• The next meeting of the Group is on Saturday 19th January. Full details of the meeting are below and on the Programme page of the website.
• The January 2019 Newsletters will be delivered before the meeting on the 19th, and will have trip booking forms and membership renewal forms enclosed. If you’re coming to the meeting, you can bring your completed renewal forms (and relevant payment) to give to Caroline.
• Membership cards will be distributed on Saturday19th at the meeting.  Anyone not attending the meeting will receive theirs by post.

See you on the 19th,

Bill.

Saturday 19th January – 11.00am

Jo Hynes – ‘The Winter Garden: Why Stay Indoors?’

Jo holds the National Collection of cyclamen in her garden in Dolton, near RHS Rosemoor, and with borders full of hellebores and more than 300 named snowdrop varieties, plus a great many winter flowering shrubs, she is an inspiration to other gardeners who want to brighten up those bare-boned winter months.

Plants for Sale

Jo’s NGS Open Garden

Dear Colleagues

I would be most grateful if you could pass a message on to your members regarding the current position at the HPS Office.

As you all know Sally left us at the end of October, since when Clare has been struggling to keep up with the workload. This has been exacerbated by difficulties with the IT systems, including a couple of days when access was impossible. Those problems have now been resolved (I hope!) and we have engaged someone else to help Clare (Vicci) but there remains a significant backlog of membership renewals to be dealt with. If you have renewed your membership by post please be assured that all post has been opened and all cheques etc are being kept safe but it will take a while longer for these to be processed and thus appear on your bank statements. For the next couple of weeks we do have to prioritise the seed orders as it is essential that all these are completed by mid-January, ready for the Shropshire team to pick out the seeds and get them posted to you.

It would be extremely helpful if members could avoid phoning the office for the next few weeks unless the need really is urgent. Enquiries can be emailed to admin@hardy-plant.org.uk and will normally receive a reply the same day if within office hours. If you still need to renew your membership please use the online facility or the postal form from the last newsletter. If you haven’t ordered your seed yet, please do so as soon as possible, again using the online or printed form. The final date for receipt of seed orders is 10th January.

Please be assured that we are doing all we can to get the office running smoothly again as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Gardening Year

With thanks.

Judi Deakin
Honorary Secretary

Hello all,

Marion has been busy producing the next newsletter including a comprehensive update to the 2019 programme, full details of which can be seen on the programme page here. There is a one page PDF summary of the 2019 programme on that page for download. The booking form for trips in 2019 will be added to that page soon.

We hope you enjoy the final days of the year and see you on the 19th of January.

Bill & Marion

A big thank you for your generosity.

Following my last meeting as chairman on Saturday, it was only when I got home and pondered the proceedings that the full extent of your generosity struck me. Three lovely shrubs (Corylopsis sinensis, Neillia thibeticus and Ozothamnus ledifolius, all with Stuart’s hand crafted everlasting labels) plus 3 CDs of wonderful music that doesn’t get heard enough and on top of that a very significant cheque and a huge card that so many of you signed.

Putting it all together I have been totally overwhelmed by the send off you have given me – generous and touching words of appreciation, beautiful plants that will always remind me of my friends in Somerset group, and music, that balm of the soul, for quieter moments and dark evenings. Mere words cannot fully convey the feelings I have deep inside me for this amazing expression of support. That will stay with me as a constant reminder of the great times we have enjoyed together.

Thank you all so much. I’ll still be around of course and to whoever may succeed me as chairman I hope you will be able to extend the same support and affection that you have shown towards me. Finally may I reiterate that running a Group like ours is a team effort and I shall always be grateful to the happy band of committee members (past as well as present) who have so ably worked to help deliver the good things we have enjoyed over the last 12 years.

Roy

Saturday 17th November –  10am for 10.30 AGM.                          

Lecture starts 11.15am

AGM, followed by

Keith Wiley – ‘Erythroniums and Other Woodlanders’

Anyone who has heard Keith speak or visited his garden, Wildside, will know what a treat this lecture will be.  An erythronium fanatic, he has raised and named several hybrids of his own.  As well as erythroniums he will be discussing the many other woodland plants that he adds to the mix, and showing how observations gathered from seeing plants in the wild helps him to provide the conditions they need.  Even if you don’t have an acre of woodland, most of us have an area under trees in our gardens where these plants can grow.

Plants for sale

www.wileyatwildside.com

Saturday 20th October – 11.00am 

Dr Laura de Beden – ‘Create a Garden as a Work of Art’

Laura is a landscape architect and garden designer whose talks are always well received and interesting.  In this design masterclass, she will be discussing spatial composition, ideas and materials, demonstrated by simple yet effective practical examples.  Discover how the rich language of art applies to garden-making and how to relate this to your own plot.  This talk could change how you view your garden!

www.lauradebeden.co.uk

At the October 20th meeting we need a couple of people to organise and provide the tea, coffee and biscuits. The tea, coffee, milk and biscuits will all be provided, we just need a couple of people in the kitchen. If you could help please reply to this email, if you think you’ve already volunteered to help, please let us know too.

Thanks, on behalf of Roy.

Anne Swithinbank will be giving a talk in Churchinford Village Hall on Wednesday the 17th of October on “Seasonal plants and jobs in the garden”. A limited number of tickets are available price £8 each including tea and cake, call 01823 601182 to book Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30 start.

November 3rd-4th 2018, Writhlington School, Radstock,Bath BA3 3NQ

Britain’s biggest orchid event brings together plants, people, science and conservation.

Public Show days 3rd and 4th Nov 10am-4pm

Fabulous orchid displays from across the UK, Scientific lecture programme, Tours of the famous Writhlington glasshouses, Propagation laboratory workshops, Orchid growing lectures and advice, hardy orchid day, children activities and much more.

‘A must for all plant enthusiasts’

Day tickets £5

Visit www.wsbeorchids.org for more information

 

Click the image below to download the poster

50/50 Plant Sale: 10.00 – 11.00am (Hall opens at 9.30am)

11.00am: Julian Sutton – ‘How the Flowers Became’

Many of you will be familiar with Julian Sutton who, with his wife Sarah, runs Desirable Plants, a mail-order nursery based in Totnes. In this lecture, Julian will be looking at the nature of flowers, their form, colour and even their biological behaviour.  The lecture includes a series of fascinating stories surrounding the evolution of floral diversity, including the origin of flowers themselves, all illustrated by garden-worthy plants.

Plants for sale

www.desirableplants.com

Other Notes for Saturday

• Caroline and Hester are looking forward to receiving your donations of gardening books for the book table. All proceeds go towards Somerset HPS
• Showa gloves and marker pens will also be on sale on Saturday.