The Adventurous Gardener

 

Hilary Hutson gave us an interesting talk on
The Adventurous Gardener.

This will be the fourth or fifth time Hilary has come to talk to us but this was the first time in our new location.

Hilary showed us lots of pictures of lesser known plants.  One of her top ten plants is AQUILEGIA Fancy Finch.

She talked about cross pollination, vagaries of the weather and how fences, walls and other boundaries don’t always shield plants.
 She advised us of the importance of knowing your own soil and how to get hold of unusual plants.

This was a most absorbing talk by Hilary who had put an enormous amount of work into it using graphs, charts and illustrations in her presentation.

Display Table

 Ann’s vase contained Paris – quadrifolia, Arum, May Lily and purple Lamium

 

 Kate brought Deutzia gracilis 'Nikko', Silene fimbriata, Geranium nodosum 'Blueberry Ice', Persicaria bistorta, Geum 'Lemon Drops', Lily of the Valley, Cotinus 'Royal Purple' and Actinidia 'Kolomikta'

Next Meeting: Friday 5^th June. This is a garden visit and members are asked to meet at 1.30 pm. Details are given below.

Plants are solar powered air purifiers whose filter never needs replacing. ~ Khang Kijarro Nguyen.

 Houseplant forum

Houseplant Forum

Members brought in a wide variety of indoor plants and spoke about them.

 Amanda’s Billbergia 

 

Judith’s Pot et Fleur at bottom of photo; a Victorian idea which combines living house plants with cut flowers, allowing you to create sustainable floral arrangements in one container. Judith has Dahlia Moonflower, Coleus, Heliotrope, Geranium and a Kalanchoe

Norma brought a Begonia at top of photo with colourful leaves which she first saw gracing the hearths at Burton Agnes Hall. She demonstrated how to propagate this plant by making slits in a leaf, placing on compost and weighing down with a stone until rooted.

 

Derek’s Golden Barrel cactus, grown from a seed picked up in Tenerife. Derek told us that, just because a cactus or succulent can survive in a dry climate, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t water or feed it regularly and his plant is proof of this.

 

 Maggie’s Echinocactus fictus which, obviously, doesn’t need watering ever!

 

 Carol brought an Episcia cupreata Strawberry Fields

 Ann brought a Calathea/Prayer Plant

 Linda’s Asplenium antiquum (the Bird’s Nest Plant) and was told to water it more frequently to avoid the leaves turning brown.

Display Table

 

Dorothy’s bouquet included double white Lilac, Aubretia, Clematis Montana, Acer palmatum atropupureum, Centaura cyanus, Spanish Bluebells and a white Bluebell.

 Trevor brought his five bulbs of Narcissus Baby Boomer which have only just flowered, although not all of them!

Next Meeting

15^th May: A presentation by Hilary Hutson called “The Adventurous Gardener”.

May all your weeds be wild flowers

Georgia Gilbert who is Head of Wild Flower at John Chambers Wildflowers gave us a very interesting presentation. Georgia, who has qualifications in Horticulture and in Landscape Architecture is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the natural environment. We learnt about native species of wildflowers, where they can be found, from meadows to garden pots and the importance of wildflowers for insects and birds who rely on them for pollination. Georgia encouraged us to participate in the annual Big Butterfly Count Big Butterfly Count which is a UK wide survey in July/August which gives a key indicator of the health of our environment simply by counting butterflies.

Display Table

There was plenty to see on the display table:

Amanda brought Double Wood Anemone Vestal, Narcissus Tahlia, Wallflower from a cutting, Erysimum Parish, the fragrant Daphne transatlantica, Epimedium, Pulmonaria longifolia, Rosemary, Camellia, Pasque flower.

 Judith’s display contains Purple and White Honesty, Euphorbia polychroma and Robbiae, Syngonium, Iberis, Hellebore, Larmiun Ovale

 

 Kate brought Melica uniflora, Epimedium Frohnleiten, Brunnera Alexander’s Great, Vinca minor, Erysimum, Teucrium Indyho, Viola sororia Freckles, Trillium grandiflorum

 Maggie Y brought Camassia, Omphalodes, Lamium Archangel, Celandine Brazen Hussy, Pulmonaria Opal, Epimedium, Comfrey

 

 Ann brought Rhododendrons Bluetit and Osprey, Skimmia Kew Green, Chaelameles Geisha Girl, Salix babylonica crispa and Malus Profusion

 Norma brought for identification these corms/roots which were in a pot she was emptying. A couple of member offered to try growing them and we wait to hear the outcome.

 Ann also brought this leaf of a Mandrake plant which is over 2 ft long!

 

Dorothy’s yellow themed vased containsDoronium, Acer, Wallflower, Pansy, Daffodils mini Tête à tête and Sunrise, Kerria, Azalea x 2, Primulas x 3, mini Tulip, Oxlip and Dandelion

 

Carol Abbot is opening her award winning garden for the National Garden Scheme at 4a Blackwood Rise, Cookridge, LS16 7BG on Sunday 3^rd May at 12.30 – 4.30. Adults £5.00, Children free, plants for sale and tea refreshments.

Next meeting on 1^st May will be a forum on House Plants; growing, feeding, propagating or just keeping them alive. Please bring any healthy, poorly or cuttings of house plants and we look forward to your input.

Friday Forum Spring Show

 Amanda putting the finishing touches to one of her entries

We had a record number of entries for our Spring Show. Our thanks go to John Smiles for judging the entries and for explaining what he was looking for in each category. We are also grateful to Show Secretary, Dorothy, who ensured everything went smoothly.

Results are as follows:

CLASS 1   One vase containing one Daffodil

 

1^st prize    Suzanne

2^nd prize    Dorothy

3^rd prize     Judi   

CLASS 2   One vase containing three Daffodils

 1^st prize    Norma

2^nd prize    Suzanne

3^rd prize    Dorothy

CLASS 3   One vase containing three Tulips

 

1^st prize    Jean

2^nd prize    -

3^rd prize    -

CLASS 4   Container of Spring flowering bulbs

 1^st prize    Amanda

2^nd prize    Norma

3^rd prize    Amanda

CLASS 5   One pot plant, indoor or outdoor

1^st prize    Norma

2^nd prize    Sandra

3^rd prize    Norma

CLASS 6   One vase containing flowering branches

 1^st prize    Amanda

2^nd prize    Suzanne

3^rd prize    Liz

CLASS 7  Dish of floating flower heads

1^st prize    Amanda 

2^nd prize    Sue

3^rd prize    Judi

Display Table

Suzanne’s pot of Ice Baby from the bulbs distributed to members in the Autumn 

 Judith’s tall Corydalis with fern-like foliage

Gardening Matters

Paxton Gardeners’ Question Time is taking place on Friday 17th April from 9.30 to 11am at OPAL at 55 Bedford Drive, Leeds LS16 6DJ. Paxton members, OPAL and guests are all welcome. There will also be a demonstration on propagation.

Paxton Summer Show takes place at OPAL Centre, 55 Bedford Drive, Leeds LS16 6DJ on Saturday 20th June and will be open to the public from 1 pm.

Next Meeting

There will be no meeting on Good Friday, 3^rd April.

17^th April – A presentation on Wild Flowers by Georgia Gilbert

"Every spring is the only spring, a perpetual astonishment." Ellis Peters

The meeting began with the AGM.  The chair's report has been sent to members.

Display Table

  Dorothy brought: a selection of Hellebores, Pulmonaria, Muscari, Primula ‘Golden Lace’ Epimedium leaves, Snowdrop, Sarcococca

Kate brought in Camellia ‘Silver Anniversary’, Pulmonaria ‘Blue Ensign’, Mukdenia rossii, Narcissus ‘Jetfire’, Pachyphragma macrophyllum, Prunus incisa ‘Kojo-no-mai’ , which means ‘flight of butterflies’ when translated from Japanese

  Some members brought in the narcissus bulbs that were given out to members last Autumn

Norma brought her Narcissus ‘Ice Baby’

 Katherine brought Iris and her Sansevieria plant that had started to flower.

*Next meeting has been changed*

The delphinium propagation visit on Friday 20th March has been cancelled as the delphiniums have not put on enough growth and therefore we are going ahead with the mini show on that date instead.  Details of categories can be seen on the Flower Shows page.