August 2020 Lock-Down Email

 Annual Show due to be held on August 15th – CANCELLED
Late Summer Visit September 12th – CANCELLED
 ALL MEETINGS CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
WE WILL BE BACK IN BUSINESS AS SOON AS IT IS SAFE TO DO SO

 

It is 5 months since ‘Lockdown’ was introduced and there have been lots of amendments to the rules since then,
but who would have thought that the threat of Covid 19 would still be with us now and will be for some time to come.
am saddened that the Show has had to be cancelled, it is the highlight of the year for many with preparations beginning early in the season.
Indeed, the committee start planning the Show as early as January and this year was no exception.
The committee had completed most of the groundwork and this will be carried over to next year.
The date will be Saturday, 14th August, 2021 (we hope).
This will be the first year that the show has been cancelled and would have been the 47th Show
(we will have to wait an extra year for a Golden Jubilee Show).

 

If you missed one of our earlier lockdown emails they can be found on our website at
http://www.edgworth-horticultural-society.co.uk/newsletters/monthly_news/ 

 

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Lockdown Quiz

Thought I would offer a bit of mental stimulation this month, I hope this is not too difficult but the answers are shown at the bottom of this e-mail should you want a bit of help or simply want to cheat, as if any of our members would do such a thing!

Answers all contain Lock - OR – Down somewhere in the answer.  Good Luck

1.     Stately Home otherwise known as High Clere

2.    Body of water in Scotland

3.    Plastic sheet on the ground

4.    Duck provides the material to fill this

5.    Can this weed tell you the time

6.    A hold in Boxing

7.    The first programme shown on Channel 4

8.    Fluffy white fungus on underside of leaves

9.    Traffic jam

10.  Poisonous plant

11.   Builder’s material

12.  Go on strike

 

You will find the answers a the bottom of this e-mail

Irene Spencer      

 

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The Barlow Hanging Baskets 

   EHS have donated 6 hanging baskets to The Barlow which now adorn the building.  They look lovely and will get better as the season progresses.   

 

Irene Spencer

 

Garden Closures in the North of England – July 31 Following the Government’s latest announcement changing the rules on gatherings in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and East Lancashire after an increase in COVID-19 cases, National Garden Scheme gardens in the affected areas will be closed to visitors until further notice. For more information click here.

 

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I know that some of you visited Lavinia Tod’s garden on recent Mondays and I hope you enjoyed your visit.  She tells us about a garden that she visited recently which sounds lovely and is not affected (so far anyway) by the local closures, although it appears that it will be closed after this month.

 

Visit to Laskey Farm

   

Lavinia Tod recently visited  Laskey Farm Gardens near Warrington,  open for the NGS scheme.   It covers 1.5 acres  with garden ponds (one you can swim in), rose garden, garden with grasses, amazing borders, chickens, turtles, fish, tree house, tea, coffee and toilet facilities  and very friendly people. 

One of the best gardens we have visited in a long time.   Cafe is not open but you can bring a picnic (Restrictions change constantly so check this when you book).

Please call Howard on 07785-262478 or e mail on howardplatt@lockergroup.com, to book your visit.

Open June to August - STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

Thursdays & Saturdays - 1 pm till 5 pm

All proceeds go to the NGS who are focusing on nursing charities this year

Adults £5,00 – Children under 16 Free

 

 

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Snippets of EHS History (Part 4)

 

Between the wars the Annual Shows continued although there was a problem of lack of support leading to a Special meeting being called in April 1927 "To consider whether to carry the Annual Show ON or NOT." This must have shaken things up as the 1927 Show was held as normal with the same format but with a lavish advertising poster (see photo).

The 'best cultivated vegetable and flower garden or allotment' was still proving popular in 1929. It was the custom around this time that if you won a Cup for 3 consecutive years it became yours to keep. One such winner this year was a Mr. J Shorrocks.  Mr F Simpson, a former Chairman of the Society, repeated the feat with a different Cup the following year.

In 1930 classes for Domestic Arts & Crafts were introduced and proved successful especially 'with women folk who had hitherto never visited the Show'.It is interesting to start to see names occurring of people who were still involved with the current Society.

 

The poster for 1933 (see photo) states that there were Silver and Bronze medals to be awarded (I wonder what happened to Gold?) as well as 45 special prizes in addition to Prize Money. Admission was 6d, with children half-price, and the Show opened at 4.30 pm and presumably still ran into the evening with Entertainment.

The last record of a Show was the 36th in 1939 which went off smoothly but was followed that evening by a violent thunderstorm (the worst for many years) which swept through the District and put the telephone system out of action. A portent of what was to come?

In 1946 the way of reporting news had changed completely; gone the previous personal local names and details. Finding records in the local newspapers, which is where much of this information came from, became harder and what happened to the Society in the post-war years is not known.

No written records of their meetings have been found.

The link between our current Society and this earlier version came in 1973 when the new Society was proposed. A longstanding local horticulturalist, Jim Tebay, mentioned that the earlier Society actually still existed and comprised 2 members, himself and J Ramwell, so they were both co-opted onto the new Committee.  In 1975 he was elected temporary Chairman so that the remaining assets (£16.98) of the old committee could be transferred to the new, hence extending our existence back to 1900, or even 1860, as explained in Snippets (Part 2).

David Spence

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        In My Garden

   My interest in gardening goes back to 1995.  At the time I worked at HMP Kirkham, and staff were allowed to purchase bedding plants from the glasshouses.  Our garden started to resemble the old corporation gardens.  My mother called it my practise garden and we even got a small greenhouse.  Things started to develop in the late 1990s.  Two things happened – I discovered Pat Southern’s art classes at Whalley Abbey, and then in May 2004 I went on a guided tour of Great Dixter. From then on it was colour, colour and more colour.  Out went the geometric corporation bedding plants and in came tulips, tulips and more tulips.  And then whatever I had seen at Great Dixter, would it survive in our northern climes?  It was all trial and error, and at times my mother hated the colour combinations which to her mind clashed whereas I reckoned they contrasted.

My mother died in 2005 and soon after that I came to my present house in Clitheroe.  I then started attending the EHS meetings and enjoyed several holidays to see other marvellous gardens in company with my friend Elizabeth.  It was a joy to buy plants and have them transported back home.  Somehow I have always found a little corner to tuck them in.  I have a rockery at the front which is south and west facing, so gets very hot.  The back is north and east facing and is more shaded.

So we come to lockdown.  I usually watch Gardener’s World and it’s been interesting when visits to garden centres were not possible Monty Don was forced to say “any ordinary garden soil will do”!  I’ve also enjoyed Adam Frost and Toby Buckland.  They’ve all been restricted to their own gardens. An additional feature has been the general public getting a look in with home made videos.  Somehow it seems to concentrate the mind on what matters – people and communities.

I still buy bedding plants – just begonias and geraniums, which seem to survive the annual onslaught of slugs and snails.  No more geometric patterns, just fillers.  My garden is better this year than it has been for a long time.  The rockery may seem to be stuffed far too full, but I think it is a case of ‘happy families’.  I sorely miss the friendly monthly meetings at the Barlow, but fingers crossed for the Scottish Borders next June. 

Alison Hoyle

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Safety tip

After all the rain recently, falling onto warm summer paths and patios, the algae has been able to grow very quickly.  Time to power wash or scrub with a stiff brush.  Biological washing powder does a brilliant job but keep away from plants as it probably does them no good at all. 

 

Also check the shoes you wear on damp paths are safe and the soles do not feel slippery.

Sue Brohi

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More on Hydroponics

A few years ago we had a talk on hydroponics by Greenhouse Sensation. This seemed like a fantastic idea since I have a tendancy to go off wandering the hills or boating the canals, leaving neighbours risking a nervous breakdown in case my tomatoes etc died in their care. Even when I looked after them, my watering was rather erratic leaving me with droopy plants and split fruit.

I bought two units which contain a small pump. The large tank contains the water with nutrient and near its top is a sloping tray covered in a replaceable capillary mat. The pump maintains a steady flow of aerated nutrient down the tray (and hence the mat) and back to the tank. Covering the top is a lid with holes to stand 5 plants on the tray beneath. The plant roots grow rapidly into the mat and then down into the tank – following the flow of nutrient back into it.

The result is magic – enormous long trusses of several varieties of tomato, but even better there’s no need to stop the plants until they outgrow my greenhouse – 5, 6, 7, 8 trusses per plant! Not a split fruit to be found and the tank lasts nearly a week. By then it’s empty so a helpful neighbour or friend is needed if I’m away for a week or more.

I have added a cucumber and pepper to the 3 tomato plants in each. The cucumbers are hanging like huge green sausages off the vines!

The nutrient comes as 2 powders mixed separately with water in two 2.5 litre containers and then the diluted liquid added 60ml of each to a 10 litre watering can. Not very costly or fiddly.

I have also purchased a non-pumped tank (no power needed) on which I have grown even more cucumbers. This has pots with a small amount of compost to support the young plants which now have put their roots into the nutrient and are threatening to get a strangle hold on me if I stay too long in the green house!

Phil Broughton

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 NGS News

 It is disappointing that NGS are forced once again to close their gardens in our area and in others but if you fancy venturing further afield (where it is safe to do so) with your nearest and dearest, here are a couple of suggestions.!  Please pre-book / pay on-line before your visit.

 

     

 NGS website: https://ngs.org.uk/product-category/garden-tickets/the-north

After many weeks of lockdown many of our gardens are now open. But we know there are many people who are not able to get out and visit and they have particularly enjoyed our Virtual Garden Visits. So even though we will not be adding new videos from the end of June, our library of nearly 200 garden videos will be constantly available here.

And the Help Support our Nurses campaign continues to the end of the year so if you visit a garden or view a Virtual Garden Visit, do please consider a donation.
shttps://ngs.org.uk/virtual-garden-visits

   Also .... Check out the NGS website for lots of garden ideas ...

Angela Swallow

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Finally a plea for any article which will be of interest to other members. 

·       Maybe somewhere you have visited,  your own garden activities during lockdown, your favourite plants,  any garden problem that another member might be able to help with,    ......the list goes on. 

It’s good to keep in touch whilst we are unable to hold our meetings and it will be especially good if you have not written an item previously.

Please consider this and I can put it into the next e-mail.  Deadline will be Monday, 15th September.

 

Please let me know if you no longer wish to receive these e-mails.

Irene

 

Scroll down further to see the answers to the Lock Down Quiz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 ANSWERS TO LOCK DOWN QUIZ

1.    Downton Abbey

2.    Loch Lomond

3.    Weed block

4.    Eiderdown

5.    Dandelion clock

6.    Headlock

7.    Countdown

8.    Downy mildew

9.    Grid lock

10.  Hemlock

11.   Building block

12.  Down tools