"November’s sky is chill and drear, November’s leaf is red and sear." — Sir Walter Scott

Talk:  Hedgehogs in the Garden

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to listen to the multitalented Tracy Foster at Friday Forum this week.  Tracy is a Chelsea Gold Medal Winning garden designer, teacher lecturer and writer and spoke to us about hedgehogs, their declining numbers and how we can encourage them into our gardens.

It was a fascinating and informative presentation which included the history, myths, facts and characteristics of these prickly but cute mammals.

We learnt that hedgehogs travel about a mile a night and need a small hole in garden fences to ease their foraging journey.  Also hedgehogs are lactose intolerant so, rather than bread and milk, feeding them cat or dog food is preferable.  They are a gardener’s friend as they eat caterpillars and slugs.

Further information on hedgehogs can be found at:

www.britshhedgehogs.org.uk or www.hedgehogstreet.org

Display Table

The contributions to the display table were remarkable in that most of the plants would have finished flowering or past their best at this time of year.  We can’t promise that they will give you a display next November, but there are lots of ideas to extend the season.

Ann’s pot contains Ricinus communis with its poisonous seeds, Amicia zygomeris,  Stokesia laevis, Tricyrtis, Campanula, The Mexican sunflower Tithonia,  Dahlia merckii  Flaxton, caltha palustris, Persicaria affinis, erysimum, crocus conqueror, saxifrage fortunei, Hesperantha coccinea Mrs Hegarty

Gill’s vase contains Hesperantha, Cosmos, Pelargonium Lord Bute, Yellow Poppy, Osteospermum and Michaelmas Daisies

Kate brought Grasses:  Miscanthus Fontaine, Pennisetum charmingly named fairy tails and an attractive tender one, Hesperantha, Hemerocallis, Rosa the fairy and the beautifully scented Blush Noisette, Penstemon 'Burgundy', Mallow, Astrantia Buckland

James brought the heritage plant, the Chrysanthemum Suffolk Pink

 These stunning spiky Cactus dahlias were brought in by Margaret

 Gill E’s Vine leaves are beautiful autumn hues

 

Gill E’s container with Salvias including Amistad, Abelia, Phlox, the yellow Buddleia weyeriana, an ever flowering Wallflower, a mature Ivy, Goldstrum, Geranium nodosum, Mahonia winter sun, Michaelmas daisies and Corydalis lutea

 Judith’s Oxalis vulcanicola and Alstroemeria indian summer

Notice Board

Next Meeting:  18^th November – Forum.  Please bring something Poppy related to this meeting to acknowledge Remembrance Day.

Harvest Forum

This was a really enjoyable and well-organised event.  The Harvest Quiz was great fun; we shall never forget what a French Breakfast is (and the answer wasn’t “inadequate”!).  There was a Bring & Buy Sale and an opportunity to sample delicious home-made food including Parsnip and Apple Soup, scones, courgette cake and Homity pie.

Display Table

This reminds us that there is still plenty of interest in our gardens.

 

Gill’s Rhodochiton atrosanguineum; an attractive, tender climber

 Gill’s jug contains yellow impatiens omeiana, cyclamen hederifolium, michaelmas daisies, clematis Mary Rose. Rose, geranium nodosum, sedum, a purple clematis, Japanese anemone, corydalis lutea, Ceratostigma willmottianum

 A book recommendation from Gill

 Kate’s Isoplexis canariensis is an attractive shrub with its orange/bronze blooms

Notice Board

Interested in a day of gardening talks by expert speakers? 

Next Meeting:  Talk – Hedgehogs in the Garden by expert Tracey Foster.  Expect a multitude of questions from Janella!

Awesome October

Talk:  Creating a garden in North Yorkshire by Martin Fish

 

Martin is an experienced gardener and his enthusiasm for gardening shone through as he entertained us with his illustrated presentation. We learnt how, when he moved to Yorkshire, he transformed a blank canvas of ¾ of an acre into a stunning garden which not only looked good but yielded an enormous amount of produce.  He took us through the timeline from the first asparagus bed to the beautiful plot it is today, although Martin, who doesn’t claim to be a garden designer, is the first to say that a garden should never be finished.

Martin’s favourite plants at the moment are: clematis alpina Stolwijk Gold, lathyrus vernus albo roseus, Cardiocrinum giganteum, cornus kousa wietings select, Geum Bell Bank, catalpa bignonioides aurea, Viburnum plicatum Pink Beauty, Hosta albomarginata, Geranium Rozanne, Hydrangea Annabelle, Hesperantha Pink Princess, cercidiphyllum japonicum.

Martin’s garden is open once a year under the NGS scheme and more details about Martin and his garden can be found on his website:  www.martinfish.com

Display Table

It may be October, but Friday Forum members still have plenty in bloom in their gardens.

 Carol brought a branch from the shoo-fly plant (Nicandra physalodes) and invited us to take the pods and plant the seeds.  It will be interesting to see the results

 Dorothy’s cyclamen with its enormous corm

 James’ Acteas with their poisonous berries

 

Sue G’s colourful arrangement includes Asters: frikartii 'Monch’, novae-angliae 'September Ruby', novi-belgii Samoa, euonymus alatus and hesperantha

 

 Ann’s dainty Nerines bowdenii Alba, Stephanie and Undulata

 Judith’s Dahlias:  Murdoch, an Orange one and David Howard and a couple of attractive Salvias

 Gill’s arrangement includes salvia, eupatorium rugosum, now Ageratina altissima, hydrangea paniculata, begonia, campanula and Himalayan honeysuckle

 

Notice Board

We wish Friday Forum member, Celia, a speedy recovery from her recent operation.

Members are welcome to help themselves to plant pots before they are sent to landfill.

Margaret D thanked members for their donations for the recent Paxton show, which was busy and financially successful.

Gill is selling varieties of tulip bulbs at our meetings.

 Congratulations to two of our members, Kate and Carol, were awarded Gold for their gardens by Leeds in Bloom with Carol winning Best in Category.  Very well deserved!

Wharfedale Gardeners are holding an exhibition entitled Painting the Modern Garden at Otley Courthouseon Saturday 15th October.

Next Meeting

21^st October:  Harvest Forum – We are asking members to make an item of food, sweet or savoury, for others to taste.  It would be helpful to provide a copy of the recipe and, if possible, email to me to add to our recipe page on the blog.  There will also be a Bring & Buy sale and our legendary Quiz.