Bexrose Bulletin

October 2004

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.D.Taylor

Other Committee members:- Mr. R. Jones, Mr. R. Pulling, Mrs. D. Carr, Miss V. Rochester, Mrs. D. Lemon, Mrs. M. Cornell, Mrs. J. Dyer.

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

Email:-         cadoss@btconnect.com

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Next meeting Tuesday 26th October 2004 at St John Fisher Hall, Thanet Rd, Bexley.

This month we welcome our old friend Dr. John Hughes who will speak to us about Delphiniums. John is always an interesting and entertaining speaker so it should be a good evening. The hall will be open from 7-15pm and the meeting starts at 8 pm. We will have our usual break at 9pm for refreshments and a chat and a last chance to buy raffle tickets. There will be items for sale at reduced prices on the trading stall and Prickles Hedgehog Haven will benefit from the sale of back copies of magazines and any excess produce that members would like to donate. Do try to enter the last Rose Table show of the season and the Floral Art subject for this month will be "Autumn Leaves", proceeds from this section go to Prickles.

Welcome to new members

Mrs. P. Cornwell

E. Wade

Rose Growers Calendar for October by kind permission of Don Charlton

1.          The last of the decent roses this month so make the most of them while you can. And keep up the good housekeeping.                

2.          While or after deadheading it is advisable to lightly prune rose bushes to prevent wind rock during autumn and winter storms. After pruning lightly firm the ground around each bush.

3.          Finish the preparation of new rose beds in readiness for the arrival of your rose orders.

Rose Table Show for September

Experienced

HT                    1st       B. Rainsbury

Miniatures      1st       B. Rainsbury

Points awarded          B. Rainsbury  8

Points so far               B. Rainsbury   26                     D. Lemon   10

Novice

HT                    1st        J. Miller

Floribunda      1st       V. Pulling

Points awarded          J. Miller   4                   V. Pulling  4

Points so far               V. Pulling  18               Mrs. Purnell  5            R. Dowdall  5                T. Cox  4         D. Cox  4         J. Miller   6

Results of Floral Art for September

1st       Mrs. V. Evenett   76 coins                  2nd      Mrs. P. Rainsbury   62 coins

Total collected for Prickles Hedgehog Haven                                  £5-17p

Money collected from the sale of Magazines and produce           £6-15p  

Donations from members                                                                     £19-00 

Total collected for this month                                                             £30-32p

Evening Trip up the Thames.

Only 20 members came on this trip, and the rest of you missed a delightful evening cruising up the Thames as far as Chelsea and back to Greenwich. Although the weather was not promising, it was not cold so some of us braved the outside to get the best views, we retreated inside by the time we reached Tower Bridge as it started raining. We were given a commentary on the history of the river, we found out that the River Police stationed at Wapping is the oldest police force in the world. All the buildings on the river banks that have blue in them are owned by the Kuwaiti royal family. You can travel from the Limehouse basin to Birmingham via canals. We saw the site of Brunnel's shipyard at Depford where the Great Britain was built and launched sideways into the river. My Grandfather worked at this yard. Dusk was falling early and as we turned the bend in the river we saw the wonderful sight of Tower Bridge lit up. It was wonderful to see the bridges lit particularly Victoria and Chelsea which are so pretty.   We saw Michael Crawford's house and also David Owens. We passed the replica of the Golden Hind and the Globe theatre, Tate Modern and Battersea Power station. The captain pointed out that HMS Belfast was moored facing up river. All commissioned RN ships are moored facing towards the sea. Canary wharf was an incredible sight as we made our way back down to Greenwich where there was a cruise ship moored at the new cruise terminal.

With Tea, coffee and alcoholic refreshments available at the bar and a nice warm and comfortable cabin to sit in this was a very pleasant way to spend a Sunday evening.

Secretary's report on the September meeting.

Our speaker this month was Mrs. Sue Hartfree who runs a nursery and garden design centre at Halstow near Sittingbourne and her speciality is rare and unusual plants. Sue says she is an official tourist attraction with her local authority now but if you wish to visit her nursery do phone first as she does not open every day. Her advice to all gardeners is to grow plants that suit your conditions and try to copy the natural habitat. A very good book to help you choose the correct plants is the RHS book of Garden Plants but the drawback is the cost, about £50 but Christmas is coming so it could go on the list. You could also try the reference library. 

Hot, dry sun baked gardens:-          

Grow small trees or large shrubs that like sun and will caste shadows. Get plenty of compost in to retain moisture and mulch your plants. Use leaf mould if you have it. Always dampen your soil first before laying down compost and Sue says she doesn't bother to dig, its too much like hard work she lets the worms do that. Gravel gardens do well in these conditions, tidy grasses that will stay in clumps and not seed everywhere and succulents, i.e. Sedum etc. are good. Aromatic plants and thin leafed plants don't loose so much moisture.

Clay soil :-      

Try to make this type of garden more free draining by adding plenty of grit. Of course roses like these conditions also Hardy Geraniums, Pulmaneria, Golden Rod, Spirea and Hydrangea.

Shade:-                       

Try to prune into trees to let more light into your garden. Good plants are Ferns, Hellebores, big leafed plants such as Caster Oil Plant. Bevis is a very tough plant and can stand permanent shade,  the tiny leafed fuchsias from New Zealand are good and also Pulmaneria Red Start and Digitalis Australis.

Windy conditions:-  

If your garden is in a windy area try to avoid solid boundaries, hedges and trees are much better wind breaks. Hardy Salvias are very tough plants that don't need much attention and little feed.

Tough Plants for anywhere:-

Hardy Salvia, Lobelia native to Carolina, Herbaceous Potentilla. Myrtle.

Sue suggested if you have really problem soil you could always start again with raised beds.The tea break was followed by a question and answer session and lots of Sues plants went home with members. I am sure Sue's good advice will help us all with our gardening problems.

Winter Bedding Plants.

Don't forget that the winter bedding plants will be on sale at the trading table this month. They are already potted up and growing on. Polyanthus are 30p each and winter flowering Pansies 25p each.

Gardening tips for October

This month you can safely plant trees and shrubs. Firm them in well with your foot and stake larger shrubs and trees until they are well established. This will prevent wind rock during winter gales which will expose under established roots to the air and possible disease. Carry on planting spring flowering plants and bulbs. Hardy border plants can be divided and relocated or given to friends. Monty Don recommends leaving Dahlias and Chrysanthemums in place until we have the first frost. After lifting, hang Dahlias upside down to dry the hollow stems off and the store in a dark frost free environment covered with compost.

Lawns need some attention now, give them a good rake to get rid of the moss and thatch that has built up during the summer, aerate the turf with a fork and sprinkle with a mixture of lawn sand and topsoil. Rake this over so that it goes into the holes.  In a couple of weeks time you can mow and then top dress with winter feed. Unfortunately with our milder winters we are cutting lawns throughout the year but at less regular intervals. Raise the cutting level on your lawn mower, it is easy  to tear grass out by the roots when the turf is wet. 

Trip to Norfolk

Vanessa allowed us a half hour lay-in this trip and we headed off to Norfolk with not very good weather prospects. Rest stops are very difficult along the M11 but we were very lucky to find a privately owned snack bar where the food was good and prices reasonable. We made good time and arrived at Norfolk Lavender at Heacham in a heavy downpour. Our guide came onto the coach and gave us a history of the farm and told us about the planting and distillation of the Lavender. He then took us to the drying sheds and showed us the machinery they use in each process. We were then free to visit the gift shop and garden centre and also have some lunch. Thankfully the rain had cleared up and we made our way to Sandringham where we spent a pleasant afternoon. 

The Queen wasn't there to greet us but she had sent a little land train to take us from the entrance to the house. Sandringham is very homely and not grand like Buckingham Palace, you could almost feel the family all there relaxing at Christmas. We spent some time going round the house and then the museum, looking at the old royal cars and also King George 6ths bike. The gardens came next and we walked around the lake that sets off the house so beautifully. We spent some time admiring the church with its silver rerados and pulpit and then it was a brisk walk over to the gift shop to pick up a few Christmas presents. Back on the coach and we were heading for Norwich. On arrival at our hotel the Hilton at Norwich airport we were greeted by the staff and soon found our rooms which were very comfortable. The evening meal was carvery style and there was plenty to eat although the drinks were rather expensive.

After a hearty breakfast Bob loaded Mary's buggy onto the bus and we were off to Norwich to have a free morning to do as we liked. Most of us visited the Cathedral while others made a beeline for the market. Some ventured to the Castle or did the bus tour round the city. There was also the Strangers hall, Bridewell Museum and the Colmans mustard shop to call in on so there was plenty of choice and no time to dawdle.

After lunch we made for the 20 acre exotic coastal garden of East Rushton, owned by Alan Gray and Graham Robeson who bought the Old Vicarage 10 years ago and have created an interesting garden with many different rooms. I found the California garden and desert wash quite fascinating , pass through the hedge and you came to the Mediterranean garden with walls and steps and a summer house at the top. On to the next section which was the vegetable and cutting garden, we found a pond at the end of a wild flower meadow which was pretty but must have been magnificent earlier in the year. Nearer the house were the Walled garden and Dutch garden, the Tea garden and Exotic garden, there were Red and Purple borders and Stock borders, Autumn borders and a walled court. The planting was wonderful with every day plants rubbing shoulders with exotic neighbours, big clumps of waving grasses and trees with silver barks. The owners were helping to serve us in the garden centre, needless to say we had to buy at least one plant. After a welcome cup of tea and some home made cake we drove back to our Hotel. This evening we were going to the Neil Diamond and Tom Jones tribute night in the hotel which included a silver service meal. Afterwards several of our group joined in the dancing  and even Vanessa went onto the floor and strutted her stuff. Those of our party that were left during the second half of the show really got the rest of the room going, waving our arms about and singing along with the performer. I think he was glad we came. We collapsed into bed happy and fortunately we didn't have to be up so early the next morning as we were off to the Broads and Sherringham for lunch.

We drove through Wroxham and stopped at Potter Hiegham to stretch our legs and take some photographs. At Sherringham they were holding a 1940s nostalgia day at the station and lots of people were dressed up in uniforms and the women had outfits on that we remembered our Mums wearing. The lady on the tea urn had on a pinny and turban and there was lots of fur about. Several baby carriages brought back memories too. It was great fun and you could go for a ride on the steam train. A Spitfire made several passes over the station just to add to the authenticity.  After a walk down to inspect the sea we made our way back to the coach which was taking us to Blickling hall near Aylsham for the afternoon.

Blickling Hall was the home of the Hobart family until it was given to the National Trust. It is a most impressive 17th century Jacobean house but unfortunately it is very dark inside and apparently has 3 ghosts. The long gallery had suffered from a burst water pipe in the roof and several of the tapestries had been taken down to be dried out and repaired. The ceiling was also damaged but they were relieved that it was not about to fall down, so was I. Although small, the garden was impressive with large yew topiaries and the Penstamen border was glorious, I don't think I have seen such large flowers on the plants. After a visit to the tea rooms and the gift shop we all piled back on the bus heading for our hotel and our evening meal. Some of the men wanted to get back to watch the golf.

Monday morning and the men helped Bob to stow the cases on the bus and we were on our way home but we stopped off at Blooms of Bressingham for several hours to look round the garden centre which when it started in 1926 was the largest in the country. Alan Bloom had created a delightful Dell Garden which was still full of colour despite the lateness of the season with a wide variety of asters in all colours and some wonderful foliage colour. There were also 47 island beds set in 6 acres many of them with huge swathes of grasses. It was a very windy day so we saw the grasses at their best. We were accompanied around the garden by the ginger cat who was very friendly.  We then made our way to Adrian Blooms garden, Foggy Bottom, that he has created round his bungalow. It was like an artists palette with wonderful swathes of colour, dozens of varieties of  heathers, red hot pokers from yellow to bright red, golden conifers, blue fir trees, huge species trees at the back of all the borders, well kept grass unfortunately spoilt in some places by the moles. Every way you turned the view made you gasp. It must have cost thousands of pounds to create this gardening on a grand scale. Although the steam train was not working we were able to visit the exhibitions and found the Dads Army exhibition most interesting. The programme was filmed at various locations in Norfolk.  After visiting the plant centre and once again making purchases, Bob kindly stowed them on the side locker for us so we had a comfortable journey back to Bexleyheath.

Everyone was tired but happy and in agreement that this had been the best holiday we have done with the Society.  Despite being nearly autumn all the gardens we visited were magnificent in their own way and I am sure they will live on in our memory for a long time. Bob our driver was very friendly and helpful and gave us a very pleasant and smooth ride. Our thanks to all those members who came with us and made it such a jolly trip. We now look forward to our Christmas visit to Holland and the Christmas markets and lets hope as successful a trip as this one has been.    

The Recycled Garden

Some refuse workers at Lewisham Re-use and Recycle Centre must have had some time on their hands recently. They have let their imagination run wild and have built a garden at the entrance to the tip using items dumped by local residents, even the plants were salvaged. The Council were so impressed with the efforts that they commissioned the garden design team Blossom to create an eye catching entrance to the site using quirky  discarded objects to spread the recycling message. Two old armchairs have seats of orange Heleniums and yellow Coryopsis. and the lounge carpet is made up of Pelegoniums and bright bedding plants. An old light fitting hangs from a handy branch. A stack of tyres have Sempervivums scrambling down and the "Grotto of the Grot Goddess comprises of an old garden statue surrounded by all manner of rubbish and some mesh cages filled with plastic items all sorted into colours to represent a rainbow. Dwarf Sunflowers and grasses wave in the wind and orange Crocosmias and purple blue Perovskia add more colour to the corner site. A large sign reminding visitors to "Rethink Rubbish" is also made out of recycled items. The result of all these efforts is a place in the final of the Britain in Bloom Competition.

Just a thought

When you have to go out in the worst of the weather,

dreading the elements that you must face,

You take a deep breath, pull your courage together,

and try to set out with a smile on your face.

And it's never as bad out of doors as expected,

though the day seems so grim looking from inside,

Plans are too easily lost or rejected,

and facing the weather is good for your pride.

Kathleen Partridge.