Stone Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society

Incorporating The Gardening Club


by Leave a comment

December garden colour

Our meeting this month should have been about December Flower Arrangements (not to mention the afternoon tea) but events are still conspiring against us. We thought instead we would try, with members’ help, to have at least one picture each day of a something providing a little colour in our December gardens – whether its flowers, leaves, berries or ornaments/pots. So, Garden Club Members – this is your challenge. You have our email address for photos. You rose to the Virtual Flower Show Challenge a couple of months ago. Can you rise to this one too?

As a starter here is a mallow still clinging on in Chris’s garden.

Photos will also be appearing on our Instagram feed (stone_candd_garden_club) too.


by Leave a comment

Autumn

Somehow it is November already – and we have a lockdown looming before the end of the week. Normally at this time of year we would have been tidying our sheds and putting surplus tools and equipment to one side for the annual Gardenalia Sale at our November meeting. This year, however, things are a little different!

But that’s no excuse for not tidying the shed. If its anything like ours it is probably in need of a good sort out and a sweep. Its really quite surprising how roomy the shed can be once things start to be put away and tidied up so you can see some floor. What’s more it is excellent (and socially distanced!) exercise even when its pouring with raining and there’s a gale howling around outside. And if it is pouring with rain at least you find out whether the roof felt needs replacing!

So in the lonely weeks ahead let us tidy our sheds, sort out and clean the greenhouse, and make the most of our gardens – we know it makes sense. Wrap up warm and get some fresh air – move the plants that will need frost protection into the greenhouse; keep deadheading the still blooming plants (Cosmos, Penstemon, Dahlia . . .) for as long as possible; cut the grass if it is dry and growing; make some space ready to dry and store any Dahlia tubers that will need lifting; and its not too late to take cuttings of those tender plants such as some Salvias or ones you want to have more of in the garden.

And don’t forget to collect seeds ready for next year’s planting.


by Leave a comment

Virtual Show – the Grand Finale

Among the many photos received for the Virtual Show this last week have been quite a few taken at other times of the year so we thought as the final part of the Show we could have a round-up of this (very peculiar) year so far.

We start with January through to April

  • January
  • February
  • April

Then May

  • May
  • May
  • May
  • May
  • May
  • May

June

  • June
  • June
  • June
  • June

July

  • July
  • July
  • July
  • July
  • July
  • July

and finally August

  • August
  • August
  • August
  • August
  • August
  • August
  • August
  • August

We hope you have enjoyed this peek at members’ gardens and flowers over the last week. We have missed being able to meet up every month and our chats about our gardens over a cup of something after our speaker has finished for the evening – and we’ve really missed hearing all those inspirational and informative talks. This looks likely to continue well into next year as well, sadly. In the meantime we will try to keep the blog going with as many photos, hints, tips and links as we can find as it is one way to stay in touch with each other until something approaching ‘normal life’ can resume.


by Leave a comment

Virtual Show Part 5

After a flurry of late entries we are able to bring you lots of flowers from our gardens today – all the photos taken in the last ten days or so.

  • OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
  • OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

plus a few more

and even more . .

and finally Fiona sent us this photo with a note – “I know this one isn’t exactly flowers in my garden, but I got it into Garden News and members might be interested? I’ve raised over £1000 now for Little Hearts Matter (LHM.org) at the garden gate”.

Congratulations to Fiona – and “well done” to all the members who have managed to get photos here on time.

As a finale to our Show tomorrow’s slides will feature those photos taken at other times of the year – gardens and flowers.


by Leave a comment

Virtual Flower Show Part 4

Its not only flowers providing colour and interest at this time of year. We are harvesting fruits and the berries and seed-heads of other plants are attracting a variety of birds as well providing a bit of movement and brightness in the borders.

  • apples
  • Cotoneaster horizontalis
  • Eryngium
  • apples
  • figs
  • Himalayan Honeysuckle
  • Japanese Quince
  • Clematis
  • pear
  • Stipa tenuissima
  • step-over apples
  • rose hips
  • fennel seeds
  • cotoneaster (small-leaved)
  • elderberries (Sambucus nigra)
  • cotoneaster (large-leaved)
  • medlar
  • poppy seed head
  • teasel
  • Thalictrum seed head
  • Viburnum opulus

We’ll be back tomorrow with more flowers from our September gardens.


by Leave a comment

Virtual Flower Show

This is the first installment of this week’s Virtual Flower (and Garden) Show from the Garden Club of the Stone Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society. As we said in our last post – this is being held due to the cancellation of the Society’s Annual Show

We thought we would start the week with some flowers from our gardens in the last few days. Sit back and enjoy the show . . .

More pictures tomorrow . . .


by Leave a comment

September

Today (19th) should have been the 34th Annual Show of the Stone Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society.

Sadly it had to be cancelled so instead we asked our Garden Club members to go out into their gardens during the last week to take photos.

Starting on Monday we will be presenting our Virtual Garden and Flower Show here – featuring not just chrysanths and dahlias but all sorts of flowers, fruits, berries and seedheads that have provided colour in the gardens recently.

Hopefully things will be back to ‘normal’ by next September and we will be able to hold our Annual Show again, but in the meantime we hope you enjoy this peek into our gardens over the next few days.