Chalfont St Peter Garden Club Newsletter - November 2005

Dear Member, Your Committee is having to raise the Subscription fee this year by one pound to £5 due to large increases in the cost of our Lease for the Hut and Hall rental charges. The value for money you get from our meetings and savings from the Hut will still enable you to be ‘in-pocket’ immediately.

Meetings; This month’s meeting will be at 8pm on Wednesday 16 th in the Church Hall when Mr. Hilary Newman will talk on the ‘art of pruning’. His advice will fit in well with our activities in our own gardens right now. So come along and see what tips you can pick up from this very experienced man.

Christmas Party will be on 14 th December, which is the 2nd Wednesday, a week earlier than we usually meet, please mark it on your calendar. This is an All Ticketevent! You can buy them from the Hut or at our monthly meeting or from Linda on --------------------. Tickets are £6 each. We have arranged professional entertainment similar to the uproarious evening we had last year. The menu will be fish & chips, with a minced pie and wine. This is one Christmas event that you should not miss!

The Garden Hut will be open every Sunday in November from 10.30 to 12 noon. Very important , you must show your Membership card. We have now received our last delivery of Autumn Specials lawn care products; all the items mentioned in the October newsletter are all available, but they are selling quickly so don’t delay your purchase. We have obtained a supply of Weedkiller Sprinkler Bars for fitting to watering cans. The applicator widths are adjustable from 10cm(4”), 30cm(12”) or 50cm(20”) and are a good buy at £4.55. Christmas presents should be ordered by early November to ensure delivery before we close at the end of this month. An amendment to last months item ‘Christmas Requests’ of which the details were incorrect, so please note that Felco No 8 should read Felco No7, the list price is £49.95. Felco No8 is price at £38.95. We do supply Felco Secateurs to order for Members; Felco No2 is most popular, their list price is £38.95, but the price to Members is £26.00. These are the finest Secateurs available, and they can be refurbished and serviced at a very reasonable cost. Further details are available at the Hut. Don’t forget that the Hut will be shut in December. Cliff. Jane’s Garden Tips A colourful winter container can be planted up now that will keep going into next spring, try using a mix of evergreen shrubs, for height cordyline or euonymus, combine with evergreen thyme, heathers or ivy, add some tulip and daffodil for spring interest, under plant with a few pansies, water occasionally, keep pot protected with bubble wrap in bad weather. Plant evergreen shrubs now, so as to give them time to establish before winter. Continue to collect fallen leaves if you have a rotary mower, set the blade high it will chop up and collect the leaves rather than cut the grass, and chopped leaves break down more quickly in the compost. Tender dahlia tubers may be killed off by harsh frosts rotting underground, foliage will blacken after frost, cut down the stems to about 6” from soil level and compost, using a fork tease the tuber from the soil, being careful not to damage it, brush off the soil and worms then wash with a hose, drain the stems by turning up side down, store in deep trays and cover with compost and place in a frost free place. Disconnect hoses and garden irrigation equipment, insulate outdoor taps and isolate from the mains supply. Clean out gutters on sheds and greenhouses. Wash down inside, outside and staging of the greenhouse, fix bubble wrap to insulate the interior, keep heaters ready to use if weather turns cold bring tender plants and bulbs into the greenhouse. Dig a compost trench where you plan to grow runner beans next year and fill with vegetable waste and peelings wrapped in newspaper adding a little soil as you go, finish with soil this will slowly rot providing your beans with plenty of moisture next summer. If you have a few French beans left that are too tough to eat allow pods to dry then empty the beans out, useful in soups and casseroles .

Coach Outings

My thanks to all those who filled in the selection forms for my proposed coach outings in 2006.

This resulted in the following: -

APRIL 26 TH. LEONARDSLEE at HORSHAM in Sussex

MAY 24 TH. GROOMBRIDGE at TUNBRIDGE WELLS

JUNE 28 TH. YALDING ORGANIC GARDENS in KENT

JULY 26 TH. R.H.S.GARDENS at WISLEY

SEPT.27 TH. IGHTHAM MOTE at SEVENOAKS

I hope you will put these dates in your diaries!! - Prices are still the same as in October’s Newsletter. Please note that booking slips for each outing will appear in the previous month’s Newsletter i.e. April’s in March’s. And only a reminder in the following month, so you would be well advised to book early! Coaches will LEAVE Church Lane at 9.30AM and EXIT the venue at 4.30PM. Many thanks KEITH

Bare-rooted plants Now is the time to plant bare-rooted trees and shrubs, as long as the ground is not frozen. Don’t be put off by the term bare-rooted—it simply means that the plant has been grown in open ground rather than in containers, and then lifted when they are dormant. They’re cheaper than container-grown plants, which is handy when you want a lot for a hedge, and can be sent by mail order cheaply and easily, which helps if you want something from a specialist nursery. You’ll also find there is a wider choice of varieties available this way.

Where to buy on line. Ashridge Trees www.ashridgetrees.co.uk Ornamental Tree Nurseries, www.ornamental-trees.co.uk Norcutts. www.norcutts.co.uk David Austin Roses www.davidaustinroses.com Peter Beales Roses. www.classicroses.co.uk

Topical Tips Experience has taught me that growing herbs in containers is far easier than growing them in the garden. Plant several together in a large container and keep them well-trimmed, even if you are not using them in the kitchen. Remove any flowering shoots as they appear, because flavour diminishes when herbs are in flower. Most herbs will happily rub shoulders together, but green and bronze fennel must be grown in their own container because they inhibit the growth of other herbs. Michael Kozyra of Nunsmere Hall Hotel, Oakmere.Chester

Local Events. Chiltern Open Air Museum, Newland Park, Gorelands Lane, near Chalfont St. Giles www.coam.org.uk

Christmas Fair and Market on 9 th to 11 th December 10am to 4pm info: 01494-872163 or 871117

County Archaeological Service. Are you interested in what is hidden under your feet? Do you ever think about who may have lived in Buckinghamshire before we came? Where did they live? What did they eat or wear? What is that huge mound doing in that field? If these types of questions interest you then phone 01296-382927 and talk to the County Archaeological Service. www.buckscc.gov.uk/archaeology You could be very surprised at what you find out!!!!!!!

The Chiltern Society Are in need of your support, they look after, conserve and enhance the Chilterns today.

To join ring 01494-771250. www.chilternsociety.org.uk

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.