‘April can break your heart… the sunshine interrupted by cold winds and showers without any warning’ – Mark Diacono, A Year at Otter Farm p.95

Forum

 

We spent an enjoyable afternoon taking cuttings and potting on as well as working out the answers to James’ quiz of antique artefacts.

Who would have known that this article, when opened up, was in fact a Chinese opium dealer’s scales!

Display Table

 Ann’s tulips Red Riding with stripy leaves

Ann’s pot of Muscari (latifolia, Mount Hood, Peppermint, Blue Magic and Atlanta with Anemones (blanda, White Splendour, ranunculoises, , ranunculoises f.p., nemorosa vestal, lipsiensis, virescens and Robinsonia

Ann’s container includes Erythroniums (tuolumnense, revolutum, Margart Matthews, Joanna, pagoda and White Beauty), Corydalis Solida George Baker and curviflora), Fritillaria meleagris and meleaagris white) and Ipheon uniflorum

Judith’s Hacquetia epipactis

Judith’s Tulips: the white Purissima and Apeldoorn, which come back each year, with a frilly daffodil

Judith’s Euphorbia Silverleaf

Gill’s Euphorbia, Primroses and Pansies go well together

 Gill's’s jug of flowers includes Daffodil Thalia, Cardamine  heptaphylla and the lime green smyrnia

 

Sue G brought Anemones – the white flaccida and Anomenella thalictroides, Primulas – the orange Doncliffe , the pink Rosea, the dark leafed Drumcliff and the macrophyllia

 James told us the story of the Snowflake, so called as it began to snow as William Curtis first came across it.  Read more about William Curtis here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Curtis 

 

Jenny’s Camellia, which is about 17 years old, has started to bloom this year

Gardening Matters

 Some members visited Harlow Carr this week and can thoroughly recommend a visit to see the Rhododendrons and the print exhibition in the Bath House

 

 

Notice Board

We are due for a clean-up of the Paxton car park and the kitchen.  Date to be advised.

The Friday Forum day trip to Derbyshire is on Friday 20^th July.  Full details on the Visits 2018 page

Next Meeting

May 4^th – A presentation on propagation by Peter Williams

  

Friday Forum Spring Mini Show

Friday Forum Spring Mini Show

 "Mr Daffodil" John Freer with Lundy Light (left) and Dutch Master (right)

 

John Freer came to judge our mini show, which has now become a tradition for Friday Forum, helped by Graham and Dorothy.   Entries were down in some categories which is not surprising after the bad weather we’ve been experiencing.  However, I think you will agree that the standard was good:

 Some of the entries

 

 First in category

After the judging, entertaining as ever, John gave us useful advice on entering shows including helpful tips on presentation and staging.  

 Lundy Light

 Some of John's plants including Daffodil White Petticoat and a pot of Tulip Show Winner and Tête á Tête

John is also an accomplished knitter and brought a recent piece:

 This looked like a stripey piece

 Looked at from another angle, you can see praying hands

Display Table

 

 Ann's pot of Cordalys Malkensis and Solida George Baker

 Gill's container:  Smyrnium perfoliatum, allium paradoxum normale, pumonarias rubra, opal and the silver leafed one Gill calls Calverley Gem, Muscari latifolium, pachyphragma latifolium, anemone blanda,
Chionodoxa

 (middle) bronze leaved Oxalis (right) Cardamine

 Gill wanted identification - pink carrot flower

Gardening Matters

News on an upcoming television programme about the preparation which goes into opening gardens to the public, although some of our members could tell us about that!

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2018/16/britain-in-bloom

 

Below is a link to an article about how gardening can be used as part of your daily exercise regime.  I wonder if visiting a garden followed by tea and cake counts?

https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/garden/a19680257/recommended-daily-allowance-rda-for-gardening/

How many calories gardening tasks burn

• 35 minutes of weeding – 158 calories
• 35 minutes of mowing the lawn – 200 calories
• 29 minutes of potting plants – 131 calories
• 27 minutes of digging – 137 calories
• 17 minutes of raking – 63 calories
• 79 minutes of other garden work – 300 calories

Total: 989 calories per week, over 52 weeks – 51,428 calories a year

Harlow Carr was so busy one day last week that some of our members were turned away as they reached the approach road.  They decided to visit Bluecoat Wood https://www.horticap.org/Nursery across the road, who were expecting their patron – none other than the legendary Alan Titchmarsh, who spoke to Ann about the eggs she had purchased.

Notice Board

Paxton AGM is on 24^th April at 8.00 pm.  Members are being urged to attend as significant changes are being proposed and you will have the opportunity to take part in the decision making process.

Graham thanked all those who helped at the Paxton Spring Show. 

On Saturday, 16^th June, there will be a 50^th Anniversary Celebration Lunch.  Details as follows:

50^TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION LUNCH

To celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Society moving into our current premises we are holding a Celebration Faith Lunch on Saturday, 16^th June.  We are delighted that Mr John Sheard has agreed to be our guest speaker, and his presentation will be ‘The Life of Joseph Paxton’. 

Lunch will be served at 12.30, and this will be followed by the guest speaker.  There is no charge for Paxton members and whilst guests will be welcome there will be a charge of £3.

As this is a Faith Lunch we would ask members to donate items of food, but we can co-ordinate this once we know the final numbers.  If you would like to attend, and possibly bring a guest, please let either Dorothy Ambridge or Graham Wheatley know.

Visits:  We have two dates for visits.  Full details plus June and August visits coming soon

18^th May – A tour of The Arium Nursery

20^th July – Day trip to gardens in Derbyshire

Next Meeting

 20^th April:  Forum – Practical Gardening