Troy Scott Smith

On By Bill HodgsonLeave a comment

Via Jane Hunt:

On Saturday, 11th March at 7.30pm Holford Gardeners Group are hosting an evening (at Holford Village Hall) with Troy Scott Smith. He is currently Head Gardener at National Trust’s Sissinghurst, having previously been at NT Bodnant again as Head Gardener.

I wondered if any of your members would be interested in coming along? Tickets cost £8 (to include a glass of wine). Tickets do need to be purchased in advance. If anyone is interested I can be contacted by email (administrator@holfordgardenersgroup.co.uk) or on 01278 741130.

Regards
Gae Richardson
Administrator
Holford Gardeners Group

Helpers Needed For East Lambrook Plant Fair

On By Bill HodgsonLeave a comment

From Jane Hunt:

On the 25th of March at 10am we will be running our early spring plant fair at East Lambrook Manor.

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16 of the South West’s top nurseries will be showing off their best plants. The admission charge to the plant sale and the gardens will be £4.00 for the day for all adults except RHS and HPS members who pay a reduced rate of £3.50 so please remember to bring your membership card!

Nurseries attending are:
Avon Bulbs
Blooming Hill Plants
Desert to Jungle
Dorset Perennials
Elworthy Cottage Plants
Hardy Way Perennials
Hilltop Nursery
In Clover
Kevin Hughes Plants
Long Acre Plants
Mill Cottage Plants
Millwood Plants
Pennard Plants
Picket Lane Nursery
Roseland House Nursery
Wild Thyme Nursery
Margery Fish Plant Nursery (our own of course)

Also attending are:
Beans & Herbs – organic vegetable seeds
Park Produce – locally made apple juice and preserves

We need helpers on both our own stall and on the gate. I shall be bringing a rota to our March meeting for people to sign up or they can contact me direct to book into a slot (or preferably more than one!). We will be short of helpers this year as Stuart and Roy (along with the two Helens) will be at the national AGM wearing their other hats! Helpers get free entrance to the Fair which might prove a bit of an incentive!

Thanks, Jane.

February 11th – Meeting Reminder

On By Bill HodgsonLeave a comment

Apologies for the last-minute reminder – somehow this one slipped through the net.  I hope you can still make it to this month’s meeting, as it promises to be an interesting lecture.

Our February meeting features Heather Godard-Key talking on Ferns.

Fibrex Nursery is well known for its pelargoniums, but it also boasts possibly the most extensive commercial collection of hardy ferns in the UK.  Heather Godard-Key, co-owner of Fibrex, will be giving us a talk on this ancient family of foliage plants which are so invaluable for shady spots in our gardens.

Plants for sale
http://www.fibrex.co.uk

Snowdrop Open Days

On By Bill HodgsonLeave a comment

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Members have a choice of beautiful gardens to visit to satisfy their galanthus cravings early this February.

Higher Yarde Farm is opening from 10.30am to 3.30pm on Friday 3rd, Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th of February, with profits donated to the NSPCC, and then again on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th of February (same opening times) with profits donated to the Somerset Wildlife Trust.  Entry is £5, and includes tea and cakes.
Higher Yarde Farm,
Staplegrove,
TA2 6SW
Contact Anita or Tom on 01823 451553
Snowdrop aficionados Mike and Jenny Spiller will also be opening their garden at Elworthy Cottage on the 4th and 5th of February, from 11am to 5pm, as part of the NGS Snowdrop Festival.  Admission is £3, and children go free.  Elworthy Cottage Plant Nursery will be open, so come along and find a new treasure to embellish your garden in winters to come.
Elworthy Cottage,
Elworthy (on the B3188, north of Wiveliscombe)
TA4 3PX
Contact Mike or Jenny on 01984 656427

Ro FitzGerald On Teasels | Exmoor Magazine

On By Marion JayLeave a comment

Somerset HPS member Ro FitzGerald has written a fascinating article on teasels in the Winter issue of Exmoor magazine. The 5-page spread includes advice on how to use teasels to good effect in your garden, and explores the historical use of teasel heads as tools to raise the nap during cloth-making, particularly in Somerset where they were grown as a crop. It also features the work of artist Gillian Widden of Staple Fitzpaine, who has used wild teasels to create inspiring and beautiful basket-like artworks. As someone who has always used teasels in my own garden for their nectar-rich flowers and architectural structure, I found Ro’s article an engrossing read.

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Click to visit their website

Trees Going Cheap

On By Bill HodgsonLeave a comment

Two news items, 1) the Spring booking form is now on the Newsletters page, and 2) cheap trees for February via Stuart Senior:

Somerset Plants is open again from February – but I thought it would be worth while reminding you that we have a quantity of containerised trees which MUST BE SOLD. These are big trees at stupidly cheap prices and will have to be collected from the nursery after we open in February. Click here to download the stock list and prices.

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Meeting Reminder | Jan 14th | Alan Street

On By Bill HodgsonLeave a comment

Happy New Year to everybody and welcome back to our monthly meetings. Our first event of 2017 will take place on Saturday 14th January at 11.00am with Alan Street and ‘Small Bulbs’.

As well as being the Head Nurseryman at Avon Bulbs, Alan Street is the creative mind behind the company’s gold medal-winning displays at Chelsea.  An incurable galanthophile, he will be expanding our knowledge of a range of small bulbs; which varieties to choose to achieve a continuity of display throughout spring in our own gardens, and how to care for them.

Plants and bulbs for sale
http://www.avonbulbs.co.uk

An Evening With Chris Beardshaw

On By Bill HodgsonLeave a comment

On behalf of Stowey Gardeners via Jane Hunt

Our club is hosting an evening with Chris Beardshaw on Thursday 16th March.  Chris will be speaking on the subject of ‘Painting with Plants’- an illustrated talk which looks at creating floral rewards with less effort and is inspired by traditional English borders but looking for a new style. Chris is a very inspiring and entertaining speaker and we hope that his talk will be enjoyed by as many as possible.  Our venue is the Village Hall in Nether Stowey and the time is 7.0 for 7.30.   Our village is 8 miles from Bridgwater and very accessible from the M5. Tickets £10 to include light refreshments.  For more information and tickets please contact:

Best wishes,
Heather Coates – for Stowey Gardeners