newsletter -...

HOVE GARDENING CLUB

NEWSLETTER

DIARY

Meetings 2017:

July 18 - New, Rare & Unusual Plants at Hilliers - Kevin Hobbs

August 15 - at Portslade Town Hall - Garden-ing with Native Plants - Alan Edmondson

Sept 18 - Gardening for Economists - Guy Deakins

PLEASE NOTE: The date for the AGM is

wrongly shown in the Schedule. The correct date

is 21 November 2017.

ISSUE 34 SUMMER 2017

Newsletter Editors:

Jo Adams, Pat Winter, Marilyn High

Contact Jo at: 69 Wish Road, Hove BN3 4LN.

Tel: 01273 723695 [email protected]

EVENTS

28-29 July - Festival of the Garden at Charles-ton. Talks by well-known speakers, craft demon-strations, plant stall. www.charleston.org.uk/ festivalofthegarden/

The NGS Yellow Book listing Open Gardens in the South-East is avail-able at our meetings. Pick up a copy on a table near the entrance.

htttp://hovegardeningclub.co.uk

Our 15 August meeting will be the first at our

new venue, Portslade Town Hall in Victoria

Road. Opened in 1928, it was originally known as

Ronuk Hall and Welfare Institute, being built for

the Ronuk Polish factory and used as a canteen

during working hours and as a recreational facility

at other times. In 1959 it was purchased by

Portslade Urban District Council and is now

owned by Brighton & Hove Council. The hall is

larger and has good facilities, also an organ, not to

mention a disco ball, plus a mural on one wall, commissioned from local artist

Barrie Huntbach in 1971, for which he was paid the magnificent sum of £15! We

look forward to seeing you there.

THE PLANT SALE this year was, we

think, the best ever. We had many really

good quality plants to sell, some delicious

cakes and Audrey’s wonderful cheese and

potato pie - although not everybody got to

see or taste it, it disappeared so quickly We

made an astonishing £1,424.51.

Thanks to all who grew such wonderful

plants and vegetables and made the cakes

etc., also to those who generously gave up

their time on the Friday night to set up the tables and price the plants, and on the

Saturday when it really is hard work, but also very enjoyable, selling them.

Thanks also go to those who at the end

cleared up the mess and washed the floors.

And lastly, to Viv, for counting out all that

loose change. She must have spent the whole

afternoon making piles of coins and bundles

of notes while the rest of us were able to put

our feet up! As you know, the plant sale is

the main money raiser which enables us to

have such good speakers during the year.

WE’RE ON THE MOVE! GOODBYE GLEBE VILLAS,

HELLO PORTSLADE TOWN HALL

Our last meeting at Glebe Villas Hall will

be in July and, after nearly 60 years in the

same location, we will be sorry to say

goodbye to the old hall, formerly known as

St Leonard’s Hall. This is a copy of an

early photograph of the hall, which was

opened in October 1914, showing trees at

the front and a wooden fence. The land cost

£200 with a building cost of £1,350.

ISSUE 34 - SUMMER 2017

Photo Competition for January 2018. Categories for next year are:

Patterns in nature 2. Frost 3. Moss and/or Lichens (Patterns in nature could be clouds, ripples in sand/water, flowers, leaves, trees,

insects, animals - in fact, anything that you think fits the bill.)

Photos are displayed at the January party and members choose the winners. So have your

camera ready and set your imagination free.

Rules: Photos should be no more than 5”x 7” in size and unframed. Please write your

name on the back. Members may each enter only one photo per category.

OUTINGS 2017:

OSBORNE HOUSE, I.o.W. - Tuesday 4th July - there are still some places left on the

coach if you would like to join us for what will be another interesting day out.

Cost members £34.00, members with English Heritage m/ship £22.00

Non-HGC members £36.00, non HGC members with English Heritage m/ship £24.00

This includes coach, ferry, entrance to Osborne House and driver's tip.

KEW GARDENS - Wednesday 13th September, leave Glebe Villas 9.30am

Cost HGC members £24.00. with Kew/Wakehurst membership £12.00.

Non-HGC members £26.00, non-HGC member with Kew/Wakehurst membership £14.00

Bookings taken at meetings with deposit, or contact Viv Shearer or Marion King - contact details on p.4.

THE FAVERSHAM AND BROGDALE TRIP was another enjoyable day.

After a late start, due to a wrong coach being supplied to Peter, our driver, we drove

up the M23/M25 and M20 and got to Faversham in time for coffee. The town itself

is fairly small but very interesting with lots of history and plenty of blue plaques

indicating various happenings in the town during the past. There was an intriguing

tree stump which on closer examination had a carving of the old entrance to the

Inner Abbey before being demolished in 1771. The street market was there, with

lots of stalls, including one selling old garden tools.

After lunch, we clambered back on the coach for a short

drive to Brogdale where we split into two groups for the

very bumpy tractor ride round the fruit collection.

Unfortunately some of the cherry and apple blossom had

finished but what we did see was wonderful including the

lovely quince blossom. Whilst one group was enjoying the

ride with Ted, the guide, the other group went in to see the

exhibition of Japanese Hanami - the celebration of cherry

blossom much revered by the people of Japan. We even

had the opportunity of trying on kimonos and tasting some

very strange nibbles and one or two tried their hand at calligraphy and origami.

Does Your Grass Need Cutting? As well as the tools kindly donated by Yvonne Lutley’s daughter,

she also gave us this Black & Decker Hovermaster, GX530C/12"

cut. Marion tried it out recently in her garden and it is in working

order. It was last serviced in 2014.

If you would like it, please make us an offer by 30 June. All offers

considered - Marion would really like her garage space back.

([email protected]./ 01273 452435).


Chrissie Hogarth

in kimono



MY RETURN TO CHELSEA 2017 In May I enjoyed a return visit to Chelsea, the greatest

flower show on earth, on a blisteringly hot and jam-

packed opening day for the general public.

The M&G Garden, inspired by a Maltese quarry, was

Best Large Show Garden, but to me an installation, not a

garden. The Welcome to Yorkshire Garden was

picturesque, but more a landscape than a garden. Chris

Beardshaw’s Morgan Stanley Garden was my favourite;

a REAL garden, and the planting was amazing.

The Best garden in

the Fresh category

highlighted the

importance of

greening inner city

spaces. In the

Artisan section, the

‘No Wall, No War’

Japanese garden

was easily my

favourite, reviving

happy memories of my recent Japan trip.

Nigel Dunnett invited me to enter the RHS Greening

Grey Britain Garden. Promoting wildlife and

biodiversity was central to the garden’s design, with

good ideas to help us adapt to climate change.

Five interesting and accessible Feel-Good Gardens

celebrated fifty years of BBC Radio 2 and I particularly

liked the Anneka Rice/Sarah Raven Cutting Garden with

its profusion of colourful blooms. The Chris Evans/Mary

Berry Taste

Garden was an

inspiration to

vegetable

growers; with

the RHS Plant of

the Year – the

dwarf mulberry,

Charlotte Russe,

which fruits

from May till

September.

Our club has links to three Gold Medal winners.

Waterside Nursery (near Leicester) spoke to us a few

years ago on aquatic gardening. Also outstanding was

the stand of one of our most popular speakers, Rose

Hardy (Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants). It featured the

impressive bee-friendly Geum, Totally Tangerine. And

Kevin Hobbs of Hillier’s will talk to us about New, Rare

and Unusual Plants at our July meeting.

In a big change this year, some stands sold small plants

direct to the public: I bought two Abutilon and two

Astroemeria. Fingers crossed they’ll thrive in Hove!

Inspired by my day at Chelsea, I now settle back to

reality and try to get my little garden in order! Chris Redknap

FOUR GET LOST IN DEEPEST SUSSEX - WELL, RINGMER ACTUALLY

Four enthusiastic green and organic members of HGC, Sue and David, Sheila and I, decided to go to

Monday's outing at Ringmer Park Gardens by bus. Meeting at Churchill Square with our bus passes, we

boarded the 29b, saving fuel and money and also reducing global warming. Only 34 stops on the way....

We hopped off at, hopefully, the correct bus stop near Ringmer and had expected to walk a bit. We looked

out for a 'Ringmer Park' sign. Nothing. Undeterred, we saw a sign to the Cock Inn and decided to ask the

way there. A lovely pub, but the barmaid had never heard of 'Ringmer Gardens'. We were tempted to stay

and forget the garden, but a local customer offered to help and show us the way. He thought he knew

roughly where it was and kindly offered to drive us in his white van. We climbed into the back and knelt

uncomfortably on the floor, probably normally used to transport pigs.

He dropped us off close to where we had started! My smartphone's Google Maps

App didn't recognise Ringmer Park, then the phone went flat. We knocked on two

local cottages, asked the way and were shown a country lane and given good

directions. We had to travel through a farm, over a new barn hardcore base, across

a field, then over a metal gate. To our surprise and delight we were arrived just

on time and saw many Garden Club cars in the road outside Ringmer Park

Gardens.

We enjoyed tea , coffee and cakes in an open marquee in the garden. The owner

gave us an interesting talk about the gardens, then took us on a fascinating tour. A

lovely garden, well worth a visit.

We left and walked down the lane to the main road, soon flagged down a 28 bus

to its Lewes depot, transferred immediately to the 29 Brighton bus and were home

in no time at all, probably beating all the cars! However next time we will be driving!

HOVE

GARDENING

CLUB

PRESIDENT: CHRIS THORNTON-CLOUGH VICE-PRESIDENTS: ANN NORMAN, CAROL FITZGERALD

CHAIR: MARION KING TREASURER: VIVIENNE SHEARER

SECRETARY/NEWSLETTER: PAT WINTER

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY: PAT MORRIS

VICE CHAIR/NEWSLETTER: JO ADAMS

RAFFLE: JOYCE GOBLE

REFRESHMENTS/NEWSLETTER: MARILYN HIGH

DEPUTY MEMBERSHIP SEC: JACKY HOLT

SPEAKERS/DEP.SEC./SWAP TABLE: TESSA LINDOP

CAROL FITZGERALD (CO-OPTED)

WEBSITE: hovegardeningclub.co.uk

MEETINGS

THIRD TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH

7.30 PM (DOORS OPEN FROM 6.45 PM) JULY 2017 - GLEBE VILLAS HALL

AUGUST ONWARDS: PORTSLADE TOWN HALL _________________________________________

COMPETITION ENTRIES MUST BE IN PLACE BY

7.00PM


SPEAKERS’ CORNER Notes by Marilyn High

Irene Eltringham-Wilson (Through the

Garden Gate - March) says "The five

essentials to do before opening your garden to

the public are :

1) Mow lawn 2) Cut lawn edges 3) Sweep paths

4) Last minute speed-weeding 5) Clean the toilet.”

Open Garden owners can order Caution signs to

display in areas with Health & Safety hazards. For

example: Deep Water could mean Swimming Pool!

Ruth Urbanowicz ("Why be Organic - April) says

Organic plants are more robust and shrug off pests

and diseases.

Mulching suppresses weeds and nourishes soil

life and plants.

Stop using Growmore and instead try liquid

seaweed, seaweed meal, pelleted chicken

manure or Blood, Fish and Bone.

Dilute liquid seaweed can be used as a foliar

feed.

Encourage ladybirds and their larvae, lacewings

and hoverflies. Interplant cabbages with beans to

discourage cabbage white butterflies.

Don't forget, the 'ANY QUESTIONS' box will be

on the exhibit table each month and questions will

be read out after the talk, in the hope that somebody

will know the answer. If not, we will endeavour to

find out for the next meeting.

PLANT SUPPORT SYSTEM SEEN AT

RINGMER PARK

Simple but effective - bean type netting with large

square mesh stretched between sticks at the corners

of the bed. The plants grow up through the

netting, which provides unobtrusive support.

This is dark green netting.

THE RSPB BIG GARDEN BIRDWATCH results are in! Marilyn High

Between 28-30th January, UK residents were asked to choose one hour on any one of

the three days in which to count the maximum number of each bird species seen at any

one time in their garden or local park. The Top Ten sightings were:

1. House Sparrow 2. Starling 3. Blackbird 4. Blue Tit 5. Woodpigeon

6.Goldfinch 7. Robin 8.Great Tit 9. Chaffinch 10. Long-tailed Tit

The biggest population increase in bird species was the Goldfinch, up 44% in the last 10 years. Greatest

decrease in population were Starlings, down 79% since 2007. The Starling is now a "red listed" bird,

though they still swoop in great numbers around the West Pier at sunset. (And around my bird feeder if I

put mealworms out! Jo)

newsletter -...

Documents