Chalfont St Peter Garden Club Newsletter - October 2004
Chairman: Charles Flawn
Secretary: Linda Hills-Harrop
Garden HutManager: Cliff Thayer
Dear Member, because of holidays I’m writing this in early September
looking out over a lovely sunny scene, I have heard that this will
continue to the end of October. I expect when you read this you will
just laugh! Now is the time to start moving your plants, and
redesigning your bed, so they settle nicely before the spring.
Meetings: This month’s meeting will be at 8pm on
Wednesday 20th in the Church Hall for a floral demonstration
and Workshop given by Florence Hallam and Diane Neal. Please
take advantage of the Workshop and bring a piece of Oasis
(obtainable from the Hut), some foliage—laurel, holly, fir
cones, acorns, artificial flowers, Christmassy items and a
pair of Secateurs, and have some fun!
The Garden Hut will be open from 10.00 am to 12
noon. Very important, you must show your
Membership card. This month is the time to use Autumn Lawn
Fertilizer this contains a small amount of moss killer; very
useful after all the wet weather. We still have a good
supply of Composts. Bark chippings etc. Bonemeal is the best
fertilizer for the autumn and winter use.
Advanced Notice of winter opening hours: - November open
every Sunday.
December closed all month.
Opening hours for 2005 will be published later. Any members
requiring goods from the Trade Catalogue as Christmas
presents need to order them as soon as possible. Seeds
The Dobies 2005 seed catalogue will be in the Hut during
this month. Please collect your copy. Discount rate will be
about 30% as before. Final date for orders will be in the
next newsletter. Jane’s Garden Tips
Plant up some containers for winter colour; use plants that
will give a good display of flowers, foliage, and berries.
All plants need to be fully hardy, plants will make little
growth so can be planted close together, use winter pansies,
heathers and small conifers for foliage interest. Good
drainage is vital, fill pot with a layer of stones and
gravel, water all the plants well before transplanting into
container and avoid teasing the roots of plants when
planting up winter containers, position in a sheltered spot.
Lift dahlias, brushing off most of the soil and store upside
down in boxes in a cool frost-free place. Cut back
chrysanthemums and other perennials when they have finished
flowering fork around the base and mulch with compost to
insulate the roots. As leaves fall rake up and gradually add
to compost throughout the winter, add small amounts at a
time where they will rot quickly to make valuable organic
matter to add to the soil. Protect your compost heap from
excess rain by covering it with plastic or old carpet; this
retains heat to promote thorough rotting. Sow sweet peas for
next spring in the greenhouse. Now is bulb planting time in
beds and borders, take out a separate hole for each bulb,
use bulb length as a rough guide and plant 2-3 times deeper
than the bulb, plant tulips next month. Plant roses and
other shrubs while the soil is still warm and give them a
chance to establish before winter. Plant garlic, placing one
clove in each hole with its tip just showing. Sow broad
beans, putting some fleece over to protect from mice, they
will germinate quickly and then grow slowly through the
winter to produce beans in early summer. Place some Pots of
herbs on the windowsill for winter use. Biodegradable
Plant pots. These are now available from The Garden
Superstore on 01264-362255.
www.thegardensuperstore.co.uk
Hedge Tree Campaign. Hedgerow trees are part of
the fabric of our countryside, but millions have been lost
to Dutch Elm disease, which is again prevalent in our area,
storm damage and hedge removal. We need more trees to grow
from self-seeded saplings to ensure that future trees are
from local stock. The oldest hedges are the best source of
new tree stock. One way to grow the hedge trees is to mark
the saplings with easy-to-use red tags. That means whoever
cuts a hedge can avoid the tagged saplings and give them a
chance to grow into mature trees. If you would like to help
in this work contact The Tree Council 020 7407 9992,
www.treecouncil.org.uk
Wild Deer. Are you suffering from attacks on your
garden? I have seen a suggestion for a deer deterrent that
apparently really works: ask your local hairdressers for all
the hair swept from the floor and scatter it on your borders
– the deer hate it. Greenhouse tomatoes. For many
years of growing tomatoes in the green house, I’ve been
plagued by whitefly. Even when we could purchase more
insecticides, they were resistant. This year, very little
problem. During the winter, I used a sulphur candle from the
Hut (you need to empty the greenhouse of plants). I also
grew Nicotina Sylvestris as companion planting. This proves
to have sticky undersides to the leaves and acts like
stickytraps. No white fly problems this summer needing all
fruit to be washed. Red Kites in the Chilterns. The
Red Kite is now well established in our area with over 200
breeding pairs. They are an unmistakeable sight with a 5 to
6 foot wingspan, a forked tail and russet plumage with white
patches beneath the wings and tail. These wonderful birds
are again a common sight. Pick up a free leaflet Where to
see Red Kites in the Chilterns from libraries or call
01844-271306 Woods and Fungi. Walks are being
organized at various National Trust properties. The nearest
is at Hughenden Manor near High Wycombe on Sundays 10th and
24th October at 11am.
Apple Days are popular at this time of year,
Hughenden Manor has theirs on Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th
from 12noon to 4pm, I suggest you go early if you want the
best of the crop. Further information on both of these
events can be obtained from 01494-755573
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