“The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies.” Gertrude Jekyll

 

Discussion

Judith hosted a lively discussion on gardens and plants from our childhoods. The memories went back to WW2 and included bomb shelters in the back garden and digging for victory, usually rhubarb and potatoes.

Judith remembered Galega (Goats Rue), carnations,, lupins and daisies, picking bluebells, visiting a relative’s allotment where gladioli were grown and sending off for seed catalogues.

Margaret H told us about her father tickling the tomatoes in the greenhouse with a rabbit’s tail. Her grandma grew the Rose Cecile Brunner which Margaret still has in her garden and has passed on to her daughter.

Peter’s family gardened on limestone in Eyam, Derbyshire, reknowned for self isolating to prevent the spread of the plague. Perhaps that’s why he had a resident ghost which passed their garden! His garden also housed cages of budgerigars and canaries.

Many members recalled the flowers of their childhood: Cornflowers, London Pride, Sweet Peas, Dahlias, Sunflowers and Golden Rod. Remembered also were the making daisy chains, testing whether we liked butter with a buttercup under the chin, making perfume from rose petals and the trend for the regimented planting out of bedding plants such as Marigolds, Alyssum and Lobelia.

Suzanne told us how, as a child, she learnt gardening skills from both sets of grandparents and Amanda remembered the scent of Irises.

Dorothy was given a small plot in her parent’s garden on which she grew Sunflowers. The farmer offered her a penny for the seeds for his parrot but, before she could claim her reward, the plants got eaten by the horse in the next field!

Ann showed us the Enid Blyton book, Let's Garden, which sparked her love of gardening.

Display Table

The sweet fragrance of early flowering shrubs permeated the whole room. It is clear how they attract and provide food for insects and bees.

Judith’s attractive Hellebore Silver Dollar came from her favourite supermarket

Amanda brought Iris and Witch Hazel

Gill’s posy contains Lonicera fragrantissima, Arum Italicum, Iris, Snowdrops, Pieris, Christmas Box and Pulmonaria

Kate’s posy contains various Snowdrops, variegated Pulmonaria and Iberis.

Ann brought the winter flowering Clematis Freckles, Arum, Puschkini, Hepatica and yellow, white and dark purple Hellebores

Maggie brought Sarcococca hookeriana 'Purple Stem' , Viburnum x bodnantense Charles Lamont, and Viburnum tinus 

Kate’s Hellebore Dorothy’s Dawn and quirky ornamental ducks came from Moss and Moor garden centre in Ilkley

Next Meeting:

The next meeting on 17^th February is a talk by Michael Myers entitled Mountain Flower Holidays in Eastern Europe.