Chalfont St Peter Garden Club Newsletter - September 2008
Chairman : Grace Hunter
Secretary : Susan Mills
Garden Hut Manager : Tony Gelder
Assistant Hut Manager : Keith Gould
Treasurer : Robert Bastin
Report on SUMMER SHOW Saturday, 16th August 2008.
Congratulations everyone, we had a very good Annual
Summer Show, in spite of the weird weather conditions this
year! True, our entries were a bit down on last year's
record entry, which we expected with the adverse conditions,
however the Show was very colourful and the exhibits of high
quality. The judges in all classes were very pleased with
the standard. We had two new judges this year, Mrs Dibben
for Floral Art and Tony Darbyshire for Photography.
If you did not enter this year, please do think about it
for next year, especially if you came to see it and thought
"mine at home are as good"! We had a lot of visitors to the
Show in the afternoon and the entrance money and raffle
money brought in a very useful contribution to the costs of
running the Show
I am very grateful to the Show Team who worked very hard
before, during and after the Show. Not only did we get it
all done but we had a great time doing it. Many, many thanks
to you all.
Grace Hunter
Speaker for September - Wednesday, 17th September 2008.
Dr Andrew Halstead will talk on Plant pests: recognition
& control.
8 p.m. Chalfont St Peter Church Hall. Refreshments
available. Please bring your Membership Card. Entry for
non-members is £1.00.
KEITHS COACH OUTINGS
Our final outing for this year is to UPTON HOUSE near
Banbury, (N/T) on Wednesday, 1st October.. Home of the
Bearsted Family, which made the Shell Company. what it is
today and created the display of posters that you will see
together with an outstanding collection of artwork and 18th
century Porcelain. There is also the National Aster
Collection leading down to the lake and water gardens. The
terraced Gardens may be somewhat steep, so be warned! There
is a licensed restaurant, with assisted service.
Our Coach this time will leave the church hall at 9.15 am
.as this trip could take slightly longer than some.
..
Please make cheques out to Chalfont .St. Peter Garden Club
and post to MR.K.GOULD, 10 LEACHCROFT, CHALFONT ST.PETER,
BUCKS. SL9 9LG or take to the hut any Sunday morning. All
postal bookings will be acknowledged by phone.
Please book me ( ) seats for Upton House @ £13.00 each and
( ) @ £14.00 each. Making a Total of £
.
Name
.
Address
.
Phone.No
Keith Gould - 01753 884012
P.S. AS WE HAVE A STRONG DEMAND FOR CLUB OUTINGS I CANNOT
RESERVE SEATS. A BOOKING MUST BE RECEIVED, COMPLETE WITH
CHEQUE, AND IS SUBJECT TO MY CONFIRMATION. MANY THANKS,
KEITH.
THE GARDEN HUT
Open every Sunday in September 10am -12 noon, please
support your garden club with your purchases of good quality
top brands names, of compost, fertilisers and accessories.
Did You Know
The Missenden Abbey runs Gardening Courses How to be a
Gardener Series aimed at all Gardeners and All Abilities :
Growing environment: how best to manage soil and composts
Saturday, 11th October, 2008.
How to get the best out of plants: ways to encourage
vegetables and flowering plants to perform well Saturday,
29th November, 2008.
Choosing plants: selecting the right plants for your garden
Saturday, 24th January 2009.
Garden Design and Practical Gardening: For Year Round Colour
Saturday, 1st November 2008
Fees are £47 per Saturday, course only or £62 for course and
lunch.
Tel : 01296 383582 of www.arca.uk.net/missendenabbey for
enquiries and bookings etc.
For Sale (or Free)
Cold frame (needing 2 replacement pieces of perspex). Free
to collector. M Bracken - 01753 886747
Janes September Garden Tips
As Autumn begins it is time to harvest fruit and
vegetables that can be stored over the Winter months. Crops
like onions, carrots, beetroot and potatoes need to be dried
out fully and inspected for damage before storage. Potatoes
are best stored in Hessian sacks in a garage or shed giving
them the cool, dry well ventilated and dark conditions they
prefer. The best onions to store are the ones with narrow
necks (the swollen necked ones are the more likely to rot)
they can then be strung up. Carrots and beetroot need the
tops twisted the taken off and are stored in a box of dry
peat. When the silken tops of sweetcorn turn brown they are
ready to harvest and are at their best eaten fresh. Store
apples, pears and other fruits singly wrapped in paper and
keep them cool. Beans can be frozen. Marrows will store for
a few months. Cut off foliage of peas and beans, leaving the
roots in the soil as they produce nitrogen nodules to
improve the soil, dig in later. As other plants die back
clear away to prevent pests and diseases over wintering and
add to the compost heap; there are plenty of bins on the
market or make one from wooden planks and chicken wire. On
newly vacated ground plant a green manure crop, to prevent
weeds.
Be prepared to bring in house plants that have been
standing outside during the Summer, before evenings become
too cold. Check that pests including ants, slugs and snails
are not hiding in the pots; start to reduce their watering.
Plant up bulbs in pots for Christmas and early Spring
displays, try a variety of bulbs, any dwarf spring bulbs are
worth trying. Make sure the pot has good drainage, use a
multi purpose compost, ensuring the pot is deep enough to
allow 5cms of compost in the bottom below the bulbs, keep in
a cool dark place until shoots appear.
Tender plants like fuchsias, pelargoniums, osteospernums
and gazanies need to have soft wood cuttings taken from non
flowering shoots, they will root well on a well-lit
windowsill or greenhouse.
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
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