Newsletter   April  2006

 

Cookham and Cookham Dean Horticultural Society

NEXT MEETING: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26 th 7.30pm

Cookham Dean Village Hall

 

Planting Hanging Baskets and Containers

Uel  Magowan, Head Gardener at the Odney Club, Cookham

 

Chairman’s letter

 

What a great turnout we had for the Spring Show last month, eighty six entries from twenty six exhibitors - it was a real breath of fresh air to see the spring flowers and the judge Les Waldren himself was amazed that we had managed to get so many flowers and exhibits after the bitterly long cold winter.

Congratulations to Catherine Doe who won the Society Bulb class competition from 19 other entries, if you are interested in the variety that was grown this year it was called “Geranium”.A big thank you to all who participated and also to those who made tea and the people who helped clear up the room at the end, I do appreciate it.

 

Please could everyone attending the meetings, whatever is on, remember to sign the Register, its not just for checking

 

Les Waldren judging the exhibits

 

numbers etc, but also in case of an emergency so that everyone can be accounted for - heaven forbid.

 

I am pleased to inform all the members that Arthur Burgin has agreed to join the Committee, he is well known to most of you and not only will he I am sure contribute greatly and add a new dimension, but at last I will have a male companion on the Committee!!

 

There will be a few more pots of sweet peas available at the next meeting on the 26th April for anyone that would like them, and here are a few hints for growing them which I have been asked to give.

 

Dig over the area into which they are to be planted, preferably a full spade or fork depth, incorporate a fertilizer such as fish, blood and bone, VitaxQ4 or Growmore plus some organic matter  - well rotted garden compost or well rotted farm yard manure - into the area.  If growing clumps then plant them straight from the pot, if planting in rows, split up the plants carefully to avoid to much root disturbance, plant them, water them in and away they go.  Do try and protect them from deer, slugs, snails and rabbits, particularly for the first few weeks whilst the shoots are still young and tender.

Sweet peas can also be grown in large pots. For this I suggest you use a moisture retentive compost, ie.soil based not peat, they will need more water than those in the ground and liquid feeding once flowering commences.

Lets hope the weather warms up soon, its early April as I write this, but with a hosepipe ban now in force in this area, I’m not sure that we gardeners will want long hot summer days!  Never satisfied are we….

Brian   

 

 Editor’s note

I have just discovered my society bulbs buried in the runner bean patch; they are three inches high and will make a lovely show in mid May. Must try to remember not to be so forgetful next year. Have renamed them Lost Memories!  GT

 

 

In praise of Lavender

 

Not many years ago Lavender was very much associated with great aunts and grandmothers. Yardley Lavender was a safe bet if you did not know what to buy them on birthdays. Now it seems Lavender is having a revival, and no wonder when you consider how useful, versatile and therapeutic it is!

 

It is not known exactly when Lavender was introduced to this country. It is a native in parts of India, Africa the Mediterranean and the Canary Isles. It grows happily in dry, sunny, rocky habitats found there. Re-create these in your garden and the plant can flourish happily for years with little attention other than a regular prune in early-mid spring. In other words they are an ideal plant to grow if drought conditions are being forecast-they will not need watering once they are established. Not all of the 25 species are fully hardy, the half hardy may need the shelter of a cool greenhouse over winter.

 

Lavender comes from the Latin lavare=to wash. It was used to perfume water for cleansing long before soap was developed, the Romans used it frequently. Lavender came in useful in the Dark ages when people seemed to prefer disguising body odour with perfume rather than washing. Later still in 1562 soap was so expensive-4lb of ‘grey soap’ cost twice the price of a pig ( 6d)- but most people could grow lavender so lavender water was used instead. Lavender water is easy to make but the perfume is expensive. It takes 2,000 lb of lavender flowers to make 10lb of distilled lavender essence. Lavender water is still in use today and used to sprinkle on linen.

 

The therapeutic properties of lavender have also been well known for centuries. The herbalist John Gerard said it would “helpe the panting and passion of the heart.” Other writers said it would “comforte the brayne well”. And so it still does today, it is a popular oil for aromatherapists to use for clients who need to relax. In France particularly, Lavender has culinary uses, being added to casseroles and fish dishes, buts its pungent flavour may be an acquired taste. Lavender biscuits and even fudge are other delicacies  made today.

 

Lavender may be less well known as a ‘pesticide’. It has been used as such in the past, being strewn on floors to make them smell pleasant and to deter insects. These properties of lavender have also recently been revived. It is now more often recommended against adult clothes moths in preference to the unpleasant and lingering smell of moth balls. Those who have problems with cluster flies coming in to hibernate in the autumn are recommended to hang up fresh lavender to deter them.

 

Lavender in the garden is familiar to us all, whether it be the traditional Lavandula angustifolia ( = narrow leaved) or the more recently popular French lavender Lavandula stoechas ( + from the Iles d’Hyeres off the French Mediterranean coast) There are many good reasons to include it in your garden-whether it be as a hedge, as a specimen plant providing months of interest, or as a haven for wildlife. Bees love it when the flowers are in bloom, and the goldfinches will be grateful if you leave the seed heads on to over-winter. That is unless you have already harvested them early to make lavender sachets for your wardrobe, hung them up at your window to deter flies or put some in the bath to help ease your muscles after a hard day’s gardening!

 

 Becky Pinnegar

 

 


RHS London Spring Show, March.

Lawrence Hall, nearest tube St. James’ Park or Pimlico.

 

This was the first time I had been to an RHS Spring Show and I found it very worthwhile, not too crowded on the second day and small enough to cover in a couple of hours.  The theme was” unusual spring bulbs” and visiting nurseries excelled in their delightful displays of hepaticas and ipheoin.  There was plenty of advice on hand too.

 

Some magnificent tree peonies with their papery petals in every shade you can imagine drew lots of oohs and aahs from the visitors.  As usual I was fascinated by the exotic but apt-sounding names of many of the plants.  A beautiful Prunus Incisa Kojo-no-mai, with its winter zigzag stems showing dainty pink blossoms, was the perfect example of its other name, “dance of butterflies.” There was a little brick-red thyme called “Russetings” and winning a prize in the Early Daffodil Competition was a dwarf Narcissus Cyclamineus, its swept-back wings ready for take-off.

From the far end of the hall came the scent of pelargoniums, the visitors (including me) rather surreptitiously pressing the odd leaf to enjoy the aroma of pine, orange, nutmeg, cinnamon, peppermint, spiced apple and lime.  “Old Spice” thankfully did not in the least resemble a certain after-shave. A Cambridgeshire nursery gave me lots of simple, achievable ideas for stone troughs or sink gardens.  Slanting, almost upright pieces of slate had alpines tucked between them, engineering bricks were planted with maroon sempervivums and an erstwhile birdbath overflowed with house leeks and other succulents.

 

Among the most eye-catching plants were Grevilleas, including one called Clear View David which had flowers like tiny pink snails, and a Woolly yellow-flowered one, lunigera lutea, set off to perfection in a terracotta pot.  Then there were some dramatic tall black, orange and yellow stemmed Salix.  I had always thought of ageratum as a small border annual, but here was a 1m. tall shrub, Ageratum corymbifolium, from Mexico, whose dark pink buds open to the familiar but much larger fluffy lilac flowers.

 

I really enjoyed my morning and would highly recommend a visit to one of the RHS London Spring show.

 

Mary Downes

 

PS The next London show at Lawrence Hall is on  April 12th and 13th  and then not until September.

 

 


Reminders …Yellow book open gardens start this month so don’t miss our local ones:

 

Sunday 23rd April                            Little Harwood, Choke Lane, Pinkneys Green

 

A 2 acre mature, formal and informal, terraced garden, including water garden , rock garden, herbaceous border, herb bed and contemporary garden buildings. 16 acre bluebell woodland walk and wild flower meadow. As this garden is just across the field from mine I am going to see just how they persuade the muntjac deer (who live in the bluebell wood) to eat my plants and not theirs!

 

Wednesday 3rd May                      Waltham Place Gardens, Church Hill, White Waltham.

                                                            (also most Wednesdays to September)

 

This garden has changed quite significantly over the years so if you haven’t been for a while do visit. There are new style naturalistic plantings by Henk Gerritson, an organic kitchen garden and farm, several walled gardens, lake and woodland. ‘ Explore the boundaries between nature and garden in our 170 acre nature inspired paradise’   Well…. anything described as a paradise near Maidenhead must be worth a visit!

 

Wednesday 24th May                     Visit to Coton Manor Gardens. Details from Catherine

                                                            Doe on 526415

 

Sunday 11th June 2pm – 6pm    Cookham Dean Gardens Open

 

   ALL PROCEEDS TO THAMES HOSPICECARE

 

The owners of several beautiful Private Gardens have kindly agreed to open to the public in Cookham Dean on Sunday 11th June 2006. Parking, entry-programmes, plant and book stalls will be situated on the village green opposite Cookham Dean Village Hall. Tea and home made cakes will be served in the Village Hall.

Donations of Home made cakes and plants would be very welcome.

Plants – Telephone -  Stella Fairlie – 01628 532926                             

 

New products

Plant ties

Gardening Which? reports that Haxnicks Soft Tie has introduced a new slim Soft Tie which is strong but well cushioned to protect delicate plants. An 8 m roll costs £4.99 from garden centres.

 

At the March RHS show I bought a Flexi Tie from Gardening Goods based in Derbyshire. It is like soft, stretchy plastic string, coloured brown, frostproof and re-usable according to the label. www.flexi-tie.co.uk for more details.

 

Agriframes are back in business with their new handy sized catalogue of garden structures and several new products.

Phone 0845 260 4450 or go to www.agriframes.co.uk

 

 
 

Congratulations to Catherine Doe

on winning first prize in the Society

Class (the cup not Brian!)

 

 

 

 

PLANT PROFILE OF THE MONTH…..EPIMEDIUMS

 

Epimediums are not dramatic plants until you come to look at them more closely. They are most useful for dry shade and can be planted successfully at the foot of walls and fences and in between tree roots. I planted a row of them on the boundary between the back of the Village Hall and the WI hall…a dark and rather dismal site but the plants have done well over the last five years or so.  They belong to the berberis family which is not obvious until you look closely at their delicate flowers which have similarities with flowers of mahonia or berberis. They form dense mats of foliage about 20-30cm high which can change from a bright fresh green in the spring to a carpet of russet shades in the autumn. If planting among tree roots, excavate pockets of soil and add some humus to help establishment. There have been several new introductions from Japan recently but these tend to be less tolerant of drought and prefer acid to neutral soil. The tried and tested varieties to look out for are;

 

E. pinnatum colchicum(AGM)          Yellow flowers and strong evergreen foliage

E.x perralchicum (AGM)                   Semi evergreen, yellow flowers, tinted leaves

E. x rubrum                                         Rose red flowers, autumn tints on foliage

E x warleyensis                                 Terracotta coloured flowers. Bright green foliage

E  Lilafee                                            Smaller, with rosy-lilac flowers and purple young foliage.

 

Try www.longacreplants.co.uk or www.bethchatto.co.uk for lists and prices.

 

 

 

 


Copy deadline for next month is 6th May to Gill Townend  (gilltownend@aol.com) Tel. 483092

 

Please share your garden visiting experiences with other members…just a few lines is fine!

Thanks to Becky and Mary for their contributions this month.

 

 

Watch out for ART TRANSPLANT! the fund raiser for Elizabeth House, Cookham Parade May13th. Please support this worthy cause…details from Gill or see posters