The first week of May is National Gardening Week so from the 2nd – 8th there are all sorts of events happening across the UK – including our ANNUAL PLANT SALE on Saturday May 7th – St Michael’s Community Hall, Lichfield Street from 9.30am – 1.30 pm. You can find out what else is happening and how to join in with events – especially on May 2nd which is National Gardening Day – details are on the RHS website.

Our May meeting is on Thursday May 12th starting at 7.30pm at Christ Church Centre when Diana Clement will discuss a Garden for all Seasons, details on our Programme page.

Plant Hunters Fairs are holding fairs (fairly) locally every weekend. You will find full details on their website but briefly on Sunday- Monday May 1st – 2nd they will be at Weston Park; the following Sunday (May 8th) at Adlington Hall, Cheshire; Sunday May 15th in Leicestershire at the 1680s House, Donnington Le Heath; Sunday May 22nd at Norton Priory, Cheshire; and Saturday May 28th at Carsington Water, Derbyshire. Tickets must be booked in advance.

There will be lots of gardens to visit through the NGS this month as well – you can find details in the Yellow Book (collect your Staffordshire one at our next meeting) or on their website or, even better if you have a smart phone, download their app so you can find out what’s open when you go on holiday.

Look at our Links page for further ideas and places to go.

Although there is still a lot happening in the rest of April, May looks as if it will be just as busy – if not busier.

First of all there is our ANNUAL PLANT SALE being held on Saturday May 7th at St Michael’s Hall, Lichfield Street – full details on our Events page or download a poster.

Our May meeting is on Thursday May 12th starting at 7.30pm at Christ Church Centre when Diana Clement will discuss a Garden for all Seasons, details on our Programme page.

Before we get to May there is a Flower Power Fair at Sandon Hall on April 24th. You will need to book tickets in advance. Following that they have a plant fair at Rode Hall, Scholar Green Cheshire ST7 3QP on Sunday, May 29, 2022 from 11:00 – 4:00pm.

Plant Hunters Fairs are holding fairs (fairly) locally every weekend. You will find full details on their website but briefly on Sunday- Monday May 1st – 2nd they will be at Weston Park; the following Sunday (May 8th) at Adlington Hall, Cheshire; Sunday May 15th in Leicestershire at the 1680s House, Donnington Le Heath; Sunday May 22nd at Norton Priory, Cheshire; and Saturday May 28th at Carsington Water, Derbyshire. Tickets must be booked in advance.

We’ve had a notification of a plant sale in Evesham too – Harrels Hardy Plants are holding a half-price sale at their nursery over the weekend April 30th – May 1st, details on this brochure.

There will be lots of gardens to visit through the NGS this month as well – you can find details in the Yellow Book (collect your Staffordshire one at our next meeting) or on their website or, even better if you have a smart phone, download their app so you can find out what’s open when you go on holiday.

Our April talk, taking place on Thursday April 14th at the Christ Church Centre, is on Japanese Gardens and will be given by Graham Hardman, Honorary Vice-President of the Japanese Garden Society. You can find further details on our Programme page. NB – bring your cheque book with you if you wish to join our new trip on September 15th – details on the Events page.

TSGCN also have a Zoom meeting on Wednesday April 13th at 7.30 when photographer Richard Harvey will talk about Cornish Seascape Gardens. Full details on the TSGCN website.

Also coming up in April are two local Plant Hunters Fairs – the first at Sugnall Walled Garden on April 2nd and the second on Sunday and Monday 17 – 18 April at the Dorothy Clive Garden. There are several others within the Midlands as well – details on their website. Later in the month is a Flower Power Fair at Sandon Hall on April 24th. You need to book tickets in advance except for Sugnall.

There will be lots of gardens to visit through the NGS this month as well – you can find details in the Yellow Book (collect your Staffordshire one at our next meeting) or on their website or, even better if you have a smart phone, download their app so you can find out what’s open when you go on holiday.

Talking of holidays (have you signed up for the Yorkshire trip yet?) this is the month for tulip festivals – just search ‘tulip festival uk’ or have a look at our links page to find more gardens to visit. This photo is from the Pashley Manor (Sussex) tulip festival a few years ago.

Last night (Thursday March 10th) we had an absolutely excellent talk from Colin Hickman of the Hoyland Plant Centre near Barnsley. Colin talked us through how to grow, care for and propagate Agapanthus, Nerines, and Amerines complete with demonstrations – not only was it obvious he knew and was enthusiastic about his subject, but he was able to communicate that as well. Over sixty people came out to attend the talk and with the opportunity to buy plants and bulbs as well – not to mention meeting up with old friends for the first time in two years – we had a very enjoyable evening.

Our two display boards proved popular too with information about our forthcoming holiday to Yorkshire (still a few places remaining) and other events such as the Plant Sale in May as well as a board full of leaflets from local garden centres and nurseries as well as garden to visit – the Staffordshire Yellow Book was also available for collection.

Later in the month on Wednesday March 23rd at 7.30pm you can join a TSGCN talk via Zoom (or You Tube) given by Margaret Easter on Using Herbs over the Centuries. Margaret is author of The Thyme Handbook (2009), International Thymus Register and Checklist (2009) and The Big Book of Thyme (2010). She is also a lecturer, photographer & holds the national collections of Thymus, Hyssopus and Satureja.

There are two Plant Hunters Fairs within relatively easy reach of us this month –

Sunday March 20th at Ness Botanic Gardens, Wirral, Cheshire CH4 4AY from 10 – 4pm

Sunday March 27th at Arley Hall, Northwich, CW9 6NA 10 – 4pm.

Looking forward to the beginning of April they came much closer to home –

Saturday April 2nd at Sugnall Walled Garden, Eccleshall ST21 6NF 10 – 4pm.

Full details of these and forthcoming fairs on their website.

Flower Power Fairs will also be near us this month but also on Sunday March 27th at Holme Pierrreppont Hall, Nottingham, NG12 2LD 11 – 4pm. Details of this and all forthcoming fairs on the website.

Our next meeting at the Christ Church Centre will be a talk on Japanese Gardens given by Graham Hardman – further details on the Programme page. We hope to have the raffle table back by then and our plant sale table too.

March is (almost) here and signs of Spring are appearing in the garden as the first daffodils start to bloom in time for St David’s Day, not only that but we have two talks for you attend and the Plant Fairs start this month.

Our next meeting at the Christ Church Centre will be on Thursday March 10th starting at 7.30pm prompt (note the change of time from previous years!) when Steve Hickman from the Hoyland Plant Centre will be talking about Agapanthus. This will be a practical evening with lots of advice and plants for sale. Do look at Hoyland web site as plants are available to order for collection on the night.

On Wednesday March 23rd at 7.30pm you can join a TSGCN talk via Zoom (or You Tube) given by Margaret Easter on Using Herbs over the Centuries.

There are two Plant Hunters Fairs within relatively easy reach of us this month –

Sunday March 20th at Ness Botanic Gardens, Wirral, Cheshire CH4 4AY from 10 – 4pm

Sunday March 27th at Arley Hall, Northwich, CW9 6NA 10 – 4pm.

Looking forward to the beginning of April they came much closer to home –

Saturday April 2nd at Sugnall Walled Garden, Eccleshall ST21 6NF 10 – 4pm.

Full details of these and forthcoming fairs on their website.

Flower Power Fairs will also be near us this month but also on Sunday March 27th at Holme Pierrreppont Hall, Nottingham, NG12 2LD 11 – 4pm. Details of this and all forthcoming fairs on the website.

We’ve been really pleased with all the photos we’ve received of your gardens and plants over the last two years and even quietly pleased with some of our own efforts. Thank you all and please keep them coming. You can see some of our photos in the Photo Gallery.

But . . . if you want to see really stunning photos, can I suggest you look at the winners in various categories from the latest International Garden Photographer of the Year – they are mind-blowing. You can find these photos on the winners page of the website – scroll down and click on the various categories to see more, and more, and more . .

If you are planning a holiday or a day out this year, selected photos are being exhibited at various venues in the UK and one in Germany – at Kew until March 6th; Cambridge University Botanic Gardens March 15 – May 6; The Dock Museum, Barrow in Furness March 19 –June 15; Wentworth Woodhouse near Rotherham April 30 – June 30 and Herrenhausen Gardens Hanover until April 30^th.

At this point I would usually put a photo. However . . . !

At our next meeting at the Christ Church Centre we have Steve Hickman from Hoyland Plants talking about Agapanthus on Thursday March 10th and then from TSGCN via Zoom on Wednesday March 23rd Margaret Easter will talk about using herbs over the centuries. (alright – a photo, but not plants or garden!) –

We are now holding meetings in the Christ Church Centre again and a full list of all talks for this year is on the Programme page. Members should by now have received their membership forms and other information. We are continuing to support the Tender Shoots Garden Club Network (TSGCN) and those talks are available for members to join in with via Zoom or You Tube as part of your membership fee.

Our AGM will be held on Thursday February 10th at 7pm for members only. Coffee will be served from 6.15, giving time for collection of membership cards and a quick chat. Following the AGM Indy, founder of TSGCN, will talk about the Network and how to access the talks. Please note that the room will be well-ventilated – in other words the windows and doors will be open so make sure you wrap up well! We also ask that you wear your mask and use the hand sanitiser provided by the Centre.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, February 9th at 3pm Jeff Bates will give a talk on Water Gardens and Water Features for TSGCN via Zoom.

What is flowering (or providing some colour) in your garden at the moment? Becky has sent a few photos of the “scruffy flowers” in her garden –

Send us your photos too and have them featured here and in our Photo Gallery.

Our next Zoom talk via TSGCN is on Tuesday January 25th at 7.30 pm when Andrew and Amy Skea from Potato House will tell us all about potatoes and varieties.

Quick update – the afternoon talk from TSGCN via Zoom today,Wednesday the 12th January, at 3pm arranged by Evesham G&C has a change of speaker and topic.

The talk will now be given by Richard Barnes, who’s worked as a Landscape Architect and Garden Designer for more than 30 years.   A published writer and photographer, he is a member of the Professional Garden Photographers Association and of the Garden Media Guild.
Richards talk is entitled ’50 Favourites’  illustrating 50 different plants, ranging from alpines to large trees, the usual and unusual, looking at what makes them a favourite of his, their uses in the garden, requirements for good growth and, hopefully, providing inspiration to try a plant that you might not have considered before.

There are some plants that provide colour all year round – the ‘evergreens’. These really stand out at this time of year when everything else can seem a little drab. Some are just ‘green’ like the fern, or the laurel acting as a backdrop to the grass.

Others are variegated and can add a real splash of colour to dark corners.

A few have new shoots waiting to emerge that are a slightly different colour – the yellow of new growth on the yew or the violet tips of the Hebe.

Some change colour in the winter, becoming red like the Leucotho or the Star Jasmine while others have colour that intensifies over the winter like the Nandina.

Others like the almost black Ophiopogon take a blue-ish hue in the low winter sun.

Have a good look around your garden this month – you might be surprised by how much colour there is.

In the meantime don’t forget there is a TSGCN talk (via Zoom) at 3pm on Wednesday Jan 12th on the Gardens of Capability Brown – details on our Programme page or the Programme page of the TSGCN website.