Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower - Albert Camus

Presentation:  Kew through the seasons by Ken Matthewman

 Ken, who describes himself as a horticultural maniac, has been gardening since a child and rose from a humble indentured apprentice with Castleford Borough Council to working at Kew Gardens.

Ken’s illustrated talk gave us a real insight into Kew along with its history.  Beginning as a 12 acre totally flat, sandy river floodplain, it now spans 300 acres of landscaped gardens, with research facilities and a gallery of Marianne North’s paintings.  Also to be found here are trees from every species, a new state-of–the-art alpine house, and the Palm House, originally built in the 1840’s from steel and glass.  Ken advises that a full day should be set aside for a visit to the gardens, where every plant is labelled and new bedding schemes are always being trialled.

Display Table

Marjorie and Brian’s Coleus plants grown from “babies”

 

 Ann brought Dahlias from her garden: the pink Merckii which she’s had for 20 years, the larger flowered australis and the red coccinea and gave us the history of the plant.  Coming from the Aster family, Dahlias have been with us for about 200 years, when Spanish botanists discovered them growing on the sandy hillsides of Mexico.  Toward the end of the 18^th century, Spanish settlers sent some to the Botanic Gardens in Madrid where the plant was named by Abb′e Cavanille in honour of the Swedish scientist and environmentalist, Andrea Dahl.

 Ann found a new-to-her plant at The Arium nursery.  Lindernia grandiflora,  perhaps not aptly named, but also known as  Blue moneywort False pimpernel and Angels Tears

 Margaret H asked for identification of this plant which she grew from red berries.  Anyone?

 Still in flower, from Gill’s garden comes a container filled with Oxalis, SunflowerLemon Queen, Aster Alma Potschke, Liriope,  the yellow climbing Dicentra scandens,  Tricyrtis (toad lily),  Alstroemeria selina, Eupatoria and Persicaria

Gardening Matters

Have a look at someone else's "display table".

https://honeypotflowers.wordpress.com/2018/10/20/mid-october-in-the-flower-garden/ 

Notice Board

Gill has ordered stocks of tulip bulbs again this year for purchase at the next meeting.

Next Meeting

2^nd November: A celebration for the 50^th anniversary of the Society moving into our current premises.  John M Sheard FRICS, a former resident Land Agent of the Bolton Abbey Estate, will give a talk on ‘The Life and Achievements of Joseph Paxton’ 

16^th November:  Harvest Forum – Brexit Bash and Bring & Buy.  Further details to be advised.  

  

The end of the summer is not the end of the world. Here’s to October ... A A Milne

Recreating the flower catalogue of 16^th century Holland
In the 16th century, flower bulbs were so rare and expensive that it was more economical to commission a painting of an arrangement than to own fresh blooms. “Some flowers were purposely placed facing backwards and sideways…they were not crowded in the vase – the aim was to make each bloom clearly visible.”
At this time, Dutch plant sellers were bringing back exotic specimens from their journeys all over the world.  In order to publicise these plants, paintings were commissioned of flower arrangements containing one of each specimen.  The images in these paintings were not always a true representation; often details such as length of stem were exaggerated and, because they were painted over a long period, would portray favourite varieties from different blooming seasons.  
So, in true Friday Forum “try anything once” fashion, a display was made up from one of each type of flower brought in from Judith’s garden.

 

From that to these .....

 after 3 minutes

 after 5 minutes

 after 7 minutes

 .... and complete

 work in progress

 I think you will agree that the end result was rather attractive.   

Display Table

 

Gill’s display contained Physostegia (the obedient plant), Astrantia, Osmanthus and Corydalis

 

 Kate’s posy of roses contained the yellow Chinatown, Blush Noisette, rosa Le Fairy, Rosa Mutabilis which goes from apricot to rosy pink, Lady of Shallot and Gertrude Jekyll, which are still in bloom in October

 

James’ prize-winning Aeonium Schwarzkopf.  James told us there are 35 specimens of succulents which come from Madeira and the Canary Islands where they grow on sloping, rocky ground.  Can be out outside in winter and can grow up to 7ft tall.

Ann brought a pot of containing Kirengeshoma palmate, Tithonia rotundifolia, Desfontainia spinosa, Berberis  Linearifolia Orange King, Dahlia Flaxton, Alstromeria Indian Summer, Persicaria affinis Superba, Fat Domino, Golden Arrow and J.S. Caliente, Sphaeralcea coccinea, Crocosmia Star of the East, Hedera helix Buttercup, Rudbeckia Goldsturm, Liriope muscari and Euonymus elation

Notice Board

Congratulations to Kate and Carol who were both awarded Gold plus for their gardens by Leeds in Bloom. 

 

Next Meeting

*please note changes to published programme*

19^th October:  Presentation – Kew through the seasons by Ken Matthewman 

 2^nd November: A celebration for the 50^th anniversary of the Society moving into our current premises.  John M Sheard FRICS, a former resident Land Agent of the Bolton Abbey Estate, will give a talk on ‘The Life and Achievements of Joseph Paxton’

16^th November:  Harvest Forum – Brexit Bash and Bring & Buy  

  

“Autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile." [Indian Summer] ― John Howard Bryant

Presentation:  Thomas Fairchild by Celia Latham Brown

Longstanding Friday Forum member Celia Latham Brown kept the audience enthralled with a most interesting and informative talk on the gardener and plant breeder Thomas Fairchild (1667 – 1729).  

A farmer’s son from Wiltshire, Fairchild became an apprentice cloth worker and after being introduced to gardening, realised he preferred the outdoors.  We worked in Hoxton at a nursery and presently became its owner.

By transferring the pollen of a Carnation to stigma of Sweet William, Fairchild created a new plant – the first hybrid and known as Fairchild’s mule.  As a keen Christian, he did fear God’s wrath.  He corresponded with   Carl Linnaeus and by experiments, established the existence of sex in plants.

At that time, there was strong competition amongst grand estate holders to have new and different plants, so his work was very much in demand.

When Fairchild’s friend Blair presented his paper to the Royal Society in 1716, there were outcries of blasphemy and that it was morally dangerous, meddling with nature.  Later, another friend, Sir Hans Sloane of Sloane Square fame, presented another of Fairchild’s papers on the Circulation of Sap  

A member of the Society of Gardeners, Fairchild’s aim was to produce a catalogue of new species of plants.  In 1722 he published a small book The City Gardener, detailing which plants would thrive best in London.  This publication also advised that large plants would benefit from being taken into the countryside and also that there should be open spaces in towns and cities to provide fresh air for their residents.

Thomas Fairchild died at the age of 62.  In his will he left a sum of £25.00  an annual sermon be given  in celebration of Horticulture.   This  still happens to this day on Whit Tuesday at St Giles Church, Cricklegate, and has become known as the Vegetable Sermon.

Celia’s talk was all the more remarkable as all the research was from books (as opposed to the internet) including The Ingenious Mr Fairchild: The Forgotten Father of the Flower Garden (Faber Find) by Michael Leapman and a chapter in The Brother Gardeners: Botany, Empire and the Birth of an Obsession (2009) by Andrea Wulf  

 We look forward to Celia’s next talk

Display Table

Gerry explained that the original reason for a Display Table at gardening groups was that it was the only way for gardeners to continue their education in horticulture.  Traditionally, this took place on a Saturday night and some gardeners would bring plants and demonstrate their skills to others.

Carol ‘s Echiveria Painted Lady

Carol’s Erodium Spanish Eyes which has flowered all year

 

Margaret M’s colourful posy of Dahlias

 

 From her garden Gill brought yellow and orange Begonias, Japanese Anemone, Phlox, Liriope, Chelone, Michaelmas Daisy, the yellow Kirengeshoma, Crocosmia and  the toad lily Tricyrtis.  Make a note if you want to extend the season

 Ann’s Justicia Carnea  comes from the Acanthus family and comes from the North of South America.  It has been out all summer but will be overwintered in a frost free spot.

Ann has dug up (hopefully all) the coral roots of the invasive, wild woodland plant of Cardamine bulbifera which spreads by the small black bulbils it produces.

 

Judith has had a good crop of tomatoes on her allotment.  Also pictured: Judith’s Argyranthemum Banana Split which is red in bud and has yellow flowers, a perennial Wallflower, Dahlias including Bishops Children, David Howard and Salvia amistad

Gardening Matters

Do you know about this mysterious female gardener who got no public recognition during her lifetime?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-45552079 

Notice Board

Thanks to those who helped organise and sponsored the recent and improvements to Paxton Hall; repairs to the roof, broken window and outside light and the decoration of the exterior and the main hall.

Upcoming meetings:

Next meeting is 5^th October (see details below) but we wanted to give you early notice of the two meetings which follow.  

19^th October:  This is our Harvest Forum and Bring & Buy sale.  This year we are going for a Brexit Bash and will be asking members to sign up to bring a typical food or drink from an EU country. 

Friday 2^nd November: A celebratation for the 50^th anniversary of the Society moving into our current premises.  More details TBA.

Next Meeting

5^th October:  Presentation by Ken Matthewman – Kew through the seasons