Friday Forum Christmas Party

It wouldn’t be a Friday Forum Christmas Party without a testing quiz compiled by James, free raffle, charades, mince pies, festive hats  and entertaining readings by Norma, Sue G, Margaret H and Trevor.  Well, we had those in spadefuls plus seasonal flower arrangements. 

Thank you to the committee and for all your hard work this year on our behalf.

 

 

  

Notice Board

Please note that annual subscriptions will be collected by Caroline on the first and second meetings in the new year.  The fee is £12.00, cheques should be made out to Paxton Horticultural Society or cash (correct amount if possible) should be in a named envelope.

Next Meeting

4^th January:   Talk by Dr Carl Denton  - "Daniel Charles Solander - a very neglected horticulturalist"

  

A bare tree stands with roots on both ends in December days. ~Kiran Bantawa, "Bare Trees"

Creative Crafts

Have you ever wondered what gardeners do in the winter?  Well we can see what Friday Forum members get up to!

 

 Gill's wreaths and holly with ivy attractively sprayed gold.  Tips: when using sprays, hold upside down to stop bunging up.  Also cut a v shape in oasis to make watering easier

Outide pot with robin.  Easy to change plants for others as the season progresses

 Lovely silver and purple colour scheme.  Includes Eucalyptus and Senecio vira vira

 Liz B' made this ribbon tree

...  and a lovely tree of sweets

 L Norma brought these beautiful wall hangings, Janella's book Homemade Christmas, Kate's angels and Gillian J's figure called Brownie which her grandmother bought from Germany and comes apart to be filled with sweets

 Maggie framed cards and buttons

Linda's shadow frame, initial and painted stone using materials from beach and Celias paper angles made from a paper pattern

 Edna's pin cushion made from a kit and Janella's frames

 for cards

 Celia showed us how to fold a party serviette

 Janella brought this trough and matching pot which her friend made for her with decoupage

Display Table

 

There is still plenty of colour in the gardens of some of our members:

Phyllis had an impressive 44 plants flowering in her garden:  8 x fuchsias, 7 salvias, 3 x penstomens, 3 c perpetual wallflowers, primula, marigold, 3 x geraniums , scabious, kafir lily, sweet rocket, nasturtium, 2 x hellebores, 2 x heathers, jasmine, viola, 3 x cyclamen, 2 x rudbeckias, 2 x roses and an unidentified red flower

 Out in Ann’s garden are at least 24:  Clematis cirrhosa Lansdowne gem and Freckles, Iris unguicularis, Amicia zygomeris, Jasmininium nudifllorum, Hesperantha (red and pink), Astrantia, Alstromeria Indian Summer, Liriope muscari, 3 x Brunnera (Jack Frost, Sea Heart and Looking glass) Dahlia australis, Anemone, Nerine, allium italicum marmoratum, Pittosporum Tom Thumb, Persicaria, Rudbeckia, Erysimum and  Bupleurum

 Gill’s container with Cyclamen, Malus Red Sentinel, Viburnums  hortense dawn and tinus

Kate brought Pittosporum Tom Thumb, Ferns (polypodium cambricum Richard Kayse and Polystichum setiferum 'Pulcherrimum Bevis) and roses

Gardening Matters

"We garden for tomorrow, and thereafter. We garden in expectation, and that is why it is so invigorating. Gardening, you are no longer stuck in the here and now; you think backward, and forward, you think of how this or that performed last year, you work out your hopes and plans for the next. And for me, there is this abiding astonishment at the fury for growth, at the tenacity of plant life, at the unstoppable dictation of the seasons." Penelope Lively

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Garden-Penelope-Lively-ebook/dp/B073CB96DD/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1543483646&sr=1-1&keywords=life+in+the+garden+penelope+lively

Notice Board

The Friday Forum Programme 2019 page is now up on the Blog so you can enter the dates in your diaries. 

Next Meeting

21st December:  Friday Forum Christmas Party.  Activities include flower arranging and mince pies.  Festive dress obligatory, whether it be simply headgear or full costume!

  

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.