans - particularly for drying and storing especially Borlotti and Haricots
Potatoes - any, but most especially Charlotte for all rounder, Golden Wonder for roasting, Ambo for baking and all varieties of Sárpo for blight resistanc)
Pumpkins - especially Crown Prince
Tomatoes - for outdoors, Mountain Magic has good blight resistance.
Pauline recommends Melcourt Sylvagrow peat free compost. If enough Club members are interested, maybe we can put in a group order to take advantage of bulk-buy discounts? Let Lesley or Tessa know if you would like this option.oooOOOooo
Cacti and Succulents January 2017
Ian Thwaites talked about cacti and succulents. He is an elected official of the British Cactus and Succulent Society as well as a prizewinning photographer.
Ian brought a tempting selection of cacti and succulents to show us and passed them round while he told us about growing these amazing plants, so we could have the full tactile experience of handling them. He was fascinating and very informative. His main tip seemed to be mixed compost with 30% grit or perlite, and not overwatering.
Our favourites among the lovely plants Ian brought along seemed to be the Echeverria Compton Carousel (top), a peach of a plant, which we all fell in love with, and the really extraordinary Euphorbia Obesa (right) which looks exactly like a sea urchin
We asked for an information sheet but rather than give too much detail Ian suggests we look at the BCSS site where there are several downloadable Cacti and Succulent factsheets.
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Christmas Decorations December 2016
Richard Cook showed us how to make our own Christmas decorations including wreaths, stars, trees and festive table pieces, just using waste material from the garden. He was a wonderful speaker, very funny and made some fantastic items
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The World of Roses - Ann Bird
https://www.gardenia.net/guide/best-english-roses-for-cutting
Ann Bird, past President of the Royal National Rose Society, gave us a
long and very interesting talk. She told us how she began with just 6 rose bushes
bought from the supermarket in the 1970s and eventually ended up heading the
NRS and leading the managing the complete overhaul and redesign of the NRS
gardens at St Albans. She is clearly an experienced speaker, having travelled
the world lecturing on roses, and her lovely slides were a treat, but their perfection
might have been slightly discouraging for those of us who struggle with
blackspot and other pests – not a flaw to be seen! She clearly has encyclopaedic knowledge about
roses, and enthused us all.
Ann recommended a visit to the inspiring gardens at Wollerton Old Hall in Shropshire,
and told us that Systhane Fungus Fighter spray is the answer to black spot.
Ann sent us a one page ‘how to’ sheet for
growing roses, and this is on the information page.
https://www.gardenia.net/guide/best-david-austin-roses-for-gardeners-in-new-england
