Bexrose Bulletin

APRIL 2005

Published by the Bexleyheath & District Rose Society.

Patron:-                                        Dr. David G. Hessayon

President:-                                   Mr. F.H. Boardman

Vice President:-                          Mr. W. Skinner

Chairman:-                                   Mr. S. Burch

Vice Chairman:-                          Mr. B. Rainsbury

Hon. Secretary:-                         Mrs. J.Newton

Hon Treasurer:-                          Mrs. Z.Neale

Show Secretary:-                        Mr. A. Neale

Membership Secretary:-            Mrs. M. Cornell

Miss V. Rochester          

Other Committee members:-     Mr. R. Jones, Mr. R. Pulling, Mrs. D. Carr, Mrs. D. Lemon,  Mrs. J. Dyer.

Web Site:-                                    http://home.btconnect.com/cadoss/bexrose

Email:-                                           cadoss@btconnect.com

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Next Meeting   Tuesday 26th April 2005  The Bert Powell Memorial Lecture

As usual we meet at St John Parish Hall, Thanet Road, Bexley. The hall will be open from 7-15pm and the meeting starts at 8pm until 10 pm with a break at 9pm for refreshments and a chat after which Ron will draw the raffle. Please do try and buy a strip of raffle tickets as this helps pay for the hall. There will be trading items at 1/2 price at the back of the hall and the  magazines will be for sale in aid of Prickles.

Our speaker this month will be Sue Hartfree who spoke to us last year on plants for difficult places. Her talk this time will be "Propagation on a shoe string." Sue always gives a very interesting and lively talk and I am sure she will bring some plants for members to buy. There will be a Floral Art table show this month, all proceeds go to Prickles. The subject will be "A basket of spring flowers". Do try and enter and practice for the summer show. 

Obituaries

We were sorry to hear that member Mrs. Shephard of Dartford died in December, our condolences to her family.

Our condolences go to Mr. Les Croucher on the death of his mother Mrs. M. Croucher who was 95. Both have been society members for many years.

Tombola

Don't forget we need your unusable gifts for our stall at the Summer Show. Pass them to any Committee member.

Summer Show

We are starting to organise the workforce for the summer show. If any members would like to help either in the setting up on Friday evening or helping out on a stall, the door or refreshments on the day please contact the Secretary or Show Secretary. Even if you can only spare a couple of hours it would give someone else a break.

Holidays 2005

If you have booked a place on any of the holidays for this year apart from Jersey could you now sent a deposit of £25 per person per holiday to Vanessa.

Day Trip to Tenterden

The coach leaves Townley Road Library at 9 am. You may leave your car in Oaklands Road car park for free on Sundays.

Dates for your Diary

12th & 13th April       RHS Spring Flower Show Lawrence and Lindley Halls, Vincent Square Westminster

22nd -24th April         RHS Spring Show, Cardiff

13th - 15th May          Malvern Spring Show, 3 Counties Show Ground, Malvern

24th - 28th May          Chelsea Flower Show, Royal Hospital, Chelsea.

15th -- 19th June        BBC Gardeners World Live, NEC Birmingham.

18th June                   Bexrose Summer Show, BB Centre, Bexleyheath, Kent.

25th - 26th June          RNRS National Summer Show, Squires Garden Centre, Shepperton.

2nd & 3rd July            RNRS National Northern Show, Daisy Nook Garden Centre, Failsworth, Manchester.

5th - 10th July,            Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.

For the full list of dates up to November and ticket hotlines see website or ring Secretary.

The Rose Growers Calendar,   By Kind permission of Don Charlton.

April

1.   Keep beds tidy, thin out excess shoots from base and stems of rose bushes.

2.   Look for any signs of die back and cut back stems to good wood.

3.   Keep a look out for the first signs of insect buildup and spray only if necessary.

Gardening jobs for April

You should have potted on your plug plants that you bought from the Society by now and store then in a light, frost free area to grow on, watering occasionally but don't overwater or they will die off. Now is the time to start working on your lawn. Give it a medium length cut, wait a few days for the blades to repair and then apply your summer feed and weed killer as per manufacturers instructions. The next three cuts should  not be composted but disposed of at the council tip where they will be treated at a much higher temperature than you can achieve in your compost bin. Give the lawns a good rake to get out all the dead moss. If you are left with large bare patches you can sow grass seed, covering with a light dusting of topsoil to stop the birds having a good meal.  If we have a dry spell water the grass occasionally. Plant out your tomatoes under glass, make soft wood cuttings, nip out the tops of your Fuchsias and pot up. Spray fruit, plant and sow vegetables. Sow your hardy annuals in the soil and plant your summer bulbs. Thin out hardy border plants and pass on the excess to your friends. Cut back your Penstamens.

Ellenor Hospice Open Gardens Scheme

Sunday 24th April     Windy Corner, Dartford Road, Bexley Kent.

Sunday 15th May      The Willows, Lullingstone Park, Eynsford, Kent.

All gardens are open from 2pm to 5pm with a standard admission charge of £2

Greenwich and Bexley Cottage Hospice Open Gardens Scheme

Sunday May 15th       2, 4  & 6  West Heath Road, Bexleyheath, Kent.  Bus route 99 422 B11

Sunday 22nd              May Hospice Garden Festival, Bostal Heath Playing Fields opposite Hospice.

1pm to 5pm. Entry and parking free.  Bus route 99 B11

Lots of items for you to buy for your garden. Plants, shrubs, hanging baskets, garden ornaments, sheds and compost. Bring the children there is plenty for them to do in Activity Corner. Pat-a-Pet, Go Carts, Paint a Pot, Bouncy Castles. There is also live entertainment throughout the afternoon, Refreshment, and ice creams. Don't miss this good fun afternoon out.

Westminster Cathedral Flower Festival

Westminster Cathedral will be holding a flower festival in aid of childrens charities on 11th -14th May.

If you visit during the morning the cost is about £12 but the afternoon session from 2pm -6pm

costs £7-50. The numbers to ring to book tickets are 0207 931 6028 or 01638 500 577. Jane Dyer informs me that it is well worth a visit and only happens once every 10 years.

Gardens in the Sky

Considering that New York is such a busy city and is so built up, the inhabitants are to be congratulated on the little havens of peace they have created in their neighbourhoods. As we have heard before in  the Bulletin any spare plot of land is taken over as a community project garden where flowers and veg are grown and community activities such as Barbees, poetry readings and general get togethers are held in the tenement canyons. 

It seems that the more wealthy inhabitants are hankering after a garden of their own too and there is now a booming industry in roof top gardens. If a swanky apartment block has a flat roof and structural engineers approve the weight load, money seems to be no object. Several roof top landscape companies have sprung up in the last few years and are doing a roaring trade. A small balcony can cost as much as £5,000 while a large garden will set you back about £60,000, and one garden which includes a swimming pool cost about £200,000.  One company import 50% of the plants for their clients gardens in containers loads from Florida every year.  New York summers are very hot and humid, just right for Florida plants but the winters can be very cold with heavy snow falls which kill off tender plants so these have to be replaced each year. This may seem like an extravagant way to garden and  is certainly not for the faint hearted or those with shallow pockets.  

The first rule when working for a new client is, find out if  all the materials will reach the site. There is nothing worse than having hauled everything, including paving slabs, statues and fountains up stairs and in and out of tiny elevators all by hand to find you can't make the last 10 feet. One firm says it collects $2000 worth of parking fines each month. Another problem is leakage, and although rubber membranes are put in place the gardeners only give them a shelf life of about 15years. The larger plants and trees can be repotted and root pruned every 5 years but everything else needs to be removed and repaired. Regular maintenance can be expensive too with some clients paying up to £3000 per month, but these companies will look after your indoor plants and flowers too and if you are throwing that swanky party where anyone who is anybody will turn up they will do the decorations for you and at Christmas time dress your tree in traditional or themed style.

Beautiful Acer's can be found rubbing shoulders with tubs of Bamboo and Agapanthas. Rhododendrons and Azaleas are favourites as they grow well in tubs too. There are plenty of brightly coloured bedding plants and I defy a snail to reach the Hostas on the 42nd floor. One cannot blame the rich and famous for wanting a little bit of nature outside their Penthouse patio doors but it is a pity that so much money goes into a project that gives pleasure to so few and they are probably guzzling down champagne by the bucket full as they do it and not getting the real benefit like the plebs on the lower east side do from their little gardens.

Trip to Jersey

The trip to Jersey has had to be put forward by 1 day to Wednesday 25th May returning on Monday

30th May. This is due to the Ferry Company Condor not starting their summer schedule until the following week although 1/2 term is the last week in May together with the bank holiday. At the time of making our provisional booking they told us that a ferry would be going from Poole on the 26th May when in fact it will be going from Weymouth at 8am which is impossible for us to catch. The Poole ferry leaves at 4-10 pm on the 25th May and we have booked on that so we will hopefully have a leisurely journey down to Dorset. Would all members that are going on this trip please check that their insurance covers the Channel Islands. Annual world wide cover policies will be OK but if you are taking out a single trip insurance check that the Channel Islands are included.

We require your final payment for this trip no later than 22nd April 2005. £355 per person if sharing and £435 per person if single occupancy, (this allows for the £25 deposit already paid.) If you gave us a deposit of £50 per person Vanessa has advised you of the correct amount to pay. Please make your cheque payable to Bexleyheath & District Rose Society and send to either Miss Vanessa Rochester or Mrs. Janet Newton (addresses on top of Bulletin)

A newsletter detailing this trip will be coming to you shortly.

E111 - I am told by my local Post office counter staff that an E111 is not required for the Channel Islands but if you have a current one you might as well take it. I have found out a little more about the changes to this form. During 2005 the E111 will be replaced by the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) If you intend to travel to other European states at some time in the future but not necessarily this year you should still obtain an E111 form from your Post Office, fill it in and return it. You will then be sent the new card automatically when they are issued. You then only have to fill in another form if you change your address.  

Secretary's Report on the March Meeting

March is always our Spring Show which means our old friend John Hughes pays us a visit to judge our entries. It was a very well attended meeting with lots of members entering their prize plants and flowers to make a really sunny show. The Daffodils were of very good quality but as spring has been later arriving this year the Tulips were very thin on the ground. There were some very good vases of Hellebores of all shades and the Camellias seem to be exceptional this year. Several new members showed for the first time and were to be commended for their efforts. Mr. Stone won the cup this year, taking over from his wife Margaret who was unable to attend. Jean Rider was joint second with Galinda Sothey. Well done to every one who took part. John spent the second half of the evening commenting on the entries and giving advice on how to stage entries better next time, though I expect we will all have forgotten what he said by next year. 

Our guest speaker for the first half of our meeting was Debbie Marchese, Area Representative for Guide Dogs for the Blind. She came along with Karine the puppy she is training at present, her 12th. Karine is a black curly haired Labrador  Setter cross and sat very patiently while Debbie told us all about her work which is entirely voluntary. Guide Dogs for the Blind was set up in 1931 and is now the envy of the world. Often their breeding dogs go overseas to help establish good breeding stock in other countries. There are usually about 1000 puppies being trained at any one time and there are usually also about 1000 retired dogs who are rehomed or if they are in need of continual medical care are kept in a retirement centre. The working dogs number about 6000 and you don't have to be totally blind to have one. Many eye diseases restrict vision and a dog is a big help to these people also, to help them carry on working and living an normal life. Each dog costs the owner an initial payment of 50p which is to make the contract legally binding. Thereafter the Association pay all vets bills, and all food bills. The dogs eat a special dry food mix which is given to the owners each month. It is reckoned that a dog will cost the Association £37,000 over its working life. Guide Dogs don't take in dogs for training like the Police or Armed Forces they breed their own  from well proven breeding bitches and dogs so they rarely get a failure. One puppy recently would not lift its head up but continually sniffed the ground, this was passed on to Customs and Excise and has proved to be an excellent sniffer dog.

Training starts at about 3 months old when the puppy just learns to walk in various environments. As they learn to cope with one situation another is added, street walking, shopping centres and supermarkets are tackled. All manner of doors are important, wide ones, narrow ones, revolving and self opening ones, lifts and escalators. They are taught to use public and private transport, to know when it is safe for their owner to cross a road and when to hold them back. Puppies must also learn heights, they must only take their owners where they know there is plenty of head room. Guide dogs can be taken to the park and let off the lead for a good run, they are trained to come to their owner on a whistle with a treat as reward. They are also trained to ignore other dogs and other dogs don't seem to bother them or chase them.  Dogs are about a year old when they are  matched to owners and of course new owners have to be trained to use the dogs. They all say they cannot believe the new lease of life the dog gives them.

Debbie's talk was most interesting and she certainly knew her stuff. She also showed us some gadgets that make life easier for visually impaired people and Karine was still sitting there patiently at the end.  The Society gave Debbie £40 a donation for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Pot grown roses for showing at the Summer Show

This years rose, Day Dream, an orange bloom with a perfume was on sale at this months meeting priced £3-50. There are still some left so if you are interested ring the Secretary, number at the top of the Bulletin. 

Summer Bedding Plants

The order for summer bedding plants has now arrived and hopefully every one that put in an order has collected it from Vanessa. There are some plants left over so if you would like some please ring Vanessa and she can tell you what she has available. There should be Bussy Lizzies, Saphinia's, Geraniums in various colours, and Gazinia's. A selection will be taken up to the meeting in April if there is room in a car.

Spring has Sprung

Snowdrops dropping, Catkins flopping,

Pussy Willow almost purring,

Celandines and daisies stirring,

Trees are greeting, Birds are tweeting,

Grass is growing, Blossom blowing,

Forsythia and Daffodils are golden balm for winter's ills,

All gloom and hibernation past,

Now Spring resurgent, comes at last.