All gardeners know better than other gardeners - Chinese proverb

In this week’s forum we had the opportunity to take cuttings, prick out seedlings and exchange advice and ideas. 

Members were asked what they had done during National Gardening Week and here are some answers:

Carl has been revelling in the blossom of South American trilliums, which are not usually seen in England but they like the extra heat of a polytunnel and grow in their hundreds.  There are approximately ten different species in this picture

 

 Linda and Kate have been demossing beds, paths and lawns

 Brenda and Margaret B Cutting back the old ferns to see the new growth

Eric has been pricking out bedding plants and Judith was busy setting up Harrogate Flower Show

 Janella consulted her impressive diary and was able to recall that she deadheaded daffodils, hard pruned Arbutus Unedo and sorted out the pond

....... and Norma was Strulching

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Strulch is a light and easy to use garden mulch made from wheat straw for organic gardening

Display Table

Elizabeth brought an interested newspaper article entitled Bed and Breakfast for Bees

Judith rescued a pink rose from a pound shop.  We wish it a speedy recovery.

 Trevor’s Muscari  A touch of snow came  as a present from M & S in a lovely jug.

 

Janella’s  Daffies:  Thalia and Hawera from Wilkos

Although we have mentioned various stores, these plants can be purchased from other establishments!

Judith’s Hellebore

Gill brought a “thug – nearest thing to a triffid” the Chrysosplenium macrophyllum and the mouseplant Arisarum proboscideum, so called because it looks as if a mouse is hiding under its leaves.

Gill filled a jug with plants from her garden including Allium triquetrum, a hellebore with lovely foliage, pale blue muscari, anemone, Smyrna foliate, the early flowering cranesbill tuberosum, a double primrose Marion Harvey, epimedium, Brunnera, pulmonaria with silver leaves, goldlace primula, corydalis,  Geums, which seemed to be the trend at this week’s Harrogate Flower show, including Bell Bank

Norma shared her recipe to rid your garden of Lily Beetle 

 Jenny’s Spanish bluebells have suddenly sprouted like this after many years – any thoughts?

 

 

Eric’s stunning Clivia which was an offshoot from Carl and Margaret

Notice Board

Paxton AGM is on Tuesday  25 April at 8 pm.  Please make an effort and show your support by attending, in view of local societies having to close, and if anyone can help out by joining the committee, it would be appreciated.

  

Please note change of date for our final garden visit.  This will be Golden Acre Park on 25^th August and not 18^th August as previously advised.  Full details of our visits for 2017 has now been updated on the blog.

 Erratum:  In the last blog post I mistakenly referred to the Tulip Apple Dawn.  This should have read Apeldoorn after the area of the Netherlands and can be red or yellow.

Next Meeting

5^th May:  Presentation – Chelsea, Camassia, Chris & Chaos.  Stella Exley will bring plants

Mini Spring Show

We had more than our usual number of entries for all categories.  Thanks to John Freer and Graham for judging and Rose for logging the entries.

Category 1: 

 

 1^st Prize Dorothy Ambridge, Daffodil Sportsman

Category 2:

 

1^st Prize Dorothy Ambridge, 3 Daffodils

 

Category 3:

 

 

 1^st Prize Judith Ladley, 3 Tulips Red Apeldoorn

Category 4:

 1^st Prize Janella Cranswick, Container of spring flowering bulbs

Category 5: 

1^st prize Carl Denton, Trillium

Category 6: 

 

1^st prize Margaret Denton

Category 7:

 1^st prize Janella Cranswick, dish of floating Camellias

Presentation

We know John Freer as a judge of our flower show and for his prize winning blooms.  He surprised us today when he told us that his main hobby is knitting.  He learnt to knit as a young boy and started to enter competitions.  He brought along samples of his work and it wasn’t just your basic stitches.  He uses intricate patterns and produces beautiful shawls and scarves, ganzies, hats and other useful items.

Display Table

Margaret H brought a lovely pot of tulips, the leaves of which were unfortunately suffering from what she suspected was Tulip fire.  Our bulb expert and show judge, John, advised her to better be safe than sorry and discard the tulips.  In the discussion that followed, Judith said many of her bulbs had been unsuccessful this year and Ann and John both peeled back the outer scales of their bulbs to check for mould.

Judith’s stunning Tulip Red Apeldoorn

 

 Graham’s purple Primula pubescens and Linden Lancelot, which took a lot of patience to raise

Ann’s Crown Imperial 

Ann’s Fritillaria Impperialis, meleagris and Uva- vulpis, Erythronium revolutum, pagoda, white beauty and tuolmnense, Scilla liliohyacinthus

Ann’s Rhododendron Bluetit and Chaenomeles Geisha Girl

 Can anyone make Sue and Jenny's wishes come true?

Notice Board

Jenny reported back from the Paxton meeting:

·              The drive at Paxton Hall is very worn and will be very expensive to replace.  Can anyone help financially or with a fundraiser?

·               Paxton is holding its AGM at Paxton Hall on Tuesday 25 April at 8 pm.  Please show your support by attending, in view of local societies having to close, and if anyone can help out by joining the committee, it would be appreciated.

We wish Elizabeth good health and happiness in her new home in Otley.

Graham told us how well the recent Paxton Spring Show went.

There are still a few places for our day trip in June.

National Gardening Week is 10 – 16 April.  Send in a photo of something you did this week!

Next Meeting

April 21^st:  Forum – Practical Gardening, propagation and plug plants to grow on