June Meeting:

The Club’s open evening was a great success, with nearly 20 visitors joining members for a highly entertaining talk.  The speaker was John Carter from Rowden Gardens, Tavistock, whose subject was Gardening with Water.

He was surely one of the funniest and most entertaining speakers we have had all year.  He started off by telling us that 75% of all plants classed as ‘marginals’ are actually British natives and are very vigorous – so beware what you see in the garden centres!

He then said don’t bother to use aquatic compost – garden soil is just as good – and make sure that baskets have really small holes so that large roots can’t escape and take over, and don’t think that hessian liners will do the trick because they rot after a couple of years.  

Unless you have a really, really large pond, don’t plant the native white water lily – it is huge.  Look for some of the smaller species like the pale yellow Chromatylla, the dark pink James Brydon or the tiny double pink pigmy Rubra.

His nursery holds the national collection of water irises – in all about 150 varieties, and the national collection of marsh marigolds (just 19).  His audience all enjoyed the beautiful colours and forms from a succession of slides, particularly those showing the three main strains of iris – pseudacorus, versicolor, and laevigata.

He advocated putting more than one variety of plant in a basket to give continuous colour – but avoid ‘aquatic’ grasses which are all thugs!

Don’t over feed fish.  If you do, you will get too many nitrates in your pond which will cause the water to go green.  Twice monthly feeding is sufficient – and watch out for goldfish which, as bottom feeders will empty baskets, so use stones to weigh pots down and keep in the soil.

Use old bin liners, pierced, to make a bog garden adjoining your pond, and fill it with candelabra primulas, astilbes, Angels fishing rods, and Rodgersia. Rheum is another good plant, but we were reminded that it is poisonous.

So, lots of information and inspiration.

The club competition for the sweetest sweet pea was won by Ann Hales.

Two days’ later the club had its Open Gardens weekend.  A glorious two days culminated in a lot of people enjoying three delightful gardens – and our grateful thanks go out to the owners of those gardens.

Lower Rull was a delight, with its shady pathways, little streams and tranquil ponds – and one could almost imagine Mr McGregor looking for the errant Peter Rabbit in the vegetable plot.

Next on the route was The Old Forge where visitors enjoyed tea and sought treasures for their own gardens from the plant stall.  Sunday’s highlight was the sighting of a long eared bat busily flitting around the garden in broad daylight!

There were some lovely herbaceous beds here and the backdrop of mature trees is stunning.  I particularly coveted a beautiful Himalayan Poppy which sadly will not grow in my garden!

Finally came South Hill Farm with some lovely touches, like the old ladder disappearing into the branches of a tree, a statue peering shyly from a mass of flowers and greenery, and the sweeping lawns leading to a wildlife and wetland area.  This is a delight to walk through, with the view of Buckland St Mary Church in the distance.

The event was held in order to raise much needed funds to help pay for really good speakers for the club, but such was the response that a £150 is also being donated to Rheumatoid Arthritis support and research.

There will be no club meeting in August, as we shall all be entering and going to the Buckland St Mary Flower Show on 15th August.  Why not join us there?

July Meeting:

A large party of Yarty Gardening Club members and friends paid a visit to the Royal Horticultural Society’s gardens at Wisley in July.

Wisley is a very beautiful garden with romantic half-timbered Tudor-style buildings. The soil is mainly acid sand which is poor in nutrients and fast draining. There is a canal designed by Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe, a rock garden, formal and walled gardens, mixed borders, a rose garden, rock garden, glasshouses, a fruit field and an arboretum.

The huge new glasshouse (equal in size to 10 tennis courts), built to celebrate 200 years of the RHS, was a great attraction with its interactive programme aimed at children (but interesting for adults too).

Outside is a large lake and a fairly new belt of prairie planting.  The colours were beautiful when we visited and the area is minimal maintenance as all the plants are left to run their course.  A great idea for anyone with a very large garden.

The model gardens are fascinating, giving ideas for smaller plots.

There is something for everyone at Wisley, including fruit and vegetable growers.

Photographs of the visit are on the Buckland web site.

A date for your diary

On Thursday, 16th September, Ian and Teresa Moss from Nynehead will be at the club meeting at Buckland St Mary.  Their subject of perennials comes just at the right time of year – and joy of joys, there will be plants for sale!

The meeting starts at 7.30 p.m. and visitors are, as always, most welcome.

A reminder to all members who have grown a sunflower – this is competition month for the tallest sunflower.