Chalfont St Peter Garden Club Newsletter - May 2006

Chairman: Charles Flawn
Secretary: Linda Hills-Harrop
Garden Hut Manager: Cliff Thayer
Treasurer : Robert Bastin

Dear Member, We now have a hosepipe ban in force, so do be careful. Watering your lawn is definitely out, and do not cut it too short, as this will encourage it to ‘burn-off’ in the sun. You are allowed to use your hosepipe to fill watering cans and to replenish your garden pond. Any watering of flower beds should be done in the evening so it can sink in during the night.

Meetings This month’s meeting will be at 8pm on Wednesday17th in the Church Hall when we shall hear from Bill Bossom about the ‘cultivation and showing of roses’. Bill is one of our judges at our Summer Show and as such has had first hand experience of how our members have not always shown their exhibits off to the best effect. So do come along and learn from the person who will be judging you this August!

The Garden Hut will be open on every Sunday from 10.00 am to 12 noon. Very important, you must show your Membership card. Growbags are on sale at £1.30 each, don’t delay purchase, as this is our only delivery. We have bottomless pots for use with Growbags and pots for ring culture. We have stocks of watering cans at the good price of £3.80, also a good selection of gloves. Following requests we have secured a further supply of 14” hanging baskets: these make planting very easy. Our supply of garden canes are of a very high quality. A new line for the club - MOTH TRAPS TO HANG IN FRUIT TREES – priced at £6.50, RRP £7.99, see Keith in the Hut for further details. We have supplies of all lawn care products, the weather is now more grass friendly so start applying your purchases. Extra help is needed in the Hut for the loading of members cars, this is an important service for our older members.

Jane’s Garden Tips
To make the most of the warmer conditions in the greenhouse or windowsill take softwood cuttings, it’s surprising how easily tender summer bedding plants can be propagated in this way, soft side shoots make perfect cuttings as they haven’t started forming flowers, try fuchsias, pelargoniums, verbenas and marguerites. Reinstall pumps and filters in ponds; clean up established ponds by thinning and cutting back plants, plant water lilies and other aquatic plants. Apply a general fertilizer to the vegetable garden such as Growmore or for an organic alternative use ‘blood,fish and bone’ (available from the Hut), incorporate it into the soil to a depth of about 4” or gently rake into the soil around established plants. Sow a variety of vegetables in drills beetroot, carrots, lettuce, radish, brassicas, spinach and parsnips. Make drills with the edge of a rake and water if the soil is dry, then sow the seed sparingly before covering with earth, keep the areas between rows weeded and as seedlings come through thin out and weed. I prefer to start off all beans, courgettes, marrows and squashes under cover in pots or modules or pots. Continue pricking out seedlings of tomato, chillies and peppers. Stake taller growing herbaceous plants, delphiniums and peonies. Prune early flowering shrubs, kerria and forsythia. Cut back clematis montana when it has finished flowering. . Harden off bedding plants prior to planting out by putting them in a sheltered spot during the day and bring them in at night. . Divide larger clumps of primulas, cutting off most of the old foliage and replanting in revitalized soil and keeping well watered to re-establish. Use water wisely during the hose pipe ban, install a water butt on the down pipe from your house to make full use of the water we do get, water around the root area of plants during the evening when evaporation is less.


COACH OUTINGS – JUNE’S VISIT IS TO YALDING ORGANIC GARDENS(KENT) on 28th. JUNE This is more an educational visit showcasing gardening through the ages-16 different examples to the modern day- latest organic info – an organic Restaurant –Shop- and a Woodland Walk If you are a HDRA Member- free entry with valid card, deduct £4.00- Please make cheques out to ”CH.ST.PETER GARDEN CLUB” and send bookings to- MR.K.GOULD. take to the Hut on a Sunday. All postal bookings will be confirmed by telephone –note- late bookee’s for GROOMBRIDGE must please ring me first, in case of over-bookings!! – Coach leaves the hall/church lane at 9.30am.and exit venue at 4.30pm - Many thanks – KEITH.
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Booking Slip – (PLEASE INCL. Tel/no.)
Please book me ( ) seats for YALDING ORGANIC GARDENS on WEDNESDAY JUNE 28th
( ) C/M’s @ £15.00ea. – plus ( ) N/M’s @ £16.00ea. Total £………..

Name & Address…………………………………………………………………………………………..TEL/NO…………..


Spring Show Report 2006 Davis Cup Winner: - with the most points: - Mrs. E. Doubtfire
Results:

Class	First	Second	Third
1.	Mrs.H.Hewlett	C.Flawn	Mrs.E.Doubtfire
2.	Mrs.E.Doubtfire	Mrs.J.Gooch	Mrs.B.Gordon
3.	Mrs.E.Doubtfire	Mrs.A.Nicholson	Mrs.D.Lafone
4.	Mrs.G.Bean	Mrs.P.Heath	Mrs.P.Taylor
5.	Connie May	Mrs.H.Hewlett	Mrs.P.Taylor
6.	Mrs.L.Hills-Harrop	Connie May	Mrs.P.Taylor
7.	Mrs.P. Taylor	Mrs.J.Beecham
8.	T.Spring	Mrs.J.Gooch	Mrs.B.Gordon
9.	Mrs.E.Doubtfire	B.Nicholson	Mrs.J. Campbell
10.	Mrs.P.Heath	Mrs.P.Heath	B.Nicholson

Photographic competition Class 1’A Garden’ 1;C.Flawn 2; Mr.Morell 3: Mrs.A.Nicholson
Class 2: ‘A Flower’ 1;Connie May 2; joint B.Nicholson & Mrs.Schmitt
Class 3:’A Landscape’ 1;Mr.Morell 2; B.Nicholson
Very many thanks to all who helped to make the Show such a success, the Exhibitors, the Judges, and the Committee and Doris and all her helpers in the kitchen. Jane Campbell

OUR SUMMER SHOW 19th August 2006
Just a reminder that if you haven't already handed in your cups yet, please would you take them to the Hut as they need to be engraved before our next show. We need them by mid-June at the latest. If any members find difficulty with this, please phone John Warren on 01753-886864. Please have a look at your schedule to see what you can enter, or what you might persuade a neighbour, friend or young family members to enter. This is an Open Show: anyone can enter, and remember that this is primarily a show that will bring to the attention of visitors what the gardeners of Chalfont St Peter can produce from its difficult gravel/clay soil.

Know Your Compost Campaign Meet Charlie Dimmock, let her teach you how to use peat free and recycled composts in your garden
Date: Sat 6th May Time: Between 12 and 3pm: Celeb: Charlie Dimmock Venue: Knights Garden Centre, Nags Hall, Godstone, Surrey. RH9 8DB Tel: 01883 742275
Date: Sun 21st May Time: Between 12 and 3pm Celeb: Charlie Dimmock Venue: Wyevale Garden Centre, Newport Road,Woburn Sands, Milton Keynes, MK17 8UF Tel: 01908 281161

Local Events. Chiltern Open Air Museum info: 01494-872163 or 871117
(Chiltern Open Air Museum, Newlands Park, Gorelands Lane, near Chalfont St. Giles ) www.coam.org.uk
30 April & 1 May Meet the Roman Army Ermine Street Guard
13 & 14 May Prelude to D-Day A Village at War
27 - 29 May The Chilterns during the Dark Ages Dark Ages Society

Gardening Fair at Wycombe Museum, Priory Ave. HW 01494 421895 on Sat 3rd June 11am to 4pm

Gardens Open.( Normally 2 to 6pm) Teas and plants for sale

The Manor House Bledlow 07 May 2006
The Plant Specialist, Whitefield Lane Gt Missenden HP16 0BH 11 May 2006
The White House, Village Road Denham Village UB9 5BE 14 May 2006
Fressingwood, Hare Lane Little Kingshill HP16 0EF 14 May 2006

The Old Sun House Pednor HP5 2SZ 04 June 2006

Open Gardens in aid of the Red Cross
Sunday 14th May. Two gardens open in Rickmansworth The Dial House 93 Uxbridge Road, and Mill Reach 97a Uxbridge Road. Both are open 2 to 5pm and cost a combined £3.50. Teas and plants for sale.
Chelsea Flower Show Tuesday 23rd to 27th May. Tickets, tel. no.0870-906-3781; RHS members 0870-906- 3780

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

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