FANSHAWE COMMUNITY CENTRE

ON TUESDAY 24TH SEPT THERE WILL BE A TALK BY SUSIE COLE ON JAM MAKING, THOSE OF YOU THAT FREQUENT CRAFT FAIRS AND FARMERS MARKETS WILL HAVE MORE THAN LIKLY SEEN  SUSIE AT THESE VENUES,  HER JAMS, CHUTNEYS ,WONDERFUL FUDGE AND ALSO WINES ARE BEST SELLERS  THIS IS A FREE EVENT AND ALL ARE WELCOMED IT WILL BE FROM 10 AM TILL 12 THE ADDRESS IS FANSHAWE COMMUNITY HALL, BARNMEAD RD, DAGENHAM, IT IS BEHIND FANSHAWE CLINIC IN HALBUTT STREET REGARDS JEANNETTE

August 2013 meeting,

August is the month when we have the fuchsia competition, and this year was no exception. The only difference was, we had an external judge this time.  Dominic Shields did the judging and gave us a potted history of his career. He has been a frequent visitor to Greenfingers Gardening Club in the past. After horticultural college he did various gardening related jobs before opening his own  nursery, but it eventually failed due to the big companies undercutting prices. He did two jobs to keep his family fed , but eventually had to stop and take stock of where his life was going. His wife suggested he did gardening and landscaping, which he loved anyway, and it was a great success. In fact, it grew so much, he had to stop taking on new clients. His stepson joined him and they shared the work, then separated the estates where they worked into two, each with their own geographical area.  

Dominic examines a fuchsia.

During the tea break he examined the plants carefully, before deciding on which were first, second and third place. As he announced them he gave the reasons why he had chosen them in that order.

First place went to Christine Cregan, second to Hazel Smith and third to Mary Tydeman   .

From Lt. to Rt: Mary Tydeman, Hazel Smith and Christine Cregan.

One of the exhibits was a very dead plant which was just a dried twig (Peter did say to return them dead or alive!). The grower said it had just popped out of its pot one day, and on examination had no roots. This had happened to several of the other members too. Dominic examined it closely, looking for signs of Vine Weavel, but found none. Peter thought it may be due to the presence of the pot in which the cutting  had been grown in. This is supposed to allow the roots to grow through it, but that may not have happened. Discussion followed as to whether it would be a good idea to cut the material away before planting, but Dominic said this would be risky, as it may damage the roots. 

I have just had a thought, it may have been a squirrel which excavated it, looking for somewhere to bury his nuts (or to dig them up), destroying the roots  in the process. I have found a few up-rooted plants in my garden, accompanied by a peanut in its shell sometimes. Anyway, that's my theory!

A very dead Fuchsia!,

Peter gave a brief report about his open garden, which had been the previous day. Not a good idea, they realised afterwards, much too tiring. Anyway, they had about 100 plus visitors and raised about £550 to £600 for charity. His lawn needed a "pick me up" and somebody recommended liquid Miracle Grow sprayed on with a hose-end applicator. He used it about three times, and the lawn was greatly improved as a result, much to his great relief. I must try it on mine.

He is going to trial some new plants over winter, especially a new Petunia called Zero Petunia, which is supposed to be winter hardy. We will see!

COMMENT

sylview has left a new comment on your post "Parham Garden Show. July 2013.":

I noticed quite a few plants of Hordeum Jubutum for sales at Parham. I bought one last year on an outing with Green fingers but I can't remember where. What I do remember is, I didn't pay anywhere near the price they were charging!
I really love it and it did survive last winter. Mine had already lost it's pink tinge when we went to Parham. I wish I had loads o
 

Posted by sylview to GARDEN FRIENDS at 31 July 2013 16:29

July 2013 meeting.

The meeting this month was all about Clematis, and  Pauline and Gerald, of Priorswood Clematis Nursery, were there to educate us about them. They had bought along a lot of plants to show us also to sell, it made a very colourful display.

Pauline with the plants.

They gave us a lot of hints and tips for planting and pruning  them. Soil preparation is very important as they are going to be in that same position for many years if they are started off correctly and cared for.  Gerald says to dig a large hole, much bigger than the plant, put the top soil and sub soil in different piles and add manure to both, mixing it up well. Fork the sides and base of the hole to ensure good drainage & water well. plant the clematis deeper than it is in the pot, fill in with the soils and heel in firmly. Keep well watered and fed. They had bags of feed for sale, also catalogues with all the varieties of clematis and their care, a good buy for anybody who was still concerned about how to look after their own plants.

Pauline had a good tip for planting into pots, she said to use a large pot, about 18 inches to 2 feet deep, line it with foil, shiny side to the pot, then thick layers of newspaper, finally multi-purpose compost. This helps the pots from drying out.

Every year the compost will need to be topped up with fresh.

Gerald with their catalogue.

After the tea break, during which time the plants were on sale and the raffle was called, Gerald showed us some photos of the various varieties. there were a lot of different colours and forms, some like little bells. He stressed that when choosing a plant, to bear in mind the position it will occupy and when you want it to flower. Pruning was discussed, as it was causing a lot of confusion among many of the members.

It was a very thought-provoking evening and we all came away with new knowledge about Clematis.

Parham Garden Show. July 2013.

As we wended our way to Parham in the middle of a gorgeous heatwave, the driver decided to take the scenic route, he had been sitting in traffic jams on the M25 all week, so decided to go the country way. I must say, it made a change, and was definitely better than sitting on the motorway breathing all the fumes. My son and his family live in Brighton, so I got to see all the pretty little villages I had only seen the signposts for previously. It made a good start to the day and only added a short time to the journey.

We were the only coach there, so it was not too crowded, there were just enough people to make it interesting and create an atmosphere. The house was lovely. It was divided into two sections, one part for the family living there, and the other open to the public. We were not allowed to take photos, so I'm afraid I couldn't get any from the interior (being a good law-abiding citizen)! However, here is the outside:

Parham House.

There were lots of stalls selling plants and sundries, the local Scout troupe were doing a roaring trade, ferrying the purchases to peoples' cars. They also had a plant creche so plants could be left there for people to collect at the end of the day.

A loaded trolley to be transported to a car.

The Scout band was playing music throughout the day, alternating with another local band, they were both really good and added to the atmosphere.

Here are some of the plants that were for sale:

Erygngium 'Sapphire Blue"

Delphinium "Coral Sunset".

Albizia julibrissin "Silk Tree".

This looks a bit like a fern when it is small, and will take about 2 years to flower. It is hardy down to minus 15, the label says. Unfortunately, the mother plant was not for sale, but I did buy a baby.

Hordeun Jubatum.

Although not obvious in the photo, this grass had a lovely red tinge to the feathery seed heads, most attractive. It self seeds as well, so I thought it would be a good buy.

There were hoards more plants and sundries, too many to show here, so it made for a very interesting day. The marque did a roaring trade in lunches , snacks and drinks and there were also various exotic burger stalls.

Lt. to Rt:  Anne B, Annabell, Susie & Kathy.

After an initial walk around, members headed for a shady spot and some refreshments.

The house had the largest walled garden I have ever seen, it was huge. Part of the garden is undergoing a change of use, from the area where the compost and leaf bins used to be stored, to growing squashes & marrows. This was accomplished by clearing old logs and perennial weeds then bringing in two Tamworth pigs to clear the area, all for regular cabbage and apples! The fruits will be harvested in September, leaving the ground fertile & weed free. The aim is to grow more spring flowering bulbs to increase bio-diversity.

In another part of the garden were these water lilies growing under a grating, they looked most effective.

There was a small church in the grounds which was serving refreshments, there was also a raffle in aid of the church funds. When I first went in I noticed heads poking out of the gated pews, and thought people were praying, but it turned out that the pews were being used as an extension to the cafe, and they were actually consuming tea and cakes!

By now the day was drawing to a close and we all wended our way back to the coach to load our purchases into the luggage compartment. We went back via the scenic route again, as there was yet more trouble on the M25. No wonder it is known as "The biggest car park in Britain!"

Catch up after technical problems.

The Blog has been on hold since we had the technical problems, so, fingers crossed it works well now. I am afraid that Gemma's contribution re Wisley & Daphne Foulsham's garden has had to be deleted. However, not to despair, they will be in the newsletter.

On 22nd June a lot of the club went to visit Harry Brickwood's garden at Raleigh, it was open under the National garden Scheme. We made our own ways there instead of going by coach. Harry was one of our speakers last year, his garden has been featured on Gardener's World, also in the Garden News. 

Harry greets Peter.

The driveway was very impressive, sweeping up to the entrance of the cottage with a large central bed. Either side were large borders with a colourful collection of  Aquilegias . The back of the cottage had wide borders around the side of a well tended lawn. In the centre was a pond with a stream and waterfall. Unfortunately, none of the lilies, for which Harry is famous, were in bloom.

Beautiful Aquilegias.

 We all had a good browse around, there were several little sheltered places to sit and admire the garden.

Part of the garden.

Harry and his wife served refreshments, including some tasty cream & Jam scones and other delicious cakes. As we finished consuming them the clouds gathered and it looked like the heavens were going to open, so we all made a speedy exit to our cars.

The June Meeting.

The speaker at the club meeting in June was Geoff Hodge, speaking about bugs. He covered a wide spectrum of bugs and infections and showed us the various sprays and chemicals to treat them. As usual, his talk was very entertaining. He added several prizes to the raffle.

Geoff with his slug trap.

After the tea break he answered questions, covering many subjects.

A lot of bug solutions.

Although there were a lot of chemical solutions available, a lot have been withdrawn from sale. This is due to the cost of testing them and then re-registering, which can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Jeanettees' Hand Made Market this Saturday.

Jeannette is holding a Hand Made Market at Fanshawe Community Hall , Barnmead Road, Dagenham, RM9 5DX. (Behind Fanshawe Clinic) 

on Saturday 8th June (This Saturday), at 10am to 2pm.

There will be a good assortment of crafts including cards, jewellery, knitting & crochet, jams & chutneys,  etc. 

Refreshments will be available. 

Entrance is FREE.