Bexrose Bulletin

May 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

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Next Meeting  Tuesday 24th May 2005

As usual we meet at St Johns Parish Hall, Thanet Road, Bexley. The hall will be open from 7-15pm and the meeting starts at 8pm until 10pm with a break for refreshments at 9 pm. Our speaker this month will be Paul Busbridge from Hawley Garden Centre who will speak to us about the use of chemicals in the garden. This should prove an interesting and useful lecture since the EEC bans came into place, taking familiar items off the shelves and altering the content of many other products.

There will be trading items for sale at the back of the hall, all at very low prices to clear. There will also be the pot grown rose on sale at £3.50 and potted up border plants if you did not order from us in September. There are a limited amount of both so hurry to avoid disappointment. The Floral Art table show this month with all proceeds going to Prickles will be a practice for the Summer Show with a table decoration incorporating a candle. Magazines will also be on sale in aid of Prickles.

Obituaries

We were sorry to hear of the death of Mr. H. Cox of Wilmington. Our sympathies go to his family.

We were also informed of the death of Mr. Richard Lauder. For many years Richard helped Wally Skinner to audit the Society accounts. Our sympathies go to his wife and family.

We were sorry to hear of the death of Chris Hay after a long illness. Chris undertook many tasks for the Society until recently and helped Bert Powell run the trading section. Our sympathies to her family.

Welcome to new members

Miss Sheila Casey, Bexleyheath.

Mrs. Joy Smith, Bexleyheath.

Tombola

Many thanks to members who have given us items for the stall be we are still in need of more to make a good show.

Summer show

Any members who would like to help set up the show on the Friday evening or can give a couple of hours on the Saturday to man a stall or man the door please contact the Secretary.

Calling all ladies who are good at baking cakes. Vanessa would like you to bake a cake and donate it to the refreshment stall. If you can bake more we will re-imburse you.  Please give her a call and let her know what you will make. She will be most grateful as she is unable to do so much herself this year.

Floral Art Table show

1st Mrs. Parnell  62   2nd Lucy Whelpdale  49   3rd Olive Brooks  45   4th Joan Miller  40

Well done to all who took part, it was a lovely show for members to see.  £7-34p was raised for Prickles Hedgehog Haven.

Holidays

If you have booked for The Cotswolds, Hampshire, or Calais would you please send your £25 deposit to either Vanessa or Janet as soon as possible. We have to send a deposit to each of the hotels to secure the rooms. There are still some vacancies on Cotswolds, Hampshire and Calais, ring Vanessa for details of room availability.

Articles for the Bulletin

We know many of you go on some very exotic holidays so why aren't you sharing your experiences with the rest of us.  Maybe you have a favourite recipe you could pass on or have a poem that would raise a smile. You don't have to be a good writer just send us your jottings and we will tweak them for publication.

The Rose Growers Calendar.    By kind permission of Don Charlton

May

1.          Look for excess shoots, die back and blind shoots. Nip out or cut back as necessary.

2.         The first buds should be appearing this month and if you wish to improve the quality rather than the quantity then now is the time
            to consider disbudding. Nip out the centre buds of cluster flowered roses and the side buds of HT roses.

3.         Apply the second application of rose fertiliser and water in if weather is dry.

4.         Look out for insects, it is likely that your first application of insecticide needs to be applied this month. Follow the manufacturers
            instructions fully.

5.          5.        Mildew and Blackspot are just round the corner and it makes life easier by applying fungicide now as a preventative measure rather
            than trying to find a cure later.

6.          6.        The first decent blooms of the season should come around the last half of the month. If you want to cut some for the house then
            cut the stems when the blooms are only about 1/4 open and leave the stems in deep cold water, in the shade, for at least 3 hours
            before arranging them in a vase  indoors.

Dates for your Diary

 24th - 28th May         Chelsea Flower Show

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

18th June                   Bexleyheath & District Rose Society 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

9th & 10th July           RNRS National Show for Miniature Roses, Shugborough, Staffs.

20th -24th July            Tatton Park Flower Show, Tatton Park, Cheshire.

30th & 31st July         Summer Gardening & Enfield & District Fuchsia Show, Capel Manor, Enfield.

5th & 6th Sept            City of London Flower Show, Guildhall, Gresham Street, EC2

Day Trip to Tenterden

Weren't we lucky with the weather, and what a joy to ride down the old country roads, through ancient villages like Goudhurst and Biddenden. Some of us got off the coach at the top of the station approach and made a beeline for the Whistle Stop Cafe for a coffee and a bite to eat. Others stayed on to the station and had lunch in the station buffet. There was plenty to see there with a museum, shop, old tram, carriages  and of course the engines themselves. Those up in the town wandered down the High Street admiring the lovely dress shops that we couldn't get into as they were shut but the antique shops were open and much browsing and a little buying was done before we made our way down to the station for our train ride.

In railway terms we were steam hauled all the way to Bodium station passing reed beds, fields of bright yellow Rapeseed and the Kent Flora bursting into fresh new life. After a short stop at the end of the line we chugged back to Tenterden with a lovely smell of steam trains wafting in through the windows reminding us all of our childhood. Many of us treated ourselves to an ice cream much to the amusement of the lady behind the counter who yelled the orders to a phantom being out back. We waited at the side door and the phantom materialised as a young girl with both hands full of cornets. Quite a giggle and very 1950s.

Back on the coach and we made our way home past the Medway towns and then on to the A2. We saw lots of blossom during the day but not a great deal in orchards, most of these seem to have disappeared now like the hop fields that used to be so plentiful but are now few and far between.

Everyone agreed that it was a lovely, relaxing and most enjoyable day out.

Gardening jobs for May

The busy times have begun in the garden with lots of jobs lining up one after another, all demanding to be done. First and foremost, spray the roses to keep them free from infestation and in good condition for the summer show. Weed the flower beds to keep them tidy and when the bulbs have died back sufficiently, either clear away their leaves or lift them and place in the garage or a dry shed until September. You can also spray your fruit trees and canes and of course there are always shrubs to prune that have got a bit out of hand.  Now is a good time to plant new plants in your pond or divide your water iris or water lilies. Harden off your seedlings or plug plants and these can be planted out in the borders or the vegetable patch towards the end of the month. Nip out the tops of your Fuchsia plants to make them more bushy and pot these up as new cuttings for next year.  Prepare the area for your runner beans. It is not wise to plant them in the same place every year, not always possible in a small garden, dig a deep trench and fill with loads of compost. Sweet peas are a good companion to beans so grow these up the canes as well and you will have a pretty show later in the year. Remove the flower heads from your Rhododendrons and Azaleas, this will prevent seed pods forming and give more buds next year. Weigela can be cut back to non flowering shoots as soon as the flowers have faded. This will restrict the size of the bush, always one to get out of hand. Keep mowing the lawn regularly and rake out any moss you see.

Ellenor Hospice Open Garden Scheme

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

Sunday 5th June        The Cottage, Swanley Village Road, Swanley Village, Kent.

                                     Fern Cottage, Swanley Village Road,

                                     The Old Vicarage, School Lane, Swanley Village.

Sunday 26th June      9B Parrock Road, Gravesend.

                                     58A Parrock Road, Gravesend.

                                     68 South Hill Road, Gravesend.

Gardens open from 2pm to 5pm. Standard admission charge of £2 is irrespective of the number of gardens open, or you may wish to purchase a season ticket for £10  call Dartford 221315. These can also be purchased at the gardens.

Greenwich & Bexley Hospice Open Garden Scheme

Sunday 15th May  2,  4,  & 6             West Heath Road, Bexleyheath, Kent.

Sunday 22nd May                              Hospice Garden Festival, Bostall Heath Playing Fields, Bostall Heath, Abbey Wood.
                                                               Buses 99 or B11     -     Free entry & parking.  Open 1pm to 5pm

Sunday 12th June                               18 Silverdale Road, Bexleyheath.

Sunday 26th June                               19, Warren Road, Bexleyheath.

                                                               2 Warren Road, Bexleyheath.

Gardens open from 2pm to 5pm entry £1

Westminster Cathedral Flower Festival

Westminster Cathedral will be holding a flower festival in aid of children's charities on 11th - 14th May. If you visit during the morning the cost is about £12 but the afternoon session from 2pm to 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.

Another Invader to watch out for!!!

Whilst you are hunting through your undergrowth for the so far illusive multi spotted foreign ladybird do keep an eye out for another insect that has invaded our shores. It is the Rosemary Lavender Beetle which is a native of Southern Europe and North Africa. It measures less than a centimetre long ( you may need to get your magnifying glass out to catch this one) and is coloured purple and green. It has a voracious appetite and can decimate a garden in a matter of days. A major colony has been found in Norwich and could mean disaster for gardeners and commercial growers alike if it is able to spread. The beetle, as its name implies, loves Rosemary and Lavender, but is also quite partial to Sage and Thyme as well. It only lives for a year but the female can produce up to 300 eggs so a colony of 50 could produce 15,000 young which would then give birth to 2.25 million more insects. Alarmingly they appear to have no natural predators in this country.  The John Innes Plant Science Centre in Norwich were brought a specimen for identification by Dr. Ian Bedford who says the beetles enter Britain on imported plants. They first appeared in 1994 but it was thought that they had been killed off.  

The London Wetland Centre

Several members met Alec and Margaret Nunn for a day out to the London Wetland Centre. We had no idea where we were going or if we should have brought our wellies with us but we put implicit trust in Alec and followed him down to the tube taking us to Hammersmith where we changed to a 283 bus which took us right into the Wetland centre. We were met by volunteer Kay Denny and she was our guide for the next 2 hours.  She told us that the centre had been built entirely by volunteers from old redundant reservoirs and was the brainchild of Sir Peter Scott who unfortunately died just after the land was acquired and planning permission given which took about 5 years. It is run by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust which also runs Slimbridge and Arundel and also wetland centres in Scotland and Wales.

After 11 years from conception the area was ready to receive its first birds despite being directly under the flight path to Heathrow. 

The Centre is not only a nesting or resting spot for wild birds, it also has an endangered species breeding programme for birds from all over the world. They are given breeding pairs which have their right flight feathers clipped so they stay on site and then it is hoped that they will eventually have enough breeding pairs to send back to the wild. The programme is successful in most cases but not all.  The site covers 105 acres broken down into various areas to suit all types of birds. There is the World Wetlands where the breeding is carried out, Wildside were you could see frogs and toads, slow worms, water voles, butterflies and moths, dragonfly and 6 types of bat. There are reed beds which were all planted by hand by the volunteers and have to be cut back in rotation to keep them under control. A large Reservoir Lagoon, a Wader Scrape, Grazing Marsh which is flooded at certain times of year, main lake , Sheltered Lagoon and of course plenty of hides for bird watchers. The 3 story hide was paid for by the National Lottery.  There are banks that contain Sandmartin and Kingfisher Hotels but there is not a lot of interest at the moment as these are new additions. We saw some Heron and Buick swans and whistling ducks from India, and also caught a glimpse of a fox wandering about the undergrowth.  The Wader Scrape is a breeding ground for Little Ringed Plover, Godwit, Sandpiper, Ruff and Spotted Redshank. Sedge and Reed Warblers, Bittern and Lapwing all pass through at various times of year as do Gadwall and Shoveler Duck. The local cat wanders in and out at odd times too but is fed by the Volunteers and then likes to curl up on the office chair, this has proved the best way to stop him catching birds and his owner has agreed to the practice. The grassy areas are kept short by borrowing cattle and Dartmoor sheep from the local city farm. 

All the paths are tarmac so we didn't need our wellies after all and there are lots of wooden walkways and bridges to take you over the water areas. About 20,000 children aged from 4 - 18  visit Wetlands every year and there are 3 full time teachers to show them round, there are also lots of hands on things for kids to do such as pond dipping and zoo olympics where they act like a particular bird or animal.

25 paid staff work at the centre and 150 volunteers help out with visitors, in the excellent restaurant and with all the muddy jobs like cleaning out the ponds.  Although I don't know one bird from another really,  I found it most interesting. It is a place where you can go at any time of year and there is always something going on.

Gardening items for disposal

A few bamboo canes  8ft  and  5ft    A few green canes  2ft.

Also a large number of   2 1/2 inch square fibre pots,   3 1/2 inch black plastic pots

Black plastic trays for 3 inch pots.

phone 0208 303 0800  answer phone available.  Donations to Bexleyheath & District Rose Society.

Secretary's report on the April Meeting

We welcomed Sue Hartfree back this month to talk about "Propagation on a shoe string", and she certainly gets the best out of recycling. From envelopes large and small to store seeds, to clothes pegs for layering plants for rooting, polystyrene boxes cadged from the Greengrocers and Fishmongers to store seed pots in and tiny plastic dessert pots to grow seeds in.

 She uses J. Arthur Bowers Seed and Potting Compost and waters the little containers from the bottom with tap water the day before she sows, then all the compost is well moistened. Most seeds will keep for up to 10 years in a cool dry place. Stratification  Seeds from a country with a winter need to be cold before they will start off so pop them on the fridge for a few weeks. When sowing sprinkle them on top of the compost and then lightly cover with Vermiculite. Sue finds that seeds germinate much quicker if they have as much light as possible so she positions her boxes all around the house in hot spots such as by radiators or over central heating pipes that run under the floor. She also uses card from shirt packets or cuts up cereal boxes and covers these with foil and positions them so that the light is reflected onto the tray.  She doesn't use fungicide, if any of the seeds damp off she throws everything in that pot away and starts another one.       

Cuttings  Sue says she usually only takes soft wood cuttings in Spring or August to October. These should be taken either in the morning or the evening when the days is coolest. Take a  poly bag with you and pop the cuttings in it immediately and tie the top to keep the stems moist inside.  The potting mixture should be 50- 50 mix of Moss Peat and Vermiculite, this mixture has no nutrients in it. Put your cuttings in polystyrene containers which have a large hole in the bottom. She says there is no need to use rooting powder, her cuttings always take off well on their own. The roots will grow quickly as they will be searching for food. When they pop out of the hole in the bottom they are ready to be potted on into a good potting compost and then pinch out the top to help the plant to bush out. Clematis cuttings can be taken by cutting the stem so that there is about 2 inches either side of the leaf node. Sit this leaf node on to of the compost and it should root from there.

It was a very interesting evening with lots of useful tips. If anyone would like to know more Sue has set up a web site which she is adding to all the time.  www.hartfreegardendesign.co.uk

A nasty surprise in Japan

On my recent visit to Japan I came across another of the world's plumbing oddities. (Remember the toilets in Monet's Garden with the revolving seat cover, most odd, particularly in France where I had not credited them with great hygiene practices where their toilets were concerned.) On inspecting the bathroom as you do when taking possession of your room  I was intrigued to see that the toilet had a weird panel protruding from its side which had knobs and dials on it. Thankfully the instructions were in English as well as Japanese and it appeared that this was a Toto Toilet/Bidet. Japanese homes are very small and the Japanese are very fastidious about their personal hygiene so the great Toto company have invented a contraption that saves space and does two jobs. On giving the thing a test run, ( not sitting on it I might add) I was able to establish that you could have two heights of spray for the Bidet. I always used the Bidet when I lived in my  house at Crook Log to dump dirty nappies in the middle of the night. They were well soaked by morning and just had to be popped into the washing machine. Apparently that is not the primary use for a Bidet but never mind, it worked for me.

By this time I really needed to use the toilet part of this fascinating invention so, ensuring that the spray was turned off  I sat down and immediately rose again in surprise. The seat was warm!! Apparently the Japanese don't like cold toilet seats. What a bunch of softies!!  OK, I can live with that as long as I know it's going to happen. Sitting down again, water started to run into the toilet pan caused by my weight on the seat.  The Japanese don't like to hear themselves, or have others hear them performing their natural bodily functions. Neurotic as well as softies!! I was all agog as to what would happen when I flushed the thing. Unfortunately the great Toto company let me down, it was just a boring old western type flush. We had great fun with these toilets during our stay.

The public toilets are rather weird and were a bit of a shock to my western sensibilities. For a nation who are very sensitive about toilets in homes and hotels rooms their public ones are pagan to say the least. Our Japanese guide warned the ladies that it was essential to carry some tissues at all times as toilet paper is not often provided. Don't tell me that the scrupulously honest Japanese steal toilet paper!

Some rest rooms in the large cities have both eastern and western style toilets and the western ones have it written on the door, still no toilet paper though! On entering the toilet at Nara station I found no western toilet so had to pluck up all my courage and go eastern. I was faced with a piece of porcelain rather like a men's urinal but set into the floor which you had to try and squat astride to do the deed. A bit dodgy if you have rickety knees. Now I realised why I had seen girls coming out of toilets rolling their trouser legs down, if you are not balanced correctly you are in grave danger of hitting the porcelain in the wrong place thus causing back spray all up your legs.  

I did find a wonderfully luxurious toilet in Gucci in the Ginza district of Tokyo. ( Bond Street to you and me) There was good old Toto facing me in a very luxurious cubicle and on sitting down, warm seat mode functioning, the sound of sprinkling water and soft music came out of the right hand wall. Well I was lost for words. I think I have seen it all now!