Chalfont St Peter Garden Club Newsletter - July 2004
Chairman: Charles Flawn Founded 1940
Secretary: Linda Hills-Harrop
Garden Hut Manager : Cliff Thayer
Dear Member, The weather is making fun of us again! As I write it
has been raining but not enough to keep the annuals flourishing. Now
is the time to give your plants that extra feed to boost growth for
the Show. Summer Show 21st August. By now, you will have
had the opportunity to study your schedule: We hope you'll
have found something in the wide range of classes where you
can enter. Even if not, do please come as a visitor. Along
with the usually excellent displays of flowers, Floral art,
domestic classes, fruit and vegetables, you can have light
refreshments provided by Doris and her team as well as meet
up with gardening friends. Please encourage friends and
neighbours to come and enjoy the show. Meetings:
This month’s meeting will be at 8pm on Wednesday 21st July
in the Church Hall when Mr. and Mrs Hollingdale will talk on
Sweet Peas, they are good speakers and are very interesting
and informative.
The Garden Hut will be open on Sunday from 10.00
am to 12 noon. Very important, you must show your
Membership card. The lawns will need summer feeding when
suitably damp conditions prevail. ‘Lawn Feed’ and ‘Feed &
Weed’ are in stock in granular and liquid form. All our
usual products are in stock including the very popular
genuine ‘Pine Bark’ chips, this top quality product which
will last for many years. Another supply of l0 litre
Harostar watering cans is available, this maybe the last
delivery of this very good ‘value for money’ can. We are
still in need of HELP AT THE HUT; any member not already
helping and has a couple of hours to spare on the occasional
Sunday morning please ring Jane Ryecart on
-----------------. Thank you, Cliff.
Jane’s Garden Tips
The secret of good gardening is to look ahead, to which
plants will provide interest from one season to the next,
with next spring in mind its time to raise from seed a
variety of border perennials, - lupins, delphiniums,
achillea and polyanthus. Also biennials for bedding, -
wallflowers, sweet Williams and Canterbury bells. Most can
be sown thinly in a prepared seedbed in short rows, when
seedlings are about 1” high transplant into rows about 12”
apart, they can be planted into their final position in the
autumn. You can also sow them in seed trays in a cold frame.
As early flowering perennials finish flowering cut back
hard to encourage a second flowering later in the season.
Cut lavender and everlasting flowers to dry for winter use.
Roses should be in full bloom and will benefit from a
helping of rose fertilizer (available from hut) to encourage
the production of more flowering wood, but don’t feed after
July as this will encourage lots of soft growth which is
prone to frost damage. Continue to water baskets and
containers frequently, use a liquid feed once a week to
encourage new flowers and deadhead regularly.
Algae in ponds can be a problem at this time of year, the
simplest way to remove it is to wind it around a strong cane
and scoop it out of the pond, leave it by the side of the
pond to allow beneficial insects to return to the water,
once it has dried out discard onto the compost heap.
As summer fruiting raspberries finish fruiting cut the
old canes down to ground level and tie in the new ones.
Autumn fruiting raspberries canes should be supported now.
As climbing beans reach the top of their canes pinch out the
top to encourage more side shoots lower down and produce
more beans. Water beans regularly and spray the flowers to
encourage them to set. Stop outdoor tomatoes when they have
made four trusses of fruit, keep feeding them with a liquid
feed. Keep all vegetables well watered during dry spells,
the most efficient time to water is during the evening. And
finally with your garden at its peak don’t forget to take
time to enjoy it. September Coach outing. To
Cambridge Botanic Gardens on Wednesday 8th September. Cost
£15.00 per person to include a guided tour, which is highly
recommended. Coach leaves Church Lane Car park at 10.00 am.
And leaving Cambridge at 5pm BOOK NOW by sending your form
and cheque to Keith Gould. 01753-884012
Cut
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September Outing. I require ( ) Tickets for
(name)……………………………………………………………….
Address……………………………………………………………………Phone………………..
I enclose my Cheque payable to Chalfont St. Peter Garden
Club for the sum of £………………for Cambridge.
Please send to Keith Gould at
--------------------------------------. Or hand in at the
Hut on Sunday Mornings
July Coach outing. To Arundel Castle, Sussex on Wednesday
14th July. Seats are still available, Ring Keith.
Magic Mushrooms. As we all know plant roots gain
their nutrients from the soil, certain fungi help this
process along. Dried formulations of these fungi are now
available through garden centres and mail-order catalogues,
for use in planting holes or compost. It is claimed that it
takes only one treatment to get results. This product is NOT
a fertilizer, as it is not leached out of the soil by rain.
The brand name is ‘Rootgrow’ made by PlantWorks; there are 3
different formulations dependent upon the type of plant. For
mail order call Plantworks on 01795-411527 or
www.friendlyfungi.co.uk
Bamboos If you are interested in these fascinating
plants and can’t find the type you want locally then try
‘Jungle Giants’ on 01584-819885;
www.junglegiants.co.uk
Local Events. Chiltern Open Air Museum – Bodgers
Holiday Club for children from 5 to 10 years to experience
the special formula of fun and learning. on 16th to 19th
August 2004 this must be prebooked ring 01494-793017
The Uxbridge Show is on 18th July at the Uxbridge Show
ground. The Stoke Poges, Wexham and Fulmer Horticultural
Society Show is on Saturday 31st July in the grounds of the
Teikyo School Fulmer.for entries ring 01753-643599. The
Chilterns Show celebrating the best from the Chilterns at
Great Missenden on 16, 17 & 18th July.
www.chilternshow.co.uk
Plant and garden Fair. Chenies Manor Sunday 18th July
Open Gardens open times 2 to 6pm approx
Thurs 8th Gypsy Ho. Gt. Missenden
Sun 11th Bray Cott. Gt. Missenden
The White Ho. Denham Village.
Sun 18th Campden Cott. Chesham Bois
Sun 18thCallipers Hall, Chipperfield.
Sun 25th Whitewalls Marlow
Sun 1st Aug. Micklefield Hall, Sarratt
Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxon. 21st July at 6.30 Tour of
Private Greenhouses. 01993-811091
Loseley Park, Guildford, Surrey. Friday 23 to Sunday 25 July
–The Great Gardening Show. 01483-304440
Gardening Crossword 1, (answers next month) |
