As a club we will continue to have  “virtual”  speakers, in conjunction with Barlaston under the Tender Shoots Gardening Club Network,  all via Zoom. The network now have a full programme booked for February, please note not all are on Thursdays and the times may vary.

Wednesday 3rd February 7-30pm  ‘Snowdrops & Winter/Spring Bulbs’  Jim Almond from Shrewsbury         Sponsored by Stone Chrysanthemum & Dahlia Society.

Monday 15 February 2-30pm  ‘A Year in John’s Garden’  Nigel Hopes, Head Gardener at Ashwood                  Nurseries.    Sponsored by Sutton Coldfield Ladies Gardening Club

Wednesday 17th February 7-30pm ‘The Story Behind David Austin Roses’    Jo Bird.    Sponsored by Barlaston  Village Garden Club Member

Monday 22nd February 2-30pm  ‘Establishing & Maintaining  A Wildflower Area’ a talk from John Chambers, Wildflowers, Knaresborough.

For each of these talks do log in about 15 mins before and join the Waiting Room , if you need any Zoom help/training please contact the Tendershoots Garden Club Network as Indy the Barlaston Chair is proposing to run a session at the beginning of February.

Members and friends should have received an email or letter with all the details. We will send out a full list for March later in February but do put March 11th in your very busy diary as Dr. Andrew Ward from Norwell Nurseries  will be the speaker.

We hope to ‘see’ some of you at these meetings and are looking forward to the time when we may be able to meet safely in person.

In the meantime – here’s a photo of Helen’s Hamamelis ‘Wisley Supreme’

Our January meeting will be held this coming Thursday January 14th. This will be via Zoom with the Tender Shoots Gardening Clubs Network.

Our speaker is Darren Rudge with a talk entitled Gardening on a Budget – Teabags, Bras and Tights. It promises to be a very entertaining evening and one not to be missed.

Members and friends should have received an email or letter with details for joining in with these meetings. It is very easy and you do not need to install anything on your tablet or computer – you can even join in by phone.

The meeting is due to start at 7.30 but the ‘waiting room’ will open at 7.15 and you should find the opportunity to then move into the our club’s breakout room so you can meet and chat with friends beforehand – each club has its own ‘room’.

If you are not a club member or friend but would like to attend then please contact the Tender Shoots Network or Indy at Barlaston Village Garden Club for details on how to join the meeting.

On Wednesday January 20th at 7.30 we have the opportunity to join in with another Tender Shoots Zoom talk – this will be given by Simon Gulliver from the National Trust on The Secret Life of Trees.

For the foreseeable future our meetings will be held online via Zoom. You do not have to install this on your computer or tablet – you can join in a meeting directly via the internet. You can also enjoy a sound-only meeting if you have no computer by using your phone and dialling in to the meeting.

We will be joining with Barlaston Village Garden Club and other local groups under the joint title of:-

        Tender Shoots Garden Club Network       www.facebook.com/tsgcn1

(Here we must add our thanks to Indy, Chairman of the Barlaston Garden Club, for setting all this up and organising it.)

Wednesday 6th January at 7-30pm will be a Barlaston Club meeting with the chance for you to join and try out Zoom and ask any questions you may have.

To join the Zoom meetings, please contact Indy via the Tender Shoots Facebook page or the Barlaston Village Garden Club website.

Future dates for your diary:-

Thursday 14th January at 7-30pm         “Gardening on a Budget – Teabags, Bras and Tights”.

                                                                    Speaker   Darren Rudge

Wednesday 20th January at 7-30 pm    “The Secret Life of Trees”

                                                                    Speaker  Simon Gulliver — National Trust.

Wednesday 3rd February at 7-30pm       “Snowdrops and Winter/Spring Bulbs”

                                                                     Speaker    Jim Almond

Wednesday 17th February at 7-30pm     “The Story Behind David Austin Roses”

                                                                    Speaker    Jo Bird

We hope you will join in with this network of clubs and enjoy linking up with like-minded gardeners.

Please contact Indy for any help or advice on joining the Zoom meetings via tsgc@outlook.com.

Members and Friends will all be sent details of future events but do keep up-to date with Stone C & D  via our website.

Tier 4 isn’t the best way to start 2021 but here’s saying a big thank you to all the NHS, care workers, and other essential workers who have kept everything going – and an equally big thank you to the researchers who have managed to produce vaccines that work. Hopefully this coming year will see us (eventually) return to some form of normality.

In the meantime let us celebrate our gardens, the joy and solace they brought over the difficult months of last year and the hope they bring for this year

On the final day of December – and this awful year – most of the gardens are still buried under the snow but a few more evergreen and variegated little shrubs are peeping through

When everything is covered in snow, or is just brown and twiggy, we shouldn’t forget our evergreen shrubs when thinking about colour in our winter gardens. These ones are (once again) to be found in Stonefield Park – and taken before the recent snow.

It’s still snowing but these two little plants are managing to keep their heads up high (for now)

Sorry, forgot yesterday’s post which was this little rock plant – it has been flowering on and off all year round

Today’s garden colour is hidden under a blanket of snow

Nandina domestica ‘Firepower’ is really showing off at this time of year

Oh: the Holly and the Ivy . . .

With our very best wishes this Christmas.