Sadly, one of our favourite nurseries and a loyal supporter of the Group’s events, Picket Lane Nursery, is closing with immediate effect. The nursery is holding a closing down sale on the 26th of March, with big reductions on lots of plants. If you weren’t able to get tickets for our plant fair, you might want to pay the nursery a visit. The sale is taking place at the nursery at Picket Lane, South Perrott, DT8 5HU from 10.00am to 5.00pm

Kate Harris passed this on:

The Appley Garden Club have some seats still available on their mini-coach going to Malvern on the 6th of May. I don’t have the times yet, but they are leaving from Appley (near Wellington) and could make a pick-up at Taunton. The charge is £50 per person to include entry ticket and coach. The contact is Sue Jacoby suejacoby@gmail.com, Tel 01823 674 471.

Tamsin Westhorpe – ‘Stockton Bury Gardens Through the Seasons’

With over 25 years’ experience in the horticultural industry, Tamsin has plenty of practical, hands-on knowledge. She was Editor of The English Garden magazine for six years, and is now the curator and gardener of Stockton Bury Gardens in Herefordshire, an award-winning garden which was created by her great-uncle, Raymond Treasure. Tamsin is also an RHS Chelsea Flower Show Judge, and author of Diary of a Modern Country Gardener.

This talk will feature plants and practical tips particularly relevant to spring and early summer; Tamsin has years of experience fielding visitors’ questions during Stockton Bury’s open days, so she’s aware of what gardeners really want to know.  This promises to be a lively and informative talk covering a wide range of topics.

Tickets for our Early Spring Plant Fair at Yeo Valley Organic Garden in Blagdon are selling very well and there are only a few left for the 12.00 and 1.00pm arrival time slots. There are quite a few tickets available for 2.00pm arrivals, including a few free RHS member tickets. If you are intending to come to the Fair please book your tickets as soon as possible.

We have a full quota of volunteers to help on the HPS plant stall and on the gate throughout the day – thank you to everyone who has come forward. However, if you are coming along to the Fair at some point as a visitor, we would be very pleased to accept donations of labelled plants for the plant stall.

Alternatively, please bring plant donations to Saturday’s lecture meeting and I will most gratefully accept them and take them to the Fair on your behalf (car space permitting!).

Many thanks

Jane

The group annual plant fair takes place on April 23rd. This a reminder that you can book a sales table at the hall, tables are £5 each. Please contact Jane Hunt to book either directly or using the contact form on the group website here.

The new edition of the Nursery List has now arrived and copies will be available at Saturday’s meeting. We also need to supply participating nurseries and other outlets with their quota of the List. If you would be able to deliver them to any of the following places please let me know on Saturday or preferably before.

• Burrow Farm Gardens
• CB Plants (Lower Severalls)
• Champion Plants
• Cove Garden Nursery
• Dorset Water Lilies
• Elworthy Cottage Plants
• Forde Abbey Nursery
• Forton Nursery
• Hill House Nursery
• In Clover
• Kapunda Plants
• Longacre Plants
• Peake Perennials
• Pennard Plants
• Perrie Hale Nursery
• Special Plants
• Triffids Nursery
• Cartgate Tourist Information Centre (for South Somerset District Council)
• Mendip Gardening Club

If you are also a member of any other gardening club or group I hope that you will also take a small supply of the Nursery List to hand out at your next meeting.

Many thanks 

Jane

Saturday 12th February – 11.00am

Michael Marriott – ‘The Rose: The Most Garden-Worthy of All Plants’

Michael Marriott was the chief rosarian at David Austin Roses for 35 years. His enthusiasm is infectious and his knowledge of roses is encyclopaedic, especially for species roses, old roses, climbers and ramblers, the best modern roses and, of course, David Austin’s English Roses. He has designed many rose gardens and borders around the world. His own gardens have always been run on organic principles, selecting only the healthiest varieties of roses and using companion plants to attract beneficial insects.

Michael believes that roses are incredibly variable and versatile plants: “Not only can they look even more beautiful in association with other plants, they can also help with reducing pest and disease problems. It is easy to argue that they are the most garden-worthy of all plants.” This talk should persuade even the hardened sceptic that no garden is complete without roses.

From Jenny

HPS Somerset Subscription Reminder

If you have yet to pay your HPS Somerset subscription, and prefer to pay by cash or cheque, please bring your payment to the meeting on 12th February. I will not be there myself, but Stuart has kindly agreed to collect them for me.

I would be grateful if all outstanding subscriptions could be paid by the end of February. Please remember that you also need to renew your National HPS membership.

If you have any queries on your HPS Somerset membership, please drop me an email to jennyb.hps.somerset@gmail.com My postal address and telephone number are on your membership card, should you prefer to contact me that way.

Jenny Barr
Membership Secretary

We do want all the visitors to our Plant Fairs to have an enjoyable and safe visit. Covid restrictions in England have been largely relaxed, but we still need to be vigilant. We have implemented a number of measures to improve safety, and would ask that visitors comply with the following advice.

1. We will lay out the stalls at the fairs to allow as much space as possible around the stalls to minimise crowding when visitors are browsing
2. Please try to maintain social distancing as much as possible during your visit, especially when queuing for entry or for toilets or refreshments
3. Some of our nurseries can offer contactless payments, so please do use this if at all possible. However, our outdoor fairs are in rural locations, where the mobile phone signal can be variable, and the stall holders at our indoor fair are members of our group so will not be able to offer contactless payments. Therefore please do bring plenty of cash with you, and perhaps brush off your cheque book as well
4. If at all possible please do bring your own bags or baskets and pack your purchases into them yourself. If that isn’t possible, don’t worry, our stall holders will be happy to help. Many will also have a supply of bags and boxes, but the stall holders at our indoor fair will only have a limited supply
5. We will have hand sanitiser at the gates and toilets at our fairs, but suggest that you also bring your own supply to use during your visit
6. Please don’t come to the fair if you are exhibiting any of the symptoms of COVID-19, or have tested positive and may be infectious
7. It would be appreciated if those that are able to wear a face covering, both during their visit to our indoor fair, or whilst using indoor toilet or refreshment facilities at the outdoor fairs
8. It is possible that Government Guidance may change in the future. If it does, and impacts the fairs, we will update the information on this page of our website

To help anyone understand how the Plant Fair works, here are some additional notes:

• In accordance with our normal practice, HPS members who volunteer to help at the Fair – either on the Group’s stall or on the gate – will not need to pay the entrance fee or book a ticket or parking of any sort. They will be sent a “Volunteers Pass” by me (Jane Hunt) which will allow them to park and time to look round in addition to their time on the stall or gate. 
• Anyone who is not a volunteer must obtain a ticket via the booking site (the link to the booking site is on the Group’s website also).
• RHS members must also obtain a ticket via the booking site accessible from our website, although this is free.
• The Group does not make any money from the sale of entrance tickets – this all goes to the host garden as it does with all of our other Fairs. We only keep the fees paid by the nurseries for a stall. The RHS doesn’t make any money from this event either.
• Parking is limited at the venue so all car drivers (RHS and others) must also book a parking permit via the booking site. We hope that people will choose to car share if possible. Parking permits are also free.
• Tickets are available by hourly arrival slot, starting at 10.00am. This is intended to spread the arrival of customers and avoid an issue with parking. We expect the 10.00am slot to sell out quite quickly. Customers may arrive at any time within their chosen hour and stay as long as they wish. They do not have to leave the site at a particular time, although it would help the parking situation if they don’t stay too long!. 
• The booking site will open on 1 February at 10.00am. The link to the booking site which appeared on my original note will be added beneath the flyer on the Home page of the Group’s website for convenience nearer the time. (It already has been added)

Jane Hunt

Invitation from the Scottish & Northern Borders Group:

Zoom Talk with Adam Pasco – Tuesday 25^th January 2022, 7pm for 7.30pm start

Adam Pasco, who entertained us last year with his well received Zoom talk, “Create a garden for all seasons”, will be returning with another talk, this time entitled “Grow the best glorious plants”.

Creating a garden with colour and interest right through the year starts with choosing the best plants. In this beautifully illustrated talk Adam Pasco introduces a wide range of glorious plants that are guaranteed to succeed, whether growing them in flower borders, shady corners, or patio pots and baskets.

Adam shares a wealth of practical tips and ideas for choosing and growing plants that really perform, plus ideas on successful colour continuity and planting combinations. From climbers and clematis to shrubs, bedding, roses, hardy perennials, trees, fruits, veg and salad crops, he’ll introduce you to his favourite plants for sites in both sun and shade that provide a succession of colour right through the seasons.

Full of inspiring planting ideas, and illustrated with pictures and videos of plants at their best photographed in Adam’s own garden, ‘Grow The Best Glorious Plants’ is sure to fire the imagination with a wealth of wonderful suggestions, and introduce new plants you may not have considered growing before

From Adam’s website

Adam has been a leading garden journalist for many years and his new talk introduces us to a wide range of glorious plants that are guaranteed to succeed in borders, shady corners or containers.

Full of inspiring ideas and illustrated with photos and videos of creative planting ideas to provide a succession of colour throughout the season, Adam’s talk is sure to fire the imagination and introduce new plants that you may not have considered growing before.

Attendance to the talk costs £5, and the deadline for payment is Thursday 20^th January. Bank transfer is the preferred method of payment.

Bank Transfer method

Bank: Bank of Scotland

Account Name: HPS Scottish and Northern Borders Group

Sort Code: 80-22-60

Account Number: 17144166

Reference: Zoom Jan 22

Email Colin Cutler hpstres@btinternet.com with your email, telephone number, and name when you have made the payment. You will receive an email from him with login details a few days before the lecture

Cheque method

If you pay by cheque send this with your name, email, telephone number and name to:

Colin Cutler, 3 Yew Gardens, Luncarty, Perth PH1 3UD.

You will be contacted by telephone or email with login in details a few days before the lecture