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Other than breaks during the 1st and 2nd World Wars and a brief period in the 1950's our horticultural society has been a continuous inspiration for many gardeners in the local area. |
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Cirencester’s
Gardening Club
Stratton &
Baunton Horticultural Society
www.cirencestersgardeningclub.co.uk
The first week
of August hangs at the very top of summer – like the
highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turns
– Natalie Babbitt
In July we had
two events for the club, a Show Seminar in preparation for
our 44th Annual Horticultural Show on the 21st
August 2022 and a garden party for members held at one of
our members gardens. A
visit to a local garden is arranged for the end of July.
The garden party
was held on one of the hot and sunny afternoons, but with
plenty of shade, was enjoyed by the members. The winner,
gaining most points in our monthly meetings competitions
was Joanna Howe.
We now have
our annual show to look forward to, once more open to
the public. The show schedule is available at the Spar
store or online on our website – we look forward to a
fantastic display of what we grow…. rather than growing
to show. Cirencester has a wealth of gardeners and allotment
holders, there is a lot of keenness out there and we
look forward to seeing the entries. With 64 classes for
anyone to enter covering children, craft, photography,
cookery, floral art as well as vegetable, fruit and
flowers – something for everyone. Entries need to be
declared by 5pm on 19th August. We will be
serving teas and have a tombola. The show is held at
Stratton School and Village Halls and open to the public
from 1.30pm on 21st August.
NGS gardens to
visit- 4, 18th,
25th August- Charlton
Down House, Tetbury GL8 8TZ 1- 5pm
7th –
Highnam Court, Gloucester GL2 8DP 11-4.30pm
14th
Bourton House Garden, Bourton on the Hill GL56 9AE 10-5pm,
Sheephouse Cottage, Painswick GL56 6RX 11-5pm, Stanway
Fountain and Water Garden GL54 5PQ 2-5pm
15th
Kiftsgate Court Garden GL56 6LN 2-6pm
21st The Gables,
Newnham on Severn GL14 1JE 11-5pm, The Manor, Moreton in
Marsh GL56 0RZ 2-5pm
28th
Trench Hill , Sheepscombe GL6 6TZ 11-6pm
RHS tips for
August
·
Cut down by half
herbaceous plants that have finished flowering
·
Dead head to
encourage flowering, weekly feed containers and keep up
with the watering
·
If going on
holiday, water plants thoroughly before leaving and add a
layer of mulch material
·
Lift onions and
shallots to ripen in a sunny position
·
Trim lavender
bushes lightly with shears
·
Collect ripened
seed such as, calendula, nigella, poppies, aquilegia,
store in labelled paper bags for sowing later
·
Prune wisteria
·
Look out for
pests- ragged dahlias – earwigs are the likely cause, so
fill small pots with shredded newspaper and place upturned
on canes to trap them overnight.
·
Apply nematodes
to control vine weevil grubs in pots or the ground.
·
Do not be
worried by bright green, heavily armoured looking insects,
these are harmless shieldbugs which do not require
control.
Our new
Gardening Club season will start on Thursday 8th
September 7.30pm at Stratton Village Hall with a talk by
Ruth Chivers on the NGS.
All are welcome.
Schedule for Annual
Summer Show 21st August 2022
Please
click here for the entry form
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Section
1 -
Vegetables and Fruit |
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ALL CLASSES OPEN TO ALL AGES &
GENDERS
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1 |
TOP TRAY
- A collection of three types of vegetable from
the following list of eight. The
quantity of each is shown in brackets.
Carrots(3)Cauliflower (2)Onions (3),Parsnips(3) Peas(6)
Potatoes(3)Runner Beans(6) Tomatoes(6)
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2 |
Collection
of vegetables ,four distinct kinds, frontage75cm x
60cm (2ft6ins x 2ft) varieties named, tomatoes may
be included, garnishing allowed |
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3 |
A
collection of 3 onions over250gms(8oz),3 onions
250gms(8oz) or under,6 exhibition shallots
over2.5cm(1in) diameter, in a space 60cm deep x
38cm (2ft x 15'')frontage |
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4 |
Four
white or coloured potatoes |
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5 |
Four
onions |
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6 |
Four
carrots, long
rooted or stump |
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7 |
Five
Runner Beans |
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8 |
Five
French Beans |
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9 |
Six
Tomatoes |
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10 |
A dish
of cherry tomatoes |
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11 |
Three
beetroot any variety |
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12 |
Six pods
of peas |
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13 |
Six
shallots for pickling |
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14 |
Plate of
Three courgettes max 20cm(8'') length |
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15 |
Any
other vegetable not listed above , no less than 3
specimens |
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16 |
Max 18''
basket to contain home grown potatoes and 2 other
vegetables sufficient for 2 people for one meal
.Garnish allowed |
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17 |
Three
apples ,dessert or culinary |
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18 |
one
dish/plate of any soft fruit |
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19 |
one
dish/plate of any other fruit |
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Section 2 -
FLOWERS |
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ALL CLASSES OPEN TO ALL AGES &
GENDERS |
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20 |
TOP VASE - a vase of mixed flowering
stems containing a total of between five & ten
stems, taken from a minimum of two different kinds
of plants. |
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21 |
One Rose bloom |
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22 |
A Vase of Six stems of one variety of
Annual Flower |
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23 |
A Vase of three cacti type Dahlia |
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24 |
A Vase of three decorative/waterlily
type Dahlia |
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25 |
A Vase six Zinnia. May be mixed
colours |
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26 |
A Vase of sweet Peas |
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27 |
3
Stems of Cosmos |
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28 |
A Vase of any other flower not named
in Section 2 |
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29 |
A Vase of mixed garden flowers |
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30 |
Novelty Class- a display of floating
flower heads in a dish or bowl, not more than 25cm
(10in) diameter |
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31 |
6 Fuchsia flower heads displayed on a
board not exceeding 23cmx15cm (9inx6in) |
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32 |
An Orchid |
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33 |
One Flowering Pot Plant Foliage
excluding Orchids, Pot max 25cm (10in) |
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34 |
One foliage pot plant. Pot not
to exceed 25cm (10ins) |
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35 |
One Cactus or Succulent, Pot not
exceeding 25cm (10ins) |
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36 |
One Fuchsia, Pot not to exceed 25cms
(10in) |
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Section
3 - MEMBERS SPECIAL SECTION |
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MEMBERS
ONLY MAY ENTER THESE CLASSES |
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37 |
Longest
runner bean |
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38 |
Four
lavender flavoured biscuits |
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39 |
Geranium
grenadier from plug supplied |
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Section
4 - PHOTOGRAPHS |
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ALL
CLASSES OPEN TO ALL AGES & GENDERS |
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40 |
A
Seascape |
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41 |
An
Arch |
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42 |
An
Insect |
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43 |
Wild
Flowers |
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ALL
photos maximum size 5 inches x 7 inches excluding
mount |
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Section 5 - HOME ECONOMICS |
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ALL
CLASSES OPEN TO
ALL AGES & GENDERS except Class 72 |
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44 |
A Victoria
sponge max 8" (20cm) tins, filled, not iced, recipe
inc. |
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45 |
A cake
made made with named vegetable. No frosting on top |
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46 |
Farmhouse Fruit cake. Recipe
inc |
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47 |
Four
Cheese Scones |
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48 |
Four
pieces of plain flapjack |
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49 |
A Jar
Homemade Marmalade |
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50 |
A small
Jar Homemade Chutney |
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Section 6 - FLORAL ART |
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ALL
CLASSES OPEN TO ALL AGES & GENDERS |
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51 |
Summertime
in a Basket
Judged from the front. Space allowed 50cm
(20in) Square, height unrestricted. Accessories
allowed. |
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52 |
Fabulous
Foliage.
An exhibit without flowers to be judged
from the front.
Space allowed 50cm (20in) square. Height
unrestricted. Accessories allowed
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53 |
The
Warmth of Copper. Judged
from the front.
Space allowed 50cm (20in) square.Height
unrestricted . Accessories not allowed |
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54 |
An
Exhibit in a Wineglass. . To be
judged all around |
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An
Exhibit is composed of natural plant material
(fresh or dried) . |
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with or
without accessories contained in a space
specified |
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Class 44
Recipe for
Victoria Sponge
Ingredients:
175g / 6oz soft margarine
175g / 6oz caster sugar
3 eggs (beaten)
175g / 6oz sifted self raising flour
Strawberry or Raspberry Jam
Method:
Set oven at 350*F / gas mark 4 / 180*C (fan ovens 160*C)
Grease and paper line 2x20cm / 8” sandwich tins
Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the beaten eggs a little at a time, with a little flour
to prevent curdling.
Gently fold in remaining flour with metal spoon until well mixed.
Do not overbeat
Divide the mixture between the tins, smooth the surface
Bake for about 25-30 mins on the middle shelf
Test before removing from oven. Leave to cool on wire rack.
When cold,
sandwich together with 2-3 tablespoons Jam
Leave top plain. Do not sprinkle with sugar
Class 46
Recipe
for Farmhouse Fruit Cake
Ingredients
6 oz (175g) margarine or butter softened
6 oz (175g) castor sugar
3 eggs, beaten
Half teaspoon Vanilla essence
7oz (200g) self-raising flour
6 oz (175g) mixed dried fruit
2oz (60g) Glace Cherries
3 Tablespoons Milk (45ml)
Topping
2oz(60g) Glace cherries halved
1oz (30g) Flaked Almonds
Method Set oven at 350 F/gas mark 4/180 C (fan ovens 160 C) Line a 2lb or 900g loaf tin (measuring 20cmx10cm) with non-stick baking paper. Beat the margarine or butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the essence. Fold in the flour, cherries, mixed fruit and enough milk to give a stiff dropping consistency. Spread into a prepared tin and smooth the top. Arrange the cherries on the top and sprinkle with almonds. Bake for 1 hour, then cool for 15 mins before turning out onto wire rack.
Cirencester’s
Gardening Club
Stratton and
Baunton Horticultural Society
www.cirencestersgardeningclub.co.uk
“The English
winter – ending in July
To start
recommence in August “
Quote by Lord
Byron 1788-1824
Who knows what
we will encounter weather -wise, in July, but I do
hope the weather is kind and we have an excellent
gardening month or plenty of gardens to visit and enjoy.
I visited
Highnam Court Gardens the other week, the last time I
visited was before Covid, and was amazed at the new
plantings, the gardens dripping with roses, a vast
selection of wooden animal and bird sculptures and borders
becoming more established. It
was very colourful and I certainly recommend a visit, also
an excellent cup of tea and cake in the orangery !
There are no
meetings this month, but diary dates for members are, a
Show Seminar on Thursday 7th July 7pm at the
Stratton Village Hall and Sunday 10th July our
annual Garden Party. 2.30 – 5pm.
Tips for July are :
·
Make sure there
are supports for border plants
·
Dead head to
ensure further blooms
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Water wisely in
the evening or morning to conserve water and feed pots
regularly
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Complete the
thinning of fruit if not done last month after the June
drop
·
When strawberry
picking is complete, remove the protection from around the
plants and cut back the leaves with shears, then water
·
Consider giving
the lawn a quick acting summer feed
·
Give your indoor
plants the benefit of a ‘holiday‘ outside for the
summer
·
VERY importantly
– pick courgettes before they become marrows !
Events :
Hampton Court
Flower Show – 4th-9th July.
Marchants Coaches have a trip on 9th July,
check website for details.
GFGS Open Sweet
Pea Show,(incorporating a mini Fuchsia and Pelargonium
Show) at Norton GL2 9LJ 9
July check www. gfgs.org.uk for a schedule of classes and
details 12-4pm
Tatton Park
Flowers Show, Knutsford 20th-24th
July
NGS open
gardens :
Please check the
website – www.ngs.org.uk for up to date
information, but locally
3rd
July - Cerney House Gardens GL7 7BX 10am – 7pm, Kirkham
Farm, Cheltenham GL54 2JS 11am- 5pm
Highnam Court
Gardens, Gloucester GL2 8DP 11am-4.30pm, Awkward Hill
Cottage, Bibury GL7 5NH 2-6pm
7th
July – Charlton Down House, Tetbury GL8 8TZ and 14th,
28th 1pm
- 5pm
10th
July – Westonbirt School Gardens GL8 8QG 11am -4.30pm
17th
July-_Trench Hill, Sheepscombe GL6 6TZ 11am
-6pm
22nd
July -The Garden at Miserden GL6 7JA 10am-5pm
A reminder
that we our back, to have our 44th Annual
Horticultural Show on Sunday 21st August at
Stratton Village and School Halls from 1.30pm. This is
open to all, class schedules are available at the Spar
store for all to enter. Teas and a tombola will be
available.
Cirencester’s
Gardening Club
www.cirencestersgardeningclub.co.uk
Our May meeting
was the last meeting for the club, although we have events
to follow, our new season will start on 8th
September 2022.
Val Timbers,
chairman has been noticing the abundance of bright
dandelions in the fields and verges and upon investigating
has realised how beneficial this flower is. Val has
written a poem in its praise :
Ode to the
Dandelion
Why do we spurn
a dandelion and treat it with such scorn
When all it
really wants to do is decorate the lawn!
It`s spear-like
petals brightly shine, on sunny days or grey,
Then as evening
comes they close their arms and tightly hide away.
And when they`ve
had their time to shine and we think the grass is clear
They try to
please us once again with hidden treasures there
Fluffy heads on
tall straight stems hold magic of a kind
That soon will
spread all over, with the blowing of the wind.
The small black
seeds will rise and fall and settle on the land
In parks and
fields and gardens, to start to grow again.
So when you see
them next year, on verges and on banks
Don`t spurn the
golden dandelion, just quietly smile your thanks.
Our speaker was
Steve Yells, his talk on ‘Preparing for the Show’
The club has
it’s Annual Horticultural Show on Sunday 21st
August 2022, open to all, schedules will be available at
the Stratton Stores, so this was good timing to help
us present our exhibits in the best way to catch the
judges eye.
With vegetables
and fruit you are looking to get entries that are uniform,
in good condition, with good colour. Some common errors
: check you have the right amount of items for each class
and always take a spare, as damages can happen when
travelling to the show. Check
you have the correct size item for the class.
‘Stage’ your
entry, beans all in a uniform line, onions supported on a
ring of cardboard or wooden curtain rings, tomatoes tidily
on a plate, potatoes and carrots, cleaned with a soft
sponge. Keep
a single tap root on the carrots , remove all ‘hairs’ and
remove all but 3 inches of their foliage.
This was an
excellent talk, with many questions and information given
on the specific classes in the show, and members sharing
experiences, a very enjoyable
evening.
Our competition
was a flower from your garden judged by the members. Ist
Jill Hill with a rose, and joint 1st Joanna
Howe with a purple heart centurea, 2nd Kim
Musgrave with a bluebell.
The club had a
Coffee morning and plant sale on 14th
May held at a members garden, we were very lucky with a
lovely sunny morning with numerous visitors and the plant,
cake, and book stalls sold well.
Local events
–Fresh Air sculpture at Quennington Rectory 5 – 26th
June 10am – 5pm daily. Elkstone open gardens 19th
June 2-6pm, Lots of NGS gardens open, please look at the
website. Such as Hookshouse Pottery, Tetbury daily 1st-5th
June 11-5.30, 17th June and 1st July 1.30-5.30
teas and plants. Chedworth open gardens 18 and 19th
June 10am-5pm.
Cirencester’s Gardening Club
www.cirencestersgardeningclub.co.uk
On Thursday the 14th April, Caroline
Sheldrick, gave a fascinating talk and presentation on the
theme of Plants for Wellbeing.
The wide range of plants covered were organized
into three sections: culinary herbs, ornamental herbs, and
weeds!
Caroline is a practising medical herbalist
(which requires a medical degree) and sprinkled some very
interesting medical and historical facts throughout the
talk. The
plants can sometimes be used fresh, dried as tea, infused
in oil or steeped in alcohol to make a tincture. Drug
apparently, simply means dried.
The culinary herbs include aromatics (identified
by their mostly square stems) and have their active
ingredients in a volatile oil. An example she gave was
Thyme, which has anti-septic and anti-fungal properties.
It can be used as a tea to help relieve upper respiratory
infections and shingles and Brother Cadfael (of the Ellis
Peters books) also used it to expel parasitic worms! Fennel, mint,
and camomile are all soothing for the gut as is hyssop,
the annual form of fennel.
Sage or Salvia Officialise (Officialise means it is
medical plant) is great to gargle with when you have a
sore throat as it is an anti-septic.
Of the ornamental herbs, Lavender is recommended
for nervous disorders and to help with tension and
settling to sleep, hence lavender pillows. Camomile can
help with stress related stomach disorders and its juice
will help heal cold sores.
Echinacea stimulates the production of white blood
cells which helps the immune system. Its root is also
good for tonsilitis.
Make elderflower cordial to ease colds or
elderflower champagne to lift the spirits! Lime tree
flowers, Bracht’s and stalk can be dried and used as a
relaxant and tastes of honey – one of the few herbal teas
that is tasty!
A few useful weeds were mentioned including
dandelions, chickweed, comfrey (knitbone) and stinging
nettles. The latter can be cooked or used as a tea to ease
kidney stones and the onset of Type 2 diabetes.
Caroline stressed the need to take care and
follow the directions for any herbal remedies. A report by
Sue Walton on behalf of the club.
Barnsley Village Festival has open gardens
Saturday 14th May 10.30 to 5pm
The club has a Coffee Morning and Plant sale,
open to all from 10.30 to 12 noon, plants, cakes, books,
bric a brac at 4, Stratton Brook, (by Stratton House
Hotel)
Next meeting on Thursday 12th May
7.30pm at Stratton Village Hall a talk by Steve Yells,
preparing for the Show, all are welcome.
Cirencester’s Gardening Club
www.cirencestersgardening
club.co.uk
For our March
meeting, we held our members Annual Spring Bulb Show. A
testing time to see if the weather has been kind and
Spring flowers blooming.
Class 1, A bowl
of hyacinths 1st E Morgan, Class 2 pot of
large flowered daffodils 1st J Howe, 2nd
E Morgan, Class 3 pot of miniature daffodils 1st
P Barnes, 2nd V Timbers, 3rd E
Morgan Class 4 pot of crocus 1st A Barnes, 2nd
J Howe, class 5 pot of tulips 1st J Howe, class
7 container of any plant grown from a bulb, corm or
rhizome 1st D Newbury, 2nd E Morgan,
class 8 an orchid 1st K Musgrave, class 9
flowering houseplant 1st J Gibson, 2nd
E Morgan class 10 foliage houseplant 1st D
Newbury, 2nd V Timbers, 3rd K
Musgrave class 12 vase of 5 large daffodils 1st
J Howe, 2nd K Musgrave, 3rd P
Barnes, class 13 vase of 7 miniature daffodils 1st
A Barnes, 2nd S Mathews, 3rd J Howe
class 14 3 stems of different flowering shrub or tree 1st
E Morgan, 2nd J Howe class 15 a lemon drizzle
cake 1st C Price, 2nd E Morgan, 3rd
J Howe class 16 vase of spring flowers from the garden 1st
J Howe, 2nd P Barnes, 3rd E Morgan
class 17 a spring flower arrangement 1st E
Morgan, 2nd J Howe, 3rd V Timbers.
There was prize
money for the winners and 3 cups awarded. The Haag cup to
A Barnes for a bowl of crocus, the Taylor cup to J Howe
for 5 large daffodils and the Wells cup to E Morgan for
the spring arrangement.
Whilst judging
took place we were given a floral art demonstration and
talk by Sally Oates, a member of the North Wiltshire
Villages Flower Club.
Sally
Oates started off with a large circular basket in which
she had put some brown bracken stems. The edge was
covered with moss. In the centre she told us there was
some crumpled chicken wire. Then gradually she transformed
the container into a beautiful arrangement. After
the bracken came tall twigs, in-between some low branches
of various shrubs to add some greenery. All this was
surrounding most of the perimeter of the arrangement
leaving a space in front and centre. She carefully put in
different varieties of daffodil and narcissus which
brightened and lightened the whole effect, giving it a
truly spring-like appearance. She called it
`The forest floor`
Sally
then produced a bulbous vase with a very narrow top, which
she said is the bane of the flower arranger as it seems
you can only put in upright blooms. But, by putting
in two fairly substantial twigs at ahorizontal angle, it
changed the effect of the flowers she put in. The
tall dark red hellebores gave height and drama and then,
having a completely different effect, she put in red
tinged with yellow tulips. It was a most pleasing
combination. She had brought from home a vase she`d
done earlier in a yellow and blue arrangement as a thought
for Ukraine and offered them all as prizes in our
raffle. Wonderful!
Our
next meeting is on Thursday 14th April 7.30pm
at Stratton Village Hall. The speaker Caroline Sheldrick
on Flowers in Healing. Plants available, all welcome.
Cirencester’s Gardening Club
Stratton
& Baunton Horticultural Society
www.cirencestersgardeningclub.co.uk
"I
wonder if the sap is stirring
If
wintery birds are dreaming of a mate
If
frozen snowdrops feel as yet the sun
And
crocus fires are kindling one by one
Sing,
robin, sing
I still
am sore in doubt concerning Spring."
By
Christina Rossetti
The
speaker for our February meeting was Victoria Logue, on
extending the season in
your
garden.
Victoria
explained that gardening is a process, you think it
might be full, with not enough room for more plants but
it
could be
that you have the wrong plants in the wrong place,
taking up the room.
Be kind and remember to feed your plants especially
if in pots, with a granular slow -release feed and top
dress. If a
plant is
still not thriving be ruthless and try a better suited
plant, rather than hang on to the last leaf.
To give
your garden more interest, a water feature or ornament to provide a focal point. White objects will lighten
up a
shady corner
and give a sparkle.
The
white stems of a birch tree will be highlighted in the
Winter months. For colourful stems, the dogwoods shine
out and
remember to cut down to ankle height in March or April
to encourage new stems for later colours. A hybrid
Winter
flowering heather which does not require acid soil can
be grown here and will give good long colour and cut
back
hard to a blob after flowering to keep neat.
Summer
is full on, so think ahead for the Autumn to have the firey colours ,
although some are best on acid soils.
Liquid
Amber or the Field Maple are good choices. For flowers, heleniums, sedums and
alstromeria can fill
the gaps.
If your
sedums are flopping, try splitting the clump to renew and give more sturdy stems.
It was a
thought provoking amusing talk with interesting slides to illustrate.
RHS
tips for March :
• Remove
spent Spring flower heads to conserve the bulbs strength
• Prune
bush and climbing roses
• Cut back
the hard old wood of
buddleia bushes
• Plant
Summer bulbs such as gladioli and lilies
• Plant
shallots, onion sets and early potatoes
• Lift and
divide clumps
of perennials such as Hemerocallis, dierma, aster to
keep vigorous
• Hoe
weeds, feed and mulch borders
Local
Spring gardens to visit on 6th March, Home Farm, Huntley GL19 3HQ 11-4.00p,
20th March, Trench Hill, Sheepscombe GL6 6TZ 11- 6.00pm
North
Cerney and Painswick Rococo gardens.
Our next
meeting will be for
members, on
Thursday 10th March, our
Spring Bulb Show, the classes as listed on
membership
cards.
Cirencester’s Gardening Club
Stratton & Baunton Horticultural Society
www.cirencestersgardeningclub.co.uk
“And in green underwood and cover
Blossom by blossom the Spring begins”
AC Swinburne
Our January meeting was well attended for a talk by Ken Cservenka on Exmoor Wildlife.
We were shown slides of the beautiful area, from the seaside villages of Minehead, Porlock and Lynmouth, inland,
the chocolate box village of Allerford with a pack horse bridge to the Valley of the Rocks and the heathland of Exmoor. The abundant wildlife of birds and beasts had been skilfully captured by Ken on his camera. There are 3 main types of deer in Devon, red, fallow and roe and if you are patient and lucky you might be able to see them before they see you and take off. In April they tend to shed their old antlers, then will grow their new ones. In August the felt covering gets itchy and they clean it off. September, they start looking for a mate and the rut begins. The heathland is carefully managed and in areas burnt off to get rid of the gorse and allow new growth for butterflies and insects. The talk was amusingly narrated, and a very happy meeting for the members and visitors alike.
Our competition was a poem looking forward to spring. 1st Pam Barnes, 2nd Alan Barnes, 3rd Val Timbers.
RHS advice for February :
· Prepare vegetable seed beds and sow some under cover such as broad beans, cauliflowers, parsnips, and shallots,
· Chit potato tubers
· Look out for Summer bulbs at the garden centres to try new varieties
· Protect rhubarb to force early stems
· Prune Winter flowering shrubs that have finished flowering such as forsythia, philadelphus, weigelia, flowering currant – cut back to a strong young shoot lower down. Each year aim to cut out 20% of aging stems to their base.
· Prune Wisteria, normally done twice a year January – February and July – August. Summer pruning allows better air and sunlight to ripen the wood and restrict the amount of vegetative growth, encouraging short flowering spurs. Winter pruning cut back the growth to 2 or 3 buds to tidy up before the growing season.
· Ornamental deciduous grasses need cutting back annually. Evergreen grasses just a tidy up.
Our next meeting is on Thursday 10th February 2022. 7.30pm at Stratton Village Hall. Our talk by Ms Victoria Logue on Extending the season in your garden. The competition a vase of snowdrops.. All are welcome.
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