We were pleased to welcome Malcolm Dickson of Hooksgreen Herbs to our April meeting on a very wet and windy evening. He gave an interesting presentation about their herb nursery and how they prepare for plant fairs and flower shows, where they have won several prestigious gold and silver-gilt medals with their displays. He talked about many different types of herbs with both culinary and medicinal uses, including some that we might not have considered as herbs, giving us tips on growing them and their general dislike of wet winters! Their website also gives advice on uses and preferred conditions for every plant they sell.

After his talk, Malcolm drew our raffle then we all enjoyed refreshments whilst browsing the plants that he had brought along, some are pictured here, as well as our usual free magazines. There weren’t any tulip entries in this month’s competition due to the weather we’ve been experiencing recently.

We are all looking forward to our visit to John’s Garden at Ashwood Nurseries on 19th April with a full coach including guests from other clubs. Then at the end of that week it’s the Staffordshire Association of Garden Guilds AGM at Walton near Stone and we’re hoping that our entries into the photographic competition will be successful!

After day of snow, sunshine and hailstorms, at our March meeting a good number of members and guests were enthralled by a beautifully illustrated talk from Ron Rock, an enthusiastic volunteer for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, on some of the many different species of solitary bees, which number over 200 in total. These very effective pollinators vary in their appearance, nesting habits and methods of pollination which Ron shared with us in a really understandable way, and finished his talk with a quote from a sign at his favourite football club Forest Green Rovers “when nature wins, we all win”. The two photos here, given to us by Ron, are a snippet from this fascinating evening.

After his presentation Ron answered more questions from members, drew our raffle and judged our monthly competition which was won this time by Ivy, with Sue W 2nd and Joan 3rd. Members also took home several different varieties of spare plants kindly donated by Sylvia to grow on ready for our stall at the Village Fete, and for their own gardens too. Our coach bookings for next month’s visit to John’s Garden at Ashwood Nurseries have gone so well that we’ve been able to hire a larger coach and invite other clubs to come along with us.

   

In February we welcomed Ruth Williams with her fascinating whistlestop tour of the many interesting locations in our county, some well known and others much less so, even for those who’ve lived here all their lives. A real mixture of gardens, nature reserves and buildings, many with extra snippets of information that you won’t find in guide books! And of course all the best tea rooms if you’re out for the day…

After drawing the raffle, Ruth judged our monthly competition which was a posy of snowdrops. Well done to Pam who was first, Joan second and Rosalie third; all the entries were excellent as you can see from the photos. The most points earnt in these competitions over the year will win our Trudi Brearley Challenge Trophy.

Then we enjoyed refreshments with an opportunity to ask Ruth more questions, and bookings for our first coach trip since 2019 are going very well! And the last two photos on this blog are of the amazing aeonium that Anita bought from Howard Drury (our September speaker) at another garden club meeting about 2 years ago, its height and flowerhead are amazing.

We started our 2023 programme on a wet and windy evening with an amusing and informative talk on Primulas and Auriculas from Ingrid and John Millington of Hillview Hardy Plants. Ingrid showed us all the different types and colour ranges available, how they were bred and the various growing conditions they all prefer. She also had some fascinating historical information on their medicinal uses – apparently the wonder cure for almost every ill known to mankind! John then followed with what Ingrid called his “doom and gloom” section on pests and diseases, plus propagation, to complete a very good presentation.

After the raffle, our members were able to browse a selection of plants from the Hillview nursery to purchase before they enjoyed their refreshments. Ingrid also judged our monthly competition of a “vase of winter flowering stems from your garden” which was very well supported with colourful and fragrant entries despite the rather inclement weather! The Points awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places are totalled at the end of the year for the award of our Trudi Brearley Challenge Trophy. Joan was the winner, with Rosalie second and Ivy third, well done to them and everybody who entered.