Programme 2023

January

The AGM was held on Thursday January 19th at the Church Centre. Jean Deakin left the committee after  6 years service, and was thanked for her enormous contribution.  Two new committee members were welcomed, but we still have no one willing to act as Chairman.

 Following this we welcomed Nick Wray, Curator of the University of Bristol Botanic Gardens, who  talked enthusiastically about Gardens and Landscapes of Sicily,  a pleasant escape from the dreary winter weather. He gave us  an insight informed by his many visits, on some of which he led garden tours, into this fertile central Mediterranean island which is home to an enormous variety of flora due to its varied habitats, from coastal maquis to the high altitudes of Etna. We had a cultural as well as a botanic tour: highlights included the Orto Botanico of Palermo, Agrigento with its Greek temples and various villas, private and public, boasting impressive vegetable gardens, some venerable trees and hair -raising tales of mandrake poisoning!  Sicily is now firmly on the bucket list!

February

On Thursday 16th February we held a Gardeners Question Time with a panel of experts and chaired by Nick Rigden.  

Nick, our president, is a horticultural educationalist, sometime head of Cannington College, and an RHS judge with a broad and practical knowledge of gardening. 

John Addison was a colleague of Nick's at Cannington,  and is similarly experienced in horticulture and education, and an RHS judge.

 Claire Greenslade is Head Gardener at Hestercombe. She has a background in fashion, design, catering as well as horticulture, and has worked at Barley Wood, Ryton Organic Garden and  Barrington Court.  

Annie Shoosmith is a local plantswoman who has a particular knowledge of herbs and opens her lovely cottage garden for the NGS.

 Questions ranged from selecting a tree for  a small front garden, how to deal with flowering rhubarb, selecting deer proof plants for clay soil, divining why a new rose plant wouldn't thrive and even identifying scale bugs on a specimen of camellia. An interesting and convivial time was had by all!

March

Michael Smith  talked to us about gardening with 'Hanging baskets and Containers' on Thursday 16th March, a timely topic as we prepare for summer garden displays.  He gave us advice on types of pot and liner, growing media, feeding and watering

April

 A bring and buy  Plant Sale was held at the Thomas Poole Library, Nether Stowey on Saturday 29th April.  A good selection of plants was available, and business was brisk! People were able to stock up on tomato plants and there were plenty of interesting cuttings from members' gardens to discover.

A member recommends : Greencombe Gardens, Porlock, which we visited 2 years ago has a national collection of Erythroniums (as well as Gaultheria, blueberries and certain ferns). They are at their spcectacular best now, and the rest of the garden is beautiful too, with numerous camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons, trilliums and much more.

On Thursday 20th April Jonny Hartnell  from the Devon Orchid Society talked to us about Orchids. An orchid enthusiast who began cultivating plants in an underused corner of his work laboratory, and who now has several greenhouses filled with them, Jonny explained their botany and gave valuable tips on how to grow them. With many thousands of orchid species to be found very diverse habitats he could only show us a few examples, but members were inspired to seek out new orchids to nurture. Jonny also grows many South African bulbs and brought a selection for sale including Nerine and some giant Crinums. 

Our first car visit of the year was to Barford Park, Spaxton on Friday 21st April. Over 20 members braved the initial rain to explore this lovely garden. We were intrigued by the hidden vegetable plots behind the ornamental shrubs and perennials in the wonderfully sheltered walled garden. In the stream garden, ferns were unfurling in vibrant shades of green, and the gunnera were already impressively large. It was too early for the candelabra primulas, but fritillaries had naturalised widely in the grass, and bluebells and wild garlic adorned the woods at the further end of the garden. Camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons made a colourful display among the trees. A policy of leaving piles of fallen timber to naturally decay and provide habitats for insects and other wildlife seemed to be successful, judging by the woodpeckers to be heard drumming in the trees. Excellent cake, and tea from a giant spotted pot, completed our visit.

May

On Tuesday 23rd May, some 10 Stowey Gardeners visited Hillcrest, Curload, Stoke St Gregory, where they were given a guided tour of their impressive wildlife friendly garden by owners Charles and Charlotte. On a sunny afternoon we explored the delightful formal area near the house, and then the wooded area full of interesting trees and shrubs, including several cultivars of Cercis, a Calycanthus in full flower, ferns grown in piles of logs and much else. Passing through a beautifully trained arch of roses we entered the meadow area which sloped down, with views away across the Levels, to the pond. Nearer the house was a former tennis court which is being transformed into a gravel garden. Charlotte clearly enjoyed experimenting with plants which could cope with the dry conditions, and using her artistic talents for arranging stones, pots and other found objects here, giving an overall very pleasing display. Delicious ginger and date rock cakes were a highlight of the tea we enjoyed on the terrace to round off the visit!

Retired surgeon and naturalist Gavin Haig gave an entertaining and interesting talk on 'Creating a Wildlife Garden' on Thursday 18th May. He illustrated his talk with many impressive pictures of the garden he made beside the river Exe near Tiverton, where he lived for over 20 years. He has a particular interest in butterflies, but was able to show a wide range of creatures that had made their homes in his garden, and he emphasised the principles he'd followed in achieving this, including provision of water, decaying wood, islands of flowers, and nest boxes. He was keen that we should visit the healing garden at Tiverton Hospital which he has also made.

June

June's talk on Thursday 15th was by Margaret Adams: Living with the Boss - Tales of a Farmer's Wife. We were amazed by Margaret's fluent recital of her 'stories', verse tales of life on the farm. I suspect she was and still is the boss!

 A group of Stowey Gardeners visited  Regency House, Hemyock, on Thursday 22nd June. The approach to this mature 5 acre garden on the southern edge of the village  is along a tree-lined drive and through a ford. Beside the handsome Regency sometime vicarage and it's barnyard with chickens and ponies, are walled garden areas, the first a vegetable garden surrounded by herbaceous borders, and beyond this a lovely blue and white garden. Catananche careulea, blue salvias and a big Stipa gigantea clump were some of the striking flowers here. There were many acers and other ornamental trees. Fluffy yellow thalictrum was admired beside the sadly dried up upper pond (restoration in progress), while candelabra primulas and iris adorned the bog garden near the larger lower pond. We were taken round the garden by Jenny, the owner, who answered all our questions with the aid of her phenomenal plant list, which runs to about 1000 species. Finally we sat in the shade of a myrtle tree on the terrace with tea and delicious cake.

July

July's talk on Thursday 20th July was 'Poultry Keeping for Beginners - How to have hens AND a nice garden', by Claire Hart who runs an agricultural and food PR firm and combines her love of growing with a passion for countryside topics, from poultry keeping, all about eggs, equine issues and Grow Your Own to how to grow giant Veg.  She gave us a thorough introduction to chickens and their care. There was quite an extensive list of plants they shouldn't be allowed to eat, so that many of us had doubts whether they would really fit in. But clearly for many they are much loved pets, with great character, who repay their owners with more than just eggs!

On Tuesday July 11th there was a car visit to Avalon, Higher Chillington. This secluded hillside garden south of Ilminster has wonderful views (Glastonbury on a good day, though sadly it was hazy) and gardens on several levels, which include herbaceous borders, greenhouses full of succulents, wildlife ponds, orchids (and marestail) in the lawns, allotment area, and an impressive array of colourful potted dahlias. Dee and Tony, who are both immensely knowledgeable  plants people, have made all this in less than 10 years, mastering the streams which could make much of the site waterlogged, and removing the more rigid terraced structural features they inherited. Dee loves wildflowers and skilfully mixes red and white campion, betony, loosestrife, ox-eye daisies and many others with more conventional border plants. Several species of butterflies and bees were spotted - as well as the 2 resident cats! And they produced excellent cake.  A thoroughly recommended place to visit - they do open for NGS.

August

We were blessed with a perfect sunny afternoon and a lovely venue at Radlet Cottage with a pretty garden for the annual Members Garden Party.  Cake and chat were enjoyed by all.

September

On Tuesday 26th September we visited Postbox Cottage, West Bagborough. This 1.6 acre garden is located on a south facing slope of the Quantocks with lovely views. It is a really beautiful garden, full of interesting plants on an intimate scale and comprises a large walled area with roses, shrubs and beds of perennials and grasses, a fruit and vegetable garden, an orchard and a wildlife pond. Late September is a good time to visit to see asters, salvias in many vivid colours, heleniums, sedums and ornamental grasses. Dahlias, ginger lillies and cannas were also flowering. Contrasts of texture and colour are carefully chosen. Jill and Martin, who have created the garden over the last 15 years, are immensely knowledgeable, and took us round and answered questions. Despite initial showers we were able to enjoy tea and cakes in the sun. We'd highly recommend a visit!

September's talk, on Thursday 21st, by Pauline Wright, was on 'Letting go of Lifting the Latch and the birth of Little Latch', about the stunning country garden near Chard which opened for NGS  and later for a cancer charity and which she and her husband David developed over nearly 40 years. In 2020 they made the agonising decision to move, and have inevitably started to establish another impressive garden at Little Latch, their new home, and are even opening it for visits. Pauline was an engaging and entertaining speaker, with little time for pretension and a refreshing attitude. We admired her tips for growing runner beans up outgrown children's garden play equipment and her subtle use of black cotton to support floppy plants. Perhaps fewer of us would dare to use fake hydrangeas or plastic fish tank greenery to augment our displays! Davids series of seasonal photos illustrated the year round colour achieved at Lift the  Latch.

On Thursday 7th September we visited Hartwood House, Crowcombe Heathfield, where the garden  has been lovingly created over the last 30 years and is set in a beautiful 4 acre woodland glade.  David, the owner accompanied us round the garden and introduced us to the wide range of specimen trees and flowering shrubs which provide colour and scent; we admired Clerodendron and Heptacodium among others. There is an extensive vegetable and fruit garden and a new stumpery. Grassy paths lead to a cider apple orchard now planted with native and unusual trees. The hydrangeas – a large collection of differing types and colours were looking particularly good, and included a striking double flowered oak-leaved variety. A delicious tea under a shady gazebo on the terrace rounded off our visit.

October

The speaker on Thursday 19th October was David Usher who  talked about 'The Care and Management of Trees and Shrubs' and gave some practical demonstration. David worked at Hestercombe for many years, latterly as head gardener,  involved in restoring the landscape garden.  In 2004 David left Hestercombe to set up his own gardening & consultancy business – he is especially interested in historic landscapes, formal planting schemes and professional skills training. David also is very much a ‘hands-on’ gardener and together with his other interests cared for a few smaller gardens in the Taunton area until his retirement earlier this year.  He was an engaging speaker who was clearly well versed in the practicalities  of his subject.  He explained how to plant trees and shrubs and recommended basic tools, leaving his audience confident to undertake these tasks in future.

November

Micky Little, from Avon Bulbs, talked to us about Roses on Thursday 16th November. Trained at Cannington, former nurseryman at Kelways, former Assistant head gardener Killerton, former head gardener at Castle Drogo, Hestercombe and Achamore. A wee bit of a plantsman who loves plants. Nurseryman and propagator at Avon Bulbs and giver of an entertaining talk enjoyed by all.

December

Merry Christmas to all our members!

We celebrated with our usual Christmas party, complete with quiz and festive floral arrangement competition.