Harvest Forum

Friday Forum members spent an enjoyable afternoon doing our favourite things: eating, chatting and quizzing.

The quiz, prepared by Norma, required us to select from the 12 foods displayed which were available in the 17^th Century in the UK.  I failed at the first hurdle by not reading the end of the question!  It was fascinating to discover where the foods came from, when they were first grown, who discovered them and when they were first introduced to the UK.

We sampled cake, jams and compote made by members using some ingredients from their own gardens.  Dorothy warned us not to eat the spider decoration on her contribution as they were not edible!

Display Table

Kate’s jug contained Salvias (nachtvlinder, Amistad and confertiflora, Phlox The King, Verbena Bonariensis, Hydrangea leaves, Euonymus alatus and Loropetalum chinense Fire Dance

Ann’s delightful display in a basket using gourds, pine cones, grapes, tomatoes Tumbling Tiger and Autumn crocus

Judith’s arrangement included a salvia sown from seed and salvia amistad, a flower from a heuchera, annual linaria, verbena bonariensis, tithonia, dahlias (Murdock,karma choc, blue by you (maybe) and Flaxton), coleus and Phytolacca ‘Laka Boom’

Dorothy’s 6 year old Eucomis

Gill’s attractive display of foliage and berries

Next meeting:   5^th November - a talk by Sarah Hopps; Gardening to delight the Senses.

 

Special Plants for Small Gardens

Talk by Peter Williams on Special Plants for Small Gardens

Always entertaining, Peter gave an interesting, illustrated talk on different styles and designs for small gardens.  Peter gave us a list of suggested plants and trees and loads of ideas to consider for our own gardens.

Display Table

Gill explained how to weave a wreath from willow

Gill’s vase contained Hydrangeas, Phlox, Eupatorium rugosum, yellow Buddleia weyeriana, Cosmos and Fuchsia

Judith's vase contains Roscoea spice island, annual Salvia, Catalpa, foliage of Canna, Tithonia and Dahlia

Ann brought a beautiful bouquet of poisonous plants:

Aconitum (hemsleyanum, bicolor, spatlese,  carmichaelii), Colcium (album and lilac wonder), Ricinus communis, Arum italicum, Hedera buttercup, Taxus[LC1]  fastigiata aurea and digitalis

Margaret H asked why her aubergines didn’t grow although she had watered and fed them.  Anyone?

Sue G brought a Pavonia from the Harrogate Flower Show.  It is a South African plant from the mallow family and the yellow flowers last just a day

Jenny saw this in the RHS magazine and realised she had some Teucrium in her garden

Maggie’s roses are Iceberg, Blush Noisette, Mermaid and Pink Perpetue

Gill J’s arrangement included Aster Monch, Cerinthe major, pelargonium, penstemons (phoenix violet,pink and garnet) Sweet William, hardy osteospermum, Hesperantha, Calendula, Fuchsia, Leycesteria, named after William Leycester a horticulturist in Bengal around the 1820s. 

Dorothy’s Abutilon grown from a cutting.

Kate’s container:  Verbena rigida, Clematis Helios, Phlox blue paradise, Aralia sun king, hardy Begonia claret jug, Anemone pamina, Cosmos purity, Aster x frikartii Monch, Rudbeckia sahara

Next meeting is on 15^th October and will have a harvest theme.  There will be a quiz and we request that members bring a homemade cake/dish/produce to share.