Reports from Member's Meetings

May 18th, Report of Special Final members meeting on the closure of the Society after 104 years.

The chairlady Penny welcomed approximately 40 members in attendance, and introduced items from the committee for agreement and suggestions.

The Banksian medal was presented to Tony Lee in recognition of his services to the Society for over more than 34 years, and the RHS Certificate goes to Lyndon Clements for long and dedicated service to the Society.

There will be a special meal for the members of the committee as a thank you for their work.

The web site will continue, with items for sale/for free, also details of the donations to the selected charities, including Parkinsons Society and the Salvation Army.

The depot will be open for business as usual until the end of October and for sale there will be cards made by Margaret Allsopp; a donation will be made to The Myloma Society in recognition of her contribution to the Society. At the depot there will be a card for entry to various RHS sites; details of any exclusions are to be found on the RHS web site.

A proposal that benches to commemorate the Society be placed in the town has been placed with the Council and a decision is awaited. 

The meeting finished with a free raffle of plants, including some donated from Tony Lee.

The winding up of the Society will take place in early 2024; and a newsletter will be sent out when everything has been completed.

For the final meeting Don Witton was welcomed to give a comprehensive and colourful talk on ‘Perennials throughout the year’. Incidentally this was Don’s first ever talk when he started out. He asked ‘What is a perennial?’ Basically these are plants which come back year after year. At the beginning of the year colour is provided by the woodland plants, which excel in April with Hellibores, Irises(bright seedheads) and Pulmonarias which have silver leaves, also primulas and elephants ears. There is more colour as the year moves on with yellow Ranunculus ficaria ‘Brazen Hussy’, Dicentra Langtrees with white flowers, yellow daisies and bright red geums.  Anemones hide their flowers, buttercups, dazzle and in May a grass ’Mellicia’ needs to be deadheaded to stop becoming rampant. 

In the heat of the summer we have great shows with Geraniums, Pincushion Astrantia, and Day Lilies.  June, July and August are the cream of the calendar for sun loving plants., for instance Geraniums, Astrantias, Day Lilies, a yellow ‘Kniphofia’, Monarda, Astilbe, Veronica, Phlox, Heleniums and Rudbekias. September brings Echinacea, and ‘Aster frikartii Junfrau ‘which is free from mildew. Moving on, in October and November Chrysantheums and Penstomens bloom. Many grasses, tall, red tips, wispy, all then grace the garden during the dull winter days with muted colour and movement .

After such a colourful and informative talk the meeting applauded in the usual way, and the raffle finished the meeting. Reminder of the special meeting to be held on 18th May.

Jeff Bates sparked off a lively meeting when he asked ‘Why bother to grow your own?’ when he came to give a talk about ‘Vegetables for small gardens’. 

Lots of ideas came forth and were discussed, such as low food miles, less chemicals, cheapness, bigger variety, freshness, better taste, and the satisfaction felt when you go to the garden and pick what a few minutes before was in the soil- a tomato, if picked when ripe and mature has a greater taste. 

Jeff moved on to crop rotation, the soil, managing pests and diseases and soil health, the top 6 inches being most important for aeration by worms etc, no need to dig. It is easy to extend the growing season, by using cloches in the New Year - before the spring equinox. The pH of the soil is important for instance alkali for brassicas and acid for potatoes – it is best to measure mid spring and in autumn. 

A slug can travel 15 ft in one night, and other predators and parasites can be managed - carrots grown higher to avoid carrot root fly; raised beds can be used to increase the amount of space one can reach, rather than long rows or lines. Other tactics include hoeing backwards along a row to avoid trampling on small plants, layering vertically, growing green manure over the winter, and growing comfrey which when harvested can provide a good liquid feed. 

The meeting showed its appreciation in its usual way for a very interesting and informative talk. 

After the raffle there was a reminder of the next talk on 20th April when Don Whitton will talk about Perennials through the year. 

There will be an extra meeting on 18thMay and the depot will be open until 29th October. 

A wet evening did not deter members gathering to listen to Mike Davey give a talk entitled ‘Gardens: our Loyal Friends’ which was supported with a slide show of a variety of gardens open to the public, from near and further afield. 

Far afield examples are Selbourne in Hampshire, started in 1770s and maintained currently by volunteers.  There is now a good vegetable garden, plus a barn used for teaching. Also there is Savill Gardens at Windsor which has plants all year and banks of trees with interesting features eg  Silver Birch, splendid examples of the bark, and old irrigation systems amongst modern water sculptures. 

Nearer home examples worth visiting are Middleton Old Hall near Tamworth and Norwell Gardens at Newark, constantly evolving due to patience and good husbandry.  Closer to home is University of Nottingham, where it is quiet and reflective, including a grass maze and a walled garden. The gardens at Holm Pierrpoint were planted in the 17thcentury. 

Enjoying plenty of photos the audience showed their appreciation of a very interesting talk in the usual way. 

Reminders of the next two meetings, including the Christmas party, and the postponed talk from Danny Wells to be looked forward to on January 19th, the meeting finished after the raffle. 

Merry Christmas everyone!

Just before the clocks went back Don Witton gave the members a knowledgeable and informative talk entitled ‘Hardy plants and a Winter survival kit’. 

Incidentally Don is the keeper of the National collection of Euphorbias. He gave lots of practical hints and tips in a light hearted fashion going through the year as he did so. At the end of the talk there were plants for sale. Members showed their appreciation for a very enjoyable talk in the usual way. 

The meeting finished after the raffle and reminders of forthcoming meetings with a talk by Mike Davey on ‘Gardens: our loyal friends’  on November17th and the Christmas party {ticket only} on December 15th

At this time of year our attention goes to fruit and what to do with it. Adrian Baggaley gave the meeting a talk on ‘Growing and Showing Apples’. There are many ways trees can be grown to give a big harvest. 

Be it cordon, upright, horizontal or espalier. A pyramid one can be grown against a wall or on wires, and then trained out. A notable one is Charles Ross, a big cooker.

Most trees are grafted onto root stock which then determines the growth and habit of the tree. 

Using photos different styles of trees and the different fruits from them, whether cooking and dessert varieties early, mid season or late cooking or dessert, were shown. Most shows are early on in the year, a few are later which show the later and mid season fruits. 

Examples are ‘Katy’, an early one, ‘A. W.Barnes’, is unusually a red cooker; the best one is ‘Discovery ’. There were samples to try.

The meeting ended with members showing their appreciation. 

The raffle followed, and a reminder of the next meetings on 15th September, when Tony Lee will give a talk on ’Gardening Memories’ and on 20th October with Don Wilmott and ‘Hardy Plants and Winter Survival Kits’ 

 The speaker for the members July meeting previously advertised with Danny Wells and his talk on the English Garden at the last minute was unfortunately not able to go ahead.

With good fortune, Tony Lee Society President, was able to step in to the rescue with a talk entitled ‘Bulbs, Corms and Rhizomes’.

Showing beautiful pictures of flowering bulbs in pots and in the ground, some from his own garden, Tony gave an interesting and informative talk. Many of the photos were from when he and his wife used to go walking on the lower slopes of mountains in Switzerland and Austria . By the way, a snowdrop fanatic and collector is called a Galanthophile. 

The members gave their appreciation in the usual way, and the meeting finished after the raffle and a reminder of notices. 

The next meeting is on August 18th with the talk ‘Growing and Showing Apples’.

When Barry Hogg gave the meeting a talk entitled “Growing Chrysanthemums” he gave an insight into what it means to grow these, and prepare especially for showing. 

Barry comes from Doncaster where the land is very low lying and repeatedly floods in wintertime. He started growing for fun and as a novice won prizes, soon recognising that when growing on flooded fertile land the results were much improved. Taking the opportunity after redundancy he took on an allotment, growing better quality blooms, not just bigger, and going on to take cuttings. 

The preparations start in November and Barry gave some tips and little known facts from the knowledge he has gained- even to using soil from molehills- on timing, feeding, and how to choose which specimens to grow and to show. Growing his own cuttings, bringing them on, using heat, and finding the ideal temperature and the different types of trays available to use are part of this. 

Bugs and pests, particularly red spider mite are important to control, and using  fungicides and fertilizers, eg hoof and horn and  when to apply them.  Protective clothing should always be worn when spraying. One purchase which has paid dividends is a de humidifier, which is a bonus when preparing blooms for the show.  

Members showed their appreciation in the usual way and the meeting finished after the raffle .  

The next two meetings are Thursday July 21st and August 18th  

Long Eaton & District Horticultural Society May Member’s Meeting Dave Stains gave a colourful talk on Begonias on 19th May at Moorlands.  Dave introduced his subject by saying that both begonias and fuchsias were discovered by a monk, Charles Plumier in Brazil, fibrous begonias firstly in 1690 then later fuchsias.  There are now thousands of species of Begonias identified, many being hybrids, there is continual ongoing development.  

They have different methods of propagation, some tuberous and some by seeds. The tubers are hardy and can be saved year on year, but the seedlings, either indoor or outdoor, are not hardy and are usually discarded after flowering: there are also winter  flowering ones. All varieties require the same basics, ventilation and moisture and light and must be kept above freezing point. 

The meeting was treated to a slide show of a huge variety of colours and types, grown in different conditions and different rooting types. The displays were from public gardens, and the many various shows where Dave has shown his plants among others with different types of foliage and colours.  At home they can be grown in the open garden, troughs and pots. . There is continual ongoing development. 

Questions from the floor about what growing medium  to use, and  taking cuttings brought the talk to an end with plants for sale also. 

The meeting ended after the raffle and a reminder that the next meeting is on Thursday June 16th.   

Mike Davey gave an enjoyable talk on The National Botanic Garden of Wales and Gardens of Aberglasney near Llandeilo. Nearby the pretty area of the Gower and the estuary area at Llansteffsan are good walking areas accessible by car, railway and bus. Altogether well worth a visit. 

The National Gardens were opened in 2000, to contribute via science, to conservation of plants, education and creation of a good relationship with the public. There is a research unit, conference rooms and a children’s area.  Many of the features from the old estate remain today, even a ruin – the old peach house. The gardens are extensive and buggies are provided. 

The Broadwalk is Europe’s longest herbaceous border; the borders of the numerous lakes and cascades are left to grow wild and a long rill winds its way through the grounds.  There are primitive and modern plants, a 300 year old oak tree, also honey produced on site for sale. The most prominent feature is the giant domed glasshouse with plants from all over the world, kept warm by the earth bank in the hillside, panes of glass open automatically.     

At Aberglasney the original medieval estate was bought by a Restoration Trust bought in 1995 and eventually opened to the public.  A unique feature is the Cloister garden, which is kept simple, including lavender and pool gardens and the Yew walk Within the upper walled gardens box has been replaced by holly; with swathes of wild Solomons Seal with a stream and a sunken garden; primulas and epimediums cover damp areas. 

The audience gave their appreciation and the meeting ended with the raffle and notice of the next two meetings, May 19th and June 16th    

Long Eaton & District Horticultural Society Members attended an information packed talk given by Darren Myers entitled ‘Sweet Peas’. 

Darren has been growing and showing for 40 years, his first at 10yrs old! Fancy equipment is not necessary to get excellent results. Darren gave points to consider on all aspects of sowing, potting on, planting out also on showing. 

Sowing in January, consider room temperature, compost, no need to soak, chit if coat thick, to give a consistent germination rate. Use of a seed dressing and growth accelerator to get rid of mildew and fungus helps if overwintering. After 2-3 wks prick out when good roots; transparent plastic cups are better than root trainers. Water once daily. Wind is worse than cold, can go down to -5deg but need to thaw slowly if frozen. If cold east winds outside cover with fleece. 

Nip out tip(watch weather)at 2 pairs leaves. Beginning April when green healthy plant out using soil/ compost aim for pH 7, feed – med-high potash. Planting out 6-7 inches apart, cover soil beforehand. Take off tendrils. Mid May use white polythene to reflect light. End May, damp down in full sun, morning, not at night. 

Flowering usually finished for showing after 3rd week July; follow RHS rules. Prepare at home, keep air as still and cold as possible, away from ethylene gas. consider what judges might look for. 

Meeting finished after the raffle at 9.15, reminder that from April onwards meetings night is 3rd Thursday at 7.30.  Next meetings are April 21st, May 19th, June 16th 

On a wet evening the society held a well attended AGM followed by a raffle and a Gardner’s Question Time session.  

The chairlady announced a change to the members meetings, which will now, starting in April 2022, will take place on the 3rd Thursday of each month, at 7.30pm.  The meeting scheduled for March 15th will be as usual. 

There will be a newsletter produced in March. 

The raffle followed the AGM and the meeting finished with a lively Gardner’s Question Time session which included diverse subjects such as pruning of Apple Trees, use of sulphate of potash, growing courgettes, runner beans, cherry trees and blight in potatoes were discussed. 

The meeting finished at 9.30pm. Next members meetings are Tuesday March 15th and Thursday 19th April. 

In November members had an informative talk from Rod Young titled The Art of Bonsai. Rod explained  that contrary to popular belief the art started in China in 200 BC, mainly to remedy a lack of green space round people’s houses so they could enjoy green landscapes with grasses, trees, with rocks. 

Zen Buddhists later introduced it to Japan, with more natural landscapes using trays. Juniper, pine, and cherry were later introduced into the west being displayed in Paris World Fair and at Crystal Palace.  

Clubs, societies & associations now found in many places.  Almost all tree varieties can be used, always grown outdoors. Hawthorn, small flowers; crab apples, small fruit are good examples, maple, for colour, can easily be air layered off larger plants. With a basic tool kit similar to a pruning outfit, you can start in an hour. 

Step by step, how to start was described. Coconut coir is good substitute for peat, use grit with the compost. Use wires for shaping, a thick trunk is useful; with growth they need changing and roots checked. Start quite big, enterprising people can make own pots too. 

Usual precautions should be taken against infection, also vine weevil deterrent. A watering system is useful if away a lot. In winter, wind is worse than cold-cover and put fleece around pots. 

The talk finished with a slide show of examples and the meeting showed its appreciation in the usual way, finishing with the raffle, with reminders of tickets for the Christmas party also no  meeting in January. 

 A well attended meeting had a talk by Sheila Over on Looking Forward to Spring and Summer in the Cottage Garden. 

Sheila included some of her experiences from time spent during the lockdown spanning 2020-2021 too. She had previously been to Felley Priory in Nottinghamshire and concentrated on her experiences during the second lockdown when upon offering her services as a helper she spent time in what is essentially a cottage garden. The work was rewarding and a bonus was personal learning for instance about unusual plants and tips on care; cuttings of hyacinths, and the cutting right down of agapanthus plants. 

This is an established garden and looks after itself, the year beginning with snowdrops, hellebores then daffodils and after that, bluebells. The herbaceous border then comes into its own. Hellebores can grow anywhere, and can be propagated from seed, generally regarded as promiscuous as do tend to self seed. Can be prone to aphids, leaf spot and sometimes vine weevil; divide and then mulch in autumn is good preparation for the spring. 

There are 4 distinct flower types also doubles and spotted varieties, best displayed on high if possible because of their nodding habit. Purple seems to be favourite colour. There is a splendid rose garden, and an evergreen Magnolia. 

The grounds are open to the public Tues-Sat and 1st/3rd Sundays. 

The session finished with a lively QandA time and members showed their appreciation in their applause. At the end there were some plants for sale, followed by the raffle and reminders of forthcoming meetings.

Next two meetings are 18th November and the Christmas party on 16th December, MEMBERS ONLY WITH TICKET apply to Susan Susan Gray. 

Please note there will be no members meeting in January as Moorlands is to be closed for refurbishing.