Chalfont St Peter Garden Club Newsletter - February 2008

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

Spring Show Schedule for 16 April 2008

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
Photographic competition
Once again we shall be having a photographic competition during the Spring Show. Photos may be in B&W or colour. Each exhibitor can only enter one A4 sized mount per class, but this can contain more than one print. You will be asked to judge the entries.
Class 1- A Garden Class 2 – Spring Flowers Class 3 –A Landscape

Report on January Meeting – Wednesday, 16th January.

A near capacity audience heard Mrs Norma Desmond speak about the Rothschild family and their links with Bucks. Mrs Desmond is well-known to many of our members as one of our Summer Show judges for many years. She traced the history of the Rothschild family from their roots in the Frankfurt ghetto, through their development into a major banking family. They founded many great houses, also often building schools, hospitals and housing locally. The houses included; Aston Clinton House; Mentmore Towers; Tring Park; Ascott; (the only one still Rothschild inhabited) ; Waddesdon Manor, in our speaker’s opinion the “jewel in the National trust’s crown”. We were shown many slides of family members to support a great deal of historical fact, together with pictures of the houses, both in construction and as they are today.

STOP PRESS Saturday 17 February West Wycombe Park, 12-4pm
Snowdrop Walk.
In aid of The Child Bereavement Charity Entrance £2.50

THE GARDEN HUT will be open every Sunday 10am-12 noon during February and every Sunday until the last Sunday in October. Please bring your membership card to keep us on the right side of the Tax Man. If you have not received your 2008 card 2007 will suffice. The HUT is well stocked with Mushroom Compost, Horse Manure, plus a good selection of Composts and Fertilisers. All grades of horticultural sands are available including Silver and Sharp sand, Grit sand, and Coarse Grit. .We can now obtain Plant pins for the protection of indoor plants and these will soon be in stock. We have also ordered a further supply of adjustable wire rakes which were very popular last year and stainless steel hand forks and trowels. Also ordered are the green Haws watering cans for the Greenhouse or Conservatory. Also on order is a comprehensive range of Lawn Care products from Levingtons and Arthur Bowers.plus a few of Scotts Lawn Builder. It is hoped all products on order will be delivered early in February. Growbags will again be available during March and April.

Finally do not forget to take advantage of the 10% discount offered on all purchases of £20 and over during February and March. Best wishes for 2008 and Happy Gardening.
Cliff Thayer.

Jane’s February Garden Tips

Quite a lot of pruning should be done this month, especially shrubs that flower on new wood later in the Summer: buddleia, deciduous ceanothus and hardy fuchsias, cut back hard leaving a few buds on each shoot. Overgrown evergreen hardy plants can be cut back. Trim Winter flowering heathers with a pair of shears; cutting back to the base of a flower stalk, this encourages side shoots, keeping the plant bushy and compact. Large flowering clematis that flower after June should be cut back. Working from the base find the first healthy pair of buds on each stem and cut back immediately above them.

Check newly planted shrubs and trees the winter weather can begin to lift the roots out, refirm them. Finish weeding and digging borders, cutting back any dead growth not already done. Also a good time to replace nutrients that have been washed away in the rain, feed with fertilizer before the new shoots appear. Divide and plant snowdrops and winter aconites after flowering and while the foliage is still green. Plug plants will be available soon so buy to grow on in the greenhouse.

Prepare the vegetable plot and cover to allow it to dry out and warm up. Autumn raspberries should be cut back to ground level, apply a general fertiliser and mulch, Summer fruiting varieties should be cut back to 1-2 buds above the support. Give all soft fruit some general fertiliser. Chit potatoes, lay them eyes up in a tray to sprout. Towards the end of the month start to germinate seeds in a propagator or inside, tomatoes and cucumbers that will be greenhouse grown. Continue sowing of lettuce, leeks and summers cabbage under cover. In order to keep rainwater butts clean, place a pair of tights over the end of the down pipe, to catch leaves and other debris, clean as necessary.

The Talk for February on “Hedgehogs” will be given by
Dr Pat Morriss – Wednesday, February 20th 2008
Commencing at 8 p.m. in the Chalfont St Peter Church Hall.

Keith’s Coach Outings for 2008.

Bookings are open to all club members, friends & spouses. All non-members pay an extra one pound. Coaches will normally leave the Church Hall/lane at 9.30am.and exit venues at 4pm.
(Info - others means spouses/partners/friends - all non. members)

1) APRIL/WED. 23rd -- BENLEY’S/ East Sussex - Palladium Mansion/Gardens/ Museum of Vintage Cars / Wildlife Park /Craft shops / Café & picnic area, etc. – £17.00 each for Members / £18.00 all others.
2) MAY/WED. 21st - PENSHURST PLACE, Kent – Manor House (Barons Hall & Long Gallery) Gardens /Toy Museum /13Acre Walled Garden / £18.00 each for Members / £19.00 all others.
3) JUNE /WED.25th - MOTTISFONT ABBEY/ (N/T), Romsey – Rex Whistler
Drawing Room / N/C Rose garden / River walk. Coach only £13.00 each for Members / £14.00 all others. (non N/T please add £7.50 ea. group entry)
4) JULY/WED. 23rd - NYMAN’S GARDEN – (N/T), Hayward’s Heath - garden /lakes /arboretum etc. Coach only £13.00 each for Members / £14.00 all others. (non N/T please add £6.00 ea. group entry)
5) SEPT./WED. 3rd – (venue change). CAPEL MANOR GARDENS - 30 acres covering a complete range of garden interests, animal corner, wheelchair friendly and large restaurant.- Members - £16.50 each /all others £17.50 ea.
6) SEPT./TUES.30th. (date change) -DYRHAM PARK – (N.T.) Nr Bath – William & Mary Country House/ Life below stairs exhibition / lakes /gardens, etc. Coach only £13.00 each for Members / £14.00 ea. all others. (non N/T please add £9.00 ea. group entry)
Booking Slips will appear in each preceding month’s Newsletter

Extra Outing
Woottens,of Chesham, are doing the Eden Project & Trebah ' 5-day break in Newquay from10/14th November 2008 for £209.00 / £20s/supp. Pick-up Chalfont St Peter Market Place. If anyone is interested: information from Keith – 01753 884012.


Click here for a PDF download of the 2008 membership form.