Chalfont St Peter Garden Club Newsletter - April 2005
Chairman: Charles Flawn
Secretary: Linda Hills-Harrop
Garden Hut Manager Cliff Thayer
Tour Manager Keith Gould
Dear Member, At the AGM it was announced by the Chairman that John
Ray was retiring from the Committee after 30 years. He has been
Summer Show Secretary and has always organised the Spring Show. He
is best remembered for his excellent Coach Outings over many years.
The Club has purchased a new Cup, the John Ray cup, to be
presented for the vegetable tray class and the Club flower vase
at the Summer show. John has agreed to present the Cup at the Show
this year.
Please note: Our Treasurers Phone number on your
Membership card is wrong, it should be 01753-891398 please
amend your card.
Website : We now have our own website, thanks to
the hard work of Andy Watts and Richard Fenton. It is now
live!! Have a look at www.gardenclub.org.uk it has news and
photos of club activity and your friends can join the club
by downloading an application form.
Meetings: This months meeting will be at 8pm on
Wednesday 20th in the Church Hall for our Spring Show with
cheese & wine followed by a photo competition. Entry will be
£1 as usual. The judges this year are Barbara Ray, Alan
Davison, Marina Long, Florence Hallam and Ken Hall.
Spring Show Schedule.
1 Polyanthus, bowl of 6 cut stems with own foliage
2.Daffodils, vase of 3 blooms
3.Tulips, vase of 3 blooms
4.Potplant in flower. Pot not to exceed 6 diameter.
5. Pot plant foliage. Pot not to exceed 6 diameter.
6. Floral arrangement not to exceed 9 overall.
7. Any flower, one kind only, 3 or more blooms.
8. 3 sticks of rhubarb may be forced.
9. Any other vegetable.
Photo Competition. The Classes will be - Class 1.
The Garden, and Class2, A Favourite Flower. You will be
asked to judge the entries. This is a fun event, and an
opportunity to show off your snaps mounted on paper or card
of up to A3 size max if you have entered both classes, but
if only one class is entered this should be A4 size. Those
entering the photo comp will be given a number on entry and
everyone given a voting slip on which to cast their vote.
You must have-a-go!
The Garden Hut will be open every Sunday from 10.00 am
to12 noon. Very important, you must show your Membership
card. Growbags are now available at £1.30 each; there will
be only one delivery, so please purchase your requirements
early. We have in stock ring culture pots which are ideal
for using in conjunction with Growbags (water the bag, feed
the pot). The seasonal promotion of Livingstons Complete
Lawn Fertiliser has been delivered, this is top quality
product at a very special price, but we have limited stocks
(400 sq.m size only). We have a few cheaper watering cans at
£2.40 each. The Hut has all our normal stocks of composts,
both peat and soil based. Also SHL Professional potting
compost and VITAX Q4 slow release fertiliser.
Janes Garden Tips
Permanent pot plants that are starting to put on some strong
growth will need some TLC, replace the top inch or two with
new compost and add some slow release fertiliser, or plan to
liquid feed throughout the summer, prune out dead or dying
foliage and check for signs of pests or diseases. Give
borders a tidy up lightly forking and removing weeds, annual
weed are particularly fast growing at this time of year,
hoeing on a dry day will soon clear these weed seedlings,
redefine border edges at the same time. Now is a good time
to plant perennials of all sorts and container grown trees
and shrubs giving them plenty of time to establish and put
on growth before summer arrives. After flowering prune
spring flowering shrubs and trim back lavender and other
silver leaved shrubs. Dead head daffodils as they fade
leaving the leaves to die back naturally for about 6 weeks
so they have maximum time build up the food supply in the
bulb, lift and divide over crowed clumps after the leaves
have turned yellow. Start to harden off bedding plants.
Fruiting trees and shrubs like blackcurrants and
gooseberries benefit from having growth buds that are
pointing in the wrong direction rubbed off now, all buds on
the stem should be pointing in the direction you want the
shoots to grow, this prevents the plant putting unnecessary
energy into growth which would be better directed into
fruiting. The technique is to move your thumb up and down
the stem over the unwanted bud, which should come away
without damaging the stem. A large variety of vegetables can
be started off now in a prepared outdoors seed beds,
carrots, leeks, cabbage, broccoli, turnips, beetroot,
parsnips and herbs. In mid month courgettes, marrow,
squashes (grown very successfully last year) and all beans
can be started off in pot and trays in the greenhouse of
cold frame. Prepare a bean trench and fill with plenty of
organic matter. Quick tip for slugs- place an empty
grapefruit skin upside down next to plants and the slugs
will hide there during the day, simply empty at night.
COACH OUTINGS-------YOU CAN STILL BOOK FOR HEVER
CASTLE, APRIL27th.,IF ANY SEATS LEFT BY NOW- (PLEASE RING ME
ON 01753 884012), AND TO WAKEHURST PLACE, MAY 25th.,WHICH IS
A NAT/ TRUST VENUE SO N/T MEMBERS GET IN FREE WITH A VALID
CARD!! BOOKINGS ARE COMING IN STEADILY, BUT A GENTLE
REMINDER THAT I AM HOPING FOR AS FULL COACHES AS POSIBLE TO
COMPLETE MY PLANS FOR 2005. THE JUNE OUTING IS TO CAMBRIDGE
UNIVERSITY BOTANIC GARDENS ON WED.22nd JUNE. THIS 40 ACRE
OASIS CONTAINS SOME 8.000 PLANT SPECIES. INCLUDING THE
GLASSHOUSE DISPLAYS, THERE ARE SEVERAL LANDSCAPED GARDENS, A
LAKE AND A PICNIC AREA. REFRESHMENTS CAN BE PURCHASED AT THE
GILMORE SITE. LAST YEAR I HAD TO CANCELL THIS ONE, SO I HOPE
NOT TO REPEAT THAT THIS TIME AROUND. THE COST AT £16.00
INCLUDES THE TOUR OF THE GLASSHOUSES.
Please book me ( ) seats for CAMBRIDGE UNIV BOTANIC GARDENS
(JUNE 22nd) @£16.00ea TOTAL (£ ) Name &
Address.
.. TEL/NO
..
..
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Please book me (
.) seats for Wakehurst Place May 25th @ £
16.50*. Total (£
.)
Name &
Address
Tel/No
*Friends of Kew & N/Trust members (
..) Please Tick AND
REDUCE COST BY £6. members of same MUST have a valid
membership card for free entry.
Make cheques out to Chalfont.St.Peter Garden Club, and
take to the HUT (Sundays) . (
..)All letters received
will be acknowledged by phone.
OUR SUMMER SHOW. is on 20th August 2005. Please put
the date in your diary!!
Now that the daylights increasing, get busy with your
seedlings, cuttings and so on. Our Show schedule will arrive
with your June Newsletter; be assured that your favourite
classes for flowers, vegetable and fruit will be there as
usual.
R.H.S. Course. There is a special RHS course at
the GX Memorial Centre all about gardening and horticulture,
if you are interested ring 0845 045 4040 now to join for the
summer term.
Holiday Ideas. If you are one of those gardeners
that like nothing better than to spend the weekend with
kindred spirits, comparing notes, then here are a few
suggestions taken from Alastair Sawdays Bed & Breakfast
for Garden Lovers £12.99. Oldfield House, Snelston,
Ashbourne, Derbyshire (01335 324510), located in a
conservation village near the Dales. Cosy log fires, good
walking and delicious food make this a favourite. Stone
House,Rushlake Green,Heathfield,Sussex (01435 830553) This
is an 18th century small manor house in 5.5 acres of garden.
Many local places to visit, and aMaster Chef rustles you up
endless feasts and peerless picnics for Glyndebourne. Cold
Cotes, Felliscliffe, Harrogate, Yorks. (01423 770937). On
the edge of the North Yorks National Park sits this
Victorian farmhouse with lots of books and you can feast on
home made goodies. Woodwalls House, Corscombe, Dorchester,
(01935 891477) if you want quiet seclusion among birds,
badgers and wild flowers this 18th century keepers cottage
sits in its own plot in deepest Dorset. Abbey House, Monk
Soham, Woodbridge, Suffolk (01728 685225) this Victorian
rectory sits on an ancient abbey site, with tree lined walks
through lovely gardens. If you mention that you are a
Telegraph reader then you may get a 10% discount.
C.O.A. M. Special Events info: 01494-872163 or
871117
( Chiltern Open Air Museum, Newland Park, Gorelands Lane,
near Chalfont St. Giles ) www.coam.org.uk
Country Food Fair 25 to 28th March. Followed by Victorian
Living History 2nd & 3rd April.
On April 30th & May 1st & 2nd Live Crafts.
Gardens Open. Usually 2 to 5 pm. Homemade teas are
available at most of these events.
Sun. 3rd Chesham Bois Ho. 85, Bois Ln. Amersham. 726476
Sun 10th 10 gardens in Long Crendon, nr. Thame
6, Oldfield Cl. Lt. Chalfont
5 gardens in Whitchurch on A413 to Winslow
Thurs 14th Gipsy Ho. Gt. Missenden. 864912
Thurs. 14th The Plant Specialist, Gt. Missenden 866681
Sun 17th Overstroud Cott. Gt. Missenden 862701
Sun 24th Cliveden, Taplow
Whitewalls Marlow 01628 482573
May 1st Manor Ho. Bledlow, Nr. Princes Risborough.
Overstroud Cott. Gt. Missenden 862701
May 2nd Ascott Ho., Wing, Leighton Buzzard.
Cross word 7 Across 1 Bob Hope, 5 Gwavas, 9 Eclipsed, 10 Fat
cat, 12 Zeeman, 13 Hand over, 15 Brag, 17 Chatsworth, 20
Bob's Tinsie, 21 Bang, 23 Lipstick, 24 Debbie, 26 Tremor, 27
Ave Maria, 29 Sparse, 30 Elegans. Down 1 BeeIzebub, 2 Belle,
3 Orphan, 4 Ewe, 6 Wear down, 7 Vice versa, 8 Satyr, 11
Captain, 14 Phonics, 16 Alba plena, 18 Hugh Evans, 19
Stetsons, 22 Gemmae, 23 Lotus, 25 Burka, 28 Vie.
Buyer Beware. Through the medium of this Newsletter
the club is bringing to your attention, opportunities that
may interest you, however, you must satisfy yourself that
they meet your requirements as Chalfont St. Peter Garden
Club will accept no legal, moral or financial
responsibility. |
