Mini Spring Show

We had more than our usual number of entries for all categories.  Thanks to John Freer and Graham for judging and Rose for logging the entries.

Category 1: 

 

 1^st Prize Dorothy Ambridge, Daffodil Sportsman

Category 2:

 

1^st Prize Dorothy Ambridge, 3 Daffodils

 

Category 3:

 

 

 1^st Prize Judith Ladley, 3 Tulips Red Apeldoorn

Category 4:

 1^st Prize Janella Cranswick, Container of spring flowering bulbs

Category 5: 

1^st prize Carl Denton, Trillium

Category 6: 

 

1^st prize Margaret Denton

Category 7:

 1^st prize Janella Cranswick, dish of floating Camellias

Presentation

We know John Freer as a judge of our flower show and for his prize winning blooms.  He surprised us today when he told us that his main hobby is knitting.  He learnt to knit as a young boy and started to enter competitions.  He brought along samples of his work and it wasn’t just your basic stitches.  He uses intricate patterns and produces beautiful shawls and scarves, ganzies, hats and other useful items.

Display Table

Margaret H brought a lovely pot of tulips, the leaves of which were unfortunately suffering from what she suspected was Tulip fire.  Our bulb expert and show judge, John, advised her to better be safe than sorry and discard the tulips.  In the discussion that followed, Judith said many of her bulbs had been unsuccessful this year and Ann and John both peeled back the outer scales of their bulbs to check for mould.

Judith’s stunning Tulip Red Apeldoorn

 

 Graham’s purple Primula pubescens and Linden Lancelot, which took a lot of patience to raise

Ann’s Crown Imperial 

Ann’s Fritillaria Impperialis, meleagris and Uva- vulpis, Erythronium revolutum, pagoda, white beauty and tuolmnense, Scilla liliohyacinthus

Ann’s Rhododendron Bluetit and Chaenomeles Geisha Girl

 Can anyone make Sue and Jenny's wishes come true?

Notice Board

Jenny reported back from the Paxton meeting:

·              The drive at Paxton Hall is very worn and will be very expensive to replace.  Can anyone help financially or with a fundraiser?

·               Paxton is holding its AGM at Paxton Hall on Tuesday 25 April at 8 pm.  Please show your support by attending, in view of local societies having to close, and if anyone can help out by joining the committee, it would be appreciated.

We wish Elizabeth good health and happiness in her new home in Otley.

Graham told us how well the recent Paxton Spring Show went.

There are still a few places for our day trip in June.

National Gardening Week is 10 – 16 April.  Send in a photo of something you did this week!

Next Meeting

April 21^st:  Forum – Practical Gardening, propagation and plug plants to grow on

"Where flowers bloom so does hope." - Lady Bird Johnson

Talk:  Wild India 

 

Barbara and Peter Murphy returned to Friday Forum to entertain us with a presentation on India, based on several visits they have made.

It was just what was needed to cheer us up on a grey day, as Peter told us about the wildlife, culture and horticulture beautifully illustrated by Barbara’s photography.  Amongst other things we learnt that all hens originated from the Red Jungle Fowl from thousands of years ago and Assam tea has been grown there since 1834 and comes from the Camellia family.

Barbara brought with her some greeting cards in aid of the Rodley Nature Reserve with her photographs of local birds and scenery.

Display Table

As the season continues, there is currently plenty of interest and colour in the gardens of our members as illustrated by today’s table.

 Kate’s arrangement of Hellebores, Pulmonaria including the Blue Ensign, Viburnum Dawn, Ribes White Icicle, Jetfire and Jumbly daffodils, Anisodontea and the stunning Camellia Simply Rouge

 

Gill brought Allium Normale, Pachyfragma, Epimedium, which gives good ground cover in shade, Corydaylis Beth Evans, Pulmonaria and the fragrant winter honeysuckle

 James brought a Snowflake (Leucojum vernum), which is much larger and longer stemmed than the more popular snowdrop.  As usual, James regaled us with its history

Judith showed us her book The Gardener’s Companion edited by Vicky Bamforth

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gardeners-Companion-Vicky-Bamforth/dp/1861057717

She says she likes to dip into it when she has time, which probably isn’t very often!  The article A Gardener’s Raincheck looks helpful.

 From Ann’s garden came Group 10 Narcissi originating from Spain and Portugal: Narcissus cyclamineus and Narcissus Spoirot, Pulsatilla rubra, Ipheon uniflorum album and Ipheon uniflorum Charlotte Bishop

Notice Board

There are still a few places available on our garden trip to Lincolnshire.

Mini Show:  Next meeting is Friday Forum’s Spring Show.  I’m sure everyone has something to enter.  It’s the taking part that matters!

Unfortunately Wakefield Paxton Society established in 1877 is closing.

 http://www.wakefieldexpress.co.uk/news/sadness-as-horticultural-society-folds-1-946224

Next Meeting

April 7^th:    Spring Mini Show – Judge and speaker – John Freer

  

Indoors or out, no one relaxes in March, that month of wind and taxes. The wind will presently disappear, the taxes last us all the year.” – Ogden .

Talk:  York Gate Garden by Stephen Carr

Stephen is a volunteer at the garden and his enthusiasm shone through as he told us about the history of the garden right up to the present day.  A former farm which was bought by the Spencer family in 1950, much is known about the garden as Sybil Spencer wrote copious notes and made scrap books and her son, Robin Spencer, kept diaries which were later published in the gardening journal Hortus.  Sybil was the plantswoman, her husband, Fred, was a surveyor and he produced the designs and Robin decorated the garden with artefacts from old buildings.

The garden was first opened to the public in 1968.  There is a lovely film of Sybil talking about her garden here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKlARGC_6MQ

When Sybil, the last surviving member of the Spencer family, passed away in 1994, she bequeathed the house, garden and funds to the Gardeners' Benevolent Institution, now Perennial. 

Stephen showed us pictures of some of the 14 gardens which make up York Gate and explained how these had changed over time and are still changing.  

Display Table

Carl brought in this shrub.  He was unsure whether it was a Viburnum or a Ribes but it was identified as Ribes laurifolium

 This is Jenny’s dark purple Iris Pixie

Many of us can’t get our Irises to flower in the garden.  Ann plants hers at the base of a shrub and Norma puts gravel at the bottom of planting hole.

 

Gill’s iris es, crocuses, polyanthus and daffodils

 Gill’s floating hellebore flowers include Tutu and Patty Pink

 

 Gill’s pot includes Snowdrops, Pulmonaria, Chrysosplenium macrophyllum, Polyanthus, Allium paradoxum normale, Snowflake, Corydalis Beth Evans, primrose, wallflower and Omphalodes verna

 Ann was thrilled to show us that her Mandragora (Mandrake) had flowered

 

 

The Mandrake is an interesting plant with a flowering period from Autumn to Spring which has much folklore attached to it.   It’s worth looking it up!

 

Ann's vibrant crocus:  Orange Monarch, Judith’s hellebores and Peter’s Cyclamen coum

Judith warned us about the latest garden pests from New Zealand 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/25/new-zealand-mealybugs-invading-britain-destroying-gardens/

Notices

There are still places available on the Friday Forum Garden visit, so if you or your friends are interested, Janella has all the details.

Paxton committee’s next meeting is on 21^st March (we are looking for a new representative for Friday Forum) and Paxton AGM is on 25^th April at 8:00 pm.

Paxton Plant and Bric a Brac sale is on Saturday 18^th March, so any items you could bring to the next meeting will be appreciated.

Next Meeting

17^th March:  We welcome back Peter and Barbara Murphy who are giving a presentation entitled Wild India.

Don’t forget your plants and bric a brac for the Paxton Sale on 18^th March.

The show must go on

Talk:  Behind the scenes at the Chelsea Flower Show

Tracy Foster gave us a fascinating presentation about her 2012 exhibit which she based on Yorkshire and the Brontes. 

Applications for the show are made in August for the garden to be completed the following May.  Tracy began by thoroughly researching the Bronte family and where they lived, made a preliminary drawing and a rough 3D model from plasticine.  She then had to source the plants, the stone and even trees with a windswept look.  It takes a lot of hard work, especially in the time allotted to build the garden in the week before the show.  Her efforts earned her a gold medal.

Tracy is exhibiting again at Chelsea this year inspired by the Yorkshire coastline.  We shall be interested to see the finished garden, especially now we know the background and the work that goes into it.

Display Table

On the left Janella’s snowdrops S.Arnott, which came from Derek’s garden with Margaret H’s on the left which she double pots to frost proof the containers.  In the pot on the right of the frame are Margaret’s Cyclamen Coum

One of the stalks of Carol's Tasmanian Tiger Euphorbia broke off and she pushed it into a plant pot.  It threw up new shoots and it will soon be coming off Death Row! 
(This is not the specimen that Carol brought in)

Gill bought the attractive Primula and Hellebore at High Trees Nursery, which now has a good cafe as well as offering good plants http://www.hightrees.co.uk/

Carol’s container includes the unusual Grevillea rosmarinifolia jenkensii, Daphne intermedia Jacqueline Postill, Hamamelis Arnold Promise, Viburnum Dawn, Hellebores and Heathers

Ann’s jug contains Hamamelis Aphrodite, Iris unguicularis, Iris Harmony, Iris Kathryn Hodgkin, Eranthis hyemalis (winter aconite), various snowdrops, Crocus tommasinianus, Scilla Tubergeniana, Hellebores tibetana, Cyclamen coum, Arum italicum Marmoratum leaf. Osteospermum Orange and Narcissus Tête-à-tête

Gill brought Cornus mas, Mahonia, Corydalis, Snowdrops, double and single, Snowflakes, Primrose vulagaris and the white form.

Notices

Dorothy advised us of the dates of the Paxton sales (see below) when we will be selling plants and bric a brac.  Members are asked to bring any items they have for the first sale to the Friday Forum on the day before the sale; March 17^th.

Margaret D was thanked for the wonderful way she has organised the kitchen on Show days over many years.  Margaret is now standing down and we are looking for someone to take over this task.

Graham reminded us of the Paxton AGM which will be on Tuesday 25^th April at 8:00 pm and urged members to attend.

Janella is taking bookings for our day trip (see the page Garden Visits 2017for details) and has informed us that non-members are welcome to join us.

Next Meeting

3^rd March – Forum, York Gate, our local treasure