Quick links:
- 2023 season (opens in new page)
- 2022 season
- 2021 season
- 2020 season
- 2019 season
- 2018 season
- 2017 season
2022 Season
Quick links:
- November 2022: Fred Dinenage
- October 2022: AGM, buffet and quiz
- September 2022: "Putting the Garden to Bed"
- August 2022: "Interactive Pruning"
- July 2022: Club awayday
- June 2022: Members' presentations
- April 2022: "On the trail of Farrer: from the Dales to the Dolomites"
- March 2022: "British Alstroemeria and the UK Cut Flower Industry"
- February 2022: "Perennial Bordersa at Wisley"
November 2022 -
My Career and the Krays, Fred Dinenage
This was a particularly well-attended meeting with both members and guests enjoying a return visit from a VIP, popular television presenter and author Fred Dinenage.
Above: Fred addresses the Club
Fred spoke about his career in television, from his first job on a children's magazine programme at the age of just 20 to the crime documentaries which he is now producing for Sky. He illustrated his talk with lots of interesting and amusing anecdotes, for example about the superfan who has Fred's face tatooed on his leg.
He also told us about his involvement with the Kray Twins and how he came to help them write their autobiography ("Our Story", available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/OUR-STORY-Kray-Fred-Dinenage/dp/0330454641) in addition to a separate autobiography of Ronnie Kray ("My Story", also available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Story-Ronald-Kray/dp/0330335073/ref=sr_1_1).
Above: Glenn presents a copy of the Club's 60th Anniversay Miscellany to Fred
Members' competition
The monthly members' competition was for the ‘largest acorn’, which was determined by carefully measuring both the length and width (at the widest point) of each acorn and adding the two figures together.
First place went jointly to Bernie R and Jen G, with Elaine W taking 2nd place. Entries can be seen below (scroll to see them all).
Club News
The Club takes a break over the Winter, so the next meeting will be in February 2023 with the next newsletter being released in late January.
Details of the 2023 Programme can be found under "Programme of Events" at the top of this page. If you did not renew your membership at the November meeting you can do so by BACS by making payment to “Catisfield & District Gardening Club”, Sort Code 09-01-28 Account 80083701. Please use your name as the reference, and let the Chair know if any of your details have changed. New members should complete the form here: https://www.catisfieldgardeningclub.online/join-us.
In the meantime, feel free to keep up with other members, ask any questions or post about your own garden on our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/catisfieldgardeningclub.
October 2022 -
Annual General Meeting
Our October meeting took the form of our AGM, which was followed by a wonderful buffet (prepared by Jan!) then a fun table quiz.
Glenn was re-elected as Club Chair.
Above: Glenn addresses the Club at the AGM, surrounded by Committee members
After the rest of the committee discovered that he had never been received the Club's Banksian Medal - an RHS Medal awarded most years to an individual or couple who have made a special contribution to the Club - they unanimously agreed that this was overdue and so this year's Medal was awarded to our Chair Glenn Duggan.
Above: Glenn (right) receives the 2022 RHS Banksian Medal from Club President Doug Glading
Above left to right: 2 of the quiz tables, the winning table
September 2022 -
Putting the Garden to Bed, Roger Hirons
Coming from a family largely made up of medical professionals, Roger styles himself "the Plant Doctor". He is a qualified and very experienced professional gardener.
Above: Roger addresses the Club
Roger was keen to emphasise the importance of considering the environment when preparing the garden for winter, and his advice included:
- Don't over-tidy. Holding off on trimming hedges, leaving leaf piles and shrub trimmings on the soil and allowing perennials to die down naturally all provide valuable shelter and habitats to over-wintering birds and insects. Do, however, remove weeds and add mulch.
- When considering plants for winter interest, you may need multiple specimens for impact and pollination.
- Tie climbing plants and roses to supports - to guard against wind damage - but leave pruning them until spring
- When adding to log piles, always leave the bottom layer undisturbed as this will have rotting wood which is very important for beetles.
- Place bird baths and feeders close to shrubs and trees so that birds have shelter to retreat to.
- If you need to mow your lawn, do so on a high setting to leave the grass longer than usual. This is also the time to lay new turf or seed bare patches in your lawn.
- Clean out bird houses but then re-hang them as birds will need places to roost and will also be searching out suitable places for nesting next year.
Club News
Glenn thanked members for taking the time to vote for their preferred speakers and awayday for next year. He now has a useful list from which to build an interesting and varied programme.
Members' competition
August 2022 -
Interactive Pruning, Chris Bird
This was a welcome return visit from Chris Bird of Sparsholt College. He talked us through how and when to prune various plants and what tools to use, demonstrating the different techniques on a range of specimens which he had brought with him.
Above left: Chris demonstrates pruning techniques, right: Chris wields a Fiskars UP86 tree pruner
Chris's advice included:
- remember that "growth follows the knife", in other words if you prune one part of a plant you are likely to see new growth appear in that same area. To reduce the height of a shrub or tree, remove whole branches as simply trimming it back will encourage more growth;
- remove the 4Ds: Dead, Diseased, Damaged and Displaced (Crossing) wood;
- use the "rule of 3" i.e. for plants which need pruning aim to take out a total of 1/3 of the growth each year
Club News
Glenn advised that the October and November meetings are to be swapped round, with our AGM now scheduled for October and Fred Dinto enage visiting us in November. This has been updated in the website Programme.
Glenn will shortly be sending out to members a list of possible topics for next year, to enable us to vote on our preferred options.
Members' competition
July 2022 - Club Awayday
1. Gilbert's Dahlia Nursery
We had 38 Members and friends attend this year’s visit to Nick and Helen’s Nursery which specialises in Dahlias.
Nick Gilbert gave us a guided tour of his dahlia field and it was so hot we had to take refuge under the shade of some trees to hear the whole of his excellent guided tour. His advice for growing dahlias included keeping them supported and dead-headed, not watering too much (dahlias are drought resistant once established), using a feed which is not too rich in nitrogen, using SB plant invigorator to protect against aphids and fungi and applying ferramol based slug pellets in March or April. Theresa D mentioned that she finds a garlic spray effective against slugs and aphids.
Afterwards we enjoyed an excellent lunch and many of us vowed to return in August when the dahlia field will be at its best to enjoy the flowers and once again try the excellent food!
2. Sandhill Farm
After lunch we all moved to Andy McIndoe’s place; Sandhill Farm for a guided tour of his magnificent gardens. Andy explained some of the problems he had faced in creating his garden almost from scratch including a sloping site, drought and honey fungus. We very much enjoyed the tour and we ended by having tea and cakes in any shade we could find!
June 2022 - Members' Presentations
1. Wines of the Loire Valley, Alan Baxter
Alan spoke to us about the "terroir" i.e. how a particular region's climate, soils and aspect (terrain) affect the taste of wine. He explained what wine makers do at various times of the year and talked us through the various wines for which the Loire valley is famous. Despite many advances in technology, much of the work is still carried out by hand in order to ensure that the grapes are at the right stage for the type of wine being produced and that the skins are not damaged, so it is extremely hard work but with a great community spirit.
2. Baking Blind Goes Global, Penny Melville-Brown
Penny's naval career was cut short when she went blind in 1999. Like many disabled people she felt that she was expected to simply give up and live on her pension. Instead she set herself up as a disability consultant, helping disabled people start their own businesses and overcome the problems they might otherwise face in the workplace.
She was keen to help people understand how much blind people can do, so in 2015 she videoed herself making Christmas cakes. The video was a success so she followed it up with several others, developing her own website and Youtube channel: https://www.pennymelvillebrown.com/
and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWTJYx7jGA3xaR4830wJSRg. In 2017 she won the Holman Prize, an annual award for blind people who wish to pursue a project involving some form of "exploration", named after a Victorian naval lieutenant who explored the world solo despite losing his sight at the age of 25. Winners receive a cash sum to help them with their project, and Penny chose to travel the world cooking with both top chefs and local blind people in the countries that she visited. She talked to us about some of the ingredients grown and used around the world highlighting both the differences and commonalities, the people she met and her experiences, culminating in a serious road accident which almost killed her. All of her adventures are detailed in her book "A cook's tour: Baking Blind goes global" which can be obtained from Amazon.
Members' competition
April 2022 - "On the trail of Farrer: from the Dales to the Dolomites", Graham Poynter
Graham spoke to us about the journey from his home in the Yorkshire Dales to the Dolomites of Reginald Farrer, botanist and plant hunter.
Farrer was born in 1880 into a wealthy family who lived at Ingleborough Hall in Clapham, Yorkshire. He was home-educated, giving him plenty of opportunity to explore the local Dales where he gained an early love of plants. He later explored and collected seeds and specimens from the Alps, Japan, Korea, Canada, Ceylon and China before dying in Burma in 1920. He wrote numerous books, notably "My Rock Garden" and "The English Rock Garden" which are thought to have started the English fashion for both alpine plants and rock gardens. Graham based his talk around Farrer's visit to the Dolomites, as recorded in his book "The Dolomites" published in 1913.
The talk began with photographs of Farrer's family home and the plants growing in his local area, which included areas of limestone similar to those which can be found in the Alps. He then took us on a virtual walk following Farrer's journey through the Dolomites, with frequent quotes from the book which proved to be almost as colourful as the plants which can be observed along the way! In addition to alpine meadows it was surprising how many flowers clung to life on the dry, almost soil-less scree.
Members enjoyed the stunning photographs and a number of us I'm sure added the area to our list of "must visit" locations.
Members' competition
March 2022 - "British Alstroemeria and the UK Cut Flower Industry", Ben Cross
Alstroemeria are "cool" flowers, in that they need temperatures of around 13 degrees C at night so don't need huge amounts of heat even in winter; what heating they do need is supplied by a biomass system. They do not need a great deal of water either, only about 20 minutes / month in winter and the same amount but per week in summer. Each row will continue to produce flowers for 20-30 years so Crosslands only replace around 5% of their plants each year. They are grown in peat free soil, without artificial light and hand-picked rather than cut which encourages more flowers. .Pests are managed using biological control, companion planting and yellow sticky traps rather than spraying the plants with chemicals.
Ben also spoke passionately about the advantages of buying flowers from sustainable UK growers such as himself rather than imported flowers such as those usually on offer in supermarkets. These include:
- Lower carbon footprint.
- Flowers are much fresher (Ben's flowers are picked one day and with the customer the next)
- Flowers are supplied at the ideal bud stage, not necessarily in full flower. As an example, the flowers Ben brought with him to sell were still in bud form but within 3 days they were flowering as shown below, photo kindly supplied by Club member Jo B.
- Supports the local economy.
- Less damage and waste.
You can buy Ben’s flowers by contacting him on his social media channels - Twitter and Instagram @alstroemeriaben and on Facebook at @CrosslandsFlowerNursery.
Members' competition
February 2022 - "The Perennial Borders at Wisley", David Jewell
David's tips for creating a perennial border
- When creating a new border add lots of manure and dig it well. Aim for neutral to slightly acid soil - adjust the manure / compost dug in to achieve this.
- If you have a choice of size, buy the smaller pots. With perennials the root ball is unlikely to be significantly smaller in a 1 litre pot compared with a 3 litre one, and the plant will soon catch up.
- Think about the key elements you want e.g. colour, height, shape, habit and repetition.
- Apply general fertilizer to the bed in spring.
- Dead head regularly and apply a liquid feed after dead heading.
Members' competition
2021 Season
Quick links:
- November 2021: Annual General Meeting (AGM)
- October 2021: Heritage Apples
- September 2021: Growing Sweet Peas
- August 2021: 60th Anniversary Celebration
- July 2021: Titchfield Great Barn, Abbey and Shakespeare
- June 2021: Catisfield Trail
- May 2021: Garden Sale
- April 2021: Flower Quiz results and answers
- April 2021: "The Kew Millennium Seed Bank Project"
- March 2021: "Going Green(ish) - How I learned to stop fighting nature and work with it instead"
- February 2021: “The Astounding Flora of Australia”
- 2020 season
- 2019 season
- 2018 season
- 2017 season
November 2021 - Annual General Meeting
Members were welcomed to our AGM with glasses of wine or soft drinks and snacks, organised by Jan Purnell. The meeting commenced with reports from the various members of the Committee (including a vote of acceptance for the financial report) followed by an address from the Chair, Glenn Duggan. Glenn then stood down and handed over to the President for the election of the new Chair, which led to Glenn being re-elected. This year's Banksian Medal was awarded jointly to Rob and Jo Bocutt who, while not on the Committee, never fail to help out at meetings and events.
The current Committee were also re-elected and were joined by two new members: Vanessa Eastwood who takes over as Secretary and Lorraine Orridge who is a new Member.
Following conclusion of the formalities, members settled down for a fun game of bingo organised by Jen Glover, with some excellent prizes, followed by 3 rounds of "Would I Lie to You" in which Glenn, Theresa and Susan demonstrated their ability to fool everyone with their lies and half truths.
A link to the minutes of the AGM will be added here when they are ready.
October 2021 - Heritage Apples
Chris Bird from Sparsholt College gave us a very interesting talk about Heritage Apples.
Sparsholt hold the National Plant Collection of Malus domestica (apple) cultivars bred and grown in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight pre-1960 (16 cultivars) in addition to many other varieties. Chris brought examples of all of these to the Club, and members tasted 4 of the cultivars.
Chris spoke about th history of apples from their origin in Azerbijan to the current day, gave us examples of cultivars which mature at different times and of when best to eat them (some need to be stored for a while to bring out their full flavour). He also advise members on how and when to prune their apple trees, and identified a number of apple types brought in by members.
September 2021 - Growing Sweet Peas
The Club’s first monthly meeting back in our “spiritual home” Catisfield Memorial Hall took place on Thursday 10 September 2021 almost 18 months since the previous meeting at that location because of Covid-19.
The Club had to cap attendance to a maximum of 50 persons being allowed in the hall and an on-line
booking system was introduced. We had 31 Members attend and they enjoyed a combined talk by Jim and Mary McDonald on “Growing Sweet Peas for Exhibition & Pleasure”. There can be no one more experienced in growing Sweet Peas than this couple who have held a variety of posts within the National Sweet Peas Society with Jim growing these flowers for 55 years and heading up both the RHS and Sparsholt College Sweet Pea Trials Team looking at and developing new Sweet Pea Varieties. This couple have won many prizes up and down the country for their Sweet Peas. They grow them in their own garden for cut flowers and they have an allotment where they grow the flowers to produce seed and a good range of seed was available to purchase on the night and Jim and Mary sold quiet a few packets and so their flowers will be growing locally next year! Jim presented how he successfully grows Sweet Peas and Mary covered how Sweet Peas can be arranged for shows etc.
Preparing the Ground
Jim explained that ground preparations are very important. The ground is completely cleared and he prepares the ground between November and January. Sweet peas love a rich, moist soil so he digs trenches and includes compost into the planting area to enrich the soil and hold moisture during dry weather. He also adds Vitax Q4, Sulphate of Potash and Chicken Manure pellets about 2 oz per square yard. He then leaves the ground alone until March when the elements will have broken down any rough areas of soil. He then rakes and levels out the top few inches of soil to get a nice fine tilth whilst at the same time working in Vitax Q4, Sulphate of Potash and Chicken Manure pellets about 2 oz per square yard.
The Club had to cap attendance to a maximum of 50 persons being allowed in the hall and an on-line
booking system was introduced. We had 31 Members attend and they enjoyed a combined talk by Jim and Mary McDonald on “Growing Sweet Peas for Exhibition & Pleasure”. There can be no one more experienced in growing Sweet Peas than this couple who have held a variety of posts within the National Sweet Peas Society with Jim growing these flowers for 55 years and heading up both the RHS and Sparsholt College Sweet Pea Trials Team looking at and developing new Sweet Pea Varieties. This couple have won many prizes up and down the country for their Sweet Peas. They grow them in their own garden for cut flowers and they have an allotment where they grow the flowers to produce seed and a good range of seed was available to purchase on the night and Jim and Mary sold quiet a few packets and so their flowers will be growing locally next year! Jim presented how he successfully grows Sweet Peas and Mary covered how Sweet Peas can be arranged for shows etc.
Preparing the Ground
Jim explained that ground preparations are very important. The ground is completely cleared and he prepares the ground between November and January. Sweet peas love a rich, moist soil so he digs trenches and includes compost into the planting area to enrich the soil and hold moisture during dry weather. He also adds Vitax Q4, Sulphate of Potash and Chicken Manure pellets about 2 oz per square yard. He then leaves the ground alone until March when the elements will have broken down any rough areas of soil. He then rakes and levels out the top few inches of soil to get a nice fine tilth whilst at the same time working in Vitax Q4, Sulphate of Potash and Chicken Manure pellets about 2 oz per square yard.
Preparing the Seed
Jim recommends placing 3 layers of kitchen towel placed in a plastic box with a lid such as a sandwich box, Tupperware or takeaway food tub will be suitable. Add enough water to make the kitchen towel fully damp but without any standing water. Place the seeds on top of the damp paper, put a damp piece of kitchen roll on top and close the lid and place the box in a warm place – a boiler or airing cupboard is ideal. Check the seeds after 2 days and you should see that they have swollen up. Within 4-7 days the seeds will produce the small shoots of the root and growing tip – at this point the seeds are ready to be planted into compost. If there are seeds that have not swollen, use a sharp knife or file to make a small hole in the seed coat and return the seed to the damp paper.
Plant 2 seeds in a 75mm pot 12mm below the surface. Seeds are best grown in a multi-purpose compost. Jim recommends Jacks Magic or Sinclair with John Innes and Perlite added (1 part Perlite to 4 parts compost). The Perlite keeps the compost open and will help to protect the plant from frosts.
Once seedlings have appeared, grow on “hard” with no heat. They need protection from mice and extra insulation if the weather is extremely cold. Vermiculite can be placed on top of the soil to further protect from frost if necessary. Supply just enough moisture.
It is important that when the plants have 4 pairs of leaves you pinch out the growing point with the top set of leaves to encourage side shoots to form. These generally make a stronger stem than the original main shoot.
Timing of Sowing for Flowers
A sowing in early November will give you flowers in May. Sowing in January will give you flowers mid June to August whilst sowing at the end of January will give you flowers June to early September. Timings are subject to weather conditions. To have a succession of flowers keep cutting them and do not allow them to go to seed.
A further important tip is to cut off the tendrils with a pair of scissors weekly to prevent them clinging on to the flower stems.
Final Flowering Position
Plant out to final flowering positions as soon as weather and soil conditions are suitable - from early March in the south for us. Jim recommends a double row of Cordon Growing or Bush grown in a wigwam circle in each case using 6ft, 7ft or 8ft canes. When plants are healthy and strong remove from the pots knock out the whole root ball, which should be held together by the root growth, and plant to a little more than full depth with a trowel and gently firm soil around plant. If plants are more than 4” high time them loosely to the cane for support. An interesting tool for tying Sweet Peas to canes (which should be done every 150mm) is a garden gadget called the Tapetool Tapener which Jim showed us. It costs about £25 from Amazon but looks very useful indeed and of course can be used on all sorts of plants that need tying to sticks and posts.
Feeding & Watering
When plants are 1 metre high, start to feed with Tomorite and Miracle Grow using half the recommended strength. Apply Tomerite to the roots and Miracle Grow over the plants. Alternate between Tomerite one week and Miracle Grow the next. Water in during the evening. Do not let plants ever dry out.
Pests & Diseases
Slugs do damage Sweet Peas so use your usual method to protect your plants.
Greenfly – can do a lot of damage to Sweet Peas and the plants can be infected with a virus which gives the plant a mosaic appearance. Use a systemic insecticide. Roses usually receive greenfly first in the garden. When you see them on roses it is time to spray your Sweet Peas.
Jim’s Recommended Top Sweet Peas
Jim ended his talk with recommendations for his top 6 Sweet Peas. They are:
1. Gwendoline - magenta pink
2. Mrs Bernard Jones - pale rose pink
3. Mrs R Chisholm - white
4. Karen Louise - lavender
5. Sir Jimmy Shand - mauve stripe on white
6. Windsor - maroon
Another 5 of great interest are:
1. Kings Ransom - burnt orange
2. Joejess - orange/red
3. Olivia - pink stripe on white
4. Mary Mac - cream
5. Alec Cave - white, new for 2022
1. Gwendoline - magenta pink
2. Mrs Bernard Jones - pale rose pink
3. Mrs R Chisholm - white
4. Karen Louise - lavender
5. Sir Jimmy Shand - mauve stripe on white
6. Windsor - maroon
Another 5 of great interest are:
1. Kings Ransom - burnt orange
2. Joejess - orange/red
3. Olivia - pink stripe on white
4. Mary Mac - cream
5. Alec Cave - white, new for 2022
August 2021 - 60th Anniversary Celebration
A detailed report on this event can be found under "News and Meeting Reports" above, or click here: 60th Anniversary
July
2021 - Titchfield Great Barn, Abbey and Shakespeare
In our first "in person" meeting since March 2020, Keith Fraser from Titchfield Festival Theatre gave us a very interesting talk at Titchfield Great Barn. The talk covered the history of the barn and Titchfield Abbey (later Place House), and in particular the time during which it is thought that Shakespeare was living at Place House.
The Abbey was founded in 1231/2 by Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester, for Premonstratensian canons from France. When Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of the monasteries the site was given to the Earl of Southampton, whose family (the Wriostheleys) converted it into Place House; the existing ruins are primarily the remains of this building.
The barn was built in the Abbey's grounds in the early 15th Century, and was built on a grand scale largely because it was used as a victualling centre for soldiers on their way to fight at Agincourt. It is the 3rd largest in the UK, and its continued existence is thanks to the fact that it remained in use following the dissolution of Titchfield Abbey in a number of different capacities: as a venue for Christmas revels by the Wriostheley family then later as a barn for the nearby farm. It is now owned by Titchfield Festival Theatre who regularly present performances of Shakespeare's plays at the venue.
Shakespeare's mother - Mary Arden - was distantly related to the wife of the 2nd Earl of Southampton and it is generally thought that Shakespeare's "missing years" were spent at Place House. He is known to have been close to the 3rd Earl and dedicated his two narrative poems and a number of his sonnets to the Earl.
A very detailed history of the Barn can be found here: https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/e60010b6/files/uploaded/the_great_barn_a_short_history.pdf
Above left to right: Keith Fraser speaking to members, the rose garden at the Great Barn, the ruins of Place House
June
2021 - Catisfield Trail
Our June meeting took the form of a Local “Adventure Trail” Competition.
Question Papers together with Maps were provided to participants, who had 15 minutes to read the questions and decide the best route to collect the most points followed by 1 hour 30 minutes to answer questions and collect as many points as possible. The area covered Titchfield Rec and Abbey (below) to the West and up to and including Heath Lawns in the East, the A27 to the South and Blackbrook Road to the North.
18 Garden Club Members in 8 Teams take part, and the results were as follows:
Team: “Rojo” – 580
Team: “Anne & Hilary” - 440
Team: “2 Young Girls” – 415
Team: “The Hobbits” – 380
Team: “Margaret” – 345
Team: “The Harvesters” – 340
Team: “The Eastwoods” – 310
Team: “The Elstons” – 285
Congratulations to Jo and Rob B for an excellent 580 points total, they win first prize of a £10 Parker’s Gift Voucher and a Box of Chocolates, Anne N & Hilary R for 2nd place (a box of chocolates) and Lynn P & Margaret B for taking 3rd Place (again a box of chocolates).
A special mention has to be made to Margaret W who returned home after a long journey from the West Country and came along and joined in the evening and collected 345 points on her own without the benefit of a team with her. Great work Margaret and we are going to award you a special prize for your efforts.
Team: “Rojo” – 580
Team: “Anne & Hilary” - 440
Team: “2 Young Girls” – 415
Team: “The Hobbits” – 380
Team: “Margaret” – 345
Team: “The Harvesters” – 340
Team: “The Eastwoods” – 310
Team: “The Elstons” – 285
Congratulations to Jo and Rob B for an excellent 580 points total, they win first prize of a £10 Parker’s Gift Voucher and a Box of Chocolates, Anne N & Hilary R for 2nd place (a box of chocolates) and Lynn P & Margaret B for taking 3rd Place (again a box of chocolates).
A special mention has to be made to Margaret W who returned home after a long journey from the West Country and came along and joined in the evening and collected 345 points on her own without the benefit of a team with her. Great work Margaret and we are going to award you a special prize for your efforts.
A copy of the questions and answers can be found below.
May
2021 - Garden Sale
Our garden sale was held in the grounds of Catisfield Memorial Hall on Thursday May 13th.
Thanks to generous donations from Club members and our sponsors, Parkers and St Margaret's Nursery, we had 11 tables covered in plants in addition to gardening books and related items. A particular highlight was the raffle which included a beautiful hanging basket from St Margaret's, a gift voucher from Garson's garden centre, tools from Parkers, and some wine, chocolates and jam donated by members.
The sale was well-attended by both Club members and visitors and raised an incredible £668 for Club funds.
April 2021 - Flower Quiz
A big thank you to Jen Glover for putting together and running our Easter Quiz. The winners were Tina Lowe and Carrie Hands who both gained full marks for their answers and were awarded Easter Eggs for their Prizes. In all Nine Club Members submitted their entries, but we hope that others too enjoyed having a go at working out the answers. The full list of questions and answers can be downloaded by clicking on the button on the right.
April 2021 - "The Kew Millenium Seed Bank Project" – Sue Basson
This talk was hosted on Zoom by the Tender Shoots Garden Club Network.
Sue started by reminding the group why plants are so important. Not only do they provide us with oxygen but we use them for food, medicines, clothing, construction ... in short, no plants = no life! We are fortunate to have diverse plant life on earth with new species still being discovered, but it is estimated that 60,000 - 100,000 plants are under threat of extinction. To address this, the Global Crop Diversity Trush has set up 1400 seed banks internationally.
In the UK we have the Kew Millenium Seed Bank at Wakehurst Place, Sussex (pictured below). Sue described how this has capacity to hold seed from a huge variety of plants under ideal conditions. It specialises in seeds from the world's dryland flora and as of November 2020 it contains seeds from 25% of the world's species of these. In addition to storing the seeds a lot of research, training and education takes place there. One recent success story was when they successfully grew Ascension Island Parsley Fern, which had become extinct, and reintroduced it to the wild.
March
2021 - "Going Green(ish) - How I learned to stop fighting nature and work with it instead"
– Susan Kavanagh
– Susan Kavanagh
Due to ongoing Covid restrictions, this meeting took place remotely using "Zoom". Approximately 25 people attended.
Susan described a number of problems she had experienced in her own garden, in particular various fungal infestations which had forced the removal of a number of trees and shrubs, winter waterlogging on the heavy clay soil and an area of extremely dry shade caused by a neighbouring evergreen tree in addition to more common problems such as slugs and aphids. She then went on to describe how she had gradually moved from using chemicals and inappropriate planting to a more natural approach to overcoming these problems, including "right plant right place", natural methods for soil improvement and encouraging beneficial wildlife.
Above left to right: Dyers Mazegill, a serious fungus which fortunately only affects conifers; willow tree planted to reduce waterloggin; log pile (provides shelter for beneficial hibernators such as toads which in turn eat slugs, and a home for insects which attracts birds); 3 bin system for compost and mulch
After the presentation Glenn provided an entertaining 20-question quiz which proved to be extremely challenging. The quiz was won by Tiffany H with Margaret W and Hilary R joint runners-up, prizes were copies of the RHS Magazine "The Garden".
February 2021 - “The Astounding Flora of Australia” – Glenn Duggan
Due to ongoing Covid restrictions, this meeting took place remotely using "Zoom". Approximately 34 people plus a number of pets attended, and the talk was very well received.
Club Chair Glenn Duggan explained that he first encountered the flora of Australia during a visit to the country in 1983, and had remained fascinated by it ever since. The country is huge and contains a very wide variety of climate zones and landscapes, with the result that it is home to habitats ranging from desert to rainforest. Several areas are classed as "biodiversity hotspots" which means they contain a high percentage of plants not found elsewhere in the world (at least 1500 species) and are under threat.
Glenn talked us through a number of the plant families found in Australia and showed us lots of beautiful examples of these. He also explained that, although the 2019-20 fires were exceptional, smaller bushfires are a regular natural occurrence and a number of plants have adapted to survive these or even rely on them to propogate.
Above left to right: General scene from mountains of Australia; Flame Tree, a stunning tropical tree that flowers without leaves; Bottle Tree; Flame Pea, one of the first plants to quickly provide ground cover after a bush fire.
Glenn has provided the following links for anyone who would like to find out more:
- The Australian Government Department of the Environment Web Site on Australian Native Plants, full of information and good illustrations: https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa
- A website which sells Australian seed and sends it overseas to the UK: https://www.australianseed.com/shop/category/australian-native
- The following Web Site is full of information about Kangaroo Island which is one of the best places to see wild Australian flowers and fauna: http://www.brolgahealingjourneys.com
- A video illustrating just how dry Western Australia is but how interesting the plants are. This is filmed in a small botanical garden by an American gentleman, please be warned that he uses some bad language: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM8opZ4qDKs
December 2020 - Bay tree finds a new home
Glenn arranged with Jackie Wilson for the tree to be taken out of the ground and on Friday 18th December 2020 a small working party of Susan Kavanagh, her husband Robert, son Michael and son in law Dylan together with Edward Richardson who brought his Range Rover and trailer and Glenn Duggan loaded the tree on board and transported it successfully to the hall. Glenn had dug a hole the previous day and this had to be widened to take the root ball. The tree was successfully placed in its new location and given new soil and compost and a good amount of bone meal fertilizer. The two supports you see the picture are temporary to enable the tree to settle into the ground. If supports were placed close to the tree then this would enable air to get in the ground and this would impede the ground compacting which is essential for a mature tree with a good amount of leaves where there is a great danger of strong winds blowing it over. After Christmas when the ground has settled - and when we are allowed to meet up outside once more - the team will return to place the supports close to the tree.
It was interesting carrying out this activity under Covid (Tier 2) restrictions. Fortunately Susan's family are a single household so could work at close quarters, and the rest of the work was undertaken using a combination of social distancing and appropriate protective equipment.
Left to right: Robert takes his turn at digging under the supervision of Edward and Dylan; Susan checks the position of the tree; some of the team (Dylan, Robert, Susan and Glenn); the end result
March 2020 - Growing Vegetables in Raised Beds, Barry Newman
Barry Newman is a well-known Grower, Exhibitor, Lecturer and Judge, a Fellow of the National Vegetable Society and serves on its National Executive. As well as being a senior NVS judge, Barry serves on the judging panel of The Royal Horticultural Society and South & South East in Bloom. He is also a member of the South of England Agricultural Society’s Horticultural Committee and formally trained in horticulture at Pershore, York and Bath Botanical Gardens.
Barry gave the Club a very interesting talk about growing vegetables in raised bed, supported by lots of examples from his own experience. The advantages of growing in raised beds include:
- you can tailor them to the vegetables you are growing by using the right soil type and controlling nutrients and pH values
- as long as you can reach in from the sides you don't need to step on the soil so it's less subject to compaction
- the raised height means less bending and easier maintenance
- the soil can be warmed quickly and drains well
- it's easier to protect from pests than open soil
- it's easy to manage crop rotation
Barry recommended that raised beds be surrounded by materials such as woodchip or gravel rather than grass to discourage slugs and snails, made of any material which will last a reasonable time and filled with a mix of soil and compost in a 60/40 ratio.
Club News
The February members' competition was for the best daffodil / narcissus bloom.
The winner was Theresa Duggan with Sue du Preez in second place and Jo Drew in third place.
Last month's speaker had provided the Club with a number of dahlia seeds. These have now been divided into separate envelopes and members were invited to take one and grow it, with a view to seeing which member was the most successful later on this year.
Glenn mentioned the current concerns about Coronavirus and advised that the Committee would have a brief meeting at the end of the evening to determine how we should address this (post-meeting note: the April meeting has now been cancelled, advice about meetings beyond that will be issued as the situation develops).
Members' Competition
The February members' competition was for the best daffodil / narcissus bloom.
The winner was Theresa Duggan with Sue du Preez in second place and Jo Drew in third place.
Above left to right: Barry Newman judges the flowers, 1st 2nd and 3rd prize winners
February 2020 - Everything you want to know about dahlias, Michael Mann
Michael, keeper of the National Dahlia Collection for over 20 years, made his first visit to the club.
The National Dahlia Collection
atVarfell Farm near Penzance holds around 1800 varieties of dahlia. While this sounds like a huge number, Mike explained that there are actually around 74,000 named varieties of dahlia worldwide. Indeed there is a second National Collection in Sussex specialising in dark-leafed varieties.
Mike spoke about the history of these flowers, how to grow them and introduced us to a selection of varieties of different types. Among other interesting facts he told us that when the Conquistadors first came across dahlia tubers they thought they had found a new type of potato, and in fact the tubers are edible although generally viewed as unpleasant (https://www.cultivariable.com/instructions/root-crops/how-to-grow-edible-dahlias/).
Key tips for growing dahlias:
- they like sun, feeding and watering (they like tomato food every 3 weeks during the growing season) and regular dead heading
- they dislike standing in water (which is why some people "lift" dahlia tubers in the winter, particularly if they are in clay soil) and cold
- they are susceptible to slugs and earwigs.
Club News
The February members' competition was for Perfect Snowdrops.
The winner was Sharon Miles with Pat F in second place.
Glenn Duggan advised that Steve Austin has changed jobs and moved out of the area, with the result that he will not be able to visit us as planned in September to talk about Australian plants. Instead we hope to hold an evening of short talks from members, which have been very well received in the past. Any member who would like to give a brief presentation should contact Glenn.
Jan Purnell was thanked for organising leaflet deliveries for the coming year. Members were invited to take some leaflets home with them to pass out to neighbours who might be interested in joining.
A member had donated a year's worth of Gardeners World Magazines for anyone who wanted them.
Members' Competition
The February members' competition was for Perfect Snowdrops.
The winner was Sharon Miles with Pat F in second place.
Above left to right: Mike Mann judges the snowdrops, 1st prize winner, 2nd prize winner
2019 Season
Quick links:
- December 2019: Christmas Wreath making
- November 2019: AGM,talk, buffet and quiz
- October 2019: Everything you ever wanted to know about growing roses
- September 2019: Visit to St Margaret's Nurseries
- August 2019: Bees and the Gardener
- July 2019: Visit to Exbury Gardens
- June 2019: Making Gardening Easy and Economical so that you can spend more time sitting in it!
- May 2019: Annual Auction
- April 2019: 12 Months of Colour
- March 2019: Planning and Planting for the Year Ahead
- February 2019: The Modern Kitchen Garden
December Event - Christmas Wreath Making
November Meeting - AGM, short talk, buffet and quiz
Our November meeting started with this year's formal Annual General Meeting. Reports were received from the Treasurer, Secretary, Web Master, Meeting Ambassadors and Chair. Minutes to follow.
June Gurney stood down from the Committee and was thanked for her service with a gift of a plant.
This year's Banksian Medal was awarded to Susan Kavanagh for services to the Club, specifically maintenance of the website and production of the monthly newsletter. Rob and Jo Bocutt were awarded a plant as thanks for their contribution in helping to set up the hall for meetings.
Once the formal business was concluded, Lorraine Orridge gave an humorous and informative talk about her recent experiences completing a RHS Certificate Level 2 in Practical Horticulture at Sparsholt College. Lorraine explained that she had a lot of fun planting, propogating, pruning, testing soil and generally improving her practical skills, although she was less enthusiastic about the need to learn the full latin names of plants!
The evening concluded with an extremely challenging garden and general knowledge quiz set by Chair Glenn Duggan, which was won by Table 4.
October Meeting - Everything you ever wanted to know about Roses, Stewart Pocock
Stewart Pocock of Pocock Roses gave us a very informative talk.
Pocock Roses grow around 60,000 roses every year, mainly near Romsey in Hampshire and Mitchell in Cornwall. Stewart showed us a video of 12 months in their nurseries, before moving on to demonstrating how to plant and care for our own roses. Key points included:
- modern varieties are less susceptible to diseases
- there are roses suitable for any type of soil but they don't like waterlogged conditions or soil which has recently contained another rose
- mulch, feed and water your roses to keep them healthy. Make sure you water at the base, keeping foliage dry.
- roses prefer plenty of sunlight
- most pests will be kept down in numbers by natural predators, but sawfly can be a problem and should be removed by hand or chemically controlled
- roses can be planted bare-rooted or from pots. There is no need to tease out the roots.
- Don't be afraid to prune. For most roses just take 2/3 off strong stems between November and March and remove weak stems entirely.
Finally he showed photographs of a number of roses which he recommended for our region including Hanky Panky, Isn't She Lovey, Love and Peace, Rhapsody in Blue, Bright Star, Special Child, Twice in a Blue Moon, Lancelot, Natasha Richardson and Court of Hampshire.
Club News
The October members' competition was for the Largest Conker.
The winner was Glenn Duggan with his wife Theresa in second place.
Chair Glenn Duggan reminded members that tickets for the wreath making workshop at St Margaret's Nursery on Thursday 12 Dec 1.30pm can be obtained from our Treasurer Tiffany (https://www.catisfieldgardeningclub.online/committee). Tickets are £10 per person (non-club sessions are £12.50 per person).
Members' Competition
The October members' competition was for the Largest Conker.
The winner was Glenn Duggan with his wife Theresa in second place.
September Meeting - Container Plants
For our September meeting, members visited St Margaret's Nursery in Titchfield.
Those who arrived early enough were treated to a behind the scenes tour of the nursery from owner Pat Sutton.
After that we were split into 2 groups. One was given a talk on how to make sure our plants have the nutrients they need by Michael Sutton, the other was given a demonstration on how to pot up containers by nursery manager Charlotte and her colleague Skye. Afterwards the groups swapped over.
This was a very interesting visit with great advice provided by experts. Members also had a chance to look around the nursery - including its amazing fuchsia exhibition - and to take advantage of the 10% club discount to buy plants.
Members are reminded that they can get a 10% discount at St Margeret's whenever they visit simply by showing their membership card at the till, this was not a special offer for Club night. If anyone would like to recreate the container plantings which were demonstrated on the day, the diagrams below shows how they were planted up.
August Meeting - Thursday 8th August - “Bees & The Gardener” - Paul Summersgill
Paul'sgrandfather started keeping bees during the Second World War, largely because it entitled him to extra sugar rations! Paul himself has been keeping bees for around 20 years and now has 80 hives.
He brought his display beehive along to the club, containing around 20,000 bees, along with his tools and some jars of the honey which he produces. He gave us an extremely interesting talk about beekeeping, along with lot of facts about bees. Did you know, for example, that a queen bee lays 1000- 2000 eggs a day in the summer? Or that although queen bees live 3-5 years, worker bees only live for around 6 weeks and they only gather pollen during the last 1-2 weeks of their lives? Before that they carry out a variety of tasks including cleaning the hive, producing wax and guarding the hive.
Left to right: beekeeping tools and honey jars; Paul shows members the "skip" that he uses to capture swarms; Paul looks for the queen been in his display hive
Club News
Chair Glenn Duggan advised members that we will shortly be circulating a questionnaire which they can use to suggest topics for next year's talks programme and a venue for the 2020 summer outing.
Next month's meeting will take place at St Margaret's Nursery, Titchfield at the earlier time of 19:00.
Members' Competition
The August members' competition was for the Longest Runner Bean.
The winner was Jen Glover, with Sally Berryman in second place. A special prize was awarded to Bria Linford for the longest non-green runner bean.
The entries are shown below.
Thursday 11th July: Club Visit to Exbury Gardens
30 members of the group attended this visit on a lovely sunny day.
Exbury head gardener Tom Clarke met us close to the entrance and explained a little about the history and development of the gardens. He then led us on a walk through the Iris Garden to the new Centenary Garden, pausing on the way to tell us how to hybridise rhododendrons can be easily hybridised, and drawing our attention to some interesting plants as we passed them.
The Centenary Garden itself was designed by Marie-Louise Agius, great grand-daughter of the Garden's founder Lionel de Rothschild. It has been kept hidden for almost 2 years and was actually formally opened by HRH the Prince of Wales the day before our visit! Whereas Exbury has traditionally been known for its rhododendrons and azalea, at their peak in late Spring, the Centenary Garden is a summer garden with lots of bee-friendly flowers.
If you'd like to use any of the plants featured in the Centenary Garden take a look at the photos below, which show the plan of the garden and the plants used (you will need to zoom in to see the details). More photos from our visit can be found on our Facebook page.
June Meeting - Thursday 13th June - Making Gardening Easy & Economical so that you can spend more time sitting in it!, Roger Hirons
Roger gave us an interesting talk about how to reduce the amount of work you have to do in the garden by using the right features and plants in the right place. He brought along examples of many of the plants which he would recommend for different situations, and at the end of the meeting he offered these for sale to members.
Among his tips were:
- When you remove one plant, don't replace it with another from the same family. They will need similar nutrients, which will have been largely exhausted by the previous plant, so the new one will not thrive and will require lots of extra time and money to supply it with the nutrients it needs. "Family" is quite a broad term e.g. roses, potentilla and prunus are all members of the Rosaceae family; check whether the plant you want is in the same family as a previous one using the RHS website: https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants. NOTE: you can refill a pot with a plant of the same family as long as you clean it and use new compost, because this will give it a fresh supply of nutrients.
- For the same reason, don't have too many plants of the same family close together in your garden.
- When planting, don't just fill the hole with potting compost. Instead mix in 30% of the local growing medium (eg your own topsoil) because otherwise the roots will tend to stay within the area of the ompost.
- Buy shrubs / trees which only require one prune per year, and don't prune in autumn. Plant growth will be slowing down at this point and the plants will need some of the old growth to protect them through the winter.
- Buy herbaceous perennials in preference to annuals, they will re-grow for at least 4 years and can be divided by their roots to make new plants.
- Plants which grown on slopes in nature do not require good soil, because in their native situation nutrients will tend to be washed downhill by rainwater.
- When buying shrubs or trees, consider their ultimate height and spread because this will indicate how large their roots are likely to be. It is difficult to plant among a root system.
- Bordering your lawn with something around 4 inches deep but with their tops level with the lawn(eg a row of bricks on concrete) will reduce the need to keep edging the lawn and will also keep fungus from the borders away from the grass.
- Water new plants at various times of the day and various intervals (eg 2 days, 8 days, 4 days) so that they do not become dependent on a fixed watering regime. This will help them withstand periods when you are on holiday and unable to look after them.
Most of all, however, Roger emphasised that you need to consider your own preferences. If you love annual bedding plants then they're a pleasure, not a chore. You should aim to reduce activities which you view as a chore while not removing the pleasure.
Left to right: Roger Hirons talks to Club members; Roger's selection of plants; Roger talks to Club Chair Glenn Duggan
Club News
Among other items available to win in this month's were 2 plants grown from cuttings of "Catisfield Pride", a fuchsia developed by former Club President John Bridgland. Speaker Roger Hirons also donated some plants.
Glenn reported that the final figure raised from the May auction was £574 net, made up of: £500 in bids, 2 x £20 cash donations, £54 from the raffle with costs of £20 (for additional plants to auction) deducted.
Members' Competition
The June members' competition was for the Prettiest Rose.
The winner - chosen by speaker Roger Hirons - was Liz Avison who received a large box of biscuits, with Theresa Duggan gaining the runners-up prize of a set of plant lables. The winning entries are shown below.
Left to right: Liz Avison's winning rose, and Theresa Duggan's runner up
May Meeting - Thursday 9th May - Annual Auction
Chair Glenn Duggan writes:
"Although I have not received a final figure for last week’s Auction we know the Club made at least £550 which surpasses our previous best by £50.
For this we are grateful to you the members for your fantastic support in providing items and for your bidding on items including two members who donated £20 each because they could not attend.
We could not hold such a successful auction without the amazing support of our two sponsors; Parkers and St Margaret’s nursery. Parkers donated £70 worth of tools alone plus trays of plants and other garden items. St Margaret’s provided us with an array of quality plants and I know many of our members wanted to get hold of those trays. Our raffle was also a great success with quality items as prizes and that brought in £54.
For this we are grateful to you the members for your fantastic support in providing items and for your bidding on items including two members who donated £20 each because they could not attend.
We could not hold such a successful auction without the amazing support of our two sponsors; Parkers and St Margaret’s nursery. Parkers donated £70 worth of tools alone plus trays of plants and other garden items. St Margaret’s provided us with an array of quality plants and I know many of our members wanted to get hold of those trays. Our raffle was also a great success with quality items as prizes and that brought in £54.
A word of thanks to our hard working Committee who brought it all together. It was a very good fun evening enjoyed by everyone who attended."
Left to right: items laid out ready for the auction; Jan and Judy show a lot to the bidders; Glenn, Edward and Tiffany ready to start; lots included two "bokashi bins", and interesting form of compost bin which can be even be used for cooked meat
April Meeting - Thursday 11th April - 12 Months of Colour, John Negus
John showed us examples plants we can use in the garden to provide us with colour during every month of the year, summarised below. He interspersed his talk with challenging questions for the audience, details of his favourite varieties and useful tips about how to look after the plants he featured. Members who attended may be interested to know that the mystery final plant he presented ("Jester Plant") is formally known as Spigelia mairlandica 'Wisley Jester', details can be found here: https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/204703/Spigelia-marilandica-Wisley-Jester/Details
At the halfway point in his talk John gave away two prizes to audience members. The first was a pack of horticultural fleece, presented to the member who correctly responded that crumbly matter from the compost bin is know as "hummus"; the second was a box of lawn feed presented to the member who correctly identified "lumbricus terrestris" as the Latin for earthworm.
Following the tea break John continued on his theme but this time talking us through what wildflowers we can expect to provide us with colour during different times of the year (see below). He ended his talk by answering some questions from the audience.
Club News
Glenn advised members that if they are visiting Exbury with the Club they will need their Club tickets for the guided tour. However these are not admission tickets; members attending should provide their names at the ticket office on arrival where they will be provided with a ticket to access the gardens.
May's meeting will take the form of our annual auction. Contributions of plants or garden-related items (which can be interpreted liberally!) should be dropped off at the Hall between 6 and 7pm. Viewing is at 7:45 and the auction starts at 8pm. Admission is free for both members and non-members, but all are warned that they will have to stay until the end of the evening to collect any items which they have purchased.
Members' competition: Tallest Tulip
This months competition was for the tallest single tulip. The winner - judged by speaker John Negus - was Dawn Wallis with Pat Furminger taking the runner-up spot.
March Meeting - Thursday 14th March - Planning and Planting for the Year Ahead, Steve Austin MHort
Steve started his talk by giving a summary of his qualifications and work experience to date, from an initial diploma for which he studied at Writtle College in Essex to his current role as Manager of New Forest Plants nursery in Brockenhurst.
He then spoke about planning your garden. He emphasised that we should start by considering what it is we want from our gardens, not the plants that we will use. Considerations might include a requirement for an area for entertainment or play equipment.
The next thing to consider is style, and for this we can gain ideas is from open gardens, even though we may need to scale down when it comes to our own plots. We might want a formal garden with lots of straight lines and regularly shaped ponds, or an informal garden such as can be seen locally at Denmans near Fontwell. We may prefer a contemporary style, or a classic garden such as the rose garden at Mottisfont.
We should also think about the materials we want to use eg for paving, pots and decking, the colours we prefer and how our garden will look in different seasons. One thing which people often fail to consider is the surroundings; do we want to create a viewpoint / vista to highlight a fine view beyond our own borders, or hide a neighbouring eyesore?
Once we do move on to thinking about planting, we should start with identifying some trees or bamboo to provide structure. We should then move on to thinking about foliage, because for most plants leaves last a lot longer than flowers. Finally flowers, stems and berries are the finishing touch.
Once we have decided our design the next step is to prepare the garden. It is a good idea to enrich soild with manure before planting anything, ensuring that it is thoroughly dug in. If existing plants need to be moved we should aim to do this in December to March for deciduous plants, and from March to November for evergreens.
Steve then went on to talk about good plants for different seasons, providing ideas for plants which perform particularly well in different conditions and at different times of the year.
Finally he gave some helpful tips including:
- use a low release fertiliser, some commerical brands provide too much nitrogen in a single hit whereas a small amount released over time is better
- consider where you will position plants very carefully, especially for larger plants or trees because these will be difficult to move later on
- take lots of photographs and keep notes to help you identify what works well in your garden and what to avoid in future
- research before you buy, don't rely on plant lables for information
- water well when planting even if the ground is already wet, because this helps the new plant to bond with the soil.
Above: Steve Austin answers questions from members
Members' competition: Best daffodil / narcissus bloom
This months competition was for a single daffodil or narcissus flower. The winner - judged by speaker Steve Austin - was Theresa Duggan, with Ann Hudson taking second place.
Daffodil and narcissi blooms on display
Steve judges the flowers, with Chair Glenn Duggan
February Meeting - Thursday 14th February - The Modern Kitchen Garden, Barry Newman
Why grow your own?
- People are more knowledgeable and concerned about nutrition, eating well and the origin of their food.
- You can produce a steady amount of greens, fruit and roots throughout the year.
- Harvesting fresh produce in its optimum condition.
- We currently import 50% of veg and 95% of fruit.
Barry divided his talk into 3 sections:
- Open growing
- Container growing
- Raised beds
This is the traditional way, suitable for large gardens and allotments. You can grow a full range and cultivate crops that require more room.
Container growing:
Versatile and useful in a restricted space. You can use pots, troughs, grow-bags, old sinks and baths. Galvanized containers can be very effective, put in holes for drainage. Be artistic with your choices!
Containers will need 45cm of soil for moisture retention. They are suitable for organic growers who can be sure of the soil in the containers. Always fill your containers with 60/40 soil and compost, never just compost., and turn your pots regularly to get evenly growing plants.
Potato
sacks must be moved into the shade during hot periods. If they get too hot they will produce good leaf growth but not tubers.Barry uses special bags in his raised beds, see below
Plant herbs
in pots outside the kitchen door. If you use a strawberry planter
with several planting holes, ensure successful watering by inserting a plastic plumbing pipe into the center of the pot before putting in soil and plants. Make sure it stops level with the lowest of the planting holes and the top is level with the top of the pot.
When growing tomatoes:
- Put pots in a water bath to soak them through when you first start
- You can grow them up poles that are held in place using non-slip cord and clips.
- Grow one stem, remove lower leaves once the first set has started to ripen.
- Prune each truss after 12 fruit have formed.
- Trim back side shoots but remember the plants need enough leaves left to photosynthesize and grow.
- Planting into rings set into the ground is also a good way to aid watering and feeding. It also makes it much easier to hoe the weeds out without damaging the plants.
- Grow-bags have gone out of fashion as they can get very hot and dry out. If you want to use them, give them a good shake to plump up the soil and incorporate air, with the soil at one end of the bag fold under the other end to increase the depth of soil you plant in and use tomato rings to help watering.
- Tomatoes can also be grown successfully in hanging baskets. Barry grows Sungold cherry and Beefsteak tomatoes with Tumbling Toms in baskets.
Raised beds:
This is the best way to grow produce. They allow you to use space efficiently, allow you to "hospitalize" sick plants, and help you to avoid damage from slugs, snails and moles. They can be covered with mesh cages to keep out other pests.
Constructing raised beds:
- Beds can be constructed out of many sorts of materials e.g. railway sleepers, plastic, new oak, concrete gravel boards even stainless steel. They can be built high enough to sit on for less mobile gardeners and wheel-chair users. Always make sure that the top of the bed is level whatever the slope of the ground.
- They should be a minimum of 6” deep, you should be able to reach the middle of the bed to avoid walking on the soil and compacting it.
- Allow sufficient room to work from a kneeling position and move a wheel-barrow between them.
- Lay a mesh fabric on the base of the beds to prevent moles.
- Use gravel, old compost and the top soil from the paths to help fill the beds.
- Line paths with weed suppressing fabric then top wood chips or bark. You will then have all weather access. Solid paths are another option but loose laid paving slabs will harbor slugs and snails and gravel will be no deterrent.
To grow potatoes in a raised bed:
- Dig out a trench across the bed, use a powder fertilizer e.g. Vitax Q4, in the trench.
- Fill black plant bags (these have holes pre-cut in the base) with any sort of compost.
- Place a chitted potato carefully into each bag burrowing it down using your fist to protect it. Top up the compost and water. The roots will grow out of the holes so it is the soil in the bed that needs most water.
- Keep the leaves off of the soil to prevent detritus. The bags will keep all nasties out of the potatoes.
- To harvest: cut off leaves, lift bags and store in cool dry place. Empty bags as needed keeping compost for the following year.
- Grow bags can be used instead. Cut the bag in half with half the contents in each end. Roll down the top of each half and cut holes in the bottoms.
He recommends the varieties Venus, Defender and Ambassador. Barry also grows butternut squash up a hedge, he recommends the variety Hunter. There will be an article on growing like this in the May edition of “The Garden”, the RHS magazine.
Above: Barry Newman addresses our meeting
Members' competition: Perfect Snowdrops
This month members were invited to enter up to 3 snowdrops. The winner - judged by speaker Barry Newman - was Margaret Wellington.
Above: Entries for the "perfect snowdrops" competition
2018 Season
Quick links:
- November 2018: AGM and Quiz
- October 2018: Madeira and Horticultural Paradise and Economical Gardening
- September 2018: Netherlands and the Dutch People in the Second World War
- August 2018: Ventnor Botanical Gardens
- July 2018: Visit to Staunton Country Park
- June 2018: An evening with Fred Dinenage
- April 2018: Weeds - can we ever win?
- March 2018: Windowsill orchids
- February 2018: The history of floral art from cave paintings to present day
-
2017 season
November Meeting - Thursday 8th November - AGM, Quiz and Buffet
Our Annual General Meeting took place in November and was followed by a delicious buffet lunch prepared by Jan Purnell and a light hearted quiz.
The AGM was chaired by Edward Richardson. Minutes will be available shortly, but in the meantime the photograph above shows Pat Sutton from St Margaret's Nursery accepting this year's Banksian Medal from Edward.
The quiz was hosted by Jo Drew and won by "Flower Pot People" with the prize for the best quiz team name going to "The Has Beans"
October Meeting - Thursday 11th October - Madeira: a Horticultural Paradise (Matt Wakefield) followed by Economical Gardening (Maggie Allan)
Matt’s interest in gardening started at the age of 7 with a bowl of cacti. Later he tended a very windy garden on the roof of his east London tower block before growing exhibition dahlias on an allotment at around 11 years old. He subsequently studied at Capel Manor, Writtle University College and RHS Wisley where he obtained his Masters degree. He worked for as a lecturer in horticulture until he took a job with Fareham Borough Council, where he has now worked for over 26 years. His work is varied including responsibility for the design, development and landscaping of FBC parks, marketing and public relations, management of allotments and organising the annual Fareham in Bloom displays and competitions; Fareham has just received its 15th consecutive gold medal for the south and south east region.
Matt explained that Madeira is a subtropical island with temperatures ranging from 14-25C. It is, however, also quite wet with rainfall much higher than its nearest neighbours the Canary Islands. This provides a unique climate which enabled it to grow specialised crops such as sugarcane from the 15th century onwards, and later appealed to the plant-collecting explorers of the Victorian era. The northern part of the island still retains its original forest but the southern region has a lot of fine gardens, irrigated by levadas in areas where more water is required.
The talk focused on two specific gardens: the Jardim Botanico (Botanical Garden) and Monte Palace, both located on a mountain above the town of Funchal.
The Botanical Garden was originally created around 1881 as a private park for the Bom Sucesso Estate, and opened to the public in 1960. It is built on a rocky surface with very thin soil, but more was imported to provide a better growing medium. Covering an area of 8 hectares, it showcases a wide variety of plants both native to Madeira and from every continent and also acts as a centre for horticultural research. Matt showed us a lot of beautiful photographs of the Garden including floral carpet beds, topiary, succulents and trees. Of particular interest was the Cereus cactus whose flower open at night; Matt explained that this is because it is pollinated by moths. The Garden was partially destroyed by a forest fire in 2016 and traces of this remain in the form of blackened tree trunks, but fortunately much of the garden was rescued or has since been restored.
The Monte Palace garden is higher up the mountain, frequently covered in cloud. Like the Botanical Garden, it was originally the grounds of a private house (later a hotel) built on the rock so it relies on imported soil. Following the death of the hotel’s founder in 1943 the hotel closed and the estate was allowed to decline. In 1988 it was donated to the Berardo Foundation which set about re-establishing the gardens, and it was opened to the public in 1991. The 7 hectare garden incorporates ponds, lakes and naturally fed waterfalls and includes oriental areas. It is particularly known for its collection of cycads, tree ferns and orchids.
After the break club member Maggie Allan spoke to us about “Economical Gardening”. She explained that in her garden she expects every plant to be productive, either by being edible or by being easy to grow and propagate.
She suggested a number of cheap sources of new plants including supermarkets (particularly Tesco in the late evenings when stock is sometimes greatly reduced), newspaper offers and special / free offers at St Margaret’s Nursery.
Many of her plants are divided or separated in order to grow new ones including her dianthus, primula, euphorbia and New England aster. She has grown daffodils from a few bulbs found in a hedge and hyacinths from bulbs given to her as Christmas gifts. Other plants self-seed, or grow and spread easily (for example heather). With some plants she collects and sows seeds, for example she has runner beans which have been growing for several years from seeds collected at the end of the previous year. Other plants are naturally productive for example curly kale: you pick the outer leaves as required and new leaves then grow to replace these, with the result that it lasts for several months (she has also found it to be quite pest resilient).
Finally, she saves a lot of money by cutting her own trees and hedges and making her own compost, which she uses for her container plants. She has a compost bin and two compost heaps, and allows the matter to rot for 18-24 months before using it. Maggie's recipe for oven-dried tomatoes can be found by clicking the link below.
Between the talks Chairman Glenn Duggan advised that the talks schedule for next year is now complete and includes many of the topics which members asked for in the recent survey, although if any member would like to present a short talk of their own this would be very welcome either for after an external speaker or as an emergency fill-in should a speaker be unable to attend. Another new venture for 2019 will be a light-hearted competition for every month, with themes including the most beautiful daffodil and the biggest conker. It is hoped that our outing next year will be to Exbury Gardens on 11th July, including a guided tour and cream tea, for a cost of around £20 per person.
The November meeting will be the last for this year and will take the form of our AGM, a buffet meal and a quiz.
September Meeting - Thursday 13 September - Netherlands and the Dutch People in the Second World War, Peter Gulikers
Peter had been invited to speak to us as a result of our Chairman Glenn Duggan and his wife Theresa visiting the ‘Eyewitness’ Museum in Beek, Netherlands last year. So impressed were they with Peter’s guided tour of that establishment that they invited Peter over to give us a talk on the fascinating subject of Holland being invaded by the Germans and the hardships they had to suffer as a result. Peter who was accompanied by his 14 year old son Vaos stayed with Glenn and Theresa from Wednesday to Saturday and apart from the talk they were shown some of the many historical attractions around our area.
Peter began his talk by correcting the title of his talk from ‘Holland’ to ‘Netherlands’ for the name Holland applies to two of the 12 provinces that make up the Netherlands; North Holland and South Holland. Peter stated that the story begins in the First World War when the Netherlands remained neutral and Germany who invaded Belgium respected Netherland’s neutrality by not passing through the strategic Dutch province of Limburg. Instead the Germans detoured around. Because of the neutral position of the Netherlands many refugees sought protection from the Germans inside the country. By 1914 one million Belgian refugees were already in the Netherlands and refugees kept coming and tried to cross the border. As result construction began in the spring of 1915 of over 125 miles of 2,000-volt electric wire fencing with a height ranging from 5 to 10 feet spanning the length of the Dutch-Belgian border from Aix-la-Chapelle to the River Scheldt. In addition anyone who was not able to officially explain their presence, when found close to the fence, was summarily executed. It is estimated that the death toll was between 2,000 and 3,000 people. However, many also succeeded in overcoming the fence, often poll-vaulting over or tunneling under etc.
The period between the First and Second World War, known as Interbellum, resulted in turmoil in Europe followed by economic depression and gradually - as the 1930s arrive - Fascism was displacing democracy. In Germany it was the Nazis lead by Adolf Hitler, and in the Netherlands it was The National Socialist Movement that came to the fore and became more and more openly anti-Semitic. Heavy handed tactics were employed by ‘Black soldiers’ dressed similarly to Nazis. The Fascists exploited the economic situation by providing jobs and finance to those without jobs and creating organisations for the youth called ‘Jeugdstorm’. The people were extremely grateful for the jobs and their ability to have a better life. Meanwhile ‘storm clouds’ were gathering over Europe and war looked inevitable as the end of the 1930s was reached. As a result suppressed people in other parts of Europe started to make their way to neutral Netherlands. The Dutch government backed up this neutrality with little or no effort to defend the country with a fairly small army of about 300,000 men, no air force to speak of and a Navy based in the Far East where Dutch Colonial interests were centred. As Peter told us the Dutch had one tank on loan from Belgium but with an understanding that it would never be used in battle. Hand grenade training involved using potatoes as grenades!
At the outbreak of World War II in September 1939 the Netherlands proclaimed neutrality just as it had in World War I, but Adolf Hitler ordered it to be invaded anyway. Nazi Germany attacked on 10 May 1940 and on 14 May 1940, one day after the bombing of Rotterdam, the Dutch forces surrendered. The Dutch government and the royal family saved themselves by going to London. At first life under German occupation was not at all bad. The Germans spent money in the country and the regime was not too tough, many Dutch believing that life was like a holiday. The National Socialist Movement had become divided and had split into distinct sections one headed by long term leader Anton Mussert and the other under hard-line Seyss Inquart. The Germans chose Inquart to lead the country and in 1941 everything changed when the persecution of Jews began. They were increasingly isolated and forbidden to mix with non-Jews. Then on 22nd and 23rd February 1941 427 Jewish men were taken prisoner to work for the Germans in Germany. The Dutch responded by arranging a national strike on 25th and 26th February. The Germans responded in a brutal fashion announcing that strikers would be shot. As a consequence 9 strikers were killed and 24 badly wounded. Hundreds were placed in captivity and an even larger hunt took place for Jews. The psychological impact on Dutch people was immense. Despite this Germans were being killed by the Dutch resistance and the Germans were brutal by responding with the killing of a large number of people on most occasions and the destruction of blocks of houses. In one famous case a German Officer was killed and 7 Dutch civilians were executed immediately. The Germans then went to the town of Putten (which had nothing to do with the killing of the German) and sent 600 men to concentration camps of which only 48 men survived the war. Until the allies started to free the Netherlands resistance was concentrated on cartoons being circulated, along with underground newspapers.
In the UK Dutch forces that escaped the Germans or who were outside the Netherlands at the time of the German invasion made their way there, where the Dutch Government in exile set up their Headquarters. Though the Netherlands was occupied, by no means was all lost. The Royal Netherlands Navy had managed to get most of its ships to England (one, the light cruiser Jacob van Heemskerk was not finished yet and had to be towed). The Netherlands had a large merchant marine, which would contribute greatly to the Allied war effort during the rest of the war. A few Dutch pilots also had escaped and joined the RAF to fight in the Battle of Britain. In July 1940, two all-Dutch squadrons were formed with personnel and Fokker seaplanes from the Dutch naval air force: 320 Squadron and 321 Squadron. In 1942, an all-Dutch brigade was formed, the Princess Irene Brigade. This brigade would go on to participate in Operation Overlord in 1944.
Back in Netherlands the deportation of Jews, Gypsies and handicapped people continued at a pace. In 1939, there were some 140,000 Dutch Jews living in the Netherlands, among them some 24,000 to 25,000 German-Jewish refugees who had fled Germany in the 1930s. By 1945, only about 35,000 of them were still alive. This is a low percentage compared to other countries occupied by the Germans. There were good reasons however. Most Jews were poor, which limited their options for flight or hiding. Another factor is that the country did not have much open space or woods to flee to. Also, the civil administration was advanced and offered the Nazi-Germans a full insight into not only the numbers of Jews, but also exactly where they lived. Peter made a very important point in his talk when he said - and I quote - “Not all Germans are Nazis and not all Nazis are Germans”. The Netherlands had to contend with the fact that many Dutch fought on the side of the Nazis including the forming of the 34th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division "Landstorm Nederland" a division in the Waffen-SS.
After the Allied landing in Normandy in June 1944, the western Allies rapidly advanced in the direction of the Dutch border. Tuesday September 5 is known as Dolle dinsdag ("mad Tuesday") — the Dutch began celebrating, believing they were close to liberation but their celebrations were short lived. The failed attempt to capture the Rhine bridge at the Battle of Arnhem meant that while substantial regions to the south, including Nijmegen, Eindhoven and much of North Brabant, were liberated, much of northern Netherlands remained in German hands until March 1945. The winter of 1944–1945 was very harsh, which led to 'hunger journeys' and many cases of starvation (about 30,000 casualties), exhaustion, cold and disease. This winter is known as the Hongerwinter (literally, "hunger winter") or the Dutch famine of 1944. In response to a general railway strike ordered by the Dutch government-in-exile in expectation of a general German collapse near the end of 1944, the Germans cut off all food and fuel shipments to the western provinces in which 4.5 million people lived. Severe malnutrition was common and 18,000 people starved to death. Relief came at the beginning of May 1945 when the war was over. The Dutch then had to deal with the aftermath of almost 5 years of occupation which included the deaths of over 260,000 people.
Above: Peter Gulikers
Below: images from the Eyewitness Museum, Beek
August Meeting - Thursday 9 August - Ventnor Botanical Gardens, Brian Kidd
BBC Radio Solent personality Brian Kidd, a regular speaker for us, undertook one of his last ever public talks before retiring. Brian gave us an entertaining virtual tour of Ventnor Botanical Gardens on the Isle of Wight. Basking in the microclimate of The Undercliff, Ventnor Botanic Garden is one of the great gardens of Britain. Present is a subtropical and exotic plant collection. Plants that are normally found in protective glasshouses in other parts of the UK thrive and naturalise out of doors thanks to the mild climate and sheltered setting.
What was particularly surprising is that a lot of the gardens have only three inches of soil. Apparently the site was originally that of a hospital which was built in a rocky area, with just enough topsoil imported to provide some grounds. As a result much of it tends to be very dry, despite which none of the plants are watered; instead they chose plants which suit the conditions.
Originally under council control, the gardens are now privately owned and for the most part are maintained by volunteers from the local area.
The gardens include a large solar-heated tropical house, hyrangea dell, rock and courtyard garden and a number of country-themed gardens showing the flora of different regions of the world.
Highlights include foxgloves which reach 8 feet in height, tropical vegetables and fruits such as bananas. They also grow hops from which they produce their own Ventnor Beer.
After his talk Brian answered questions from the audience. He offered a particularly useful piece of advice for dealing with drought-stressed plants: if there are any green shoots at the top of the plant it is alive but cut out any sections of the plant which are brown ("if it's brown cut it down").
At the end of the meeting members were asked to complete a questionnaire expressing their views on what they would like the Club to cover over the coming months, and seeking interest in volunteering to help with Club activities.
July Meeting - Thursday 12 July - Visit to Staunton Country Park
On Thursday 12 July the Club had it's annual visit. This time we visited Staunton Country Park. Approximately 30 members enjoyed a talk by the Park's Chief Horticulturist; Chris Bailey followed by tea/coffee and cakes before a guided tour of the walled gardens and the greenhouses. We were then left to visit other parts of the substantial Country Park as well as the animals. Beforehand we were always concerned about rain interfering with the visit instead it was a very hot day indeed. Ideas for next year's visit are welcome.
Club Members gather for a group photo outside the Greenhouses at Staunton Country Park
June Meeting - Thursday 14 March - "An Evening with Fred Dinenage"
Our last indoor meeting on Thursday 14 June was an excellent evening, when local and national TV personality Fred Dinenage entertained us in that usual laid back ‘Fred style’. Fred was on top form as he told us about life inside and outside of television. “An evening with Fred Dinenage” was a lovely experience with lots of humor from things that go wrong in television presenting, to meeting the Krays and writing books about them.
Fred’s departure at 9.15 meant that after our tea break the committee could talk to the members about the Club generally and its future. There was a nice and open discussion with the membership and what was clear was that you want the Club to continue and you want it to succeed. It was interesting that the majority view was that you would help if asked and for instance the membership thought having a Tea Rota where members help get the tea ready and wash up afterwards was a good idea and something you would like to see set up. You also asked for a list to be produced on tasks that Club would like membership support for such as delivering pamphlets. You have asked for a Volunteers List to be produced and we will produce one for the August meeting. Several Members said they would consider joining the Committee and one member, Susan Kavanagh has indeed joined the Committee where her Newsletter and Web Page skills will be a welcome addition and take off of me as Chairman, some of the workload. I will be working with Susan during July to hand over responsibilities in this area to her. We hope that others who stated an intention of considering about joining the committee.
Fred’s departure at 9.15 meant that after our tea break the committee could talk to the members about the Club generally and its future. There was a nice and open discussion with the membership and what was clear was that you want the Club to continue and you want it to succeed. It was interesting that the majority view was that you would help if asked and for instance the membership thought having a Tea Rota where members help get the tea ready and wash up afterwards was a good idea and something you would like to see set up. You also asked for a list to be produced on tasks that Club would like membership support for such as delivering pamphlets. You have asked for a Volunteers List to be produced and we will produce one for the August meeting. Several Members said they would consider joining the Committee and one member, Susan Kavanagh has indeed joined the Committee where her Newsletter and Web Page skills will be a welcome addition and take off of me as Chairman, some of the workload. I will be working with Susan during July to hand over responsibilities in this area to her. We hope that others who stated an intention of considering about joining the committee.
April Meeting - Thursday 12 April - Talk by Dr Alick Jones on "Weeds - Can we ever win?"
Alick began his talk by talking about gardeners perceptions of weeds, he cited the case of Forget Me Not's, a beautiful plant when they first arrive in the garden and yet so productive that by the time the second year comes around they are considered a weed by most. He then spoke about the case of the Rhododendrun which most would not consider a weed, but the National Trust do consider them as weeds. It therefore follows that the term "weed" is an individual idea.
March Meeting - Thursday 8 March - Talk by Tony Nappin on "Windowsill Orchids"
Tony began his presentation by talking about mass produced orchids that we see commonly on sale in supermarkets and how they are often "shocked" into flowering before being put on sale. He then continued his talk by talking about orchids generally, explaining that there are approximately 28,000 orchid species with another 75,000 hybrids making an incredible variety of plants. Tony then concentrated on Epiphytic Orchids before turning his attention to how to get the best out of your orchids by explaining about the best growing medium, feeding and watering and the best pots to use. He then explained the differences between Terrestrial Orchids and Epiphytic Orchids and the difference in the care they need. Tony ended his presentation by looking at several member’s orchids and making recommendation to improve them. Tony ended by saying that if it works then keep doing it because a lot of orchid care is trial and error. A more detailed report on Tony's talk is found at the end of this section. Members Score 9/10
February Meeting - Thursday 8 February - Scheduled talk by John Trim on "Show Craft" replaced by a talk by Glenn Duggan - "The History of Floral Art from Cave Paintings to Present Day"
Glenn stood in for the published speaker who was unable to attend due to sickness. Not wanting to let members down Glenn quickly finished off a talk he had been preparing for such an eventuality and members were not disappointed. Glenn explained that flowers are like emissaries of beauty, greeting viewers with their myriad forms and colours. Indeed, the splendour they bring to Nature moves the hearts of people everywhere. That is why artists through the ages have tried to recreate their beauty in various art forms. The oldest known plants are 130 million years old and it is known that cave paintings began about 32,000 BC. Although no flower pictures survive it is likely that man did undertake flower paintings. Since that time the various civilisations such as the Egyptians, the Chinese, Greeks, Romans etc had engaged in floral art and Glenn showed examples of their work with some very good illustrations. Glenn took us through the ages and brought us to the present day by concentrating on the work of the great artists such as Henri Fantin-Latour, Van Gogh, Manet, Monet who produced floral work as well as other pieces of art. Glenn finished his presentation by talking about modern floral artists such as Warhol, O'Keefe and even Winston Churchill.
Members Score 9/10
2017 Season
Quick links:
- October 2017: Your lawn
- September 2017: Perennials for everyone
- August 2017: Visit to Shore Leave Haslar
- July 2017: Visit to Sir Harold Hillier's garden
- June 2017: Annual auction
- May 2017: a practical demonstration of gardening techniques
- April 2017: Plant Propagation from seed/softwood cuttings & Colourful Summer Containers
- March 2017: Roses
- February 2017: Vegetables all the Year Around
October Meeting - Thursday 12 October - Talk by Wilf Simcox; "Your Lawn"
Wilf provided information about the history of lawns in gardening and informed us about what is required to achieve a good lawn result and provided examples of what causes lawns to fail. Probably the most important point for the average gardener is not to cut the grass too short when it is mown.Members
Score
8/10
September Meeting - Thursday 14 September - Talk by Roger Hirons; "Perennials for Everyone"
Roger began his talk by explaining that there are over 2000 Herbaceous perennials and that their advantage is that they are divisible by root. During its dormant period the plant can be dug up and the root divided into sections. The original plant can be replanted and the plantlets potted up and planted out when new growth has formed. Prior to the introduction of plastic flower pots in 1969, nurseries would sell the plantlets bare-rooted from plants they grew in fields. A comprehensive report can be found below. Members Score 9.5/10
August Meeting - Thursday 10 August - Visit to Shore Leave Haslar
The Club held another successful away day this time part of the Club's programme and 30+ members made their way by car to Haslar Hospital and were greeted by Shore Leave's Manager and staff and were divided into two groups and shown around the very interesting memorial gardens which date to the 18th Century and are used by ex service personnel who use gardening as a therapy. It was very interesting to see their techniques and the large amount of flowers and vegetables that they grow on the site. Afterwards we sat down with coffee, tea, biscuits and cakes and enjoyed the gardens with many of the members purchasing the various items on sale which support this charity. Everyone agreed it was another successful Club Night and for the record it was a lovely summer's evening.
July Meeting - Thursday 13 July - Visit to Sir Harold Hillier's Garden Romsey
This was the first time that the Club has undertaken an away trip, other to St Margaret's Nursery locally and employed member's cars to undertake the trip to keep the cost down. The Club do not usually have a meeting in July so when the members indicated they would like to visit Sir Harold Hillier's Gardens and have a guided tour by the Director; Wolfgang Bopp who visited us during 2016 and talked about the gardens, we arranged a visit which attracted an additional charge of £12 each.
What a wonderful occasion, we had, 30 members attend and the travel arrangements worked very well indeed. On a wonderful summers evening we were treated to a sumptuous amount of information on an array of plants, shrubs and trees, that Wolfgang has an incredible knowledge of. Wolfgang's passion showed through the two and a half hours we had him to ourselves.
I think all of those who were there would agree it was a unique occasion and we were privileged to have been there. As dusk started to descend we made our way back to our starting point of Jermyn's House, for a welcome drink and nibbles that were demolished quickly, the walk and talk having built an appetite! The Chairman presented Wolfgang with a donation cheque from the Club which will go towards the gardens. The Club Members showed their appreciation for Wolfgang's tour by a very generous round of applause.
What a wonderful occasion, we had, 30 members attend and the travel arrangements worked very well indeed. On a wonderful summers evening we were treated to a sumptuous amount of information on an array of plants, shrubs and trees, that Wolfgang has an incredible knowledge of. Wolfgang's passion showed through the two and a half hours we had him to ourselves.
I think all of those who were there would agree it was a unique occasion and we were privileged to have been there. As dusk started to descend we made our way back to our starting point of Jermyn's House, for a welcome drink and nibbles that were demolished quickly, the walk and talk having built an appetite! The Chairman presented Wolfgang with a donation cheque from the Club which will go towards the gardens. The Club Members showed their appreciation for Wolfgang's tour by a very generous round of applause.
Wolfgang Bopp nearest the camera introducing our members to the head bust of Sir Harrold the founder of the gardens in his favourite part of the gardens close to Jermyn’s House during the July visit.
Photo 1 (Top Right) - Our members listening to Wolfgang's introduction. Photo 2 - Jermyn's House. Photo 3 - The wonderful flower beds of
Centenary Border. Photo 4 - Wolfgang introducing us to one of the rarest trees in the world the Wollemia nobilis Pine. This tree was only known through fossil records until the Australian species was discovered in 1994 in a temperate rainforest wilderness area of the Wollemi National Park in New South Wales by David Noble a field officer, Photo 5 - Another photo of
Centenary Border. Photo 6 - Members being briefed on the array of trees. Photo 7 - One of the unusual specimens of spruce trees Picea glauca or 'Alberta Globe'. Photo 8 - A very usual bamboo; phyllostachys aureosulcata spectabilis from Eastern China which has green markings on either other segment of bamboo on each side.
June Meeting Saturday 10 June - Garden Plant and Item Auction
This event was originally scheduled for Thursday 8 June but the unexpected calling of a General Election meant that the Club were unable to use the Catisfield Memorial Hall for this evening because it was being used as a Polling Station and we had to look for alternatives. The other users of the hall each Thursday were unwilling to give up one of their Thursdays in June and with no other evenings available John Ekins kindly negotiated with the Village Association for us to use the hall jointly with them, which they had booked for their Open Gardens event. he Auction was successful because it raised £291 for the Club and was enjoyed by those members who attended particularly as they picked up some real bargains. It was disappointing that both numbers of members attending and donated items from members were down significantly from last year. The amount raised was healthy however (about £20 down on the previous year) and we were left thinking how much more we would have made for the club if we had more members attend for we had 10 more lots and overall the lots available were of a high quality. The Chairman and Committee are very grateful indeed to those members who provided us with donated items and those members and others who came along to the Auction and generously purchased items. Particularly supportive was St Margaret’s Nursey who provided an amazing amount of plants and gardening items to purchase such as a tray of 18 geraniums going for £1.50. Perhaps the Qualcast Electric Lawnmower and Strimmer worth approx. £100 (the lawnmower hardly used and the strimmer not at all) going for £30 was the bargain of the auction and a St Margaret’s display hanging basket with over £45 worth of plants going for £11 being the star attractions.
Auctioneer Glenn and Treasurer Tiffany look on as Jan and Keith Purnell display a Lot to the bidders.
May Meeting - 'A Practical Demonstration of Gardening Techniques' - Brian Kidd -
Brian used his normal style of a laid back practical presentation with humour
to entertain the members with something he called ‘Four plants and a job!’ Members Score 9.5/10
April Meeting - 13 April - 'Plant Propagation from seed/softwood cuttings & Colourful Summer Containers' - Peter Chivers
Peter provided the members with a good demonstration of taking cuttings from softwood examples mainly and followed this up in the second half with a demonstration of constructing containers for the summer. His practical work was enhanced with a camera which projected onto the screen behind him what he was doing. Members Score 6.3/10
March Meeting - 9 March 2017 - 'Roses' by Glenn Duggan
The Chairman opened the meeting by announcing that the speaker; Stewart Pocock had to withdraw the day before he was due to address the Club because he was ill. This was the first time that a speaker had not been able to attend, certainly in the last 3 years and is always difficult especially with the lack of notice for the Club to provide an alternative speaker.
The Chairman mentioned that he had always had an interest in roses and he in particular had been looking forward to what Stewart had to say. Determined not to let the Club and its members down the Chairman had put together a presentation in very quick time and he delivered it to the members. Glenn started off by providing a quick history of roses which originate in the Northern Hemisphere in a wide range of areas from North America, Europe, North Africa and China. There are approximately 100 to 150 wild rose species found in those areas. Roses date back to something like 35 to 70 million years old. Nowadays thanks cultivars there are approximately 30,000 species of roses world wide and they are grown in all locations where it is possible to grow roses.
Glenn then turned his attention to what is needed to grow roses well. They need at least 4 hours of direct sunlight each day to achieve best growing conditions. There are however a number of species that do not require that sunlight (at least 60 are found in the David Austin catalogue. Glenn then explained with the aid of the Power Point presentation how to plant and look after roses. In particular he focused on the amount of watering each rose bush requires dependent upon the rainfall and the time of the year and the soil conditions. As a broad guide an established rose needs 5-10 litres of water at least once a week in summer. Glenn also covered pruning, mulching, taking cuttings, prolonging roses as cut flowers etc.
He then covered some "off the wall" rose items such as the use of potatoes in taking cuttings, the use of banana skins in providing nutrients to roses and how to create multiple coloured roses using a while rose and food colouring. By the end of the meeting everyone agreed that the absence of our published speaker had been brilliantly covered by our chairman who had provided an entertaining and informative talk. The icing on the cake was that as no fee had to be paid to the speaker the club had spent some money in purchasing 6 rose bushes for members to try their new found knowledge to plant and look after. Members were invited to answer 6 questions posed from the presentation and the 6 lucky prize winners took their rose bushes home with them!
Members Score 8.7/10
February Meeting - 9 February 2017 - John Trim 'Vegetables all the Year Around'
A new record was set for Catisfield Gardening Club when for the February 2017 meeting 53 attended which is 7 more than the previous record set last April when 46 members attended the talk by Sandy Worth "A Passion for Poppies". Those that attended heard a master describe their work, for John Trim is indeed a master of vegetables and the successful growing of them not only for consumption but for showing them and winning national prizes. What impressed everyone is the amount of dedication that goes into the raising of crops. John has a great eye for detail and the work involved is amazing - what a a talk, and what a great start to our season. We are delighted that 16 new members have joined the Club and with approximately 10 to 15 of last year's members expected to rejoin I think we can expect the attendance record to be broken in the coming months.
John Trim's advice can be found at the following link: http://www.allotment-garden.org/vegetable-show/
This link takes you to John’s 18 pages on the advice section of the very useful Allotment & Garden Web Site which has a wealth of advice. At the link click on each of the sub sections such as “Growing Potatoes for Show Cultivation” and you will find John’s advice on the right Compost Mix for Show Potatoes which everyone was interested to make a note of. Members Score 8.5/10
John Trim's advice can be found at the following link: http://www.allotment-garden.org/vegetable-show/
This link takes you to John’s 18 pages on the advice section of the very useful Allotment & Garden Web Site which has a wealth of advice. At the link click on each of the sub sections such as “Growing Potatoes for Show Cultivation” and you will find John’s advice on the right Compost Mix for Show Potatoes which everyone was interested to make a note of. Members Score 8.5/10
