Chalfont St Peter Garden Club Newsletter - February 2006
Chairman: Charles Flawn
Secretary: Linda Hills-Harrop
Garden Hut Manager: Cliff Thayer
Treasurer : Robert Bastin Dear member,
Welcome to another newsletter. If you are a new member do
take full advantage of what the Club has to offer, come to
our monthly speaker meetings, and come to our Garden Hut,
beside the Community Centre, on Sunday mornings where we
offer a wide range of composts, fertilisers and garden
sundries, one visit will easily save you more than your
subscription fee!
Meetings: This months meeting is in the Church
Hall at 8pm on February 15th when we have a change of
programme, John Brandham will talk on Growing and
displaying vegetables which is a subject near to the hearts
of many of our members. Mrs Leary will be giving her talk on
Hanging Baskets after our AGM in March.
Subscriptions Any member who has not paid their subscription
by the end of February will have their membership lapse, and
on rejoining will have to pay the £2 new member fee!
The Garden Hut will now be open every Sunday from 10.00
am to 12 noon until the end of October. Very important, you
must show your new blue Membership card. The Hut is well
stocked with Peat, Composts and general fertilizers and the
usual sundries on the shelves. We are still awaiting news of
the pre-season Spring Offers; these will be on lawn care
products that should be available from March onwards when
they are generally required for use. We have a few 10
hanging Baskets available. The 10% discount on purchases
over £20 is now in operation until the end of March. Details
of Growbags will be advised later. Janes Garden Tips
In order to achieve maximum benefits from pruning give
apples, pears, gooseberries and currants attention before
the end of winter, cutting out dead, damaged or crossing
wood. Blackcurrant bushes send up new shoots from below
ground level, so to avoid congestion the very oldest stems
need pruning away at soil level now, stems darken after 3-4
years and its these that must go to make room for young
productive shoots. Autumn fruiting raspberries should be cut
back to ground level ensuring no stumps are left that can
harbour disease. Summer fruiting raspberries can have any
tops trimmed to the level of the top wire. Raspberries have
a useful life of about 10 years so consider replacing now
and as weather allows (there are plenty of very productive
varieties available). Tidy up beds, borders and containers
clearing up as many weeds as possible, which are easy to
uproot at this time of year. Towards the end of the month
prune established roses to help produce more flowers and
create an open centred bush. Remove dead, diseased or
damaged stems, along with weak and spindly shoots using
sharp Secateurs, cut Ό above a bud angled so that moisture
drains away from the bud. Summer bulbs are available now
which can be planted out in well drained soil and plenty of
compost, plant 3 times their own depth in a sunny sheltered
spot. Try sowing some perennial seeds, there is plenty of
choice at this time of year, consider trying dahlias which
will flower this year, start off in a propagator, if you are
successful swap young plants with friends. Start to sow
seeds under glass, lettuce, radish, peas, beetroot, summer
cabbage and spinach. The easiest way of doing this is to sow
in plastic modules that dont need heat but a light spot.
They can then be transplanted easily next month.
I believe that every garden should have a
sweet-smelling Buddleja davidii because they are real
butterfly magnets.
Particularly admired
is Dartmoor, which has large, fist-like mauve flowers and
White Profusion. To grow them successfully choose a sunny
position and prune them back hard to the lowest shoots at
the end of April
Spring Show Schedule for April 19th
- Class 1 Polyanthus bowl of 6 cut stems own Foliage
- Class 2 Daffodils vase of 3 blooms own Foliage
- Class 3 Tulips vase of 3 blooms own foliage
- Class 4 Pot Plant in Flower pot not to exceed 6 in
diameter
- Class 5 Pot Plant Foliage pot not to exceed 6 in
diameter
- Class 6 5 stems of different Evergreen Foliage in a
vase
- Class 7 A Floral Arrangement not to exceed 9
overall
- Class 8 Any Other Flower, one kind only, 3 or more
blooms
- Class 9. 3 Sticks of Rhubarb, may be forced
- Class 10 Any Other Vegetable
Photo
Competition.
During the Spring Show we are having a photographic
competition, similar to last years event. This year we
are having 3 classes, photos may be in colour or black &
white.
1/ A Garden
2/ A Flower
3/ A
Landscape
Each Class
you enter should be mounted
separately
on paper or card no bigger than A4. Mark the class on
the back..
You will be
asked to judge the entries.
Coach Outings
This list of booking slips are for your extra
convenience should you wish to book early, or in
multiple, but each months outing will still be shown in
detail, with booking slip, in the previous months
Newsletter, with copies available at the Hut. I cannot
emphasize enough that we do need your support in order
that these outings may continue to be a success! Please
make Cheques payable to Chalfont St.Peter Garden Club
and send your Bookings to-MR.K.GOULD, hand in at the Hut
on a Sunday. All letter bookings will be acknowledged by
phone. Many thanks. KEITH! (C/M = CLUB MEMBER / N/M =
NON MEMBER)
Wed. April 26th - Please book me ( ) seats for
LEONARDSLEE
1c/m @ £17.50 - Plus ( ) N/ms @£18.50ea
Total-£
...
Name &Address.
.
.
.Tel/No
.
cut
.cut
Wed. May 24th - Please book me ( ) seats for GROOMBRIDGE
1c/m @ £17.00 Plus ( ) N/ms @ £18.00ea. Total £
..
Name &Address
.Tel.No
(Optional) - Canal BOAT-TRIP EXTRA 60P.ea. WITH BOOKING
/ OR £1 ON DAY!.
cut--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
..cut
Wed. June 28th - Please book me ( ) seats for YALDING
ORG. GARDENS
1c/m @ £15.00- plus.( ) N/ms @ £16.00ea. Total £
.
Name &Address
..
..Tel/No,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
cut
..cut
Wed. July 26th - Please Book me ( ) seats for SQUERRYES
COURT
1c/m @ £17.50 - plus ( ) N/ms @ £18.50ea. Total £
..
This Trip will Incl. Coffee On Arrival as we need to
assemble together for the House Tour.
Name &Address.
..
.
Tel/No
..
cut
..cut
Wed. Sept.27th - Please Book me ( ) seats to IGHTAM MOTE
(N/T venue)
Please Deduct £6.00 per.N/T member. All n/t members must
have valid cards !
1 c/m @ £17.50 Plus ( )N/ms @£18.50ea. Total £
Name &Address
..
Tel/No
Oxfam are launching Give & Grow a bedding-plant
mail-order service offering spring varieties such as
Lobelia, Geranium, and Petunia. 40% of all income will
go to initiatives such as tree planting in developing
countries. Prices start at £10.99 for 70 seeds. 0870
4105031; www.oxfam.org.uk/plants.
Places to visit : This is the time of year to
visit gardens that have complex historical layers that
make up landscape gardens with wonderful views of
snowdrops and aconites carpeting the ground. Go and
visit Stowe Landscape Gardens near Buckingham,
(01280-822850) Another garden of the same era, but
smaller is Painshill Park, Cobham, Surrey
(01932-868113), this has a crystal grotto, flamboyant
Turkish tent and Gothic Temple. If you like fine lines
in a garden and clipped hedges now is the time to visit
Anglesey Abbey, Cambridge, 01223 810080.
www.angleseyabbey.org ; Hidcote Manor Glos. 01386
438333; Barnsley House Glos. 01285 740000 and Rousham
House Oxon 01869 347110
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.
Chalfont St Peter Garden Club
Here is your latest newsletter we do hope you enjoy it |
