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”.