Newsletter April
2007
NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, 25th April 7.30pm
Cookham Dean Village Hall
Container Planting
A talk by Uel Magowan of the Odney Club
Chairman’s
letter
I am pleased to be
able to report that once again we had an excellent turn out at last month’s
Meeting. Well done to all who took part, you will be interested to hear that
Les Waldren commented to me at the end of the evening how much the standard has
improved since he first started coming to judge.
A huge thank you
must go to Molly Hurley who very kindly gave her winning spring basket to Mrs
Waldren who was absolutely thrilled to bits with it. Thank you Molly for your
generosity.
Another big thank
you this month is to Becky, who as you will see is very kindly producing this
Newsletter for us in the absence of Gill Townend. Thank you so much Becky.
The evening of the
Show was quite hectic and I omitted to give instructions about the Sweet Pea
plants. If you want quality flowers with straight stems then each plant should
be grown up a support such as a cane, and tied to it with twine etc. Take off
all the tendrils as they form and remember to keep tying then up as they grow.
If, on the other hand you want quantity not quality, then pinch out the growing
point to make the plant branch out and produce more side shoots which will in
turn give more opportunity for more flowers.
Whichever sort you want, give the plants a liquid feed once they start
flowering which should be late May/early June-liquid Growmore, Miracle Grow,
Maxicrop-any of these will be fine. Don’t forget to guard against slugs in
whatever way you choose.
If all this seems
double dutch, do ring me or have a word at the next meeting.
Good luck
Brian 01628 484821
Spring Show
The Spring
Show was well attended again this year with 75 entries and 24 exhibitors
showing. The standard was very high and as Brian says, Les Waldren was most
impressed. He found it difficult in some classes to choose the best, they were
all so good! He was particularly complimentary about the Society Class of 3
bulbs. Despite contrary and adverse weather conditions (when are they ever
‘ideal’?) the exhibitors put on an excellent show of ‘ Ice Folly’ blooms. The
cup was won by Tricia Jesson who had
a lovely show of daffodils elegantly supported in their pot, by twigs.
Mr. Waldren
was particularly complimentary about the arrangements of spring flowers and
foliage. There was a good variety of containers and blooms. Molly Hurley was the winner with first
prize for a bountiful display of at least 15 different flowers and additional
foliage, arranged beautifully in a flat basket.
Our judge
had some useful tips for future exhibitors. He explained how he keeps his bulbs
for exhibition, by planting them in the ground first. In late February they are
dug up and well watered. He made the point of how important this is. Also,
before showing he feeds the bulbs a couple of times with a high potash tomato
feed [see Brian’s tips]. This helps them to ‘glow’, and brings the colour up in
the blooms.
When
showing, if the blooms are a little too ‘young’, he showed how to gently press
the petals back, to make them appear more open. If a flower head is drooping,
then overnight stand it in a water-filled wine bottle which has been propped up
at 45°. This will draw the head up.
Les Waldren
noted that there were no real grade 1 size large cup daffodils on display. This
is something we could think about when planning bulb planting later this year,
perhaps?
The only
negative comment he really had was that some of the flowers were not
sufficiently supported in their vase. He suggested that adding a little
scrunched up newspaper into the bottom of the vase before putting in the water, will enable the stems
to be more rigidly fixed in the vase, and make his job of judging, easier.
Thankyou to
all the exhibitors who made such a splendid show, and well done to everyone,
especially the lucky prize winners.
Reason for Concern
It
was with an open mind that I recently attended a WEA Study Day “Climate Change And Your Garden” at Norden
Farm. The very knowledgeable and
approachable Dr. Michael Keith-Lucas, former senior tutor in Plant Sciences at
Reading University and President of Reading and District Gardeners’ Association,
led it. He had little difficulty in
convincing everyone present of the reality of global climate change. The science involved is a complex issue and
there are implications for our lifestyle, travel, mechanical agriculture and
not least our wildlife. The consensus
of opinion among scientists is that human activities are responsible for the
acceleration in global warming and that if we do not act now, life on earth, as
we know it, will be irreparably damaged.
There is plenty of scientific evidence for this.
The
day was divided into four talks. The
first topic was “the evidence for global climate change and its causes.” Dr. Keith-Lucas described the role of the
main greenhouse gases, CO2, methane and nitrous oxide and how they are
produced.
In
Part 2 he outlined the effects on our weather, season-by-season and
region-by-region. In the Northern
Hemisphere there will be a gradual move of areas northwards. It is estimated that by 2050 the southern
half of Britain will have a Mediterranean climate but the north of Scotland may
be cooler than at present. Wet events will be more dramatic and violent. Summer will extend into autumn, giving us
colder nights but more intense autumn colour.
Cloudier, wetter winters, though less extreme in terms of temperatures
but with fiercer storms, may lead to the loss of topsoil and flooding.
In
Part 3 we discussed the response of animals and plants to climate change. Melting ice caps are a threat to natural
habitats. Many changes in the plant world have already been observed. Cord grass in Morecambe Bay has turned salt
marsh into dry land, leading to the loss of annual sandwort and glasswort. Some mountain plants and birds are likely
to be lost forever.
Plants fall into two categories: those which
are triggered by temperature are affected by global warming; those which are
triggered by daylight are not affected.
Fortunately the dormancy of herbaceous perennials is governed by day
length. Some thistles and mosses are retreating northwards. Orchid seeds which arrived from N.Africa in
red dust are now doing well in the South-West and such spontaneous arrivals can
be regarded as native species.
In
our gardens we may see any of three new species of dragonfly and should look
out for birds, moths and butterflies which are normally seen further
south. Bumblebees have not been
hibernating and frogspawn is earlier. Around here magnolia, among other
blossom, appeared very early and can we really hold back those daffodils to be
in peak condition for our Spring Show?
Global warming has implications for farmers too. Desertification means less cultivable ground and water shortage problems, already happening in Southern Spain. In Britain oil-seed rape may become difficult to grow, although some people think that is no great loss. Less desirable species may also arrive from the South however. Lily beetle is becoming more prevalent. Fungal and other diseases are already in evidence. Galls, sooty bark and leaf miners attack native trees such as oak, beech and horse chestnut. Oak has an inbuilt response to drought, unlike beech. Beech and some fruit trees have a high chill requirement so may leaf later in the spring and their blossom and thus fruit be sparser. Blackcurrants are particularly under threat, as are some apple and raspberry cultivars.
In
Part 4 Dr. Keith-Lucas moved on more positively to “what can we do about
it?” The answer is to plan for the
changes, adapting our lifestyles and growing habits in farming and gardening
accordingly.
Farm
crops might include cork oaks, sunflowers, olives, grapes, apricots and almonds
or even citrus. Terracing can conserve topsoil. Exposed gardens will need
shelter belts of trees. Conifers are
less stable than willow, hazel and sycamore.
Eucalyptus is not a good choice as it is a water-waster. Acacia would be a good alternative as it is
a nitrogen fixer. Evergreens will do better in wet winters. Coarser grasses do better in hot, dry conditions
and we can grow more drought-tolerant species, using gravel and other mulches
to conserve moisture. More people are
collecting rainwater or using grey water. Most Mediterranean plants shut down
their systems in the heat of the day.
However they dislike waterlogging in winter. In frost-free areas plants such as grevilleas and proteas could
widen our choice.
For
surfaces, hard landscaping materials that allow water to seep away rather than
run off are recommended by the RHS.
Hedging rather than fencing can encourage wildlife. Organic gardening is of benefit to all.
Despite
the somewhat black picture he paints, Dr. Keith-Lucas encourages us to have a
pro-active and positive attitude to the problems. The ways, however small, in which we can help offset the effects
of global warming generally in Britain are increasingly well-documented and Dr.
Keith-Lucas supports our need to set an example, so that Britain is in a
stronger position to give a lead, particularly within the E.U., where we are
responsible for 6/20ths of greenhouse gas emissions. We need more good scientific research.
Doing
nothing is not an option. If we are
prepared to adapt what we grow to the changing conditions, we will still derive
as much enjoyment and healthy produce from our gardening as before. It was a very interesting and thought –
provoking day.
For
more information:
“Gardening
in the Global Greenhouse”, summary report, available to download at www.rhs.org.uk/learning/research
or via the National Trust.
Mary
Downes
Thank you for this thorough
account of the lecture Mary. Perhaps members would like to consider having a…….
Drought debate…..?
The effect of climate change,
however long-term it may be, means we need to rethink how we plant our gardens
and look after them. There has been a lot of press about saving water, using
mulches, and planting drought tolerant varieties. See ‘The Garden’ February 2007. Hopefully many of you will be thinking
of all these things and others too, to help your garden be more economical on
world resources. It also makes sense as it will mean less work and expense in
the long run for you, too. Why pay out for expensive, thirsty plants, which you
cannot provide the ideal environment for? Why grow plants which need constant
watering?
We could help each other ‘do
our bit’ for the environment , by sharing experiences, and tips we may have to
this effect. For example:
·
Use large pots for patios, and mulch them well once they are planted and
watered.
·
Lining the runner bean trench with newspaper before planting, will help retain moisture in the soil.
·
Adding water retaining gel to hanging basket compost before planting,
can help prevent the soil from drying out…..
Please contribute by sending
in your tips or suggestions to Gill Townend at gilltownend@aol.com by May 6th
Reminders:
Friday
April 20th Annual
Timothy Walker talk “ A Rockery
in the Garden”
7.30pm Cookham W I Hall £6 members £6.50 non members
May 10-13th Malvern
Spring Show, Malvern Worcs. ( members £11.50-£23)
May 22-26th RHS
Chelsea Flower Show (tickets on sale now; 0870 8422217)
The Cookhams Fund-raising Group for Thames
Hospicecare
Our next event is a flower arranging demonstration by Adam Garrett
of The Rose Boutique (in Cookham High Street). There will be morning coffee,
the demonstration and then lunch with wine on Tuesday, 15th
May at the W.I. Hall in Church Road. Tickets are £15 and available
from Anthea Webb on 01628 482569.
We are unable to have the Gardens Open Day this year but hope to bring it back in 2008.
Thank you for your support.