Edgworth & District Horticultural Society

New Time of  7.00 pm

Wednesday, March 17th, 2021 by Zoom

 

An illustrated talk by

Matthew Smith from Preston

POTATO SALAD

 

Our speaker for this month, Matthew Smith from Brighter Blooms at Walton-le-Dale, near Preston, would have been bringing with him a good selection of seed potatoes  - March being the ideal time for us to get them chitted and ready for planting later.  However, he has agreed to give us a Zoom presentation, entitled Potato Salad.

 

After obtaining a university degree in Horticulture, and having a lifelong interest in “growing”, Matthew founded his nursery in 2010 growing Arum and Calla Lilies, before including seed potatoes and other seed vegetables which he has been marketing since 2015 by post and with his specialist and very successful Potato Open Days.  He would normally take his “Potato Days” to various venues around the country, but due to the pandemic restrictions, this is not possible at the present time.  However, his Zoom meeting for our Society should be very interesting and informative.

 

I am sure from his talk he will be giving us many tips for successful potato growing and although he won’t be able to bring any seed potatoes to us, it is hoped that should any members order with Matthew – and I am sure he will give us the details - he will deliver to a central point in Edgworth from where orders can be collected.

 

 If you want to register an interest in joining us on Zoom for the March talk it is important that you let me know soon so I can send the joining details to you a day or so in advance of the talk.

 

e-mail  secretary@edgworth-horticultural-society.co.uk

 

****************

Grant Award on Offer

 

The Society received a Legacy which will be used to benefit horticulture in the district defined by a map on our Constitution which can be found on our website at www.edgworth=horticultural=society.co.uk.

 

Projects must benefit the Society and its members or a substantial part of the Community.

If anyone has a vision for such a project but lacks the money, the Society wishes to assist with good proposals which we may offer to fully or partially fund. Applications are invited and must comply with the following criteria:

• A fully detailed description of the proposed project
• What benefits it will provide
• The location (address / postcode) of the project site.  If the project is in a small part of the site, identify its position.
• A complete breakdown of the associated costs
• A timescale for the completion of the project identifying the funding required,
• All works to be completed within the time contained in any grant offer that may be made.
• Receipts for all expenses will be required together with bank account details
• The Award will normally be paid to the applicant on completion of the work though phased payments may be arranged.

 

Applications to be submitted to awards@edgworth-horticultural-society.co.uk . Closing date is 30^th June 2021 and successful applicants will be notified by 31st July 2021. The Committee’s decision will be final. The grant will not be available for commercial activities or to cover maintenance.

 

****************

 

I hope you are all keeping safe and well and at last there is hope on the horizon.  The vaccinations are progressing at speed and the gradual lifting of restrictions is slowly being rolled out.  There is hope too that we might be able to meet together later in the year although as 2020 taught us, nothing is certain until the time arrives.  In the meantime I will continue sending this e-newsletter.  Thank you to all who have sent in positive comments over the past 12 months, which have been passed on to the rest of the committee, it is much appreciated by all of us. 

 

However, I would love to receive more items from members.  You don’t need to write a long essay, A couple of lines would do if it is of interest to other members.  What about your favourite visit, flower, tree, animal, a joke (appropriate ones only please)! Garden hints and tips. Did you create your own garden from scratch or adapt an existing one? Or anything else you might think of. All will be welcome

 

Work on the Barlow

 

You may be aware that work is soon to commence replacing the worn out and leaking Barlow roof will be replaced and the cast iron gutters cleaned and painted. Several windows are to be replaced which will be double glazed, full details on their website www.thebarlow.co.uk. Scaffolding for the roof work is expected to be erected, starting next week (March 8^th). The window replacement will follow this, possibly next month.

 

The garden bed in front of The Barlow was created and is still maintained by the Society.  To protect them from damage during the work, we intend to lift a few plants along the back edge of the bed and we will prune the shrubs in the strip against the building.

 

Irene Spencer

****************

 

The Armchair Gardener

What to do on a drab winter's day when the ground is frozen, a cold wind blows and it's not fit to garden or even walkout safely? Such days have been more common this year and if I want a break from 'lockdown' tasks I like to browse my book shelves for inspiration. It's amazing what I find. Books I had bought and never read; some I didn't know I had bought; ones on obscure subjects; favourite reference books, including many about gardens and gardening. Then one popped out and asked to be read. It was 'The Armchair Book of the Garden' by Dr. DG Hessayon whom I'm sure many older members will recall for his various 'Expert' books on, Flowers, Vegetables, Lawns, shrubs etc.-- great value at 2/6^d. They were very informative and developed my interest in gardening. 'Adam the Gardener' was also my 'bible' at a similar price.

But, getting back to the 'Armchair', I settled down to browse its contents, which are many and varied, gardens, wildlife, people, tips from 'how to overwinter geraniums' to 'grow your own cake decorations', sayings from 'the plant and garden world', such as getting something you wanted 'by hook or by crook', which dates back to the time when farm workers had the right to gather firewood from trees and hedges on the Lord of the Manor's land by means of a hook or sickle or their shepherds crook.

One particular item which brought back memories was 'cigarette cards' - no, I wasn't a smoker - but my great uncle was a tobacconist. Cigarette cards originated in the USA in the 1870's to act as a strengthening for their paper packages and initially featured sets of Actresses. Sets with a flowers theme began to be introduced in the 1890's when they became established in this country. The first cards showed pictures of flowers on the front with nothing on the reverse but by WW1 text had been added to the reverse. Cigarette cards now became an educational medium as at that time coloured books were scarce. A wide range of themes were introduced, both as an introduction to gardeners about roses, pot plants, shrubs, etc. but also for interests in cars, medals , bird's eggs, trades, to mention but a few. Many gardeners around this time learnt their first lessons from Wills gardening hints (1923) and Garden hints (1938). (See photographs}.  Some sets were printed in 1923 & 1924 as beautiful hand-embroidered silks. Collecting cigarette cards was a popular , nostalgic and possibly lucrative hobby, but is less so these days.

I am pleased that I have an album with samples of various sets of cigarette cards to look at thanks to my great uncle.

To finish this article, I came across the following 'Chinese proverb' in the book,

For the love of a garden......

If you want to be happy for a day - get drunk

For a week - kill a pig

For a month - get married

For a year - be a gardener 

* If you have difficulty seeing the writing on the back of the cigarette card , click on the image to see it your browser.

David Spencer

  ****************

 

Spring has Sprung at Syon House and Park.

A 40 minute walk west along the Thames from home, or 5 stops on the bus when allowed, is Syon House and Park. 

The Estate is situated on water meadows by the River, the garden adjacent to the House is open to the public at weekends during lockdown. 

                         

                                                                          

I visit so often the two lovely ladies on the door are now firm friends.

 

In the 18th Century the 1st Duke of Northumberland commissioned the architect Robert Adam to design the house and Lancelot "Capability" Brown to redesign the Estate.  

 The Great Conservatory was built in the 1820's and is the first conservatory to be built of metal and glass on a large scale.

The Northumberland Family also own Alnwick Castle which we visited on our first garden holiday.

 The garden contains many fine trees, some very rare.  There is a large lake with herbaceous borders on its banks.

 

The weather has warmed up and the daffodils are now showing their blooms.

 

The Garden Centre adjoining the garden was the first garden centre in the UK and opened in 1968.  The Centre ceased  trading a couple of years ago but happily a new one is to open at the end of March. 

I am looking forward to my first cup of coffee and cake there!
      

 

Carole Woodvine.

 

****************

 

Plant a hedge and save the Planet

 

A study by RHS has found that a hedge of Cotoneaster ‘franchetii’  with its small hairy leaves can filter pollutants from the air very efficiently.  A 1 metre length of this hedge can amazingly absorb the same amount of pollution over 7 days as a car emits over a 500 mile drive.  It is an out of fashion plant but is easily and cheaply available from hedge suppliers.   In addition it has bee friendly flowers, long lasting berries and is disease free, what more could you wish for, a true ‘super plant’. 

 

There are alternatives though and the best at cleaning the air have leaf hairs, ridges and scales which increase the surface area so are able to absorb the  most pollutants.  Thuja ‘plicata’  (Privet), Eleagnus and Yew (Taxus Baccata) are all very worthy alternatives. 

Hawthorn and Laurel are not as efficient as the others but if planted thickly enough, thus increasing the leaf area then they too are very effective.

 

Diversity is the key to a good garden though, we need to attract as many different species as possible for biodiversity. 

• Ivy provides shelter for animals and birds and food for pollinators.
• Buddlejha is pollution tolerant and rich in nectar which is food for butterflies, bees and other insects.
• Lavender, geraniums, wisteria and hollyhock, amongst many others are also rich in nectar.  Bees love these along with daisy type flowers which are easy to access.
• Hawthorn is superb grown as a tree or a hedge and is lovely in flower in May, the old adage “ne’er cast a clout till May is out” makes reference to the flowers of this tree.

The flowers are followed in summer by berries (haws) providing food for the birds.

• Silver birch attracts many insects making it popular with several garden birds.  

Irene Spencer

****************

 

DON’T FORGET

If you want to register an interest in joining us on Zoom for the March talk it is important that you let me know soon so I can send the joining details to you a day or two in advance of the talk - e-mail secretary@edgworth-horticultural-society.co.uk

You have received this e-mail as your are a member of Edgworth & District Horticultural Society.  If you no longer wish to receive these e-mails please let me know.