Quick edit – the weather was against us, the sun didn’t stay long and the rain soon reappeared so we are extending the challenge for the rest of December. Venture out in between the showers/downpours and snap a photo or two for our photo gallery. You can see some are there already.
The sun has appeared and it isn’t raining (briefly?) so grab your phone/camera and venture outside to take part in the photo challenge – a photo taken today (December 28th) of something in flower. it doesn’t have to be in your garden, or indeed a garden flower. Send them to us (email address in the sidebar) and we will add them to our photo gallery.
Here’s a couple taken earlier from the dry – leaning out of the patio door and using the zoom feature on the phone
You too could stay dry and snap a quick shot of your violas or primulas in patio or balcony pots. We’re not looking for fabulous photos (though that would be nice) – quick snapshots like these are fine! There are more starting to appear on the Photo Gallery page.
A quick reminder that the January meeting is via Zoom on Thursday Jan 11th at 7.15 for a 7.30 start when Sally Gregson will talk about Hydrangeas.
Our December meeting is in the afternoon (don’t forget!) at 2pm on Thursday 14th – tea/coffee and mince pies with entertainment provided by a choir from Oulton Primary School. You will need a ticket for this (free) event so Helen knows how many mince pies to order. If you didn’t collect a ticket at the November meeting then give Dawn a ring to order one – her number is on the front of your membership card/programme. NB – while our meeting is free don’t forget you will need to pay for parking at the daytime rate.
We try to have a little bit of a photo competition at this time of year – just for fun, no prizes – and this year we are asking that you take a photo of something flowering on December 28th. It needn’t be in your garden; it could be a garden you are visiting or a neighbour’s garden, or wherever you happen to be, it might even be a ‘weed’ at the motorway service station on the way somewhere! Send your photos to Chris at our email address with perhaps a brief note of what and where and we will have a montage of a photos here on January 1st.
We’re hoping we see these
and not this!
Our January meeting will be via Zoom so we don’t have to be out and about on a chilly January evening, you can sit in warmth and comfort to listen to Sally Gregson talking about Hydrangeas. This will be held in conjunction with TSGCN. There is no Christmas quiz this year but if you missed George Hargreaves talk on UK Botanic Gardens you can find a link to it on the private members page on the TSGCN website.
In the meantime the Committee would like to send you all our very best wishes for Christmas and the New Year. We hope you will continue to support us and look forward to meeting up again in person from February onwards.
Our next meeting will be held on Thursday November 9th when Sue Clarke will talk about Hardy Geraniums -The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Sue is a well-known expert on everything to do with growing hardy geraniums. She has been growing them for 25 years and has a Plant Heritage National Collection of Geranium sylvaticum & renardii. Geraniums can be beautiful but some can also be thugs. Sue will talk about the vast range of geraniums that are available and which are best for different environments.
Please note – our December meeting, on Thursday December 14th at 2pm, is a ticket only event (so we know how many mince pies are needed). Please collect your ticket at the November meeting.
Before that however we have two Zoom talks from TSGCN – on Thursday October 26th Timothy Walker (formerly of Oxford Botanic Gardens) will give a talk titled Bordering on Insanity (creating an all-year-round border) and on Wednesday November 9thAndrew Mikolayski will ask Do Your Roots need Doing? Good root growth is essential for healthy and productive plants. How can you be sure your plants are performing well under ground when you can’t even see them? Full details of these talks and how to join them are on the Tender Shoots Garden Club Network website.
If you need to make plans for the New Year our January meeting on the 11th is via Zoom and TSGCN when Sally Gregson from Mill Cottage in Somerset will tell us about Hydrangeas.
February is our AGM at 7pm followed by a talk at 7.30 from Jeff Bates about the Royal Gardens, Windsor. Details of all our meetings are on the Programme page.
Remember to keep an eye on your emails (and check the spam folder) especially through the winter months for changes to venue and programme in case the weather causes disruption to our plans.
Our next meeting is on Thursday October 14th at the Christ Church Centre in Stone when Ken Black will give a talk: Clematis – For All Year Round Colour. Our meeting starts at 7.30 with coffee/tea available beforehand. All are welcome, just £1.50 payable at the door.
Ken Black has been growing clematis for more than 30 years. He says he tries to make the whole evening as interactive and enjoyable as possible with a talk about the different varieties of clematis followed by practical demonstrations. He grows many clematis from seeds and cuttings and, if there are spare plants, there will be some for sale.
Before then however there is our bus trip to RHS Bridgewater on September 28th – if you have a place booked you should have an email about it before then, if Helen can get her computer to cooperate! Otherwise its 9.30 from the carpark at the Stone House Hotel.
And even before that, on Monday September 25th is a TSGCN talk via Zoom on Climate Change and its Effect on our Gardens by Lucy Hartley. Full details are on the Tender Shoots website.
Back to Clematis – they are such versatile plants that we can all find space for at least one – whether its a C. montana taking over a holly tree (intentional, or otherwise), or more showy ones scrambling through the border (possibly not intentional either) or brightening up a fence.
I’m sure that following Ken’s talk we will all be scrambling to acquire another clematis or two.
Our first meeting after the summer break is on Thursday 14th September when Alun and Jill Whitehead of Aulden Farm near Leominster will tell us about their favourite Cornish Gardens in a talk entitled Pasties and Tin Mines. Full details are on our Programme Page.
Our trip to RHS Bridgewater on September 28th is fully booked, you could ask to go on the waiting list in case of any last-minute cancellations. Those already booked should be getting details soon.
We have had an email about the Eccleshall Show to be held on September 2nd at Sugnall. The Horticultural and Craft Section have an award that was presented by the Stone Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society a number of years ago – for the best exhibit of chrysanthemums or dahlias. So they thought they would contact us to see if any members would be interested in entering any of the open flower (or other) classes at the Show this year. The schedules and entry forms can be found on the Show website.
There are still a few Plant Hunters Fairs being held (more or less) locally before our next meeting – Bodenham Arboretum on Sept 2nd, Ness Botanic Gardens on the 3rd and at Weston Park on the 10th. Full details on their website.
We have no meeting in August but there is still plenty to do and see before our September meeting on September 14th when we have a talk entitled Pasties and Tin Mines – Alun and Jill Whitehead of Aulden Farm take us around some of their favourite Cornish gardens.
During August there are at least four Plant Hunters Fairs not too far from here –
Wednesday August 2nd at Cholmondeley Castle, Malpas SY14 8AH
Sunday August 13th at Capesthorne Hall, Macclesfield SK11 9JY
Sunday August 20th at Carsington Water, Ashbourne DE6 1ST
and finally, really close to home, on Bank Holiday Weekend Sunday August 27 and Monday August 28 at the Dorothy Clive Garden.
Should you happen to be in Devon in August the RHS Rosemoor Flower Show is on from August 18 – 20 – more details on the RHS website.
In September, before our meeting there are three Plant Hunters Fairs
September 10th Weston Park but you will need to book a ticket in advance for this one.
Full details of costs and opening times are on the websites – just click on the links above. There have plenty of other plant fairs and shows up and down the country so if you are on holiday its worth looking to see if one coincides with your visit.
Apart from plant fairs there will be lots of gardens open under the NGS scheme both locally and further afield – again details on their website, just click on the link above or download their app onto your smart phone.
September 2nd – 3rdAulden Farm (near Leominster, Herefordshire) will also be open (under the NGS) this weekend.
For other garden-related trips have a look at some of the websites on our Useful Links page.
Our July meeting on Thursday July 13th is a talk from Robin Pearce called Crazy Daisies – exploring the world of ‘daisy-like’ flowers. Robin is a retired nurseryman. He continues to grow very wide range of hardy plants, with a special interest in Dahlia, Hosta, Hemerocallis, Pulmonaria, and Galanthus, as well as woodland plants, ornamental grasses and hardy ferns. Robin is the former chair of the RHS Herbaceous Plant Committee, RHS Floral Judge, Exhibitor, Judge and Speaker. It sounds like a very informative evening awaits.
We have no meeting in August but there is still plenty to do and see before our September meeting.
Sunday July 2nd there is a Plant Hunters Fair at Whittington Castle near Oswestry SY11 4DF from 10 – 4. Free entry but pay and display car park.
Saturday and Sunday July 8th & 9th 11am to 5pm. Everybody will be warmly welcomed to Cannock Wood and Gentleshaw Open Gardens Weekend. 13 gardens, a very varied mix of sizes and styles to enjoy with refreshments in some gardens. Several have wonderful views and some are partially accessible by wheelchair users. Entry by programme (£5 for each adult) available on those days only at the Village Hall, Buds Road, WS15 4NB, free parking & plant stall. Please see www.opengarden.co.uk/ID1827 or www.cwggc.co.uk/events”
Sunday July 9th brings a Rare Plant Fair to Winterbourne House and Gardens in Birmingham
The RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival is on from July 4 – 9, should you find yourselves down that way, and the RHS Show at Tatton Park (a little closer to home) is July 19 – 23. More details on the RHS website.
Moving on to August there are at least four Plant Hunters Fairs not too far from here –
Wednesday August 2nd at Cholmondeley Castle, Malpas SY14 8AH
Sunday August 13th at Capesthorne Hall, Macclesfield SK11 9JY
Sunday August 20th at Carsington Water, Ashbourne DE6 1ST
and finally, really close to home, on Bank Holiday Weekend Sunday August 27 and Monday August 28 at the Dorothy Clive Garden.
Should you happen to be Devon in August the RHS Rosemoor Flower Show is on from August 18 – 20 – again, more details on the RHS website.
Full details of costs and opening times are on the websites – just click on the links above. There have plenty of other plant fairs and shows up and down the country so if you are on holiday its worth looking to see if one coincides with your visit.
Apart from plant fairs there will be lots of gardens open under the NGS scheme both locally and further afield – again details on their website, just click on the link above or download their app onto your smart phone.
For other garden-related trips have a look at some of the websites on our Useful Links page.
Summer is (nearly) here and earlier hard work in the garden is starting to pay off. Take a break from weeding on June 8th for our monthly talk at the ChristChurch Centre at 7.30 when Samantha Hope from Hopes Garden Plants will tell us about Plants with a Story as she shares 25 of the most interesting she has come across so far – from where they were collected, how they are pollinated to folk law and old wives tales.
Our bus trip to Coton Manor at the end of May was a great success and you can find more photos over on our Photo Gallery page.
Lots of gardens are open under the NGS scheme this month – collect a booklet at our monthly meetings or look on their website for details. If you download the NGS app onto your smart phone you can find gardens that are open wherever you may be when you go on holiday.
There are also plenty of places holding Open Gardens events this month such as the one in Eccleshall on Saturday 17th – Sunday 18th. Barlaston are also hoping to organise one later this year – see their website for details. There are many other towns and villages holding Open Gardens weekends in Staffordshire listed on the website and as we are close to Derbyshire, Cheshire and Shropshire it is worth searching those counties too..
We are blessed with lots of beautiful gardens locally that we can visit such as Trentham Gardens (pictured), the Dorothy Clive Gardens, Shugborough, Weston Park, Dunham Massey, Chatsworth, Cholmondeley Castle and Gardens, Kedleston Hall near Derby and Lea Gardens near Matlock; not to mention RHS Bridgwater.
We have two local Plant Hunters Fairs coming up this month – Saturday 10th – Sunday 11th at Hodnet Hall and Saturday June 17th at Sugnall Walled Garden (two more great gardens to visit!).
Will there be time for gardening (or even just sitting in the garden) with all this going on??
First of all a big Thank You to all who supported our Plant Sale, whether helping or buying, as thanks to your efforts it was a great success and we had sold most of the plants by 12.30.
Our next monthly meeting is this Thursday May 11th when Maureen Sayers will be telling us why Foliage Matters. Maureen Sayer is a gardener and practising artist and designer who divides her time between the development of the garden at Southlands, the garden design and consultation service she offers and her own work which she exhibits in galleries and craft shops. In the past she was a senior lecturer in art and design. She is a member of the National Executive Committee of the Cottage Garden Society and a listed RHS speaker.
Our next trip is also this month – Thursday May 25th – when we will be visiting Coton Manor Garden in Northamptonshire. There are still a few places left so contact us via our email if you want to go.
There are several Plant Hunter Fairs coming up this month – Saturday 13th in Shrewsbury; Sunday 14th Capesthorne Hall’ Saturday 27th Carsington Water and Monday 19th Arley Arboretum in Worcestershire. See their website for full details.
Stone Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society 