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Past Events
Thursday 9th June - Dave Crop - New plants from old.
Another meeting completed and with three committee members away on holiday and numerous regulars unable to attend, a turnout of 44 people was a good result. This reflects the resilience of the AGC attendance numbers, and the 'churn' of people who attend our gatherings. With two renewals and one new member signing up, our membership numbers are now in the mid 80s! So So encouraging! Welcome to Jean Hilton ( our latest new member)
For June we welcomed seasoned gardener from Martley Dave Crop who gave a practical demonstration on how to split a carex plant and as a result produce over 30 new plants from it! These were given away free to the attendees. Dave had a great way of interacting with the audience and being a former teacher was well used to dealing with any unruly behaviour! There was much laughter in the Hall all through the talk. He also gave us some tips about composts and how to treat and prepare plants whilst propagating them. He answered several questions then went on to talk about the book that he wrote about former Martley Village resident Thomas W Sanders who rose from humble beginnings to end up working in the gardens of Versailles, and becoming the editor of Amateur Gardening magazine for 40 years. He also helped to start some of the first gardening societies and Clubs. Both Prince Charles and Alan Titchmarsh have obtained copies of this biography. Dave sold several of these books at the meeting, kindly donating £2 for each sale to our club. He also gave us several as future raffle prizes. So very generous!
Chairman Tom then went on to give out a list and description of gardening jobs for June and brought the attendees up to date with the latest club news.
A Magnificent seven prize raffle was drawn by our guest speaker, and he was then thanked by the chairman for his talk.
Preparations are now underway for our next meeting with the celebrated allotment gardener from the Rhondda valley Terry Walton on the 14th of july. 51 advance tickets to members have now been sold, and they are now on general sale.
For June we welcomed seasoned gardener from Martley Dave Crop who gave a practical demonstration on how to split a carex plant and as a result produce over 30 new plants from it! These were given away free to the attendees. Dave had a great way of interacting with the audience and being a former teacher was well used to dealing with any unruly behaviour! There was much laughter in the Hall all through the talk. He also gave us some tips about composts and how to treat and prepare plants whilst propagating them. He answered several questions then went on to talk about the book that he wrote about former Martley Village resident Thomas W Sanders who rose from humble beginnings to end up working in the gardens of Versailles, and becoming the editor of Amateur Gardening magazine for 40 years. He also helped to start some of the first gardening societies and Clubs. Both Prince Charles and Alan Titchmarsh have obtained copies of this biography. Dave sold several of these books at the meeting, kindly donating £2 for each sale to our club. He also gave us several as future raffle prizes. So very generous!
Chairman Tom then went on to give out a list and description of gardening jobs for June and brought the attendees up to date with the latest club news.
A Magnificent seven prize raffle was drawn by our guest speaker, and he was then thanked by the chairman for his talk.
Preparations are now underway for our next meeting with the celebrated allotment gardener from the Rhondda valley Terry Walton on the 14th of july. 51 advance tickets to members have now been sold, and they are now on general sale.
Thursday 12th May - Harriet Rycroft - Pots for Hot Spots and Shady Characters.
Our guest expert speaker was container gardening expert Harriet Rycroft from Moreton in Marsh. She delivered a two part talk with a very well illustrated digital slide projection as the first part. This gave us an insight into her own garden and at her former place of employment Whichford Pottery, where she was head gardener. The presentation was full of ideas about plant and pot combinations, in both sunny and shady aspects. She talked at length about what composts to use, what plants to use and watering techniques. The displays that she produces are quite simply stunning. As well as doing this for a living it is quite obvious that Harriet is a real plant enthusiast as well!
In part two Harriet gave a practical demonstration of how to plant up a pot with succulents. The audience were transfixed by this and asked questions as she gradually built the display up. Harriet talked about the book which she combined to produce with the then head gardener at The Cotswold Wildlife Park, where she also worked. She also has another book of her own coming out in the Autumn about container and pot gardening.
After drawing the seven prize raffle a vote of thanks was proposed by Tom the chairman who also filled the audience in with the latest club news and a list of monthly gardening jobs to tackle in May.
Committee member Sarah Hughes ran the plants stall this evening, thank you to everyone who brought plants and seeds along for this. She also sold 32 advance tickets for our July meeting for an evening with allotment gardener, star of the Jeremy Vine radio show Terry Walton!
In part two Harriet gave a practical demonstration of how to plant up a pot with succulents. The audience were transfixed by this and asked questions as she gradually built the display up. Harriet talked about the book which she combined to produce with the then head gardener at The Cotswold Wildlife Park, where she also worked. She also has another book of her own coming out in the Autumn about container and pot gardening.
After drawing the seven prize raffle a vote of thanks was proposed by Tom the chairman who also filled the audience in with the latest club news and a list of monthly gardening jobs to tackle in May.
Committee member Sarah Hughes ran the plants stall this evening, thank you to everyone who brought plants and seeds along for this. She also sold 32 advance tickets for our July meeting for an evening with allotment gardener, star of the Jeremy Vine radio show Terry Walton!
Monday 2nd May - Morton Hall Gardens Tulip Festival.
On bank holiday Monday 5 AGC members went on expedition to Morton Hall Gardens Tulip Festival. Morton Hall Gardens cover 7 acres of gardens and park. Over 3000 tulip bulbs are planted every year in formal borders and pots along with displays of cut tulips. Morton Hall’s 2 full time and 2 part time gardeners were on hand passing on tips and answering questions. At the end of May the bulbs are dug up and composted in a very hot compost pile. The compost produced is used elsewhere in the garden to avoid tulip blight contaminating the next year’s planting.
Needless to say we had a great time questioning the gardeners, accosting members of the public who had plant identification apps on their phones to help us put names to plants, and enjoying the beautiful tulips. We enjoyed looking around the rest of the garden which includes a shady stroll garden with ferns and water, a Japanese Tea House, and extensive wild flower meadows with Camassias spiking up above the grass. Despite the day being overcast and a little chilly we took packed lunches for a picnic and those of us who sat on the grass managed to get back up again! There was an opportunity to order bulbs for the autumn and we had lots of favourites. How many did we order? I couldn’t possibly say! (Beverly Lewis)
Needless to say we had a great time questioning the gardeners, accosting members of the public who had plant identification apps on their phones to help us put names to plants, and enjoying the beautiful tulips. We enjoyed looking around the rest of the garden which includes a shady stroll garden with ferns and water, a Japanese Tea House, and extensive wild flower meadows with Camassias spiking up above the grass. Despite the day being overcast and a little chilly we took packed lunches for a picnic and those of us who sat on the grass managed to get back up again! There was an opportunity to order bulbs for the autumn and we had lots of favourites. How many did we order? I couldn’t possibly say! (Beverly Lewis)
Thursday 14th April - Howard Drury - The very best garden tips
What a great way to celebrate our 4th anniversary as a club. The Village Hall was packed for an evening with Howard Drury.
Prior to the meeting, Howard and Andrea kindly looked around the immaculate garden of AGC members Rob and Judy Albutt which was a lovely gesture.
Howard's talk entitled "The very best garden tips" covered such a vast range of practical gardening know-how from pests and diseases, to plant care, bird feeding equipment, and issues surrounding peat free compost, soil erosion and even The RHS.
At the end of the evening he took a couple of questions, then Howard's wife Andrea drew the numbers for our 8 prize raffle.
After updating the members on the club's latest news, Chairman Tom gave a few topical gardening tips himself and then proposed the vote of thanks to our guest speaker.
The evening's celebrations were enhanced with Prosecco and birthday cakes. Thanks to Nicki, Sheila, Julie and John Marfell for providing this wonderful fare.
Prior to the meeting, Howard and Andrea kindly looked around the immaculate garden of AGC members Rob and Judy Albutt which was a lovely gesture.
Howard's talk entitled "The very best garden tips" covered such a vast range of practical gardening know-how from pests and diseases, to plant care, bird feeding equipment, and issues surrounding peat free compost, soil erosion and even The RHS.
At the end of the evening he took a couple of questions, then Howard's wife Andrea drew the numbers for our 8 prize raffle.
After updating the members on the club's latest news, Chairman Tom gave a few topical gardening tips himself and then proposed the vote of thanks to our guest speaker.
The evening's celebrations were enhanced with Prosecco and birthday cakes. Thanks to Nicki, Sheila, Julie and John Marfell for providing this wonderful fare.
Thursday 10th March - Aaron Pleciak - Preparing and maintaining your garden space
Tonight we welcomed a young nurseryman just starting out on the gardening club speaking circuit. Aaron Pleciak a manager at Mill lane Nurseries, Drakes Broughton, near Pershore. In front of an audience totalling 45 he delivered a talk packed with topical gardening advice, always so useful! Our guest speaker brought a good stock of plants, shrubs, roses and even a tree with him! Aaron described many of these and what growing conditions they prefer. He also talked about Mill lane, its plants and range of gardening products which they stock. After a 55 minute presentation he then took questions and with chairman Tom joining in with these the evening was filled with discussion about topical gardening tasks and how to do them.
Thursday 10th February - Jo Worthy Jones
A fabulous 51 people attended this evening's February meeting for the Alderton Gardening Club with a talk by Jo Worthy Jones of Haven for Wildlife on Bumblebees. She described many types of this insect which amount to 27 different ones in total in the U K. Jo went through their life-cycles and how we can identify them, and help their survival in our own gardens by what plants we grow and what habitat we can create. All in all a wonderful talk which was delivered with great enthusiasm and humour. Our speaker then answered several questions afterwards and then drew the bumper 8 prize raffle. So thank you for a splendid insight into one of the more larger pollinators.
Refreshments were served once again, with supplies for these being purchased from Alderton Shop. Members were brought up to date with the latest club news, and chairman Tom gave a few more topical gardening tips for February.
A presentation was made to our two retiring committee members, Liz Sissons and Ann Pegg. Two ladies who have been on the committee since the club began. Another presentation will be made to Laura Dansie who hasn't been able to attend the meetings due to having long covid. We wish Laura well, and she will receive her goodies down on her plot at Alderton Allotments. These ladies have been superb and are hard acts to follow.
Refreshments were served once again, with supplies for these being purchased from Alderton Shop. Members were brought up to date with the latest club news, and chairman Tom gave a few more topical gardening tips for February.
A presentation was made to our two retiring committee members, Liz Sissons and Ann Pegg. Two ladies who have been on the committee since the club began. Another presentation will be made to Laura Dansie who hasn't been able to attend the meetings due to having long covid. We wish Laura well, and she will receive her goodies down on her plot at Alderton Allotments. These ladies have been superb and are hard acts to follow.
Thursday 13th January - Roger Umpleby
Well a new year and the start of our 2022 programme for the Alderton Gardening club. Despite the freezing cold evening, 40 people attended a presentation by our good friend Roger Umpleby. A renowned entomologist and also chairman of Beckford Gardening club his talk was entitled "useful, beautiful but unloved, an alternative look at weeds. Roger talked about virtually every aspect of this subject, with a comprehensive but amusing lecture describing the negative and beneficial aspects of these plants as well as their culinary and medicinal uses. He also featured the toxic weeds and the consequences of ingesting or even just touching them! Naturally being an entomologist there were also many superb photographs of insects and butterflies, illustrating their connection with these plants. Roger is one of the most prolific and regular speakers on the gardening club circuit and it is always a pleasure to have him visit us from his home in Ashton under Hill.
Thursday 9th December - David Morgan
Home made Mince pies and Sausage rolls, Wine and Mistletoe and another healthy turnout for our December Meeting of The Alderton Gardening club. We welcomed Worcestershire county organiser for the National Open Gardens Scheme Dave Morgan and his good lady wife from Bromsgrove. Dave delivered a well illustrated, informative and amusing talk on this fabulous charity that raises enormous amounts of money annually for good causes. He told us about the history of this scheme, his duties as the county organiser and how gardens are selected for being open to the public. Dave is totally dedicated to his voluntary role, and is a credit to this organisation. He took questions from the audience afterwards, and then drew the 7 prize raffle.
Thanks to Julia Alvis, and John Marfell for the night's tasty treats. John for the brilliant mince pies complete with AGC logo icing and Julia for the Sausage rolls. Nicki Broderick & Sheila Russell did the honours with the wine.
Tom was presented with The RHS Banksian medal on behalf of the committee tonight by vice chair Ann Pegg.
Thanks to Julia Alvis, and John Marfell for the night's tasty treats. John for the brilliant mince pies complete with AGC logo icing and Julia for the Sausage rolls. Nicki Broderick & Sheila Russell did the honours with the wine.
Tom was presented with The RHS Banksian medal on behalf of the committee tonight by vice chair Ann Pegg.
Thursday 11th November - Dominic Hamilton
Director of the Painswick Rococo Garden Trust gave a talk on the restoration of this famous Cotswold garden.
He delivered a fascinating, illustrated talk on the origins, history, restoration and operation of this totally unique garden in Gloucestershire. All of its funding is self generated, with full time staff to pay but also with a healthy team of volunteers who work until the direction of the head gardener. It has been a difficult time for attractions such as the Rococo, but Dominic said they have managed to weather the Covid storm .The feature with Pam Ayres on her series on Channel 5, has certainly given them a bumper Autumn following that exposure. Dominic took questions from the audience, and was thanked for his presentation.
He delivered a fascinating, illustrated talk on the origins, history, restoration and operation of this totally unique garden in Gloucestershire. All of its funding is self generated, with full time staff to pay but also with a healthy team of volunteers who work until the direction of the head gardener. It has been a difficult time for attractions such as the Rococo, but Dominic said they have managed to weather the Covid storm .The feature with Pam Ayres on her series on Channel 5, has certainly given them a bumper Autumn following that exposure. Dominic took questions from the audience, and was thanked for his presentation.
Thursday 14th October - Victoria Logue
Victoria Logue from Whitehall Farmhouse plants gave a talk on extending the season in your garden.
Victoria gave us an interesting talk regarding autumn performing plants; shrubs and trees. Alongside a slide presentation, she discussed the importance of focal points in the garden and complimentary planting leading to them. She was able to provide us with many useful hints, tips, ideas and experiences from her on garden high up on the Cotswolds.
Victoria gave us an interesting talk regarding autumn performing plants; shrubs and trees. Alongside a slide presentation, she discussed the importance of focal points in the garden and complimentary planting leading to them. She was able to provide us with many useful hints, tips, ideas and experiences from her on garden high up on the Cotswolds.
13th March 2020
Alderton Gardening Club welcomed Glyn Jones, Head of Gardens at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Glyn started work at the Trust in 2016, charged with developing a new direction for the five gardens. He gave a fascinating talk about how he is developing a visual difference for each of the gardens. The themes include a countryside garden for Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, a Physic Garden at Hall’s Croft, a Tudor feel for the 60 acre Mary Arden’s Farm, revitalized long borders and yew hedging at Shakespeare’s Birthplace and a new design for Shakespeare’s New Place in the heart of Stratford. Members were inspired to visit the gardens and the range on offer was unknown to many, even though it is so close. You can see more about the gardens and the educational work of The Shakespeare Trust at www.shakespeare.org.uk. Do have a look and perhaps a visit (when permitted). One ticket (usually 23.00) lasts 12 months so a real treat for unlimited visits to five gardens.
Snowdrops at Colesbourne Park - 13th February 2020
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The Alderton Gardening Club's first trip of the year was to one of the great snowdrop gardens; Colesbourne Park between Cirencester and Cheltenham. This is the home of the Elwes family, who have many varieties of snowdrop named after them. The former Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire Sir Henry Elwes was walking around all day, chatting with the 450 or so people from clubs as far away as Dorset, Leicestershire and Berkshire. Freddie Elwes and his wife were the main organisers of this inaugural event, helped by volunteers, local school children and Colesbourne staff.
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Mick Poultney - Composting 13th February 2020
Our thanks this month go to our guest speaker Mr Mick Poultney "The Compost King" who came to our February meeting on Thursday the 13th; travelling to Alderton from Halesowen.
A former sailor and firefighter Mick fully lived up to his billing, and covered every aspect of the composting process with a superbly illustrated digital slide presentation. His knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject was obvious.
All in all it was a very informative evening, with Mick following on with questions after talking for 75 minutes. He even donated some composting goodies for the raffle!
Several of our audience who attended have already said that they are now taking up composting, or changing their techniques with their own bins after this presentation.
A former sailor and firefighter Mick fully lived up to his billing, and covered every aspect of the composting process with a superbly illustrated digital slide presentation. His knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject was obvious.
All in all it was a very informative evening, with Mick following on with questions after talking for 75 minutes. He even donated some composting goodies for the raffle!
Several of our audience who attended have already said that they are now taking up composting, or changing their techniques with their own bins after this presentation.
Gail Plant - Scented Gardens 9th January 2020
We were delighted that despite yet more rain and poor conditions our guest speaker Gail Plant arrived full of cheer and with a wonderful selection of fragrant winter flowers from herbaceous plants and shrubs. Gail talked about each one and shared samples amongst the audience. We were not only able to admire the look and smell of the plants but also hear how the smell was described by the experts - honey, violets, lemon, rosemary. As each persons sense of smell differs there were both positive and negative reactions around the room. Gail designs gardens with a particular interest in scented plants and winter is a season of particular interest for her.
The Christmas Social and talk by Julie Henderson 13th December 2019
The Alderton Gardening Club's annual Christmas gathering was attended this year by over 70 people. We also had the added extra of a guest speaker, Julie Henderson who came from Bristol. She gave us a fascinating talk on "The 12 plants of Christmas". Superb food was provided by our Julie Alvis and Liz Sissons, with caterers extraordinaire John & Sue Marfell doing us proud as well. Wine flowed by the gallon full. A bumper 11 prize raffle was organised by Laura Dansie, with free Holly and Mistletoe by the wheelbarrow load. There was a fantastic atmosphere in the village Hall with everyone enjoying themselves in true Christmas festive fashion. We finish 2019 with 96 members on the books, an average attendance of 65 people per meeting, two trips already organised for 2020 and a full programme of speakers booked! As Chairman I'm thrilled with this year's progress, but none of this would be possible without the help and support from our Committee, so thank you all and let's keep it going!!..
More photos on Tom Cullimore's Facebook page!
More photos on Tom Cullimore's Facebook page!
The Land Girls - Fiona Warin October 10th
This was an engaging and informative talk. Fiona took us back to 1942 and interviewed members of the audience about their suitability to enrol in the land army. She described the multiplicity of their daily tasks, and the clothing provided for the work. Sharing the memoirs from several land girls showed how proud they were to have done their bit for King & Country.
Every aspect of this crucial work on the home front was covered; from the work of lumber Jill's to the 24 hour shifts managed by the women driving and maintaining the tractors clearing and ploughing the land. The session finished with the audience singing with Fiona a women's land army song. All in all a real fun evening, with the longest round of applause yet heard for a speaker at a club meeting! Fiona does another talk entitled Dig for Victory, so we will inviting her back to Alderton again.
Every aspect of this crucial work on the home front was covered; from the work of lumber Jill's to the 24 hour shifts managed by the women driving and maintaining the tractors clearing and ploughing the land. The session finished with the audience singing with Fiona a women's land army song. All in all a real fun evening, with the longest round of applause yet heard for a speaker at a club meeting! Fiona does another talk entitled Dig for Victory, so we will inviting her back to Alderton again.
Mr Don Everitt - Autumn the Forgotten Season
With a wealth of knowledge and a range of original photographs we indulged in the plentiful season and were encouraged to plan for the future. Tips included a Facebook page about hydrangea's (HydrangeaHappiness) , sowing fresh seeds from Larkspurs and late flowering annuals and noting down good combinations to attempt to repeat them next year!
Terry Walton visits Alderton Allotments and Alderton Gardening Club - 8th August 2019
Terry visited Alderton Allotments during a balmy afternoon and met some local gardeners. Tom, our Chairman, showed him round and Mr and Mrs Walton enjoyed tea at the Gardeners Arms before Terry's talk at the village hall. The village hall was packed with over 100 people and the buzz of talk could be heard through the open windows as gardening club members and guests approached the building. We were well entertained by Terry's professional talk and anecdotes and the evening finished off with a book signing. Thank you to all who helped the Gardening Club with this event: the allotment holders, The Gardeners Arms and Corner Cottage B&B.
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Visit to Hestercombe Gardens - 6th July 2019
A beautiful day dawned and 38 members were smoothly transported to Hestercombe near Taunton. The varied from a Georgian landscape with ponds, woodland paths and arbours to the formal gardens of Gertrude Jekyll framed by architecture by Sir Edwin Lutyens. The nursery was particularly appreciated and many boxes of plants found their way to the coach for the trip home. Our Chairman was seen taking at least two armfuls of flowers - where does he put them all? Tom has some lovely photos on his Facebook site: here are a sample.
The House and formal gardens
The Orangery
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The lower lake and start of the valley walk
The Rhyl from above full of Iris and yellow mimulus.
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Thursday 13th June - George Alway - Vegetables without Tears
George Alway talked with warmth and humour about his (and his nieces) allotment experiences. He discussed the trials and tribulations of taking over a neglected allotment and the benefits of weed suppressant for new and experienced gardeners. He was generous with his hints and tips, in particular using deep root trainers for a variety of seeds in addition to sweet peas.
The Brooks Gardens - an evening with Marion Stainton
21 gardening club members were rather fortunate to enjoy a dry and clear evening at the Brooks Gardens. We were warmly welcomed by Marion and her two dogs and she conducted us on a tour of the gardens. Spring and early summer flowers were out and many flowerbeds were packed with interesting flowers. We were fascinated to see how a mature garden and orchard had sprung up in only 10 years - Marion had kept a photographic record of the early days. Tea and delicious cakes followed and some members were kindly gifted with some seed (Alliums) and others made some purchases of divided plants.
Tom has many more photos on his Facebook page - it's worth a look! |
Lovely combination of Bleeding Heart and Irises....
Marion (right) discussing the garden
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Thursday 9th May David Austin Roses A talk by Mervyn Reed
Mervyn Reed visited to tell us how David Austin Roses began, look at how they breed their new varieties and review the last 2 years releases. It was amazing to hear that in order to breed these roses over 50,000 roses are hand pollinated and labelled each year. From 250,000 seedlings growth and trials result in only 6 new varieties in 10 years time. In addition to the development of garden roses trials are now being made of cut roses, to see how they last and unfurl.
David Austin use no pesticides for whitefly, just netting and sticky tabs in the greenhouses and the services of nature in the fields.
Growers transfer buds to root stocks to create the commercial scale of roses required for mass production and sale, a process still done by hand with skill and dedication. Three years later up to 200,000 of these roses are lifted, and prepared for dispatch by post in temperature controlled sheds by this successful business.
David Austin use no pesticides for whitefly, just netting and sticky tabs in the greenhouses and the services of nature in the fields.
Growers transfer buds to root stocks to create the commercial scale of roses required for mass production and sale, a process still done by hand with skill and dedication. Three years later up to 200,000 of these roses are lifted, and prepared for dispatch by post in temperature controlled sheds by this successful business.
Tom Cullimore presenting local school parents Amy and Therese with a £100 gardening voucher to support activities at the school.
Mervyn with a picture of David Austin during the talk
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Thursday 11th April - Alderton Gardeing Club's First Birthday Meeting
Gardeners Question Time - with Reg Moule and Dominic Cotter from Radio Gloucestershire
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The Club's 1st Birthday was celebrated with this beautiful cake made by Julia Alvis, some bubbly and an entertaining Gardener's Question Time format meeting hosted by Dominic Cotter from Radio Gloucestershire. Reg Moule ‘The Godfather of Soil’ returned to celebrate with us, along with Roger Umpleby adding his advice and knowledge to answer audience questions.
When to crop potatoes, plants for dry north walls, and rhubarb were discussed and a surprise free gift of a radio Gloucester pen and excellent raffle completed the evening. Over 70 members and guests attended and the programme for the year was distributed. |
Thursday 14th March - Pruning Shrubs and their Aftercare - Duncan Coombs
Duncan Coombs was a Pershore Horticultural College lecturer from 1983 and is a passionate plantsman, plant hunter and adviser to the RHS.
He proved an entertaining and popular speaker dealing with a variety of questions about how and when to prune a large range of shrubs.
He reminded us about the 3 D's - Dead, Damaged and Diseased and brought along some tools........
Thursday 14th February 2019- Wildlife in the Garden - David Cramp
David Cramp is Chairman of the Gloucestershire Local Group of the RSPB and for five years until October 2018 a member of the RSPB Council. David shared images of the creatures found in his Alderton garden, local roads and on his allotment. His local and wider knowledge was invaluable in discussing how to make our village and gardens better homes for wildlife by embracing slugs, snails and bugs and even ants as part of our ecology. Moss in lawns can be used for nest material and ants nests provide useful food for woodpeckers. David encouraged everyone to plant more herbs to support the insects that we rely on, and even to tolerate the odd nettle patch to encourage butterflies.
Thursday 10th January 2019- A Perennial Year - Julie Ritchie
Julie Ritchie is the proprietor of Hoo House Nursery (hoohouse.co.uk) and has been growing and propagating plants using peat-free compost for many years. She maintains around 900 varieties of perennials and illustrated her talk with colourful perennials and discussed how old and new varieties suited our clay soil and can enhance your garden throughout the year.
Late summer perennials in the sale beds
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Julie Ritchie (left) discussing plant selection with a customer
Thursday 8th November - Michael Jones - Mistletoe, Fact, Myth and Legend
On Thursday 8th November we learnt about mistletoe. Dr Michael Jones expert knowledge was shared in an entertaining and informative way as he discussed the facts, myths and legends that surround this fascinating parasitic plant. Our local area has an abundance of mistletoe possibly linked to the historic apple orchards - a favourite host of the plant. Although we learnt that the UK is on the edge of the range of European mistletoe, which needs a summer temperature of 16 degrees Celsius, there are over 1000 varieties of this plant. Michael's travels had taken him to Europe and Africa to study varieties of the tropical mistletoe and to churches and towns across the UK to study stories about this plant. Tenbury Wells celebrates a mistletoe fair and the 1st December is mistletoe day - let's all celebrate this fantastic plant.
Thursday 11th October - Roger Umpelby - Bugs: the good, the bad and the ugly
Roger entertained us with a fascinating look at the bugs in our gardens. These invertebrates, mainly sucking creatures, included ladybirds, scorpion flys, wasps , beetles, aphids and many more. Illustrated with some wonderful close up photographs, some of which Roger has kindly shared with us below, we learnt about the positive role of wasps, hoverfly and lacewing larvae in controlling aphids. The range of tiny predators and the brutal world where bug eats bug was eye opening. Encouraging a variety of insects to a range of plants in the garden benefits all wildlife - so even if your fushias are getting eaten remember that it's the Elephant Hawk Moth Caterpillar that is being fed to develop into a beauty later.
All Pictures CC Roger Umpelby
All Pictures CC Roger Umpelby
Asparagus beetle larva and damage
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Bumble bee and apple flower
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Green apple aphids with ant and honeydew
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Seven spot ladybirds on blackberry
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Male scorpion fly
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Thursday 13th September - Mandy Bradshaw - Beyond the Garden Gate
On Thursday 13th September Mandy Bradshaw provided a professional and entertaining talk despite having recently broken her arm! She gave the group an excellent picture of the range of private gardens that are a hidden treasure in the Cotswolds - often only open on selected occasions. Mandy also writes for newspapers and our local magazines and illustrated her talk with some excellent photographs.
Thursday 9th August - Marion Stainton gave a talk - For the Love of Blue Poppies
On Thursday 9th August Marion Stainton gave a talk - For the Love of Blue Poppies - What have the Himalayas ever done for us? She told a fascinating tale of plant collectors in the Himalayas and the historical introduction of many very garden plants and the influence they had on styles in gardens at the time. We heard about the challenges that collectors had in those times, including being covered with leeches, and the astounding number of plants that died and were lost due to long sea journeys and lack of knowledge about the plants' requirements. Over 200 species of primulas and over 4000 species of rhododendrons originated in the Himalayas. An informative and well presented talk it reminds us of the international nature of many of our own gardens.
Tuesday 17th July - Trip to Morton Hall Gardens
Fourteen Alderton Garden Club members made the trip to Morton Hall Gardens on Tuesday 17th July. We were relieved that the weather was cloudy and noticed a cooling breeze as this late 18th century manor house is perched atop an escarpment with breathtaking views over the Vale of Evesham.
We were treated to an informative talk by Anne Olivieri and the Head Gardener. The Stroll Garden, the South Garden and the Vegetable garden - which contained as many flowers were full of interest. The novel use of clematis within the mixed flower borders through using special supports between the roses was a particularly attractive feature. We learnt that the beautiful grounds also have a magnificent display of spring Fritillaries and over five hundred tulips, tempting members to a repeat visit.
We were treated to an informative talk by Anne Olivieri and the Head Gardener. The Stroll Garden, the South Garden and the Vegetable garden - which contained as many flowers were full of interest. The novel use of clematis within the mixed flower borders through using special supports between the roses was a particularly attractive feature. We learnt that the beautiful grounds also have a magnificent display of spring Fritillaries and over five hundred tulips, tempting members to a repeat visit.
Anne Olivieri guiding us to the Japanese tea house and stroll garden
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AGC members walking round from the orchard to the rear garden
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June 2018 - Andy Pedrick - Shrubs, Perennials and climbers of interest
Andy has had a long career as a nurseryman and was trained at Pershore College. His range of shrubs, climbers and perennials proved popular and one lucky audience member received an unexpected free gift.
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10th May 2018 - Frank Hardy
On the 10th May Frank Hardy provided an entertaining and creative evening discussing focal points in the garden. Frank brought with him an array of shrubs and perennials and got the audience to really look at shapes, colours, textures, shadows and viewpoints. He established some basic principles such as thinking about evergreens for 50% of the border then thinking about colour. The audience were challenged to pick a 'star plant' and then Frank went on to build a border layout from the assortment of shrubs in the room. It was fascinating to see how he created order and complementary planting from the apparently random mix of shrubs available.
Assorted shrubs and perennials with different qualities
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Frank reviewing the final arrangement
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12th April 2018 - Reg Moule, Radio Gloucestershire's gardening expert
An evening with Reg Moule proved a popular launch for Alderton Gardening Club and attracted an audience of over 60 people. With more than 50 new members the club looks forward to a successful year. Reg entertained the audience with a talk that ranged from organic compost to lawn care and added some detail to our knowledge about the chemical composition of different fertilisers and when they are best used.
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Tom, Gardening Club Chairman, getting the meeting started.
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