GARDEN FRIENDS

5 October 2014

INFORMATION ABOUT NOVEMBER 2014 MEETING.

A MESSAGE FROM PETER:

Nov Meeting 2014.
Over recent years, our last meeting of the year has consisted of the Christmas Goodies, and of course Club Plans and Programme for the following year.

In the past years, members have given items of food for the buffet and it’s been difficult to get the balance right to suit everyone.

Therefore I have decided to have a caterer to organise a buffet.

The cost of buffet will be £5 per head, Kathy will have to know if you will be attending the November meeting and joining us in the buffet.
Please can you let Kathy know and the money needs to be paid by the next meeting in October so we know how many to cater for.

Thank you, Peter.

Peter's Open Garden, 2014.

Hello All, Hilda here, I am going to have an attempt at the blog, to try to see how this dreaded technical hitch is behaving. Fingers crossed.

The weather forecast on the day of the garden opening was terrible, with heavy rain and winds. The morning went true to the prediction, but come 1pm, when it was due to open, as if on cue, the sun shone. People started coming in gradually and all commented favourably on it. This is part of what they saw as they entered the front gate:


The front garden.

Down the side entrance they went, where Richard was waiting to take their entrance money. They spread out in the garden then eventually found their way, either to me, as I was selling the plants, or to the kitchen where Kathy, Susie and Jeannette were waiting to sell them hot drinks and delicious home made cakes.


An overview of the garden.

Later on, the skies darkened again and the heavens opened! people ran for shelter into the greenhouse & kitchen. Poor Betty & Cynthia decided to stay in their chairs outside with their macs and umbrellas. Most people thought they were enjoying the shower, but the truth of the matter was, they couldn't get out of their low garden chairs while balancing their tea and cakes, so they decided to stick it out. However, the shower soon stopped and the sun shone again, their damp clothes soon were drying, you could see the colour of Cynthia's trousers changing as they did so.

More visitors arrived when the sun continued to shine, the garden was a hive of activity, my plant stall was busy & the kitchen was doing a roaring trade.

This gorgeous cake was soon eaten up!

Here are some of my favourite flowers in the garden:

Massive trailing Begonia.

Close up of the flower.

Plants for sale.

It was a very successful day, both in terms of visitors and money raised for the charity. There were nearly 100 people (95 to be exact), past Richard, and the day raised £509 all together. In fact, we did much better than Sussex Prairie Gardens, whom we visited in September. They had their open garden on the same day. They normally have several thousand visitors for their open garden, but, because of the weather, only had about 11!

3 October 2014

TECHNICAL HITCH

TECHNICAL HITCHES SUCH PAIN !!
WE, ARE VERY SORRY FOR THE LACK OF POSTS DURING THIS TIME OF THE YEAR WHEN SO MUCH HAS BEEN GOING ON, IE MEETINGS AND BRILLIANT OUTINGS .
I AM GOING TO POST A MELODY OF PHOTOS OF SOME OF OUR TRIPS, BUT AS THE REPORTS WILL TAKE TO LONG THERE WILL JUST BE A BRIEF INSIGHT TO THE PLACES WE VISITED THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND THE LONG WAIT,

FIRST HELMINGHAM HALL

The house is surrounded by a moat and with the sun shining and still air the reflections of the hall in the water were a mirror image. The walled garden is a work of art demonstrating great fruit, vegetable and flower planting. There is an almost dreamy quality about the gardens and looking across the parkland is like stepping back to a by gone era. Someone there has a sense of humour - the topiary is great esp the snail and Father Christmas

23 July 2014

UPCYCLING AT ITS BEST

WONDERING WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR OLD BEDFRAME AND HAND BASIN? WELL HERE IS ONE IDEA I WAS SENT THIS PHOTO FROM A FRIEND, VERY EFFECTIVE IDEA, REGARDS JEANNETTE

16 July 2014

MY NEW FRIEND

HI FOLKS WANT TO INTRODUCE TO MY FRIEND LENNIE THE HEDGEHOG

OK IM COMING HOPE YOU HAVE SOMETHING NICE TO EAT

Mmm

YUMMY

BYEEEE SEE YOU AT TEA TIME

regards jeannette

14 July 2014

July 24th 2014 outing alteration.

Peter has notified me that the outing to Helmingham on 24^th July has been altered.

We are no longer going to Hyde Hall due to time constraints, instead we will go to a garden centre en route. We will still be going to Helmingham, and having the cream tea there.

11 July 2014

BLOG UPDATES

Hi folks,sorry for the lull in posts but, both Hilda and i have been on holidays , hope you all have been enjoying the beautiful weather we had in June and the first week of July seems we have turned a corner this week and are getting some much needed rain
As Hilda and myself were not at the last meeting we can't report on it also the Barnsdale outing ,but Peter did send us some photos,and small report

We had a great time at Barnsdale

i have a number of pictures, which may be of help for the blog.

Having left Harold Hill we arrived at the Historical Town of Stamford at 10.45am

Barnsdale is a series of 39 Gardens all designed by Geoff Hamilton for TV Gardeners World, sadly Geoff suddenly died the Garden is now in the hands of his son Nick.

Peter