Harvest Forum 2018

 

This year our Harvest Forum took the theme of Brexit Bash and members brought typical foods from the EU member countries which we washed down with a very British cup of tea.  Political debate was not encouraged!

 

 

 

 We also had the annual Bring & Buy to boost our funds

Both events were a great success.

Display Table:

Kate still has lots of colour in her garden.  She brought the grass hakonechloa, Hesperantha, Callicarpa, Astrantia Buckland, Penstemon, Mahonia Charity, Salvia, Verbena rigida, Geranium, Rosa Max Graf, Echibeckia Summerina

 

Eileen's succulent brought for indentification

Gerry read an amusing poem

called the Master and the Man as head gardeners on grand estates did all the work and received none of the credit.

Gardening Matters

I just love the way Alison describes her garden on her blog https://themindfulgardener.blog/2018/11/16/twinkle-twinkle/

Notice Board

See notices below about next meetings.

Next Meeting

7^th December:  The presentation by Pat Hutchinson may have to be postponed, so we are asking members to bring in any arts/crafts which they undertake and could talk about for a few minutes.

21^st December is the Christmas Forum and one of the activities will be to make a festive flower arrangement.

  

So who was Joseph Paxton?

 

In celebration of 50 years of Paxton Horticultural Society moving into our current premises and 25 years of Friday Forum, what better way to mark the occasion than an illustrated talk  by John M Sheard FRICS, a former manager of the Bolton Abbey Estate,  entitled ‘The Life and Achievements of Joseph Paxton’.

You can find out more about the history of our society at  https://sites.google.com/site/paxtonhorticulturalsocietycouk/ 

 Eileen brought some photos and documents of earlier days

 John M Sheard FRICS, a former manager of the Bolton Abbey Estate,  gave an excellent presentation entitled ‘The Life and Achievements of Joseph Paxton’.

We learnt how Sir Joseph Paxton (1803 – 1865), last of 9 children of a farm hand from Milton Bryan, Bedfordshire, worked his way up to a notorious gardener, architect and MP.

In his early 20s, he became head gardener to the 6^th Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth where, on his first morning, he met his wife Sarah.  He constructed huge water features and rock gardens, innovative glasshouses and a model village. 

Paxton embraced the new technology of the day and built wonderful parks such as Birkenhead, which became the model for New York’s Central Park, and the People’s Park in Halifax.  He became fascinated by business and became a director of the Midland Railway and perhaps best known for designing Crystal Palace for the Great Exhibition of 1851.

Sir Joseph Paxton was committed to promote welfare for the working classes.  Originally sited in Hyde Park, Crystal Palace was moved to Sydenham and Paxton wanted this to serve as a pleasure gardens for ordinary people.

Display Table:

Derek brought his Canna, one of many he grew from seed collected from a plant in his hotel garden in The Canary Islands.  Derek’s flowered this year, giving him more seeds, as did the Cannas of other members who acquired a plant from the same batch.  Let’s hope they overwinter.

Just look at the colour of Jenny’s Geranium Bloomtime

 Jenny reminded us of Celia’s talk on Thomas Fairchild https://gardenersfridayforum.blogspot.com/2018/09/autumnthe-years-last-loveliest-smile.html  and  brought this flower called the Ingenious Mr Fairchild after the title of the book by Michael Leapman

 This is a spike from Judith’s Eucomis Sparkling Burgundy

Some autumnal colour from Kate’s garden including Hydrangea Limelight and the fragrant Viburnum bodnantense Dawn

 Ann’s still got lots of colour and interest in her garden.  She brought Amicia zygomeris, aconitum Spatlese, Clematis Freckles and Mme Julia Correvon, Liriope muscari, Tricytris Empress, the striking  Centaurea John Coutts, Nerine bowdenii, Hypercium olympicum and Hesperantha coccinea

Gardening Matters:

I came across this poem by Rudyard Kipling:
 The Glory of the Garden:
“Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made
By singing, ‘Oh, how beautiful’ and sitting in the shade
While better men than we go out and start their working lives
At grubbing weeds from gravel-paths with broken dinner-knives.”

Notice Board:

Saturday 17^th November is Paxton Late Autumn Show.  If you can support this by providing cakes or a donation, Dorothy will appreciate it.

Next Meeting: 

16^th November - Harvest Forum.  This year, as well as the Bring & Buy, we are having a Brexit Bash when we ask you to bring a food/drink item from an EU country.

 

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower - Albert Camus

Presentation:  Kew through the seasons by Ken Matthewman

 Ken, who describes himself as a horticultural maniac, has been gardening since a child and rose from a humble indentured apprentice with Castleford Borough Council to working at Kew Gardens.

Ken’s illustrated talk gave us a real insight into Kew along with its history.  Beginning as a 12 acre totally flat, sandy river floodplain, it now spans 300 acres of landscaped gardens, with research facilities and a gallery of Marianne North’s paintings.  Also to be found here are trees from every species, a new state-of–the-art alpine house, and the Palm House, originally built in the 1840’s from steel and glass.  Ken advises that a full day should be set aside for a visit to the gardens, where every plant is labelled and new bedding schemes are always being trialled.

Display Table

Marjorie and Brian’s Coleus plants grown from “babies”

 

 Ann brought Dahlias from her garden: the pink Merckii which she’s had for 20 years, the larger flowered australis and the red coccinea and gave us the history of the plant.  Coming from the Aster family, Dahlias have been with us for about 200 years, when Spanish botanists discovered them growing on the sandy hillsides of Mexico.  Toward the end of the 18^th century, Spanish settlers sent some to the Botanic Gardens in Madrid where the plant was named by Abb′e Cavanille in honour of the Swedish scientist and environmentalist, Andrea Dahl.

 Ann found a new-to-her plant at The Arium nursery.  Lindernia grandiflora,  perhaps not aptly named, but also known as  Blue moneywort False pimpernel and Angels Tears

 Margaret H asked for identification of this plant which she grew from red berries.  Anyone?

 Still in flower, from Gill’s garden comes a container filled with Oxalis, SunflowerLemon Queen, Aster Alma Potschke, Liriope,  the yellow climbing Dicentra scandens,  Tricyrtis (toad lily),  Alstroemeria selina, Eupatoria and Persicaria

Gardening Matters

Have a look at someone else's "display table".

https://honeypotflowers.wordpress.com/2018/10/20/mid-october-in-the-flower-garden/ 

Notice Board

Gill has ordered stocks of tulip bulbs again this year for purchase at the next meeting.

Next Meeting

2^nd November: A celebration for the 50^th anniversary of the Society moving into our current premises.  John M Sheard FRICS, a former resident Land Agent of the Bolton Abbey Estate, will give a talk on ‘The Life and Achievements of Joseph Paxton’ 

16^th November:  Harvest Forum – Brexit Bash and Bring & Buy.  Further details to be advised.