CATISFIELD GARDENING CLUB NEWSLETTER WINTER 2020 Issue 10 2020 20202

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Catisfield Gardening

Club Newsletter

Winter 2020 Editor: Susan Kavanagh gardenclubnews@btitnternet.com

"WHAT GOOD IS THE WARMTH OF SUMMER WITHOUT THE COLD OF WINTER TO GIVE IT SWEETNESS." - JOHN STEINBECK

NEWSLETTER 10/2020

From the Chair

Dear Members, Welcome to our

Winter Newsletter, this is the last one before we “break up” for the winter months before returning in February next year. Let us hope that when we

return in the New Year that we have a lot better news on the Virus front and that we have an effective

vaccine that enables us to safely meet and we can get back to near normality. I am delighted that the Committee along with several members who volunteered their services were able to quickly hand deliver in most cases your 2021 Membership Cards to you, that was a great effort. You will see from the Card that we have been able to transfer most of this year’s speakers who could not visit us to the 2021 Programme which is very good news.

There is flexibility in the programme as explained on the card to enable us to deliver a programme whatever the situation. We are determined to get on and do things safely rather than just stay shut down but always ensuring the safety of our members and acting within any rules and regulations. The last event of this year will be holding of an On-Line AGM on 12th November with a 7.30pm start. I hope as many members as possible join us through Zoom for that event and we will be sending out an e-mail to all members in advance of the AGM providing details of how to join in for that meeting. The Committee and I are delighted at how well members supported our On-Line gardening competition with over 50 members either submitting entries or voting each month. We had just over 600 photographs submitted. competition. Congratulations to Theresa Duggan for winning the Club’s 2020 RHS Banksian Medal for gaining most points in the 6 months we ran the competition with 86 points and to Sharon Miles who finished as

Runner Up on 69 points. Congratulations also too, to all of the winners of our individual categories; Wendy Anderson, Helen Osborne, Glenn Duggan, Theresa Duggan, Jo Bocutt, Jan Purnell and Wendy & John Wellington. Last but not least to Susan Kavanagh for all the administration and making it happen. We have 2021 pamphlets fresh from the printers and if you would like any for any would be members then they are available from me at 4 Catisfield Lane, just let me know in advance that you are coming. It only remains for me to say a big thank you to you all for being members and to wish you a happy and safe time as we head in to winter. Hopefully see you on-line at the AGM Chairman and I will keep in touch with you through e-mails if we have news of anything of interest. Glenn Chairman

Winter 2020

CATISFIELD GARDENING CLUB NEWSLETTER WINTER 2020 Issue 10 2020

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Plants of the season: Flowers for winter pollinators

There’s not much in flower over the winter months, but on warmer days bees and other pollinators will still emerge looking for pollen and nectar to help them survive until spring. Sadly most of our favourite winter bedding plants – such as winter pansies – either have no pollen or bees can’t access it. Here are a few plants which not only look beautiful but can quite literally be life savers.

Erysimum (Wallflower) 'Bowles's Mauve

Here along the South Coast this plant will flower practically year-round. It likes moist but well-drained soil and full sun but will tolerate dappled shade.

Mahonia

Available in a wide variety of sizes and happy in anything from full sun to full shade and in any soil type. These evergreen shrubs have year-round interest with bright yellow flowers from the depths of winter until spring, followed by black berries the

following autumn. The only thing they’re not keen on is cold wind so grow them where you have a bit of shelter.

Winter flowering clematis

Several varieties of evergreen clematis (clematis cirrhosa) are winter-flowering including “Jingle Bells” (above) and “Freckles” (below).

Winter flowering heather

Heathers which flower over winter are readily available from local garden centres and act as a good source of pollen. Most are varieties of either Erica carnea e.g. ‘Challenger’ (above) or Erica x darleyensis e.g. ‘Silberschmelze’ (below, also known as ‘Silver Bells’ or ‘Alba’).

Garden Club competition: September results

September attracted 79 entries from 16 members.

The overall “favourite photo” for September was John B’s lovely photograph of his garden at night:

First prize winning entries in each category are shown below.

Best garden

Wendy A:

Most attractive tree or shrub

Wendy A, hibiscus:

CATISFIELD GARDENING CLUB NEWSLETTER WINTER 2020 Issue 10 2020

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Best plant not covered by any other category

Glenn D, shasta daisies:

Best Fruit or Vegetable:

Theresa D, grapes:

Most thriving vegetable patch

Sharon M:

Best container / hanging basket

Theresa D, petunias in a hanging basket:

Best view from a garden seat

Theresa D:

Photos of all winning entries will remain available until 15th December and can be accessed here: https://www.catisfieldgardeningclub.online/september-competition-winners. All September entries will remain available for the same period here: https://www.catisfieldgardeningclub.online/september-competition.

Question of the month

Last month we asked: what is the difference between “mulch” and “compost”, and how should I use these?

Firstly, I’m not surprised that you’re confused. Compost can be used as a mulch, and most mulches can be used

as a compost. Even professionals get confused, with gardening magazines frequently using the words interchangeably.

Compost should look and feel like soil. It consists of decayed organic matter such as kitchen scraps, manure, grass cuttings and prunings. It’s full of nutrients and both improves the condition of and feeds your soil.

Mulch is anything spread on your soil as a top dressing. It can be organic e.g. leaf mould, grass cuttings, wood chips or inorganic e.g. gravel, recycled rubber, crushed shells. Most of these will suppress weeds and help prevent water from evapourating, fresh organic mulch such as green leaves and grass cuttings will also add nutrients as it rots down.

Compost can be used as a mulch or dug into the soil; in either case it will both improve soil texture and add nutrients. You can also use it as a growing medium in pots, although it’s best to mix it with some garden soil as the high nutrient value can be too rich for some plants.

A word about autumn leaves: unlike green leaves these don’t contain much in the way of nutrients, having left these behind in the tree before they fall. They’re also slow to decay so I recommend you pop them into a separate pile or a bag with some airholes in it and leave them tucked away for a couple of years to turn into leaf mould. This won’t feed your soil but it does improve its texture when used as a mulch, or add small amounts to your compost bin to act as “brown” material which helps the more nutritious “green” matter to decay.

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Question for next newsletter:

Our next question is: I’m getting a couple of bare-rooted trees delivered in early February. Is there anything special I need to consider when planting them?

If you have any views on this question send them to gardenclubnews@btinternet.com by 20th January 2021. The results will be published in the February 2021 Newsletter .

Thursday 12th November: Catisfield Gardening Club AGM. Due to Covid-19 restrictions his event will take place online via Zoom, you will receive an invitation by email. Saturday 5th December: Christmas Gardeners’ Breakfast and Tour, Harold Hillier Gardens, near Romsey. £24.50 per person. It’s essential to pre-book, for details and booking visit https://www.hants.gov.uk/thingstodo/hilliergardens. Wreath-making (pre-booking essential and places sell out quickly): St Margaret’s Nursery and once again offering their popular Christmas

Wreath Making workshops. We’re not having a special Club session this year but public sessions are taking place on 29, 30th November and 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 16th, 18th, 20th and 21st December. Cost is £25 per person which includes materials and refreshments, a mask must be warn except while taking refreshments. Call 01329 846006 to reserve a place. 21 November 2020 – 4 January 2021 4pm – 8.30pm (not 24-26 December): Glow at Wisley. Illuminated trail through the gardens. £7.95 for RHS members, £15 for non-members. Book in advance here: https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley/whats-on/glow-at-wisley.

WINTER CHECK LIST

At the beginning of the season, get your garden ready for winter. Raise outdoor containers with pot feet, bricks or sticks to prevent water logging, and insulate them eg with bubble wrap or hessian to reduce frost damage. Move tender plants into a greenhouse or conservatory if practical; otherwise protect from frost with horticultural fleece. Mulch your borders with 5cm of compost, straw, leaf mould, bark chippings or well-rotted manure to protect perennials against the coldest temperatures. Pile straw or bracken around the base of tender shrubs.

Rake up fallen leaves into piles or use them to make leaf mould: see our Facebook page for how to create and use this.

Stake tall plants, climbers and young trees. The stakes should be sturdy enough to withstand strong winds.

As the weather gets colder, insulate outdoor taps to prevent freezing.

Prune fruit trees, acers, vines and roses.

Lift dahlia tubers after the first frost, clean them off and store in dry compost in a cool, frost-proof place.

Plant bare-root hedging, roses, trees and shrubs, as long as the ground isn’t frozen.

Move dormant plants that are in the wrong place to more suitable sites.

Fork over your vegetable patch and flower beds to aerate them.

If it snows, brush heavy snow off hedges and greenhouses.

In January prune blackcurrants, gooseberries and redcurrants.

Winter is also a good time to get some maintenance tasks out of the way. Inspect your tools, clean them, sharpen cutting edges and oil joints. Clean pots, water butts and greenhouses. In dry weather, treat wooden fences, trellis, arches and garden furniture with a preservative to protect them from weathering. Clean out bird boxes; it’s too early for birds to be nesting but they will use boxes for roosting and will be looking for suitable sites for nesting next spring.

And throughout the winter, remember to provide food and water for garden birds.

You can get excellent monthly advice from the RHS web site at the following link: https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/in-month/november. You can then click on other months

Our next newsletter will be February 2021, and the cut-off date for submissions will be Wednesday January 20th.