Northern Snippets,
April 2004
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NEWS As our membership increases so too do our events, and in order to combine the information about these, a regular Newssheet is designed to help you keep details in one place. The visits to Bodnant and to the Holker Garden Festival by coach are an opportunity not to be missed - travel in comfort with lots of room to bring home purchases, and at a fraction of the usual price. The monthly plant sales continue to be popular, and are an opportunity not only to buy interesting plants but also to sell your surplus ones. You keep 80% of the plant price. Don't forget to bring along news of any events which may interest members; other societies' activities such as plant fairs, shows and competitions may be welcome news to many of us, so bring a poster or leaflets along. Have you visited somewhere which you would like to recommend to us? Bring along a picture, leaflet or photo to display on our picture notice-board. Opening times and directions would be useful, too. ANNUAL PLANT SALE Saturday 15th May - Samlesbury Memorial Hall - 11am - 1pm We welcome all your plants for our fund-raising sale; herbaceous, small shrubs, water-plants, herbs and edible, even tender perennials and annuals! Please label them clearly with at least the genus and species; we don't need a price label as there will be a table for each price-point. Typical prices will be 50p, £1, £1.50 and £2 for 'specials'. This is a bring-and-buy sale, and we welcome all your well-grown plants, nicely presented, from 10 am. Can you advertise for us? A small poster in your window or in your car would tell people about the sale - these will be available at the next meeting. Bring your friends and neighbours too. Directions: from the M6 exit at junction 31; take the A 59 for Clitheroe. After about 1 mile, at the end of the dual carriageway and just before the traffic lights at an Esso garage, take the right turning signed Walton-le-Dale and Brewery. The hall is the first building on the right, and there is extra parking across the road in the waterworks. You already have information about 3 splendid visits arranged for this spring and summer; the dates are repeated here: BODNANT GARDENS, near Conway, north Wales Saturday 22nd May The coach leaves Samlesbury at 8.30am and returns between 6pm and 7pm. Please notify Mike if you are a National Trust member. Book with Mike Kedzlie HOLKER HALL GARDEN FESTIVAL, near Grange over Sands Saturday 5th June The coach leaves Samlesbury at 8.30am and returns between 6pm and 7pm Book with Elaine Taylor TATTON PARK, Knutsford, Cheshire Thursday 8th July Meet in the courtyard at 6.15pm for guided tour. Please notify Keith if you are a National Trust member. Book with Keith Russell SUMMER PARTY - Saturday 19th June, 7 pm Our hosts this year will be Roy and Erica Hodgkinson, The Barn, Alum Scar Lane, near Samlesbury. Those of you who are music and drama enthusiasts may have already visited The Barn, with its delightful theatre in a rural setting, famous also for Erica's tasty suppers. We shall have a carved buffet, and tickets at £8 will include the first drink. These can be obtained at the next meetings, the Plant Sale and from Maggie Towse.Directions: from the A676 Blackburn - Preston road, at Samlesbury Hall turn into Nab's Head Lane. At the T-junction and the Nab's Head, turn left; after a third of a mile look for a right turning, signed 'The Barn', and follow the single-track lane for about a mile. Saturday to Monday 1st, 2nd and 3rd May at Meols Hall, Churchtown This year the group is staging an exhibit at this increasingly popular spring show. Meols Hall is set in spacious grounds, and many nurseries are represented at the show. There are craft stalls, cookery demonstrations, floral art, speciality foods, outside gardens and exhibits in the marquees. 9.30am to 6pm each day. Tickets from local Town Hall Information desks. Thursday to Sunday, 19th - 22nd August at Victoria Showground, Southport Our exhibit this year will feature an aspect of the Show's history; the first one was held 75 years ago, and we shall depict the historic Bandstand. You will have read in the recent Newssheet that Eileen Peake is co-ordinating our efforts to raise plants for the display, and this is her plan. A GROWERS' CHALLENGE 'At the AGM in January, Jacqui Iddon came to speak to us about competing at the Southport Flower Show. Jacqui, with her usual enthusiasm fired some of us to try and grow herbaceous plants for the plant arrangers to use on our stand at the Show. Here are some of the requirements: 1 They must be in flower in the third week in August. 2 They must be of a very high standard; our plant arrangers are of professional standard and our plants need to be the same. 3 Do not be upset if your plants are not used! 4 Let me know what you are going to grow and keep in touch with me over the next few months until August, when we will liaise about your plants. I will also need your name and telephone number. Sue and Denis Watson have offered to look after plants if there is a difficulty at any stage. The plants will also be gathered at their home in Hesketh Bank prior to the Show so it would be helpful if growers could take them there. The stand last year was superb; it had to be to win the Large Gold Medal. So, the challenge is there; let's go for it. It would be tremendous if we could win Gold again using quite a lot of our own plants. Remember, we are competing against the professional growers. Better to concentrate on one type of plant and succeed than too many. Enjoy it; if we do not succeed we will have to buy, but I am sure that with gardeners such as we have in the group it is possible. Eileen Peake GETTING READY FOR THE SHOW By Jacqui Iddon Did you miss the AGM this year? Well, it was slightly different, as we had invited Jacqui to address us; with just 30 minutes sandwiched between the AGM Business and the hot pot supper for her presentation, she said 'No pressure then!' with a grin. We had asked her to share with us some of her experience of exhibiting at the Flower Shows. Why, you may ask, as we had won the Large Gold Medal in 2003? Well, we wanted to encourage more members to be involved in 2004; to be able to enjoy the challenge and the immense pleasure involved in 'doing our stand'. We anticipated that Jacqui would inspire and entertain us, and we were not disappointed. She was just a few minutes into her talk when Dilys sprang to her feet, bursting with enthusiasm to recount her memories of the North West Group's early ventures into the Southport Show! Tales of arranging cut flowers in green vases, as these were the only permissible exhibits! In those days it was another Iddon who added her expertise to the group's efforts - Maureen, Jacqui's mum. It was great to see how, as the group has grown, the Iddon family tradition of involvement with it has continued. So, what tips did Jacqui share with us? Start early. In late January, the third week in August may seem a long time away, but the weeks and months pass quickly, and the plants need as much time as possible to put on good growth and to form attractive healthy specimens. So, in spring start to take cuttings and make divisions. Pot on and be prepared to repeat the process 3 or 4 times during the season. Feed either with a controlled-release fertilizer in the compost, or regular liquid feeds - compost only holds sufficient nutrients to take a growing plant through 6 weeks or so. Don't rely on just one plant of any species or variety - always grow 3 or 4 to be on the safe side. As 2003 proved, the English weather is not predictable; despite the vagaries of our climate, try to grow plants that are likely to be at their best in mid to late August. Last summer was so hot and dry that many plants were difficult to keep in flower until so late in the season. For a group like ours, Jacqui thought that it might be most effective if individual growers concentrated on 2 or 3 varieties only, rather than any one person trying to produce too many forms, and struggling in the process. Paper plans can be helpful, but don't rely on them excessively as we may find that for a variety of reasons not all the anticipated plants are available. As a group we need to try to grow a range of plants for flower, foliage, colour and texture. And all need to look good at the right time. We also need a good range of heights - from low-growing ground cover to tall, back of the border plants. Exhibits can be made in pots or as a garden display; traditionally we have done a garden display for the main stand and a potted display for the 'Society Kiosk'. For the first we shall need subjects in black plastic pot which are easiest to disguise, and for the second specimens in large, 'good' pots. Whatever display we create,some kind of hard landscaping will be needed: Jacqui suggests that we find a member who is handy with a brick bolster to cut bricks in half to reduce their depth. Easier to carry and you get 2 for 1! If using gravel, try to choose a complementary colour for the plants in proximity to it. Suggested plants likely to be at their best in late August were included in the recently-produced list, but additions include smaller subjects such as Calamintha grandiflora with its 'waves' of tiny flowers, and Diascia 'Ruby Fields' or one of its other good varieties. Like us, plants have their 'good side' so always rotate them before their final positioning so that they give of their best! Remember, we can't predict the moods of judges, so success can't be guaranteed, but we can make it fun! You never know, together we might achieve that Large Gold Medal again in 2004. Maggie Towse ASPECTS OF HORTICULTURE IN THE 3RD DIMENSION By Roy Jackson What an inspiration for the beginning of the gardening year, to see so many beautiful 3D slides of a multitude of wonderful plants and gardens! We put on our special 3D viewing glasses, wondering what we would see. Well, it was a treat to the senses. We saw enchanting close-ups of plants and realistic garden vistas. We heard, on the soundtrack, an admirable commentary by Roy with complementary music. The images on the slides were so real that we felt we could smell and touch them and if there had been slides of edible produce we would have felt we could taste them! The slides depicted the vast range of horticulture we enjoy in Great Britain and showed the diverse work of garden designers, plantsmen and women, nurseries, botanic gardens, horticultural shows, seed merchants, flower arrangers, the RHS and plant societies. We travelled the length and breadth of England, Scotland and Wales, from topiary at Levens Hall to conifers in Roy's nursery in Tarleton. We went from the Eden Project to Edinburgh Botanic Gardens and from Catforth Gardens in the Yellow Book to the efforts of Southport's Spring Show exhibitors. We also travelled in time from the Japanese Garden at Tatton Hall to the Ball Colgrave Trial Seed Grounds. We saw the azaleas and Rhododendrons at Ness and Bodnant Gardens compared to cacti grown in Bolton. We viewed Alan and Adrian Bloom's gardens in Norfolk and the Garden of the Rose in St Alban's. We visited John Ainsworth's garden in Bamber Bridge to look at his collection of Sarracenia and then to Richard Hodson's Clematis nursery in Hesketh Bank. The individual shots of such a wonderful range of flowers are what I will remember most vividly from Roy's 3D presentation of the Aspects of Horticulture. Susan Watson If you cannot come to meetings but still wish to keep in touch with other plant-lovers, the solution is be a member of this group. HPS members can join it, and everything comes through the post. A 20-page, illustrated Newsletter comes 4 times per year, with topics, ideas, interests and stories. Some members contribute articles, letters, snippets, tips or simply talk about their gardens, favourite plants, garden visits, books, et cetera. There is also a quarterly quiz. The tone is a mixture of humorous, light-hearted, informative, educational or even serious. Members send in seed whenever it is ripe, and distribution goes on throughout the year. Plants, books and sundries such as labels and marker pens are available by mail order. Contact Mrs J Lucas; e-mail: correspondentsgroup@hardy-plant.org.uk THE HPS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING A good number of NW Group members attended the meeting
held in the attractive grounds of the horticultural college near Penrith,
where Judy Harry presided in her third and final year of office. In his
vote of thanks to her, chairman-elect Brian Dockerill paid tribute to
her wise counsel, friendly leadership, and some good revisions to the
organisation of the society. THE WORLD IN A CUMBRIAN COUNTRY-HOUSE GARDEN The North Americans were understandable enough in north Cumbria - Trillium, Dodecatheon, Lysichiton and Phytolacca are robust enough, but Fremontodendron californicum was a shock. A south-facing whitewashed wall is its home, but with no protection a drop to -12ºC was supported with no apparent damage. When Ron began to mention Australasia our eyes opened wider. A collection of Celmisia is thriving, C. 'Egglestone Silver' being especially fine; curiosities such as Bulbinella hookeri (resembling a yellow willow-herb) and Aciphylla squarrosa aurea (resembling a pile of twigs) added distinction to this group. From the Himalaya we were treated to exquisite pictures of some unusual and desirable plants - the tall pink. Lacy flower of Morina longifolia, the Codonopsis convolvulacea in a clear, light blue, the dark, berried spike of Phytolacca acinosa. But then Africa? A glorious Dactylorrhiza elata resembled a tall, purple hyacinth, several Eucomis were thriving undisturbed among late summer Salvia, and an Arum cyrenaicum's lime-green spathe was eye-catching. A European contingent followed, to reassure us that we really were seeing plants in an English country garden. From the pretty lime-green 'ruffs' of Hacquetia epipactis, a springtime jewel, to the Jack-in-the-beanstalk exuberance of Rosa 'Kiftsgate' which obliterates an apple tree and a pine, we witnessed a collection of great diversity. Ron's penchant for Arisæma was evident with eight cultivars shown, in varying degrees of twists and curls. Ron is a great advocate of the society's Seed Exchange, being a contributor and a grower: his Cardiocrinum giganteum x yunnanense have flowered after 12 years' patience and care, and some are ready to flower each year. Many of the subjects we saw were raised from the Exchange programme, proving that good plants need not be expensive. ALNWICK CASTLE GARDEN Ian August Ian was on the point of retiring from his post as buildings surveyor and property manager on the Alnwick estate, Northumbria, when a new Duke and Duchess took over 10 years ago. From a predictable routine amid rural peace, he was catapulted into the most audacious and challenging landscaping scheme undertaken in 100 years. Records of the estate begin in the first millennium; the most significant design was made by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown in 1750 and took in 14,000 acres; the second important design was made for the 4th Duke in the 1850s, following his tour of Italy, where he gained the inspiration for an elaborate parterre in high-Victorian Italianate style, complete with statuary and fountains. The banking for this parterre still exists and is listed for retention by English Heritage. Careful excavation has shown that there are no less than 6 gardens under this parterre! Ian spoke of the dynamism of the young Duchess in driving forward her dream of a world-class garden on the site; she too travelled abroad viewing the best of up-to-date design and bringing back original ideas too. Her controversial choice of the father and son team of Wirtz from Belgium upset some English designers, but it is easy to see their appeal when we look back to their award-winning gardens at Chelsea, involving the 'cloud-clipped' Buxus hedging, the avenues of trained Carpinus and a playful use of water. And so the 12 acre parterre, once ploughed and filled with forest trees in the 1950s, has been transformed into the kind of water garden only previously attempted in Renaissance times. We were shown scenes resembling a battlefield in rain, and then the transformation into a symphony in stone and water, with descending pools outlined by curving evergreen walls, dancing fountains, and a feeling of fun and movement. At the top of the cascade, hornbeam tunnels with cut-out windows converge into the focal point and take our eye upwards. The details which followed were a string of superlatives: 6,000 gallons of water per minute, re-cycled through 120 jets and 4 sequences; £40,000 in electricity per year; 2 years and 120 workmen; 35,000 trees from one nursery; manure produced by the estate to fill an area the size of a tennis court; a Friends of Alnwick Garden scheme numbering 10,000 already; a final bill by the end of Phase II of £42 million. Phase II - how can it compete with the magnificence achieved already? Ian assured us that his main rôle now is to preserve the original aim of creating a garden, and the theme park temptation must never obscure that. The next phase will see the creation of a maze by the expert Adrian Fisher, made with Fargesia rufa grown to head-height. A 'serpent garden', where twisting and swerving yew hedges lead the visitor ever onwards, will feature glass and water sculptures by William Pye, and a Poison Garden will aim to teach, gently, about drug use. Perhaps the most spectacular concept will be to illuminate the playing fountains by night, and end the sequence at the visitors' feet. The spirit of the Villa Lante and the Villa d'Este, where jets of water squirted the visitor in the eye, lives on in Northumbria, and will be the talk of Europe and beyond. Elaine Taylor WHAT'S ON IN THE NORTH WEST National Trust (www.nationaltrust.org.uk)April Speke Hall: Daffodil and Chionodoxa display - daily 14 Tatton Park: RHS lecture 'Planting Style in Historic Gardens' John Sales, 7.30 tickets 01625 534428 20 'Hunting Rhododendrons in China & Tibet' Alan Clark 21 Dunham Massey 'What's New in the Garden?' 2pm tour With head gardener, afternoon tea 0161 941 1025 May 9 Gawthorpe Hall Spring Fair 12 Tatton Park: RHS lecture 'Restoring Tatton Kitchen Garden' Sam Youd; tickets 0207821 3408 16 Sizergh Castle Plant Fair - 12.30 - 4.30 20 Rufford Old Hall 'Behind the Bushes' 7pm tour with Head gardener, strawberries & champagne 01704 823812 (new: wildflower meadow) June 6 Tatton Park: Orchid Show 10am - 4pm July 10,11 Dunham Massey: events with a garden theme for families 21-25 Tatton Park: RHS Flower Show - tickets 0870 906 3811 October 17 'Three Generations at Arley' Tom Acton - tickets 01477 537698 20 RHS lecture 'Autumn Colour in the Japanese Garden' Sam Youd 2pm - tickets 0207821 3408 November 21 Tatton Park: 'The RHS Past, Present & Future' Dr Brent Elliott 2.30pm - tickets 01477 537698 RHS (www.rhs.org.uk) AprilMyerscough College, Garstang: monthly programme of Lectures May 5 Bluebell Cottage/ Lodge Lane nursery, Warrington: 2pm 'Shade-loving Perennials & Propagation' 8 Muncaster Castle, Cumbria: 'History of the Garden' 10.30 13 Bridgemere Garden World: 'Seasonal Colour' 7.30 pm Paul Matthews - tickets from Bridgemere. June 16 Bluebell Cottage: 'Creating and Improving a Wildflower Meadow' 2pm July 4 Alston Hall Plant Fair, Longridge August 1 Leighton Hall, Carnforth: Plant Fair 4 Bluebell Cottage: 'Plant Selection & Techniques for late Summer Colour' 2pm Sept 30 Bridgemere: 'Garden Design & Planning' 7.30 Penelope Hobhouse - tickets from Bridgemere Oct 13 Ness Botanic Gardens: 'Plants of West and Northwest China' 7.30 Dr James Compton - tickets from Ness GENERAL April Bank Hall, Bretherton: the Restoration programme ruin Daffodil walks each Sunday May 1-3 Meols Hall, Churchtown: Southport Spring Show June 26,7 Arley Hall, Cheshire: Garden Festival 10am - 5pm July 4 Alston Hall, Longridge: Plant Fair August 19-22 Victoria Showground, Southport: Summer Show Top Select another Newsletter
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