2025 Programme
Unless otherwise stated below, talk meetings take place at Catisfield Memorial Hall. Please aim to arrive from 7:15pm for a 7:30 start. Admission is free for members, £3 for non-members and includes tea or coffee and biscuits. Meetings finish by 10pm.
- 13th February - “Bees and Other Pollinators” - Alan Baxter
- 13th March – “Mottisfont's Roses” - Michael Harvey
- 10th April – “Gardening the Globe" – Alan Gregory
- 8th May - Garden Plant Sale
- 5th June - Visit to St Margaret's Nursery
- 12th June – “Born in the USA: the colourful trees and shrubs of North America” – Martin Young
- 17th July - Club Away Day – West Dean Gardens
- 7th August Guided Tour of Titchfield Abbey
- 14th August – “My Garden Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)” – Steve Oakes
- 11th September - “The Scented Garden” – Anthony Powell
- 9th October - “Vegetable Growing techniques, ideas and advice” – Barry Newman
- 13th November - Annual General Meeting
13th February - “Bees and Other Pollinators” – Alan Baxter
Alan is a Qualified Beekeeper, managing about 15 colonies of gentle honey bees in 3 apiaries and breeding his own queens. He is the author of the book "Fit2Fight" with practical help for beekeepers in managing the Asian Hornet, available from: https://www.northernbeebooks.co.uk/products/fit2fight-baxter/
Members' competition: “The Winter Garden” – a display, in your own container, of your best winter flowering perennials (for example Hellebores, Witch Hazel, Cyclamen), maximum
5 stems
13th March – “Mottisfont's Roses” - Michael Harvey
Michael is the Senior Gardener at National Trust Mottisfont Abbey, looking after the national collection of roses from pre 1900 and the walled garden.
Members' competition: “Spring has Sprung” – an arrangement, in your own container, of either narcissi, crocus or snowdrops, a dozen stems maximum of the same variety.
10th April – "Gardening the Globe: the Horticulture of the Commonwalth War Graves Commission (CWGC)" - Alan Gregory
While gardens may not be the first thing that springs to mind when considering the CWGC, the Commission employs more than 850 gardeners worldwide with many subcontractors. From the outset, their concept was more of garden cemeteries where equal thought and design was given to horticultural elements as to the ‘built’ elements. It even had a show garden at the Harrogate Spring Flower Show in 2024.
Members' competition: “It’s Easy Being Green” – a display of any flowers from your garden in a re-cycled or re-purposed container. The more imaginative the better, as long as it easily fits on the table!
8th May Garden Plant Sale.
Our Spring Sale on Thursday 9th May will be supported by our Sponsors St Margaret’s Nursery, but to make the event a success what we really need are DONATIONS. We need all members to support the event so please try to find something to donate for this sale e.g. plants, cuttings, pots, tools, garden furniture, books… in short anything which could be related to the garden in any way.
Plants should be:
- Healthy
- Labelled: as a minimum state the type of plant and if possible the colour and size they will become.
This year we will be having a “bargains” table. Plants which are not fully labelled, weak, still very young or of which we have too many, may be added to that table.
Please bring your donations to the Memorial Hall between 3.30 & 5.15pm on May 8th. If this is not convenient please contact Susan at newsletter@catisfieldgardeningclub.co.uk and she will let you know where you can drop off your items, or make arrangements for their collection.
For the sale itself, please try to bring some loose change and boxes or bags to carry your purchases; we hope to have card payment facilities at the final payment table but won't have this for the raffle. There will be an express entrance for members who remember to bring their membership cards..
5th June - Club Visit – St Margaret's Nursery, Titchfield, 7pm
A guided tour and chance to look behind the scenes at St Margaret's. Meet at the nursery.
12th June – “Born in the USA: the colourful trees and shrubs of North America" - Marin Young
Martin is a horticultural speaker based in Weymouth. Formally in the RAF, he is a keen plantsman with a keen interest in butterflies, moths and plants which attract them.
He is also an active member of Plant Heritage and takes a keen interest in plant conservation and the National Collections of Dorset.
He is also an active member of Plant Heritage and takes a keen interest in plant conservation and the National Collections of Dorset.
Members' competition: “Flaming June” – a vibrant and colourful summer floral arrangement of 5 stems maximum, to be placed in the club’s vases (approx. 8” high).
26th June - Club Visit – St Margaret's Nursery, Titchfield, 7pm
A guided tour and chance to look behind the scenes at St Margaret's. Meet at the nursery.
17th July - Club Away Day – West Dean Gardens near Chichester
Guided tour by the Head Gardener 1pm. Cream team 3pm in West Dean College's Oak Hall, which is not normally open to the public. Ticket price is £23.
7th August - Private guided tour of Titchfield Abby
Guided tour by the Custodian 7pm. Feel free to bring a picnic. Tickets £5.
14th August – “My Garden Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)" - Steve Oakes
Stephen has been a volunteer speaker and guide for the RSPB for over 38 years, and is also a recorder for Butterfly Conservation. This talk looks at species of butterflies and moths that regularly visit gardens, together with the larval food plants and flowers that benefit them.
Members' competition: “Picture Perfect” - Back by popular demand, a double competition, with TWO sets of prizes! In a botanical theme, either:
- create a beautiful painting or drawing in a maximum size of A4, or
- take a stunning photograph of something in your garden, maximum print size of A4.
11th September - “The Scented Garden" - Anthony Powell
Antony initially trained at Hillier Nurseries and then did an HND in amenity horticulture at Askham Bryan College in Yorkshire. Since then most of his work has been in private gardens although he also did a placement with the National Trust. He has made a number of visits to the Pyrenees, been on a Botanical Expedition to Kashmir and most recently an Alpine Garden Society trip to the Peloponnese in Greece. His talk on ‘Scent in the Garden’ comes out of many years of personal observations both from the gardens that he has worked in and those that he has visited.
Members' competition: “Will you succ-seed?” – a display of interesting late summer seedheads (for example, Hydrangea, Honesty, Sunflower) of 5 stems maximum, to be placed in the club’s vases (approx. 8” high).
Members' competition: “Will you succ-seed?” – a display of interesting late summer seedheads (for example, Hydrangea, Honesty, Sunflower) of 5 stems maximum, to be placed in the club’s vases (approx. 8” high).
9th October - “Vegetable Growing - techniques, ideas and advice" - Barry Newman
Members' competition: “Can you conker the world?” – the heaviest
conker will win! Lorraine will be bringing her scales!
13th November - Annual General Meeting
Our AGM, followed by a free supper buffet and inter-table quiz with prizes
