“Keep them in shape”

Some of Philip’s plants

At our September meeting we had the welcome return of Philip Aubury former Director of Birmingham Botanic Garden to give a masterclass on the art of pruning. He explained in a very understandable way the “why, what, when and how” including practical demonstrations and some useful tools. We were particularly intrigued by his Darlac Snapper for longer-reach pruning and deadheading, which can also hold the cut stems or blooms.

After Philip’s talk and Q&A session he drew our raffle and judged the monthly competition which as you can see from the photos had some beautiful entries again, with Jean taking 1st place, Pia 2nd and Denise 3rd. Then we enjoyed refreshments browsing the good range of plants that Philip had brought for sale as well as some charming greetings cards painted by his wife. There was also our usual recycling/spare plant table. If this is your first visit to the site for a while please scroll down below the photos to see the previous post about our Annual Show!

Lis Aubury’s lovely greeting cards
Jean’s Pyracantha
Pia’s dahlia
Denise’s sunflower
All the monthly competition entries