TALKS AND SHOWS
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

2024 PROGRAMME OF TALKS

21st FEBRUARY Talk and Membership Evening at 8pm. "Super Seasonal Display Ideas". A talk by Mark Saunders

20th MARCH Gardening Quiz at 8pm with a seed swap and a Fish and Chip Supper

17th APRIL Talk at 8pm. "Honey Bees -Inside the Hive". A talk by Daisy Day

20th APRIL SPRING SHOW

4 TH MAY PLANT SALE @ THE VILLAGE HALL CAR PARK

15th MAY Talk at 8pm. "Clematis". A talk by Liz Gibbison

8TH JUNE STALL AT THE VILLAGE FETE

22ND JUNE SUMMER SHOW

7TH SEPTEMBER AUTUMN SHOW

18th September Talk at 8pm. "Companion Planting and Gardening the Organic Way". A talk by Belinda Allen

16th October Talk at 8pm. "Behind the Scenes at Wisley Nursery" . A talk by Sam Gallivan

20th November AGM and Social Evening. To include a light supper. Bring your own drinks and glasses.

21st February 2025 Membership renewal evening with a Talk

MEMBERS MEETING 21ST FEBRUARY:
' Super Seasonal Display Ideas' ,
Mark Saunders from Fittleworth.

Our first meeting of 2024 was busy as we renewed our membership, only £10 for the years with free entry to our talks and shows, paid for the Fish and Chips which we will enjoy next month and had a raffle.
Our speaker, Mark Saunders from Fittleworth, spoke about ' Super Seasonal Display Ideas' with slides and exhibits. He took us through the year starting with Autumn and the necessary preparations for winter, tidying, storage and seed catalogues. If you want flowers with a special colour, height, time of flowering he recommended reading a specialist seed catalogue. Some even give details of flowers with 'true blue skies' or 'sunshine yellows' to give any required information.
Details were given on sowing seeds, covering them and transplanting the seedlings. Specifically we were told to only touch the leaves and not the stems which could cause bruising, possible damage and subsequent disease. Watering can be by spray from above or by immersion in a tank.
Mark is especially keen on tulips. He raises these in containers in a greenhouse to avoid outdoor predictors. Then, when in flower, they can be moved to the required positions and removed after flowering. In the ground he has underplanted the bulbs with forget me nots which are a great combination. One picture showed thousands in flower and the massed effect was sensational. He also showed many conifers and evergreens in terracot pots which can be particularly attractive in the winter months.
Mark showed amazing pictures of dahlias and there are many hundreds with different shapes, colours and heights. Some pictures he has taken are of aliums with flowers bigger than a tennis ball. Nymans, a local Nation Trust property, has famous flower beds and Mark showed these in a bare soil state, in a growing state and in full bloom, quite inspirational.
This was a most pleasant evening and we all learned new techniques.
The next talk will be given by Daisy Day on 'Honey Bees-Inside the Hive'. This will be in the Village Hall in Coxcombe Lane at 7 55pm on Wednesday 17April.
Our Spring Show will be held here on Saturday 20 April opening to the public at 11 30 am. Entries should be registered the previous day from 7 30. to 8 15pm
You are welcome to both these events. Robert Walker.