July 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

 

Many thanks to the members who have sent messages and responded to my request for items for this e-mail.  Restrictions are slowly easing and we are able to take tentative steps into the outside world once again.  Below are some suggestions for possible visits, but remember to abide by the current advice regarding social distancing, face masks etc. 

Advice is changing almost daily and it is difficult keeping up to date but it is simple to check the current situation on https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus at any time.

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                The first suggested visit is to the garden of Lavinia Tod in Stubbins.  She was a member of our Society until a couple of years ago so some of you may remember her. 

She opens her garden and her churchyard garden for charity every Monday until September but YOU DO NEED TO RING FIRST TO BOOK YOUR SLOT. 

   

Just a little bit about how we have occupied ourselves during lock down.

We are always looking to improve our garden, so with more time we built the Chinese Gate for our Chinese topiary garden. It might seem strange, topiary and China but some of the best topiary gardens are in China. We also added a sedum roof to the tea house.

Our house plus seven others were built on the site of a church and we have a lich gate to our church yard garden and have added a wild life pond and a new central bed. Someone knocked on our door and gave us a cherub which we have added to the Memorial Garden in the church yard.

We also added to our garden room which people can use with the door open for good air flow. We have a grape vine in there and would love advice on how to prune it.

Lavinia Tod

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  A friend of mine went to Bolton Abbey recently and parked by The Pavilion (book your car space on-line for £10) and after their lovely walk they found the kiosk was open for drinks etc. and ..........The toilets were open too!!!  Members who like walking may welcome this.

Christine Hughes

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Tatton Flower Show

Yet another event to be cancelled this year but by visiting the RHS website www.rhs.org.uk/tatton on Wednesday, 22nd July when the Show would have opened you can have a virtual visit, won’t be quite the same but just think of the money saved no crowds. 

There will be Demonstrations, Inspiration and on-line nurseries who would have been at the show are open for business

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Snippet from History (Part 3)

1909 saw a break in tradition as the Show was held at the Edgworth Wesleyan School (a few hundred yards south of the Institute and now converted to residential use) prior to moving to the newly constructed Village Institute (The Barlow) the following year.  As was usual in those days the Show was opened by a local dignitary and this year it was John Bradshaw Gass of the Bolton Architects, Bradshaw Gass & Hope. He said that 'such Societies were of inestimable value in a village community like Edgworth’.  He thought ‘the garden kept man at home, made him house-proud in the sense and feeling that everything about was nice and bright, and brought happiness to all'.  The Show again ran into the evening with music by the Turton Excelsior Band and several entertainment artists.

As was customary, Miss Annie Barlow and her sisters ran a stall displaying and selling Indian lace, beads and fancy goods to make money for the upkeep of the Medical Bullock Wagon at Medak in India which was one of the many charitable organisations Annie supported. She was also heavily involved with the development of Bolton Museum's Egyptology collection.

'The Barlow' (as it is now known), where we hold the Show and our meetings, was provided for the village by the Barlow family in memory of their parents.

The 10th Show, and first to be held in the new venue, was the best held so far and extended beyond the building. Mr Lord, who opened the Show, congratulated the Society ‘on the fact that this was their tenth effort, for he was of the opinion that the difficulty was not in commencing such Shows but rather in working them successfully each year’.  And we are still doing so 110 years later! John Robert Barlow, President, 'was glad to see such interest taken in the classes for decorative gardens, for such gardens were a source of admiration not only to the owner but also the many visitors to the village'. The evening entertainment was by the Edgworth Pierrot Troupe.

In 1912, John Robert Barlow commissioned landscape architect, Thomas H Mawson, to redesign the Greenthorne gardens.

Shows continued until 1915 then ceased due to the war before returning in 1919. It had fewer entries overall than pre-war with a greater emphasis on vegetables (131 entries compared to 36 in 1915) than flowers due to the changeover to food production during the war. There was great interest in the allotments, which had reached a 'remarkable stage of excellence', particularly at 'Greenthorne' and the vegetable Judge said 'these were the finest plots he had seen and gave him great pleasure to judge'. In other aspects the pre-war format remained.  

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The Turton Local History Society produced an excellent booklet to celebrate the Centenary of The Barlow Institute in 2009 and have very kindly offered the Society a few copies free of charge to EHS members. 

If anyone would like to have one would they please give me their details as soon as possible.

email: david_s@edgworth-horticultural-society.co.uk

David Spencer

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       A Sneaky Thief

 

I looked out of my window one morning to see a cheeky squirrel stealing the seeds from the bird feeder.

I stood wondering how he had reached the top of what is a thin, slippery pole when he demonstrated by slipping down halfway like a fireman on his pole then shinning up like I remember climbing lamp posts as a child. He made it look so easy, then he hooked his tail to the top to support himself by hanging by his tail and then letting go with his feet to reach as the picture shows.

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What exactly is Hydroponics? 

An informative garden visit tells us more.

 

We recently enjoyed an informative NGS garden visit on a warm sunny Monday to Burscough (nr Ormskirk).  The ¾ acre garden had been lovingly created and maintained by a husband and wife for over 40 years.  The love and hard work stood out! A real plantspersons garden divided into a series of ‘rooms’ depending on sun / shade conditions, large trees for shade and plenty of secluded seating.

 

As we were chatting to the owner over our flasks and sandwiches he pointed out a new ‘hot’ border of mainly salvia’s – which are currently one of my favourite plant groupings. Some not easy to grow as the more unusual varieties can be classed as a ‘tender perennial’ in the north.  I asked him if he had much success with salvia cuttings (as sadly I had not the previous summer ☹).  It was then he started to explain about hydroponics.  I asked if he could give us a quick masterclass.  As the garden was quieter than usual due to the current situation with the pre-booking arrangements he was only too happy to demonstrate his new gadget.  So off we went to the Potting Shed. 

 

Hydroponics is a type of Horticulture and a subset of hydroculture, which is a method of growing plants without soil, by using mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent. Terrestrial plants may be grown with only their roots exposed to the nutritious liquid.

 

On the bench was a small tank which looked similar to a heated propagator with a base and clear cover.  The device needs electricity to power the rotating internal spray, this in turn fine sprays clear water to the base of each cutting.  There were approximately 25 salvia cuttings in the tray.  Each 2” / 5 cm cutting was supported in its own tiny foam unit with the cut stem exposed on the underside. 

 

In the base of the tank was the rotating spray which constantly keeps each cutting moist but not sitting in water, so less chance of rotting.  You could clearly see the fine roots appearing on each stem, although they had only been in the tank for a week.  No rooting hormone or compost necessary.  So cheaper, less messy, less space required with apparently a better success rate 😊 

The tank needs reasonable light but not direct sunlight for success.  I must admit we were impressed - could revolutionise the plant stall at next year’s EHS summer show!

Curious? See Mellow Yellow / Mawdesley Lancashire website for further details.

www.mellowyellowhydro.co.uk

 

National Garden Scheme

 

Charity gardens open to he public over the next week or so.  Please pre-book / pay on-line before your visit.

Here are a few ideas – there are more listed on the NGS website:

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

 

    

         

Angela Swallow

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There is no getting away from the fact that gardening is hard work however much we love it.  Here is some advice which will save our backs when heavy items need to be moved around the garden.  Also, water is very precious commodity and we need to get used to using less.  We have had such lovely weather in recent weeks with record temperatures and threats of water shortages which gave me the idea of putting together a few tips on how we can all save water.  I am now typing this up and it has poured and poured with rain for many days almost non-stop.  Hopefully this item will not be in vain as I am sure the sun will come out again very soon.

Heavy items in the garden

Pots and troughs – if you have just filled a receptacle with new plants or wish to move one to another part of the garden consider the weight you will have to move.         New ones – move then water.  Old ones – allow to dry out somewhat before moving, then water when in situ.

Compost bags – empty half of the compost into an old bag so it can be moved more easily.  I have an old plastic sledge which is very useful for towing things around the garden, especially compost bags.  Can be a bit wobbly for pots.

Wheelbarrows – do two small trips rather than one heavy one.  Easier and quicker too.

Sue Brohi

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Save our Precious Water

1)    Install a water butt - or use watering cans and bins to collect rainwater.

2)   Water in the morning – helps to keep plants hydrated throughout the day, and will avoid evaporation in the sunshine

3)      Don’t water your lawn – lawns are tough, and will quickly recovers after rain.

4)    Don’t use a hosepipe -  a watering can when  watering containers, the flow is slower than a hose and more water stays in the pot.  

5)   Train your plants to drink more slowly by giving them less – using less water will actually encourage the plants to drink less. Plants will adapt and learn to drink more slowly

6)   Don’t water plants in the ground – unless newly planted or obviously wilting.  Plants will grow stronger if their roots are forced to go deeper to find water. 

7)   Grey water – Useful during drought. This is waste water from washing clothes, dishes and  yourself (with all this hand washing just have a washing up bowl in the sink to collect the running water), I find the water from my condenser tumble dryer easy to empty over a pot rather than pour it to waste.  Soil and potting composts can filter out any soap residue which can sometimes act as a mild fertiliser. Use this water within 24 hours to avoid bacterial growth and never use on edible crops.      Softened tap water and dishwasher water are less useful because of the salts in them.

Irene Spencer

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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, 10th August.

 

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

Irene