Programme 2022

February

We started our year with a short AGM on Thursday 17th February. The Committee now has 5 members, but no new chairman has (yet) been elected. Many thanks were given to Juliet Harkness (Chair) and Jenny Kinahan (Treasurer) for all their hard work for the club over the past 7 years.

A select gathering of members enjoyed a talk by Andrew Hunt, Head Gardener, on 'Kingston Lacy through the Seasons'. Kingston Lacy is a National Trust house near Wimborne, Dorset, the grounds of which have been restored in the last decade and now boast herbaceous borders, parterre, kitchen gardens, vinery, fernery and Japanese garden. Vast numbers of spring bulbs and later bedding dahlias  and hanging baskets are planted annually. Andrew started at Kingston Lacy as an apprentice straight from school and has been head gardener for 12 years. Using a wealth of documents found in the house, restoration of original Victorian garden features has been possible. The fernery and Japanese gardens in particular looked well worth exploring, and the vegetable garden, once employing 15 gardeners and fantastically productive, is a work in progress.

 East Lambrook Manor gardens was the first car visit destination of the year, on Friday 4th March. Developed by Margery Fish, the garden has become renowned for its snowdrops and other early spring plants, such as Hellebores. 15 Stowey gardeners gathered for an introductory talk from Mike Werkmeister, the current owner. He explained the history of the gardens, and the constant work of maintaining them. We enjoyed the late snowdrops that still abounded, and many lovely hellebores and other spring plants which complement them, including witch hazels and white stemmed birches. The white garden looked fine against a blue sky, with architectural cardoons and grasses. Tea and cake rounded off the visit and the visitors, and plenty of plants were bought from the nursery.  

March

On Thursday 17th March our speaker on 'Topiary Arts' was James Crebbin-Bailey. James is a recognised specialist in sculptural topiary and has won medals at major RHS shows. He gives talks and workshops, and runs a topiary design and landscaping business. He illustrated his talk with examples of his large range of work from the last 20 years and more.  We could appreciate how designs were developed, and the imagination and also fun involved in creating living sculptures in box and yew. James demonstrated his favoured shears and electrical cutters and brought along some samples which he cut as we watched. It seems likely that local gardens may soon be enhanced by members' evergreen projects!

April

On Thursday April 21st we welcomed back Sally Gregson who spoke  on 'Cottage Gardening for the 21st Century'.  She traced the history of cottage gardens, which are a more recent phenomenon than many of us had perhaps realised, having really only come into their own in the 18th century.  She took us on a tour of gardens that illustrate the features we associate with cottage gardens, many of them paradoxically in quite grand settings or large scale : Sissinghurst, Great Dixter, the Garden House, East Lambrook Manor.  Lowly cottage patches still demonstrate the fashions and issues of the day, so wild flower meadows and environmentally friendly features are now to be found in them.  The cottage garden can be what you want it to be!

 Saturday 23rd April saw our bring and buy  Plant Sale at the Thomas Poole Library, Nether Stowey. Business was quite brisk, and plenty of members and other plant lovers came to inspect our varied stock of plants and seeds and chat about gardens. There'll be more opportunities to buy plants from our plant table at our regular meetings through the year.

May

'Garden Visiting, a very British Tradition' was the title of Margie Hoffnung's talk on Thursday 19th May.  Margie is Conservation Officer and Volunteer Support Officer for the Gardens Trust. She has degrees in horticulture and the Conservation of Historic Gardens and Cultural Landscapes, and has worked at Westonbirt and Highgrove, and with Rosemary Verey and Mary Keen.  Margie gave an excellent and very entertaining talk which covered subjects from the classical landscapes of Rousham to lawn mower racing and mobile sheds. We were shown many aspects of gardens and will be inspired to discover more.

 On the following day, Friday 20th May, a group visited Westbrook House, West Bradley, Glastonbury,  a 4 acre garden developed over the last 20 years by a painter and a garden designer. It has formal areas, with borders, shrubs and herbaceous perennials  and trees near the house. Extensive meadow and orchard areas lie beyond.  There were fine specimen trees including Cercidiphyllum Japonicum  and Ameliancher grandiflora, and a scattering of shrubs such as a very striking Rubus Benenden Tridel berry, and many apples, medlar (flowering prettily) and quince. Double white Camassias were the last of a succession of  bulbs flowering for several months in the meadows. Our hosts accompanied us round the garden, answering our questions and later plied us with cake, tea and homemade lemonade on the terrace.

June

 On Thursday 30th June, we  finally  made our visit to the Bishops Palace Garden, Wells , having had to defer this from April when windy weather closed the garden for the day.  This visit followed up the informative talk that the head gardener gave us last year.  Rain wasn't going to stop us this time! As well as the garden, we had a quick look inside the Palace, before joining a garden tour by a volunteer, who sadly was not a horticulturalist.  A variety of trees and shrubs are planted on quite a large scale in the ruined hall and inside the garden walls : some summer colour would have been welcome though the hellebores must have been spectacular in spring.  The formal parterre gardens near the Palace were full of colour and interest however, with  lots of roses and the first of the Bishop dahlias, York and Llandaff. There were also  lush shaded areas by the well pools, and wonderfully productive looking community allotments, a peaceful contemplation garden with white trunked birch trees  among long grass, and an arboretum to explore.Tea at the cafe rounded off our afternoon.

July

Sally Morgan  talked on 'Climate Friendly Gardening' on Thursday 21st July.  Sally is an experienced no-dig, organic gardener and plant lover who tends a walled garden and one acre plot with vegetables, fruit and livestock at Templecombe, Somerset. She has taught, written articles and books, including many for children and on environmental issues, edits Organic farming magazine (Soil Association) and speaks at garden clubs and shows - 2 weeks ago she spoke at the RHS Hampton Court show.  Sally gave us lots of practical advice for adapting gardens to the changing climate, particularly about soil quality and water management.

On Tuesday 2nd August a group of about 15 Stowey Gardeners visited Old Orchard, Goathurst, a cottage garden packed with over a hundred Clematis viticella, as well as numerous shrubs and perennials. Its creator, Peter Evered, showed us around, and answered our many questions on how he achieves his amazing display. Every corner is crammed with treasures : the varied forms  of fern in shady spots,  acers in pots and cottage garden favourites such as hollyhocks. Pergolas festooned with clematis are the main feature, though and Peter propagates many himself, as well as constructing their supports, including a Gothick ruin! Members enjoyed tea, cake and chat in the shade on the lawn on this  warm, sunny afternoon: bliss!

September

Thursday 22nd September saw a visit by 17 members to Little Yarford Farmhouse, Kingston St Mary. Having found this rural retreat with some difficulty, we were given a tour of the arboretum which has been built up over about 50 years.  There are over 300 rare cultivars of tree here, and they have been chosen for their unusual features : pendant, fastigiate or variegated forms of every tree were preferred. There was a weeping silver alder, variegated beeches and several different ginkgos to name but a few. We were given a splendid tea on the lawn by one of the ponds, and afterwards explored the rest of the garden, which had its share of exotic trees and plenty of interesting shrubs and perennials. What a lot of hard work has gone , and continues to go, into creating and maintaining this special garden!

Lady Christine Skelmersdale  talked to us on 'The Year Round Bulb Garden' on Thursday 15th September

October

October's talk, on Thursday 20th October, was on 'Planning your New Build Garden' by Julie Haylock, of Sandhurst Garden Design. Julie has run a garden design company in Yeovil for some years, and has exhibited medal-winning gardens at shows. Even established gardens need refreshing now and again, so there were useful tips for everyone!

The last visit of the year was on Tuesday 25th October, when a small group went to Sherborne Castle Gardens. The Capability Brown designed landscape gardens feature a lake,  and many trees which were looking splendid in their autumnal colours. There were many acers, spindle, liquidamber, and metasequoias. Several mature cedars of Lebanon, including a champion tree complemented the colourful display. 

November

Sue Fisher  talked to us on Thursday 17th November on 'Making the Most of a Small Garden'. Sue started her horticultural career working in garden centres, and progressed to garden design, writing, both books and articles in a wide variety of publications, and TV work., so is a knowledgeable and experienced speaker.  She gave us a comprehensive and practical overview of the subject, with many inspirational ideas we could all use, however big our gardens. Design techniques such, as using borrowed landscape, and structure, such as green walls, and performance plants like crab apples, with spring blossom and colourful autumn fruits were all discussed and illustrated.

December

The 2022 Members Christmas Party was held  on Thursday 15th December at the Church Centre.