Gardening Club reports – (if not dated, archived in no particular order)

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SHALBOURNE & DISTRICT GARDENING CLUB

MAY 2018 MEETING

Geoff Hobson was our speaker at the May meeting. Geoff has been growing orchids for many years, and started with a few sickly looking plants which he bought for a fiver. He knew nothing about orchids but set about finding out. Initially he grew his plants in heated greenhouses but since retiring and moving to Westbury he has restricted his personal collection to plants which can be successfully grown indoors on windowsills, providing the light is good enough and that they are kept fairly cool. Geoff told us that the orchid family is one of the largest groups of flowering plants on the planet. They can be found on every continent except Antarctica and in almost every conceivable habitat with around 30,000 species growing in the wild. The greatest numbers of orchids grow in the rainforests, loving the humidity and shade. However, not all orchids like hot conditions, many need cooler climates. Those species which grow at high altitudes in the mountains are acclimatised to temperatures drop very low at night.

Many of the forest dwelling plants are ‘epiphytes’, growing on the trees, clinging on with thick aerial roots and storing water in either fleshy leaves or thickened stems called ‘pseudobulbs’. Like our own native British species there are also many orchids that grow in the ground and these are known as ‘terrestrials’. Some orchids even grow on rocks and these are called ‘lithophytes’.

Sympodial orchids grow new pseudobulbs each year and those produce the next season's flowers. The pseudobulbs are excellent food storage organs which help the plants to get through drier periods in the year without dehydrating. If the pseudobulbs start to shrivel then this is a sign that the plant is too dry and it needs to draw on its reserves.

Monopodial orchids like phalaenopsis tend to grow with a central stem and fleshy leaves on either side. They also have aerial roots to help take up moisture as they have no pseudobulbs in which to store the water. These orchids tend to grow in habitats which are moist throughout the year, so they don’t need to keep a large store of water in bulbs.

Cymbidium orchids are called “boat orchids” and the flowers are usually large and display a patterned lip. The flowers can last from 8-10 weeks and come in almost all colors except blue. Cymbidium spikes bloom only once, typically in the early spring, although sometimes you can see flowers beginning in October and blooming all the way until June. Cymbidium orchids are popular due to their ability to thrive in cooler, drier conditions.

 Geoff’s tips:

Orchids do not like direct sunlight as their leaves can burn, so in summer keep them in dappled shade. Temperature fluctuation throughout the year is important for re-flowering.

Always water orchids from the top of the pot and allow it to drain through the open bark compost.

Water when they have dried out, don’t be afraid to keep the pot on the drier side as there are far fewer problems when orchids are kept too dry rather than too wet. 

With orchids growing in transparent pots, keep an eye on the roots to make sure they are green and healthy.

Orchids would not obtain many extra nutrients growing in the sparse habitats that they do so we should be careful not to overfeed them. You can add a little diluted tomato feed every 3rd watering.

A high nitrogen feed will produce leaves, and use a high potash feed for flowers. Rainforests are naturally humid places and creating this at home can be tricky. You can grow

other suitable companion plants such as ferns and air plants with your orchids, mist the foliage several times a week and stand the pots on damp pebbles from where the moisture will evaporate around the plants. Do not allow the plants to sit in a puddle of water.

After patiently answering many questions Geoff was thanked by Stephen Trapnell on behalf of the members.

The speaker at our meeting on the 5th June will be John Nicolass who will be telling us how to grow standard Fuchsias.

Jenni Blake

Gardening Club report – April 2018.

When faced with the massive choice of 80,000 plants, gardeners should always try to purchase “hard-grown” ones.

That was a key piece of advice from The Plant Doctor, Roger Hirons, at our April meeting.

“Buy way north of your latitude – especially in winter months,” he urged. The reason is that such plants are likely to appreciate warmer southern conditions, whereas those grown further south and brought northwards are likely to suffer, he explained.

Roger illustrated his talk with a range of potted plants, handing round colourful photographs to show how they should look when in their prime, and offering suggestions of those suitable for three specific conditions, often regarded as “difficult”.

Plants good for exposed sites on poor ground include Berberis gagnepaini, the wild rose Rosa Moyesii ‘Geranium’, which has large red hips, and Cotoneaster lacteus.

Verbascum tochis, with its spike of yellow flowers, particularly appreciates stony ground on a slope – as in Greece where it originally came from, he noted.

Other plants which do well in such conditions are nerines, Papaver poppies, Pink Evening Primrose and Agapanthus of which there are many to choose from. Roger’s advice for the latter was “Don’t feed them, and don’t plant them until they burst the pot.”

Among plants for dry shade he said one of his favourites is Mahonia aquifolium, and the Japanese angelica (Aralia elata) can look especially good against a Leylandii hedge. In passing he noted that another, the Chocolate vine (Akebia quinata), can produce edible fruits. “But you need to pick them before they open and the flies get to them.”

Along with ferns, for wet shade he highlighted foxgloves, dwarf mock orange and Japanese privet. And gardeners seeking a rose suitable for a north-facing wall should try Madame Alfred Carrière. “It’s vigorous and flowers for four months – but you must keep dead-heading it.”

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Vegetable growing tips aplenty were on hand at the meeting on June 3rd when the speaker was Ray Broughton, formerly Head of Horticulture at Sparsholt College.

A plastic box containing animal manure, covered with cling film pierced several times helps avoid greenhouse plants going short of the carbon dioxide they need for photosynthesis, he advised.

African marigolds are well known for deterring vegetable pests, but it is the dead flower heads which give off the chemicals responsible; so the plants don’t need to be grown in the vegetable patch, he explained. Just pull off and scatter the dead heads there instead.

Black and dark-coloured seeds can be made more visible on compost by coating them in flour, and excess sowings can be retrieved by using a plastic pen charged with static electricity by rubbing it, for example, on wool.

Potash fertiliser to encourage flowers and fruit needs applying in December, not near flowering time, said Mr Broughton who added that bone meal, a useful fertiliser, was generally over-used and so exacerbated phosphate pollution.

Silver clover is a promising new green manure crop, but as little as three weeks of ryegrass growth dug into the soil will also be beneficial.

White flowering runner beans, which are wind-pollinated, are the choice of commercial growers because they crop more reliably in poor weather than red-flowered varieties which need the services of insects.

Potatoes sown in bags of compost in July and fed early can provide a welcome new crop in time for Christmas; and lettuces thrive in north-facing cold frames, he noted.

The soil in raised beds, however deep they are, should be no deeper than 12 inches. Any space below should be filled with other materials such as compost, straw and newspaper to prevent anaerobic conditions developing.

Mr Broughton said he particularly liked a new variety of beetroot, named Burgundy, which does not need thinning because the globes are eaten young as a ‘baby beets’.

Looking ahead he anticipated more seeds being supplied coated with nutrients, water-retaining polymers and growth-enhancing hormones; and he viewed pots made from cereal wastes and impregnated with nutrients as an exciting development.

Our next meeting, at 7.30pm on Tuesday 1st July, will include the Great Potato Competition Weigh-In. Please bring your potential winning plants still within their pots for the judging. There will also be a quiz, plus drinks and nibbles.

At the brief Annual General Meeting, on Tuesday, 3rd December, there being no other nominees, Jenni Blake agreed to continue as Chairman for another year. She stressed, however, that she would not stand for re-election thereafter and she encouraged members to think about joining the committee.

Diane Close was unopposed as Treasurer, Annie Whitcher agreed to continue on the committee, and Ron Hoyes and Godfrey Maude were co-opted.

Jenni also reminded everyone to think more seriously about supplying plants for the annual spring sale. Judy Chidlow, who has provided so many excellent plants in previous seasons, is not able to do so this time. Apart from membership fees, the sale is club’s only other source of income to pay for speakers.

After the AGM, Annie produced a challenging cryptic quiz over which members pored during a buffet supper. Then Martin Truran brought out his guitar and encouraged all to join in singing Christmas songs as well as his own Gardening Club version of The Twelve Days of Christmas:Twelve bees a hummingEleven dibbers dibbingTen Ruths a sleepingNine Jims a laughingEight maids a mulchingSeven nettles stingingSix slugs a munchingFive bulbs for springFour Micky BirdsThree Monty DonsTwo gardening glovesAnd a sack of John Innes Number 3.

The first meeting in 2014 will be on 4th February when Val Bourne, an award-winning garden writer, photographer and lecturer will talk about snowdrops. This meeting will be open to non-members at £2.50 per head.

At the first autumn meeting of the Gardening Club on 2nd September, Ray Broughton was our speaker. He kindly stepped in to replace someone who had cancelled at the last minute for family reasons, and he did so only a day after flying back from a trip to America.

A frequent visitor to the club Mr Broughton gave us a wide range of useful practical tips some of which he had offered previously but which, from the replies to his queries, had clearly been forgotten.

Plants need carbon dioxide (CO2) for photosynthesis and growth, and the naturally occurring amounts in closed greenhouses could soon be used up over-winter, he noted. His solution? Fill a container with livestock manure and cover it with cling film pierced with a few holes to allow the CO2 from the decaying material to escape. “It won’t smell,” he assured us.

Hedge plants, like most others, benefitted from fertilizer; but it had to be one containing all the elements essential for growth – not just nitrogen, potash and phosphorus – and it was best applied via nutriballs. Consisting of a mixture of the fertilizer and vermiculite in parcels of kitchen paper, and buried at intervals of about a yard along the hedge, they provided a slow and particularly effective release of nutrients, he explained.

Misted sprays of whole milk (not pasteurised) were valuable tools against a wide range of pests and diseases, he suggested. White flies, increasingly resistant to insecticides, were just one species controlled by this method. “They are actually moths,” he pointed out.

Among a lengthy list of tasks for members to remember to perform was to apply sulphate of potash fertilizer - on Christmas Eve - to plants due to flower the next season. It was during January and February that the flower buds were formed, so later spring dressings were too late to be fully effective, he explained.

Removing the stigmas of tulips could extend their flowering period, and seeds should be stored in fleece, rather than modern brown envelopes. Unlike traditional ones they usually had a lining which prevented the seeds from breathing.

Mr Broughton also outlined the value of the zonal method of taking cuttings. In essence cuttings taken from the tips of plants tended to produce tall, leggy specimens and those taken from the base resulted in short, stumpy ones. The best approach, resulting in strong bushy plants, was to take cuttings from near the centre of the parents.

The next meeting, at which Paul Barney of Edulis Nurseries will be speaking on ‘Unusual Edibles’ will be on Tuesday, 7th October.

Contrary to popular belief ladybirds do not eat aphids. They bite the sap-sucking insects’ heads off and lap up the juices from them.

That was among the fascinating facts and tips from Ray Broughton, the speaker at our March 3 meeting.

He opened his presentation on Seasonal Work in the Fruit and Vegetable Garden by highlighting the threat from several novel pests in the UK.

The Harlequin Ladybird is a voracious feeder, each killing as many as 200 aphids a day – four times as many as the country’s native species. “The problem is that they eat other ladybirds,” said Mr Broughton.

The Spanish Slug, imported to the UK on salad crops, is orange, dumpy and about two inches long. It eats other slugs, but the concern is that it also feeds on dog faeces and so risks spreading disease, he explained.

The caterpillars of the Oak Processionary Moth are extremely aggressive feeders and have defoliated many oak trees on mainland Europe. The long hairs on their bodies are poisonous and can cause skin rashes and asthma. “Don’t touch,” he warned. The “relatively non-descript” adults, which look like many other small moths, also have irritant hairs.

The Asian Hornet, half as big again as a wasp and likely to arrive on these shores before long, has a “terrible sting” and is very aggressive towards bees, invading their hives and biting their heads off.

Mr Broughton said all such pests were increasingly likely given the expanding worldwide movement of plants and animals, and he warned that the fine for knowingly importing seeds without a licence is now up to £6,000.

At our next meeting, on April 7, our speaker will be Marion Dale whose subject will be ‘Where do our favourite plants come from?’ All are welcome, visitors £3.

Don’t try to rush oasis water uptake. Allow the foam to float and then sink unaided. That advice, to flower-arranging members at our 2 February meeting, came from Hungerford florist Sarah Styles*.

Trying to hurry the foam’s absorption by pressing it down into the water might appear to be successful. But by cutting open a block so treated Sarah showed how the centre remained dry preventing inserted flowers from taking up the water they required to ensure long-lasting arrangements.

Initially a nurse, Sarah explained how her flower-arranging hobby had steadily grown until, having produced about 300 wedding arrangements, she felt encouraged to leave nursing about a year ago and open her shop at 2 Bridge Street.

She gave a practical demonstration which held members’ attention for nearly an hour, the resulting wreath being raffled.

Starting with small pieces of foliage plants, such as rosemary, silver dust, pittosporum, and skimmia, she built up a greenish circle to which she then added various more colourful items. These included the thistle-like flowers of sea holly, sea lavender, white brome and golden rod. Cutting stems at an angle could help them penetrate the oasis, she noted.

Adding that it was perhaps surprising how relatively little material was needed, she pointed out that a single stem of many plants could provide several pieces for the display. Answering a question about the obviously good lengths of some of her plants, she explained that she bought many of them from Holland.

“If I order at midnight they can be in the shop by 6.30pm the next day. I’ve only ever been to Covent Garden once.”

When finally introducing yet more colour, she advised against using David Austin roses. “They’re really temperamental and quite difficult to work with. If you’re using them from your garden put them in at the last minute.”

Her display included flush pink roses and pink tulips (without their leaves), the completing touch coming in the shape of white hydrangea, a single head giving plenty of “broccoli-like” florets.

“You don’t need to over-order,” she said. “You can easily order too much stuff.”

Sarah offers nationwide delivery of hand-crafted bouquets from £25 with next day UK delivery (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays) for only £4.95.

* http://www.sarahstylesflorist.com

Leave your wallet at home but take a notebook.

That was the advice from Marion Dale, the speaker at our 3 May meeting to anyone visiting a garden centre with a view to ‘Designing your Dream Garden with Plants’ – the title of her talk.

“Impulse buys” are allowed, she concluded, but much better results should come from carefully considering a wide range of factors not least the garden’s size. An apparently attractive Eucalyptus in a small pot could soon outgrow it, ultimately becoming 45m tall and 12m wide, she warned.

From the start, deciding the garden’s style is important. “Ask yourself what look and feel do you want,” said Marion who illustrated several options including orderly and formal, informal cottage, modern contemporary, low maintenance, wildlife and themed.

Determine the soil’s pH (alkalinity/acidity) with a simple test kit before planting, she advised. “It will dictate what’s happy.” In large gardens it is worth taking samples from several places as the pH may vary, she added.

Check the Latin names of plants to avoid mistakes. The statement ‘Sorbus is a good tree for small gardens’ is correct only when the species is known, she pointed out. S.aria (Whitebeam) will tolerate limey conditions, while S.aucuparia (Rowan) prefers acid soil.

Soil texture is also important, and a simple jam-jar test, shaking the soil with water, allowing it to settle for 24 hours and then referring to the widely available ‘magic soil texture chart’ should help determine the soil’s class – eg clay, sandy, silt etc – and hence which plants are likely to thrive best in it, Marion explained.

“Mediterranean plants tend to like sandy soils.”

Bear in mind likely shadows as the sun moves, she urged. “Take photos at different times of day. Partial shade plants need about three hours of sun.”

Much of her talk was illustrated with names and slides of plants suitable for particular circumstances, and as well as the RHS website she advocated ‘Shoot Gardening’ (https://www.shootgardening.co.uk/plant/content/index) as a useful source of information.

The speaker at our next meeting, on 7 June, will be Ray Broughton who will talk on ‘80Things You Didn’t Know About Horticulture’. Visitors welcome £3.

REPORT FROM SHALBOURNE GARDENING CLUBAPRIL 2011

SHALBOURNE GARDENING CLUB IS NOW IN ITS TWELTH YEAR AND CONTINUES TO BE WELL SUPPORTED BY MEMBERS BOTH FROM SHALBOURNE AND THE SURROUNDING VILLAGES. OUR MEMBERSHIP REMAINS CONSTANT AND EACH MEETING IS WELL SUPPORTED. OUR MEMBERSHIP FEE REMAINS AT £5 PER PERSON.

THE CLUB HAS CONTINUED TO MEET IN THE HALL AND DURING THE PAST YEAR WE HAVE HAD SOME AMAZING SPEAKERS, PROBABLY THE MOST MEMORABLE BEING ‘THE MOLECATCHER’. ASK A MEMBER FOR MORE INFORMATION!

IT IS A CONSTANT BATTLE TO FIND LOCALLY BASED TOP CLASS SPEAKERS. AS A CONSEQUENCE FEES AND TRAVELLING EXPENSES ACCOUNT FOR MOST OF OUR BUDGET. OUR SOLE FUND RAISING EVENT IS THE ANNUAL PLANT SALE, WHICH THIS YEAR IS ON SATURDAY 7TH MAY. PLEASE COME TO SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GARDENING CLUB, YOU WILL BE SURE TO FIND SOME WONDERFUL PLANTS PRODUCED BY OUR ENTHUSIASTIC MEMBERS.

Jennifer Blake

At the September meeting freelance horticultural consultant Anthony Powell gave a fascinating talk about scented gardening.

Explaining that fragrance, be it from flowers, foliage and even resin, is far more complex than colour, he noted that a single scent may be composed of several hundred different molecules, whereas all colours are simply combinations of only three components.

Two members, smelling various flowers and even a banana while their eyes were closed, helped him demonstrate how hard it can be to describe a particular scent. Although reluctant to emulate critics’ descriptions of wines, he noted that fragrance is often associated with foods.

Perception of scents is often driven by people’s initial experience of it, he added. Whereas many people dislike the smell of flowering currants, he enjoys it because it reminded him of a childhood den – under a currant shrub. And using slides he showed how best to position and use the vast range of scented plants to enhance any garden.

The next meeting will be on 2nd October when Terry Baker of the Botanic Nursery at Atworth, Meksham will talk on 'Choice plants for lime soils, shrubs and perennials.'

There’s much to be wary of in a garden. That was the concluding comment from Marion Dale of Summerdale Garden Designs, our speaker at the November 3 meeting.

Her talk, ‘Wicked plants - which ones are hiding in your garden?’ began by describing some familiar poisonous ones – ragwort, foxgloves, laburnum, yew and holly.

Others, perhaps less well known, included the ornamental castor oil plant. Its seeds were the source of ricin, a poison 550 times worse than arsenic and for which there was no antidote, Marion warned.

The sap of many plants caused skin irritation, that from Daphne mezureum leading to severe blisters.

Morning Glory was “not as innocent as it looks”, its seeds having been fermented by the Aztecs to create a hallucinogenic drug like LSD.

Even rhubarb had caused problems. People had been taken ill during World War 2 after a booklet had been circulated suggesting the leaves could be eaten as a vegetable, she noted.

The Solanaceae family, including potatoes and tomatoes, also contained deadly nightshade and tobacco, the latter having “killed more people than any other plant”.

Marion highlighted the danger of misleading look-alike plants. Poisonous hemlock was hard to distinguish from cow parsley unless they were side-by-side.

Daffodil bulbs, which were poisonous, could be confused with onions, as they had during wartime food shortages in Holland; and lily of the valley leaves, which appeared similar to those of wild garlic, were also highly poisonous.

Other plants simply smelled offensive, Crown imperial (Fritillaria) having a skunk or dog fox scent, and flowering currant and common box, smelling of “cat’s pee”.

Some so-called “baddies” had, however, become “good guys”. Opium poppies were now grown to produce morphine, yew clippings and bark had been used to create the cancer treatment drug Taxol; and some daffodils (as well as snowdrops) were a source of galantamine used to slow the progress of Alzheimer's disease.

“If you stand in a garden almost anywhere in the countryside, it’s generally easy to see two or three poisonous plants”, said Marion who highlighted two places particularly worthy of visits - Alnwick Castle’s Poison Garden in Northumberland and Chelsea Physic Garden founded in1673.

Next month’s meeting will be our AGM and a fun evening for members.

Don’t struggle to divide and move perennials by the traditional method of using back-to-back forks in the autumn. Pull new spring growths from the plants, as if you are pulling rhubarb, and replant them instead.

That was among the many tips in Katherine Crouch’s illustrated talk and demonstration entitled ‘New Tricks for Old Gardeners’ at our 5 May meeting.

Katherine, a former BBC Gardener of the Year and Gardener of the Decade, gave an often humorous presentation. She showed how, by choosing appropriate plants and using suitable tools in perhaps new ways, club members could adapt and continue producing good results in cottage-style gardens well into old age; they are the type most people have and enjoy, she suggested.

She dismissed so-called low maintenance alternatives, such as the conifer and heather gardens which became popular in the 1970s mainly when a cancelled local authority contract left a supplier with 70,000 conifers to sell in a hurry.

Gravel-based gardens are “boring”, and wild-flower meadows are rarely as easy to manage as expected, especially on fertile land, she pointed out.

She showed how a well-chosen combination of species, such as blue Geranium Rozanne and pink Rosa Bonica which flower from May until the first frost, along with certain perennials, grasses and trees can provide colour and interest throughout the year with relatively little management and effort.

They even include a tough hosta – Devon Green which, with a little help from some Tesco chilli powder, can overcome the worst attentions of slugs, she explained.

For bulbs she advocated ‘ribbon planting’ to avoid moving most of the soil twice, and she showed how changing the way implements are held can reduce back strain. Particularly useful tools include a trowel with an extended handle and a three-sided hoe.

Katherine said she rarely needed heavy duty gardening gloves, singing the praises of those available from Somerset Avon Bulbs*; for especially fiddly tasks she suggested using a pair with the finger and thumb ends cut off.

And to show how braces are better than a belt at securing working trousers - they allow a size bigger to be worn and so ease bending – she resorted to an amusing striptease.* http://www.avonbulbs.co.uk/

You need to eat four modern oranges to get as much vitamin C as from a pre-War one, according to Sparsholt lecturer Chris Bird, the speaker at our 1March 2016 meeting.

In an entertaining and often amusing talk on fruits – top, stone and soft - he noted that as the latter in particular were becoming more popular, so plant breeders were striving to improve their nutritional value.

Demand for blueberries, cloudberries, and gooseberries is growing. “The invention of smoothies is one reason,” he explained.

His slide-illustrated presentation included several wide-ranging tips and advice.

Growers using plastic sheet to suppress weeds in strawberry beds should choose a woven porous type to avoid puddles damaging the fruit.

A recent introduction has been transparent polythene film for cloches which filters a specific light wavelength to stop botrytis disease.

Most mushroom composts no longer contain the amounts of lime which previously made them unsuitable for acid-loving plants such as blueberries.

Gardeners seeking a peach tree which resists leaf curl disease should try the new variety Avalon Pride, he suggested.

Dwarf cherries, growing to only 6ft, and so-called ‘step-over’ apples are useful for growers with small gardens.

“There’s no reason why you have to stick with traditional shapes of bushes,” he added. Fan-trained gooseberries are easier to pick and cover against blackbirds, for example.

Mr Bird stressed how red and white currants, which branch from single ‘legs’ differ from blackcurrants. The latter benefit from so-called ‘drop planting’ (leaving the soil 2in above top pot level) to encourage suckering and multiple shoots, he explained.

When pruning apples and pears apply the 3D & C rule. First cut out Dead, Disease and Damaged wood, then move on to C – removing any Crossing branches.

“And remember the adage ‘growth follows the knife’,” he advised.

Waterers fall into two camps, he noted. “There are dribblers and flooders.” Flooding, provided it is kept under control, is much the better approach.

* Tubers and pots for this year’s potato growing competition were sold to members, and free seeds for the club’s new pumpkin growing competition were also handed out.

Our next meeting will be on 5 April when Lois Philips will talk on The Art & Science of Compost.

Delay cutting back garden fuchsias until April to avoid losing the plants over winter. That was one of many tips from the joint speakers at our 4 October meeting.

In an entertaining evening which included plenty of husband/wife banter, Di and Peter Boor noted that there are thought to be over 20,000 different fuchsias but, they are all derived from just100 species.

Fuchsias grow wild mainly in Central and Southern America, the Caribbean, New Zealand and Australia, and are ‘not happy’ as house plants, warned Di. Most like semi-shade, but the thalia types originating in Mexico grow best in full sun.

“They all like different conditions. But if you know where they come from you’ll have a hint of how they’ll grow.”

Recent warm weather has been encouraging longer flowering, and most varieties should survive in the ground outdoors, she suggested. But over-winter losses are always possible. “So before you leave one out for the first time take cuttings. Once you know how to take cuttings, you’re away.”

Having shown how easily this could be done, Peter, who advocated using mycorrhizal fungi when potting on, urged members to avoid compressing the compost. It should be well drained, he added. The couple’s recipe is six parts 52% peat-based compost : one part perlite or vermiculite : one part sharp sand.

Rooted cuttings should be grown initially in 3inch pots, moving on to 5inches and then bigger. “The bigger the pot the better they will grow,” he said. “They don’t like being confined. Small pots are only for showing.”

Echoing his advice on compression Di recommended initially planting empty pots in hanging baskets to leave holes into which young plants could simply be dropped without disturbing their roots. “Make it easy for yourself,” she said.

Hanging varieties were not essential for such baskets, she added. “You can attach clothes pegs to pull down any variety.”

Dealing with most pests was simple, the couple claimed, four drops of Stergene handwash laundry liquid added to water in the sprayer being their solution. “It kills even white-fly,” said Di. “It coats the eggs and they die off.”

Tackling vine weevil, however, required the insecticide Provado. “And don’t re-use compost,” she urged.

At our next meeting, on 1 November, Kelvin Mason will be talking about bulbs. Open meeting – visitors welcome £3 per head.

Be careful when handling bulbs, corms and rhizomes urged Kelvin Mason the speaker at our 1 November meeting who offered a range of tips to get the best from them.

“Take care not to bruise them – they’re all living food storage organisms,” he explained.

A well-chosen selection can ensure that some will be in flower every week of the year, he added, illustrating the point with a slide show.

Outlining bulbs’ origins – tulips, for example, being native in free-draining soils in Iraq and other middle-eastern countries – Kelvin noted that UK growers now produce more narcissi than those in Holland. “But the Dutch do grow more bulbs overall.”

Some people are allergic to tulip bulbs, he warned. “Wear gloves.”

When buying bulbs, size matters. “The bigger the better,” he said. “Make sure they still have the outer skin on them or you’re losing food value, and make sure the root circle is intact. Don’t buy anything that’s soft –even if it’s only half price.”

When it came to planting Kelvin saw no benefit in using special tools, even when naturalising bulbs in lawns. It is better to remove an area of turf and replace it after planting, he explained. “It pays to fork over the ground to get some air into it - it’s also much easier than trowelling.”

However, with 10,000 bulbs to plant commercially, the best tool was a JCB!

Planting depth should be at least two and a half times bulb height. “Plant deep and you get better flowers. The deeper the better – three or four times the height means you’re less likely to put a fork through them later.

Only on really poor soil is it necessary to add well-rotted compost or manure. “Bulbs don’t like fresh compost or manure.”

Planting distance “depends on the size of your wallet”. “You’re better off planting a small area quite densely to create a drift of colour than spreading them about singly.”

Never cut, mow off or tie the leaves in knots after flowering, he urged. “They’re needed for photosynthesis to get food back into the bulbs.”

Bulbs in borders are best planted in the middle or towards the back so that dying unsightly foliage is less visible, he added.

Our next meeting, on 6 December, is the members-only Christmas gathering.

I attended the latest meeting of the Gardening Club believing that I knew a fair bit about bees. But having listened to a fascinating talk by The Wiltshire Beekeeper, Fred Smith, I realised how sketchy that knowledge had been.

The underlying thrust of his presentation was that bees treated gently respond equally gently and beneficially, pollinating crops and producing much more than honey and wax. Propolis, the resinous glue the insects use to repair cracks in hives, and the pollen they collect to feed their larvae were particularly valuable, Mr Smith explained.

Bees have received plenty of recent media publicity given the various threats they are under. These include varroa mite and a relatively new potentially devastating enemy, the small hive beetle. The latter, originating in Africa, had recently been found in Normandy, Mr Smith noted.

He explained how for about forty years the UK’s black bee had been crossed with more productive strains from elsewhere in the world, notably New Zealand. Unfortunately the latter were more disease-susceptible, so some bee-keepers were striving to re-instate native-only colonies.

Sadly borage, an excellent crop for bees, which UK farmers had begun to grow on a field scale, only recently, was now being produced more cheaply in China so the UK area had plummeted, he noted.

Smoking, the traditional ‘calming’ method used by bee-keepers, in fact fooled the bees into thinking that their hive was on fire. He preferred to mist them lightly with warm water that temporarily stuck their wings together to prevent them flying.

However. Mr Smith reserved his greatest criticism for the industrial exploitation of bees, notably in America, as crop pollinators. The exercise often involved transporting hives hundreds of miles by lorry. Given the noise and vibration involved, let alone the fact that many of the hives’ inhabitants were often left behind without a home, it was little wonder that populations there had fallen drastically.

Andrew Blake – 8th April 2010

Garden Club Reminders – The May meeting with a talk on “Understanding your Soil: The key to a successful garden” will be held on the 4th May and the annual PLANT SALE will be held on 8th May – both events in the Kingston Hall.

“The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.”

That quote, by former US President Franklin Roosevelt, concluded our first meeting of the year, on February 3, when Lois Philipps was the speaker.

At the outset Lois noted that 2015 was the International Year of Soils, a joint United Nations and Food and Agriculture Organisation initiative intended to raise awareness of the importance of sustainable soil management.

She cut and peeled an apple to show how limited the area of the world’s soil (represented by a small piece of the apple’s skin) really is.

Lois pointed out that it takes thousands of years for soil to form, but that the area needed to produce food, fuel and maintain biodiversity, was steadily being lost to urbanisation.

Her talk took members through the key known facts about soils, how they varied and how their properties could be manipulated through both inorganic and organic fertilisers.

She also highlighted how much remained to be discovered about the micro-organisms within soils.

“The soil in the average 250sq m vegetable plot contains the equivalent of half a cow,” she said.

During her presentation members had the chance to examine samples from their gardens for texture, and to test them for pH (acidity/alkalinity), and key plant nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus.

Her Soil Survey map of south-west England showed that most of Shalbourne lies on inherently acidic greensand deposits. So it was a slight surprise when most samples tested appeared to be pH neutral.

Lois accepted that the hall kitchen’s hard water used for the tests in the absence of distilled water might have affected the results; but the bright green which the test returned for one member from Fosbury clearly confirmed the alkalinity of her chalkland soil.

The speaker at our next meeting, on 3 March, will be Ray Broughton whose subject will be Seasonal Work in the Fruit and Vegetable Garden. All are welcome, visitors £3.

Members are reminded that their subscriptions were due on 1 February.

There are many reasons for wishing to forage for food in the countryside, not the least being that what you collect is free.

Others include learning about wildlife and habitats, eating seasonally and locally, and trying new recipes and flavours, noted Becca Flintham in her presentation ‘Food for Free’ at our 2 June meeting.

“It’s fun, especially for children when it can become a treasure hunt,” she said. Wild food is also becoming trendy in restaurants, she noted.

Becca opened her illustrated talk with a quiz based on the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 which she reminded members did not grant an automatic right to collect food.

However, surprisingly perhaps, all parts of plants - for example horse-radish roots - may be collected although the owner’s permission is required, she explained; and collecting from the wild with the intention to sell is illegal.

Her key advice was to collect “responsibly” working to a code of conduct: Disturb as little of the environment as possible Avoid disturbing nesting birds Take only what you need

Avoid digging roots Join a conservation group

& Stay safe: Never eat anything unless you are sure what it is Avoid collecting from polluted sites (below dog height!) If possible always wash things before eating them Eat small amounts of anything new to assess reactions/allergies Avoid wilted, diseased or sprayed plants

Among many books describing the wide range of wild plants that can serve as food, Becca highlighted ‘Wild Food’ by Roger Phillips, ‘Food for Free’ by Richard Mabey, and ‘A Hedgerow Cookbook’ by Glennie Kindred. “All Roger’s recipes are tested and he includes those that didn’t turn out too well.”

There is no shortage of choices whatever the season, she added, presenting extensive lists. Dried lime tree flowers apparently make an excellent tea.

For newcomers to fungi she urged members to seek advice from a mycologist and to avoid anything with white gills.

Her list of “can’t go wrong” plants to try included nettles, elder, wild garlic, dandelions, wild strawberries, blackberries, rose hips, crab apples, walnuts, chestnuts, cherry plums and sloes (blackthorn fruits). And for something both wild and foreign she suggested a soup made from young mallow leaves. “It’s a national dish in Egypt.”

Gentlemen may pee on their compost heaps, but ladies should avoid doing so.

That was just one of several pieces of intriguing advice Gardening Club member Lois Philips offered during her 5 April talk on the Art & Science of Compost.

Male urine contains nitrogen which may help maintain the optimum carbon: nitrogen ratio for making good compost. But that from females can also contain hormones which disrupt the activity of key microbes breaking down the various materials used as compost ‘ingredients’, Lois explained.

Pointing out that ‘compost’ could be both noun and verb, she said her talk would be mostly about the verb, i.e. making that ideally rich, dark crumbly material which gardeners crave and never seem to have enough of.

It has a simple recipe, she explained. “Organic matter plus air, water and time equals compost.”

Well-made it has many environmental benefits. As a peat replacement it avoids releasing carbon locked in bogs to the atmosphere; it cuts the amount of organic materials going to land-fill; and it reduces the need for neighbour-annoying bon-fires. It certainly saves money, may even save water and generally enhances wildlife activity.

Its addition benefits both clay and sandy soils, as mulch it suppresses weeds, and it’s a good base for making potting composts.

For what she described as a ‘cake-making process for microbes’ Lois listed acceptable ingredients and those which should not be used. “It’s best to avoid perennial weeds.” Diseased plant material, such rose leaves infected with black spot, and cooked food which may contain vermin-attracting meat, should also be shunned.

The aim should be a 50:50 mix of green and brown material, the latter possibly improved by shredding. “Christmas trees should always be shredded.”

Stressing that the optimum carbon:nitrogen ratio was 20:1, but acceptable up to 35:1, Lois noted that grass cuttings have a C:N ratio of 15:25.

Excess nitrogen, not enough air and/or too much moisture all lead to bad-smelling compost. Solutions include turning to aerate it and adding dry material such as straw or shredded cardboard.

Compost heaps not heating may simply be too small or have lost too much nitrogen – in which case gentlemen may consider relieving themselves, she suggested. “Or it may just be that the compost is already to use.”

In the club’s Great Potato Competition Weigh-in at our meeting on 5 July, Andrew Blake won two of the three categories – heaviest overall weight at 3lb 4oz, and greatest tuber number (25). Alan Aburrow grew the largest single tuber – 12oz. A total of 25 members competed this year.

Andrew’s technique, which involved extending the height of the production bucket provided by organisers Godfrey Maude and Jim Rowell, drew several comments and even an accusation of cheating, but the result was allowed to stand. Its impact on members’ competition attempts next season could be interesting.

During the assessments, conducted by Godfrey and Jim with Mary Maude recording the results, members took part in a tough two-part quiz organised by Jane Woodroffe. Consisting of a set of gardening anagrams and several quite obscure botanical questions it was won by a four-strong team led by Kim Bristow.

The next meeting will be on 6 September when members’ achievements in trying to grow the largest giant pumpkin will be judged.

At the October 7th meeting Paul Barney of Edulis Nurseries introduced members to some unusual edible plants. Among them was the Yakon, a native of South America grown for its sweet tubers, samples of which he passed round for tasting. A perennial 6ft tall by August a single plant could produce up to 13kg, he noted.

Allium hookeri, or Hooker’s Onion, was perfectly hardy and as a repeat flowerer it was a “bee magnet”, he noted. Widely grown in China its leaves and fleshy roots could be used as conventional onions.

The Hascap Honeyberry, bred by Saskatchewan University from a Japanese blueberry, had berries twice the size and sweetness and importantly did not require acid soil. Growers did, however, need to plant two clones to ensure pollination, Mr Barney advised.

The Earth Chestnut produced underground sweet tubers, like pignuts and had highly decorative white umbels of flowers. After harvest it was usually split for re-planting, but it could be left as a perennial.

The Chilean Guava, reputedly Queen Victoria’s favourite, was an evergreen not entirely hardy shrub producing masses of small berries tasting of strawberries, some of which he picked and passed round to make the point.

As well as producing black berries, the Mountain Pepper from Tasmania had peppery leaves which would “blow your head off”.

The Szechuan Pepper was very easy to grow and extremely hardy – Mr Barney said he had it as a 15ft tree.

Japanese Ginger, was a deciduous perennial whose basal flower buds, not the roots, were the edible parts. Given adequate water in summer it could grow 4ft tall.

Dittander and Turkish Rocket could provide salad leaves when normal sources were over, and Mr Barney extolled the virtues of Pentland Brig perennial kale. “It doesn’t get eaten by pigeons and it isn’t devastated by cabbage butterflies.”The evening ended with a light-hearted competition in which members vied with each other to show their best single flowers in three categories - the most perfect, the most fragrant and the most out-of-season.

Marcel Floyd of Floyds Climbers and Clematis returned to Shalbourne to talk to us for our opening meeting in 2017. From previous experience we were expecting an interesting and beautifully illustrated talk with lots of practical tips and also some great plants to buy. We were not disappointed.

We learned that Marcel fell in love with clematis at Chelsea Flower Show in 1984 and he used his parent’s garden to develop his skills in growing and propagating before setting up his nursery in 1992. He exhibited at his first show in 2003 and started selling to the general public in 2005. The nursery has open weeks in March and April details are on his website: www.floydsclimbers.co.uk

Floyd’s Japanese Tea House at the 2016 Chelsea Flower Show.

We learned that although there are numerous clematis species, hybrids and cultivars, for pruning purposes they are split into three distinct pruning groups based on the time of flowering and the age of the flowering wood.

Pruning Group 1This group are the early-blooming clematis that flower on shoots produced the previous season. They require no regular pruning except for the removal of faded flowers.  In subsequent years some training and perhaps thinning may be necessary. If renovation is required, plants can be cut back to 15cm (6in) from the base, after flowering.  This operation will affect flowering and should not be carried out again within three years. Prune mid- to late spring, after flowering and once the risk of frost has passedPruning Group 2This group are the large-flowered cultivars that flower in May to June on short shoots developing from the previous year's growth. Some flower again in late summer on new growth. They require only having the flowers cut off, back to a large growth bud immediately below the flower as soon as flowering is over.  They can, if preferred, be left unpruned other than for the removal of dead shoot ends in spring. Prune in February and after the first flush of flowers in early summerPruning Group 3This group are clematis that flower from mid- to late summer on the terminal 60cm (2ft) or so of the current year’s growth. If this type is left unpruned growth will continue from where it ended the previous season, resulting in a tangled mass of growth, flowering often well above eye level and stems bare at the base.  These late-flowering clematis are best pruned back hard in February each year to the lowest pair of buds. Prune in FebruaryTips included:

Mulch in October not in March, Feed lightly with tomato feed until flowering – start again after flowers have died. Container grown must have good drainage – renew compost every 2nd year. Through trees – plant on shady side and with water pipe into the ground. Porridge oats to discourage slugs

The speaker at the February meeting will be Chris Bird – interactive pruning – bring your own secateurs/pruning saws.

The quality of your pruning should not depend on the size of your bonfire.

That was amongst several often amusing pieces of advice during a talk on pruning tools and techniques by Chris Bird of Sparsholt College at our meeting on 7 February.

“Remember, growth follows the knife,” was his opening remark. “In other words the harder you prune, the harder it will grow back.”

Highlighting the differences between secateurs and showing how to sharpen them, Chris said he favoured by-pass types over anvils – the latter, unless really sharp, too easily crush stems to allow diseases to enter, he explained.

“Sharp tools are safer than blunt ones,” he added. But relaying a tale about a student’s lost finger, he said “You must look at what you are cutting. When new these tools are like surgical instruments.”

Top quality secateurs, such as those from Felco, cost about £50, but there are plenty of cheaper imitations which he suggested are more appropriate for gardeners who liked to leave a pair “at every station”.

Draw saws are particularly useful for reaching into the centres of shrubs and for cutting larger stems, he noted. “But a lot of people don’t realise that the power stroke is when you pull – which is different to carpentry saws when you push down.”

The blade should be no longer than six inches, he advised. “Twelve inch ones are too flexible.”

Chris also demonstrated how loppers, especially those on extending poles, are further useful pruning weapons.

“My other recommendation is a pair of good leather gloves - and don’t be tempted to try to control growth if you’re in your Sunday best.”

Outlining specific pruning approaches for a range of plants, starting with apples, he said the general aim should be to remove a third of the oldest growth. “The key thing about pruning is knowing when to stop. It’s all about balance.”

The exception is for species such as Salix and the dogwoods, where coppicing, i.e. cutting the stems almost to ground level, ensures the winter colour of young growth is maintained, he noted.

Stone fruits, such as plums and cherries, which suffer from bacterial canker and silver leaf disease should never be pruned in winter to avoid wounds which can allow them in. “Prune them in summer.” Festooning, a relatively new technique which involves bending and tying down long shoots until they set in their new positions, can encourage fruiting, he noted.

Climate change means the traditional timing for summer pruning, mid-July, has also changed. “We now recommend mid-August. We’re trying to age the wood to make a fruiting stock.”

He encouraged “directional pruning” – taking advantage of buds pointing in particular directions to fill in gaps, and advised against cutting back opposing shoots to equal lengths. “Make one longer than the other – it looks more natural.”

Pruned stems should always be “presented” to any training wires and tied in. Tucking them behind the wires causes weak points and breakages and is a sin, he warned one member.

The speaker at our next meeting, on 7 March, will be Kevin Hughes whose subject will be Spring gardens - trees and shrubs suited to any size of garden.Visitors welcome £3/head.

Beware of buying “pre-dead” plants from garden centres.

That warning came from Kevin Hughes of Heale Gardens near Salisbury, the speaker at our meeting on 7 March.

His advice was to avoid the attractive spring bulbs grown in cheap compost on offer in plant “supermarkets”. They have a tendency to be already dead, the bulbs often killed by frost, he explained.

“You’re far better off buying bulbs dry in the autumn and plant them out then,” he said. Doing so worked out much cheaper, he added.

An underlying theme throughout his well-illustrated talk on spring garden plants was that it is better to choose smaller species which can naturalise rather highly bred showy types.

Large-flowered daffodils hit by wind and rain tend to fall over, whereas dwarf types, such as Tête-á-tête “get better and better every year”.

Some of the best bulb plants, for example Tulipa sprengeri, are uncommon because they need to be produced from seed and so are commercially unattractive to Dutch producers, he explained.

Many shrubs, for example magnolias, have a reputation for not growing well on alkaline soils, which is generally a myth, Kevin noted.

“In fact they grow very well on alkaline soils as long as they’re fertile. Many plants which are reputed not to grow on alkaline soils have this reputation because of a few people who grew them on very shallow dry chalky soils with hard chalk only a few inches down.

“Most people in this country are rather stupid, and I include myself in this category, because we will not buy anything unless it’s in flower,” he added.

Planting young spring-flowering plants, such as Stachyurus praecox with its pale yellow bell-shaped blooms, too early puts the new leaves at risk of late frosts and the plants are quite likely to die, he warned. “If you plant them in May they will survive and next year’s late frosts won’t affect them.”

The majority of brightly coloured and tempting plants in garden centres are grown hydroponically. Having never experienced overhead watering they tend to disappoint as soon as they are rained on, Kevin pointed out. “And besides, who wants a blue primrose anyway?”

Conditions in the south of England mean gardeners can grow the widest range of plants in the world, according to Roger Hirons, the speaker at our 4 April meeting.

“It’s a golden space for us to work in,” he said.

Known as ‘The Plant Doctor’, Roger illustrated his talk entitled ‘Unusual Plants Available to the British Gardener linked to ecology’ with a range of potted samples including several hollies.

There are over 650 varieties of holly, some of which can live for more than 500 years, he noted.

An underlying theme of his presentation was the need to encourage wildlife.

One 10-year old message which he believes remains valid is that a quarter of all gardens should be managed specifically for that purpose to compensate for loss of habitats by more building.

Most gardens have areas, for example behind greenhouses and sheds, which can be made into ideal hiding places for small animals, birds and insects, he suggested.

“Tidy and prim is no good for wildlife,” he said. “Garden centres are making a fortune selling us bird seed, but if you can get the right balance of plants that will do it all for you.”

Much valuable information can be gleaned from gardeners working before the advent of garden centres, he added. “The Victorian Garden [TV programme] should be shown again and again.

“You don’t need the latest gizmos to have a good garden.”

One tip from those days is that porous bags containing human hair can help deter birds, he noted. “They were used to keep blackbirds off cherries.”

However, when it comes to encouraging birds, berry colour is important, he explained. “You need a range of colours to feed a lot of birds.”

What he described as ‘water displacement’ – the loss of water by run-off from hard surfaces – is “a serious problem”. Instead of letting your water butt overflow to the drain during winter, fit a long hose to it to water more distant areas and keep that valuable resource on your land, he urged.

The speaker at our next meeting, on 6 June, will be Marion Dale of Summerdale Garden Designs whose subject will be ‘The Perils and Pitfalls of being a Plant Hunter’. Visitors welcome £3/head.

Most of the plants used in this country for food and many other purposes come from foreign lands. That was the theme of an illustrated presentation at our 6 June meeting by Marion Dale of Summerdale Garden Designs.

During her talk, entitled ‘Plants that helped change the world (or tried to!)’, Marion showed how so many of the things we take for granted – coffee, tobacco, potatoes, chocolate, rubber and sugar all have their origins in South America.

Although Christopher Columbus discovered the cocoa plant it wasn’t until later that Hernán Cortés was shown by the Aztecs how to make its beans into a drink, she noted.

Sugar cane was known both as “White Gold” but also “White Death” because of the use of slaves to harvest the crop. “The life expectancy of those working on it was only half of those working in tobacco fields,” she said.

Tea was introduced to India only after some plants were smuggled from China, Marion noted.

Other less obvious contributors to materials used in this country include the dog rose, originally a source of perfume, the white mulberry used in silk-making, and Indigofera tinctoria from which indigo dye – the original colouring for jeans – comes.

Jeans were also first made from another import – hemp which was originally used for rope-making.

The Victorians used extracts from the coco plant, Erythroxylon coca, “The super drug of the Incas”, as a remedy for toothache; and the early recipe for Coca-Cola included cocaine and caffeine from the nut of the African Kola tree.

Quinine, made from the bark of another South American species, Chinchona, and found to help treat malaria in the 1860s, wasn’t replaced by a synthetic version until the 1940s.

In a classic case of mistaken identity, King James 1, in trying to challenge the French silk industry, imported 10,000 mulberry trees. Unfortunately he got the wrong species, Morus nigra, a native of Iran. It should have been Morus alba, from China, Marion pointed out.

Our speaker for our first meeting this autumn, on 5 September, was Sean Magee of The National Garden Scheme (NGS).

Sean told us that the NGS has a rich and interesting history that is closely connected with nursing in the UK. NGS is the most significant charitable funder of nursing charities in the country. The main beneficiaries are: The Queen’s Nursing Institute, Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Carers Trust, Hospice UK, Perennial, Parkinson’s UK and other guest charities.

Since 1927 the NGS has been inviting garden owners to open their exceptional gardens to the public for good causes, giving people unique access to some of Britain’s most beautiful, memorable gardens. Over the past 90 years, they have donated £50 million to charities across the UK, a rich blend of generosity that lies at the heart of the NGS.

Garden owners are able to share their passion and raise impressive amounts of money through entry fees, teas and most importantly, cake. Around 3,700 gardens open each year for the NGS, all of which can be found on the website (www.ngs.org.uk) or in the Garden Visitor’s Handbook which is published annually. 

Mary Berry of cookery fame, who has opened her garden for the National Garden Scheme for over 20 years, has recently become their President.

Ever since its foundation, the NGS has been primarily organised and managed by volunteer teams. Without them, there would be no National Garden Scheme. The teams are organised on a county-by-county basis throughout England and Wales.

Currently there are some 375 volunteers included in these teams. The volunteers find gardens to open in their county and look after the garden owners – who also support the NGS on a voluntary basis. They organise the events and help with the administration and promotion of the gardens at different times of the year.

Each open garden should offer a minimum 45 minutes of interest (difficult for very small gardens to achieve). However, Sean suggested that Shalbourne might like to organise a local event with several gardens in close proximity being opened together – food for thought when we have finished all our local fundraising projects?

Our next meeting will be on the 3 October when our speaker will be Chris Bird of Sparsholt College. Chris will be talking about growing good vegetables.

If the mark of an enthusiast is someone who, without notes, can talk for over an hour on a specific subject then Nick Gilbert, the speaker at our 7 November meeting is certainly an enthusiast.

Although his Romsey-based nursery, begun 13 years ago on a site which had been derelict for eight years, offers a wide range of plants, dahlias are clearly his first love.

He told us he had planted some in a 2.5 acre field next to the nursery when dahlias seemed to be going out of fashion and had opened it to the public.

“We had so much response, that we’ve now expanded to growing over 400 varieties.

“There was a time when some people considered them ‘horrible blousy things’, but over the years we’ve been highlighting that there’s a dahlia for everyone’s garden, and yes you can sneak some in.”

His new varieties are created mainly by hybridisation but also by growing from seed. “You never know what you’re going to get.”

He illustrated his talk with pictures showing the huge range of types and colours which include almost everything “except true blue”. There is even one with red and white petals on the same bloom named, after the War of the Roses, York and Lancaster.

The plant originated in Mexico, where the Aztecs used the tubers as food, and was brought to the UK in the early 1800s, he noted. “There’s even a tree dahlia which grows to 20ft in Mexico.”

In his wide-ranging talk he offered valuable tips on planting, staking, taking cuttings and storing tubers.

Some members realised they had made a mistake by cutting back their recently frosted dahlias to ground level. They are best left untouched for a couple of weeks to allow sugars in the leaves and stems to be transported to the tubers, Nick explained.

Shalbourne & District Gardening Club.

December 5th. 2017.

Annual Report

ANNUAL REPORT for 2017, we have enjoyed a varied programme with a diverse range of topics. Our speakers have generally been very good, some better at presentation than others but all knowledgeable and happy to answer members questions.

We have had quizzes and a potato growing competition, and we arranged for discounted seeds, compost and other garden related items.

The membership increased in 2017 and there was generally a good attendance for our meetings which is always encouraging, but we do need to maintain this level of interest and to encourage some younger gardeners to join us.

The club is in a viable position with sufficient funds for the coming year. However, we will continue to fundraise to maintain our policy of providing good quality speakers and to maintain the interest of regular members. Our plant sale in the hall this year was successful and surplus plants were sold at the May Day Fair. Having lots of helpers on the day of the sale was great and even more so when we decided to sell the leftover plants at the Mayday Fair. Attending the extra event is something which we need to keep under review - it certainly helped our coffers but it is a tie and we will need to be assured of members’ support. More members helped to produce plants this year which was a good as we were let down by the wholesale nursery and had to buy plug plants from local sources which restricted the variety and quality. For 2018 may we suggest that you buy seeds and produce your own plants for growing on? Please read the gardening articles, watch the TV programmes and keep an eye on which plants will be in fashion and let the committee know what you will be producing for the sale.

You may recall that there had been many difficulties with our bank, the NatWest, and at the 2015 AGM a resolution was passed that the bank account should be closed and transferred to a more suitable institution. This was acted upon and we are now banking free of charge with Barclays as a small community account. This has saved us a fairly substantial sum which will be used to help fund speakers. During November the treasurer was surprised and delighted to receive a cheque for £1500+ from the NatWest in respect of incorrectly applied charges – we won’t be going back!

I would like to record thanks to those members who have done so much to support the committee in running the club both voluntarily and coerced – they know who they are and I do not want to embarrass them, but a big thank you to you all.

Shalbourne & District Gardening Club is at the heart of the community and welcomes all to its meetings. I hope that you will agree that it is a friendly gathering where members, friends and visitors are able to exchange plants, tips and expertise. I would like to see it continue but

we do need new blood to help run and develop the club and to give us some fresh ideas – any volunteers?

Jenni Blake 30-11-17

“If you think good design is expensive you should look at the cost of bad design.”

That was the warning from Serena Fremantle, the speaker at our meeting on March 3.

As a freelance garden designer she won a Gold Medal at the 2015 RHS Chelsea Flower Show with a display highlighting the craftsmanship involved in making Sussex trugs.

Having outlined the many benefits arising from gardening Serena explained how she went about her work.

The key factor at the outset of any new garden design was getting the answer to “How do you want to look after it? Three times a week, once a week, twice a month, or do you want minimal maintenance?

“Most of my clients have a gardener – or two,” she admitted. “But remember a garden is only as good as the gardener who looks after it.”

Using illustrations of her various projects, past and present, she stressed the importance of creating “balance”, for example between short and tall plants, the impact of soft and hard edges, and the value of including open spaces – lawns and/or terraces – for relaxation.

To help plan and choose appropriate flowering plants she uses a colour wheel, but always respecting clients’ wishes, for example “no yellow at all”. She also employs a drone for initial aerial surveys and drawing up plan overlays. “It’s much clearer than using Google Earth,” she explained.

It is important to remember that gardens change, she added. “Don’t forget that all plants have a life span – and there’s nothing wrong with change. But I do come across gardens where things have got out of control.”

“All new projects are challenging and I’m always learning”, she said.

For members seeking reliable sources of plants Serena recommended Bradford-on-Avon based Arvensis Perennials and Hardys Cottage Garden Plants near Whitchurch.

The speaker at our next meeting Roger Hirons, the Plant Doctor, will talk about ‘Plants for awkward areas in your garden’. Visitors welcome at £3/head.