Programme 2018
Thursday 15th March
New Tricks for Old Gardeners - Katherine Crouch
Thursday 19th April
Demonstration on hanging baskets - Will Michieli
Tuesday 8th May
car Visit to Watcombe Gardens, Winscombe
Thursday 17th May
Restoration , Hestercombe Gardens - Head Gardener, Claire Greenslade
Thursday 14th June
Members' Summer garden Party
Tuesday June 26th
Coach tour to Rococo Gardens, Painswick and Miserden Gardens, near Stroud
Tuesday 17th July
car visit to J W Blooms Flowers, Cox's Lane, Hillcommon, Taunton TA4 1DU
Thursday 19th July
Wildlife in your Garden, and close by. Nigel Phillips, author of 'Somerset's Coast, A Living Landscape'
Tuesday August 9th
car visit to Picket Lane Nursery, South Perrott DT8 5DU
Thursday 20th September
Kitchen Remedies-Properties of Herbs & Spices -Helen Kearney
Thursday 18th October
Oxford Botanic Gardens - Timothy Walker
Thursday 15th November
Propagation - Neil Lovesey, Picket Lane Nursery
Friday 14th December
Garden Club Christmas Party
February 2018
Stowey Gardeners' first meeting of the year was held on Thursday 15th February . A small annual membership fee of £15provides new members varied inclusion to our monthly speakers, organised garden trips , summer garden party, and Christmas feast .
In her presentation ‘From Plant to Plate’, Sue Applegate led us through many pathways taken in fruit and vegetable production to their end point. Some extraordinary technology has taken out the back breaking task of planting, harvesting and processing food to cater for the burgeoning needs of the population. Sue spent many years overseeing the pastoral care and general wellbeing of the migrant worker population in the UK, and shared concerns over their decline as Brexit unfolds.
March 2018
Our speaker for Thursday 15th March was Katherine Crouch, a Somerset based award winning garden designer. Her talk was hailed by our Treasurer Jenny Kinahan as an enormous success!
“ A really excellent speaker in Katherine Crouch who gave a talk entitled ‘ New Tricks for Old Gardeners’. Katherine was BBC Gardener of the year a few years ago and BBC Gardener of the decade following that. Katherine’s talk was full of knowledge and humour, which had us captivated, showing useful and interesting designs, ideas and labour saving tips to make a garden easier to manage when energy levels and stiff joints make it harder to continue to garden your plot with the same gusto. She showed some good (and bad designs) with lots of examples of how, with limited time we can still create a beautiful garden. Katherine is a great advocate of tidying up in October and not stepping forth into the garden until Spring, apart from a little rose and fruit tree pruning. We were also shown her own array of gardening gadgets and tools, many with long handles, to prevent the need for kneeling and bending and to minimise the stress on wrists. “
April 2018
On 19th April we had a demonstration of how to make show-stopping hanging baskets. Will Michieli came to Nether Stowey Gardeners' Club to demonstrate and talk about Hanging Baskets. Will, a local man, was trained at Cannington College and has worked as Shrub manager at Monkton Elm since 2011. Last summer he became a self-employed gardener. He has a broad knowledge of gardening and is also an orchid collector.
Will advised planting up baskets with small numbers of plants and including slow release feed pellets to keep them going until autumn, growing the planted baskets on indoors for 4 to 6 weeks to really establish them and avoid late frosts, before hanging them outside in May. He chose plants of one colour for greater impact. A basket for sun included Petunia Calibrachoa Million Bells which are trailing, don't require dead-heading and can last through till October. A basket for a more shaded position featured variegated Nepeta and a Fuchsia with complementing shades of mauve flowers, while a third basket included herbs: thyme, oregano and for fun, an alpine strawberry. While many herbs and alpines will tolerate dry conditions, he reiterated the importance of siting baskets for ease of watering, or even investing in automated watering systems.
At the end of the talk, the three baskets Will had made were auctioned off to three members and are sure to enhance their gardens all summer!
Robin Brierly came to the meeting to remind us about the Nether Stowey Flower Show, this year to be held on Saturday
August 18th. Her message was 'join in, have a go and support the show with your entries!'
There is even a Stowey Gardeners'cup for the member with most points, and the current holder welcomes all challengers!
Hestercombe
' On Thursday 17th May, we were delighted by a brilliant presentation by Claire Greenslade, head gardener from Hestercombe', writes Polly Triggol. 'Although I have visited Hestercombe many times, her talk added layers of meaning to this extraordinary place. Claire painted wonderful pictures of the history , architecture, plantings, and changes that have occurred since it was gradually disentangled from past neglect.'
May 2018
Visit to Watcombe Gardens, Winscombe
Member Annie Shoesmith reports :on Tuesday the 8th of May the Stowey Gardeners visited Watcombe, a garden in Winscombe, number 105 in
the NGS book.
Peter and Ann Owen welcomed us in with a short talk about the history of this Edwardian garden. The writer of this article missed most of the talk as she was busy perusing the selection of unusual plants for sale!
Starting at the front of the house, the oldest part of the garden, here there was a lovely collection of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants, giving a palette of different greens in a shaded peaceful area. From there we were directed into several other areas. A pergola with wisterias, a very old alley of pleached hornbeams, a lime walk, and a working area with a Victorian greenhouse and masses of alliums.
But my favourite place was the topiary garden which we passed on the way back for cake and tea.
A really enjoyable afternoon, and some of us went home with plants to always remind us of the garden at Watcombe.
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At the annual ‘Cannington Open Garden Day’ on Saturday 9th June, our treasured member Maureen Hudson displayed her beloved Clematis in full flower jostling with roses and many other flowers. It was one of several lovely gardens on display.
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Member Mary Reece draws our attention to this month's Organic Matters, the monthly newsletter from Garden Organic. There are a number of interesting articles, including a feature on growing exotic vegetables. It's not too late to plant chick peas : you can download How to Grow cards and fact sheets and branch out into everything from Achocha to Yard Long Beans! www.gardenorganic.org.uk
June 2018
On June 26th, members enjoyed a wonderful sunny day out on the coach trip to Painswick Rococo Gardens and to Miserden gardens and nursery (winner of 2018 Historic Houses Garden of the Year award).
Glorious weather found Stowey Gardeners at the Rococo Gardens at Painswick. A very keen volunteer told us copious amounts of information about the place under the very needed shade of a large tree. Left to wander around the gardens on our own, although not my idea of absolute heaven, I did enjoy the steep walk down into the valley past beautiful summer houses and follies to a truly outstanding vegetable garden – the envy of all of us who try doing ”veg”. There was a maze, ponds, woods all beautifully kept but my joy was peeping through the gate to the “big house” now sold off, and at the intriguing garden surrounding it which unfortunately was not open to us The past owner lives in the beautiful stable block converted to a magnificent residence and that too had a lovely garden. Coffee, cakes were provided and even retail therapy reared its ugly head and having seen faux sheep grazing on some uncultivated areas in the garden – one small lamb strayed on the coach and is now living here at The Old Vicarage.
Miserden was a different kettle of fish – wonderful herbaceous borders led you with a view to the magnificent house and every corner proved another treat. It was all so pleasant on the eye that even the fact the grass was somewhat brown and ragged didn’t seem to matter. A place well worth visiting not only for the garden but the extensive nursery which sported a huge array of shrubs, perennials, etc. – spoke to a lady from Cheltenham who always goes there to buy her plants! Teas were very welcoming after the heat of the afternoon sun.
I thoroughly enjoyed my day out with Stowey Gardeners as did the rest of the bus – looking forward to the next one!
Sally Jago
Our annual members garden party was hosted by Suki and Richard at Parsonage Farm, Over Stowey on Thursday 14th June. Summer delights included their delicious gourmet pizzas, a walled garden overflowing with lush roses, vegetables, fruit, and beautifully trimmed box hedges . The weather was perfect !
We were welcomed with Pimms and after exploring the sloping garden with its stream and flower borders, and admiring the extensive vegetable beds, greenhouse and the herb garden on the terrace, we sat in the former stable yard and enjoyed a buffet complemented by pizzas baked in the wood fired oven, followed by Jean's famous chocolate strawberries and other sweet treats.
July 2018
Like all good British folk Stowey Gardeners’ main topic of conversation, naturally, is the weather. And what alot of weather we’ve had this year!
Let’s hope that by the time you read this the heavens will have given our gardens more than a drop or two to save at least our lawns .
The plusses of a heat wave: far less mowing, less growth to cut back, wild flowers in abundance (not always exactly where you want them but glorious anyway); bees and butterfies thriving; for however short their season the blossom on roses and other shrubs has been spectacular all around Stowey. I have found that for once all the outdoor eating (and drinking) has meant time to sit and really enjoy looking at my garden.
Another plus is that if you braved the local Flower Shows, which I hope you did, you’ll find that you may have had a chance to be placed as the playing field has certainly been levelled by this long hot summer!
The minusses: countless hours spent watering (for many plants and shrubs probably a bad idea as the roots come to the surface and then scorch). Flowers with a very short season, fruit not producing very well; salad and veg crops going to seed so quickly; and an army of cabbage whites (!!) so pretty but will those winter brassicas survive?
Professionals have of course suffered too. This was demonstrated by our trip to JW Blooms on July 17th. Jan Waters (sic) gave us a warm welcome and was extremely apologetic for the lack of annual abundance. Nevertheless we were very interested to see the problems first hand and to admire her set-up which has huge variety and once you started looking quite a selection despite the drought. Her main concern was the lack of germination of mid-season sowings which will have a knock-on effect for later events and weddings. The field cafe was most attractive as were the homemade cakes and a good variety of teas. (jwblooms.co.uk).
August 2018
On Thursday 9th August a select group of Stowey Gardeners visited Picket Lane Nursery, just in Dorset near the source of the river Parrett.
Neil Lovesy and his wife and daughter, who got valuable experience at Scott's of Merriott, have created show gardens and a nursey where they propagate herbaceous perennials and shrubs with the help of just one gardener. Family illness, and inevitably the weather, have made this year quite a struggle, but we enjoyed the impressive range of good quality plants, and acquired a few! Naturally we needed reviving with apple and cider, chocolate and beer, and carrot cakes on the way home.
On Saturday 18th August, several Stowey Gardeners members entered flowers, vegetables and crafts at Nether Stowey Flower Show. Prizes were won by Polly Triggol and Juliet Harkness, among others, and the accolade of the cup for the Stowey Gardener with most points in the show went to Sally Jago for her many fine entries including impressive pumpkins!
September 2018
On September 20th a fascinating talk was given by Helen Kearney BSc, Medical Herbalist. Helen and her family have a smallholding in Holcombe Rogus where she grows many of the herbs she uses in her practice. She explained that she trained in gaining the clinical skills to diagnose health problems and to prescribe the herbal medicine or treatment for individuals in an holistic context. Helen had a variety of plant based balms and tinctures for us to sample as well as products to buy. Herbal soaps for Christmas presents for the family this year!
Helen’s talk provided us with remedies we can all make from vegetables in our gardens, spices in our kitchen cupboards and hedgerow plants. She based this around a 10 petal diagram, available to members, and supplemented this with further information about plant uses to maintain and improve our health and by answering our queries and comments.
Have we all filled our jam jars with onion and sugar layers for our coughs and colds? * Are the Stowey lanes now stripped of elderberries? It reminded many of us of family practices from yesteryear and I shall certainly be indulging in a nettle beer tonic come Spring. (Yes, nettles in my garden!)
Helen can be contacted at Helen@elderfarm.co.uk
*Coughs and Colds Syrup
Finely slice and chop onions and alternately layer with sugar or honey in a jam jar. Take 1 tspn of the resulting syrup 3 times a day. Keep tightly closed in the ‘fridge. Add chopped garlic and/or grated horseradish for greater potency (literally breathtaking results!)
October 2018
October 18th saw our second meeting at our new venue, St Mary's Church Centre, Nether Stowey. A good audience of members enjoyed an excellent talk by Timothy Walker, previously Director of Oxford Botanic Gardens, and still an Oxford University Lecturer, entitled 'A Blaze of Glory'. Once again he delighted us with his rich palette of knowledge on autumn colour. It certainly blazed with glory - on screen and via his whip smart commentary - a racy and colourful world tour of autumn horticultural wonders. Starting with illustrations of plants in their native sites, notably spectacular autumnal mountainsides in Hokkaido, Japan, he pointed out many valuable plants which can bring colour to the garden throughout autumn and illustrated the use of these plants, whether for foliage, flowers or fruits, and he finished by showing examples from the Oxford Botanic Gardens, and with his wife's designs for their own smaller space. His talk was full of humour and inspiring ideas.
November 2018
Neil Lovesey from Picket Lane Nursery www.picketlanenursery.co.uk
A Talk on Propagation
The members gathered at November’s meeting of Stowey Gardeners were treated to a fascinating and informative talk by Neil Lovesey. There was something for everyone to learn, including the few more expert, experienced members.
Neil is a true ‘Nurseryman’. At Picket Lane they propagate all their own plants and shrubs themselves from cuttings and divisions, seed and bulb propagation; and they do not buy in any plugs.
Neil described the 8 seasons in the garden from early to late Winter onwards. He accompanied this with interesting slides showing how important weather conditions are in dictating when plants and shrubs come into flower. And he said that we had to be flexible as propagators and remember only to taking cuttings when a plant is in the peak of its growing season.
With wonderful practical clarity he showed us various techniques for propagation.
Firstly describing what a bulb is ( a store of food) and then how when damaged it will make bulblets or new bulbs in abundance. This he demonstrated by showing us a lily which he took apart and made into several new plants. By damaging a hyacinth bulb across the root the bulb goes into stress and immediately starts producing bulblets. Countless new plants for free!
Secondly Neil talked about tubers and rhizomes with lots of simple, common sense tips eg: why buy an expensive bag of seed potatoes when every eye on a potato can become a plant?
His final demonstration concerned nodes and roots,cuttings from new growth,old growth, leaf and root. We learned so much about how and when to take cuttings, how to use rooting powder (properly!), and how to cut a heel simply from a parent plant. What a generous speaker he was! He not only shared this knowlege with us but also said we could download all the individual propagation instructions for his mass of perrenials and shrubs from his website.
This was a superb talk; packed with information, amusing and concise and superb value. We are looking forward to inviting him again soon
Juliet Harkness (Chair)
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Our trip organiser Polly Triggol recently heard from Nicola Wills, owner of Miserden gardens which we visited in June:
Thank you for bringing your group to The Garden at Miserden this year, we hope everyone enjoyed their visit.
It has been a great year for Miserden - successfully winning Historic Houses Garden of the Year, a Long Service Award from the National Gardens Scheme, a tree planting ceremony by the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers and the highest number of visitors yet to visit the garden. We are currently working hard and replanting the gardens after a long, hot summer. The parterre will now have a wonderful display of 'Miss Katherine' Loddon Pink Lavender, Teucrium x Lucidrys and Heuchera 'Silver Scrolls' filling the beds surrounding the sundial. Those who visit annually and were looking forward to catching up with Alison, will be glad to hear she is on the mend after her riding accident and will be all set for garden tours next year. ...........we hope to see you in 2019.
December 2018
Stowey Gardeners Christmas party was held at St Mary's Church Centre on Friday 14th December. The theme was Pantomime
( Oh no it wasn't! Oh yes it was!!) and we enjoyed decorated hats, with a marvellous winning Aladdin creation by Alison Hood, and several other exotic close contenders for the prize, a quiz ingeniously devised by Rick Turner, and a delicious spread of Christmas treats, and we finished with some rousing carol singing.