Cheltenham Horticultural Society holiday
Cheltenham Horticultural Society holiday in 2024 is to North Wales 13 to 17 May 2024 Their late spring break features historic, modern and exciting gardens, bursting with plants from all around the world, from the famous gardens at Bodnant to hidden gems like Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens. Also included is a gentle boat cruise along the Menai strait of Anglesey to Puffin island, home to seabirds, puffins and seals and a nostalgic tram ride to the Great Orme summit in Llandudno. Full details of the holiday can be found on the CHS website: http://www.cheltenhamhorticultural.co.uk under ‘Events’,
CDAHA Spring Meeting [Updated]
CDAHA Spring Meeting Monday March 4th Fiona Warin, ‘Lost the Plot’ Fiona will give an entertaining talk on the History of Allotments *** Update *** This meeting will be held at the Exmouth Arms, Bath Road, Cheltenham, starting at 7pm Please note there is Free Parking after 6pm at the Bath Terrace car park, situated just around the corner from the Exmouth Arms. Raffle tickets will be on sale, to be drawn at the end of the meeting.
February Gardening News
January delivered what was to be expected I suppose, it was very soggy and spitefully cold. Every second person you spoke to had a chesty cold that took some shaking off and the World all seemed rather drab, well at least until I spotted the Snowdrops. It brought me back to earth and then I spotted hardy cyclamen nodding under the shelter of trees. The golden spires of Mahonia Charity brought light into the dark northern border and in open space the white confetti flowers dusting my winter honeysuckle were like fairy dust. This plant has, overtime brought me great joy and I have sold it for years, but as a shrub on the shelf most of the time it can look pretty dull. If you are in need of a medium sized shrub,this plant is worth the trouble. When you are out and about this month look for it. Enough of my musing, the new season calls, and the spring looms large. We need to get on. Onion sets, shallots and garlic can all be planted on frost free days and summer vegetable seeds can be started in trays (they will be fit for pricking out within a fortnight). Seed potatoes can be set out in a frost free place to get them sprouting with a view to planting out next month. If you fancy trying your luck pop two or three early spuds into a generous bucket of compost now. With a kind start you may have a few to harvest in about twelve weeks. If you have some shelter sow a few annuals into trays and some varieties can even be direct sown into the ground in situ. I have sprinkled in some Calendula and Californian Poppies, both of which were successful last year. Both carry flowers in sunshine shades and really cheer up spaces. As always there is some tidying to be done and some pruning before the sap is on the move. Wisteria certainly needs bringing to order and winter flowering plants can be tackled as they finish. Be careful with your pruning and be sure you know flowering times – you will lose the blossom if you embark on the chopping of spring varieties like Forsythia. Summer subjects like roses and buddleia can be cut. If the weather offers the opportunity, then turf can be laid this month but work from a board to avoid stamping down the ground. And finally, summer bulbs are around now and towards the end of the month lilies, dahlias and many others can be started. Happy Gardening Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
CDAHA Spring Meeting [Updated]
CDAHA Spring Meeting Monday March 4th Fiona Warin, ‘Lost the Plot’ Fiona will give an entertaining talk on the History of Allotments *** Update *** This meeting will be held at the Exmouth Arms, Bath Road, Cheltenham, starting at 7pm Please note there is Free Parking after 6pm at the Bath Terrace car park, situated just around the corner from the Exmouth Arms. Raffle tickets will be on sale, to be drawn at the end of the meeting.
Val Bourne – The Organic Garden
Northleach Church Events has an upcoming talk that may be of interest: Val Bourne – The Organic Garden — Northleach Events Val Bourne is an award-winning garden writer, organic gardener and lecturer. Val will be sharing her strategies for growing organic vegetables successfully in her own third of an acre at Spring Cottage in Cold Aston, making her talk especially pertinent for Cotswolds residents. The talk is on Sunday 16th March 2024 at 7pm, tickets are £12 / £15 and include a free drink. Tickets are available at the above link or in person from Northleach Post Office.
January Gardening News
On a grey December morning, neath the roll of a bobble hat, I picked up the repetitive buzz of our telephone and the message to remind me that the Parish Magazine was about to go to print and they had yet to receive my article. Rather bizarrely my spirits were lifted for through the bleak greyness came the promise of new beginnings and the gentle reminder that Spring was on standby. So, whilst December has been pretty grotty, I am prompted to consider the tasks for the New Year and the offerings that will expand our adventures. We move into January and catalogues. Seed potatoes are already around and the list of varieties offers new and interesting things. It maybe that all you want to consider is a change having had some poor results in 2023, Blight and lack of water in mid summer certainly impacted on some crops, with new potatoes being in short supply and many maincrop bashed by disease. If you have any stored stock then do keep a close eye on them through the winter months. Undetected rot will move through stored potatoes very quickly. In the coming season, I will have a play with a first early called Sherrine. It’s not new but has been unavailable for a while. It is a very versatile early potato and has good disease resistance. As well as seed potatoes, onion sets and shallots are also about and towards the end of the month can be planted directly into open ground. The real joy of the new season for me is in seed sowing and whilst it is early, you can play. Commercially we used to sow Antirrhinums, Carnations, Sweet William and Pansies in January and would also sow a pinch of Summer Cabbage and a hardy Lettuce. You will be ok with All the Year round lettuce or any leftovers of winter varieties like Arctic King. I have been scanning my seed catalogues and as a big Tomato fan am very interested in a new cherry variety called ‘Heartbreakers Vita’.It looks and sounds lovely and will compliment my beefsteak favourite Ox Heart which I really rate. Of course there are good things to see in flower seeds too and my adventure will be with an old fashioned plant called Gomphrena. It’s elegant,tall and floaty and I think set to make a come back. And finally, when the mood takes, chase of Christmas with a bit of lawn aeration. The moss is invading lawns. Happy New Year and Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
C&DAHA Meeting
Next meeting Monday March 4th 2024 This meeting will be held in the Municipal Offices, Promenade, Cheltenham, starting at 6.30pm. The meeting is open to members and non members, further details to follow
December Gardening News
What a funny month that was? Frustratingly soggy for working. There was plenty of work to do in the garden, but you really had to snatch your moments. One or two frosts inflicted enough damage to encourage the removal and replacement of bedding, but the ground has not been easy to work. The Dahlias were a nightmare to lift and I will need to dry them out well if the tubers are to survive in the garage through the winter. I have just waded out when the mood had taken, pulled out summer’s leftovers and pushed in bits of autumn and winter bedding. The pansies have sulked a bit, but the wallflowers and sweet williams look ok and if there is any improvement in the weather I shall bash in a few more. They will catch up in the spring. Should you decide to try your luck, there is still plenty of stock everywhere. I still have a few bulbs to get in too. I always think late November early December is fine, especially for tulips (and that’s what I’ve got). I do still have it in mind to plant a few bits of bare root hedging and am going to put out a few more raspberries. My real priority is going to be the cleaning up though. Pests just love a bit of winter shelter and many fungal spores will also enjoy the cover in the months ahead. So any rubbish that can be removed is useful and that of course includes the Autumn leaf fall (which was very late). Get stuff onto the compost heap at least. I’ve had fantastic compost this year from mine and encourage everyone to create one. I am always amazed by the speed with which nature rips vegetable taste and turns it around to be re-used. If you have roses in the garden then the debris from them is best committed to your green bin. Black spot spores will lie in wait for next season and don’t need encouragement. As we move towards Christmas then start looking at seeds for 2024, seed racks are full of new and tantalising things. I find it hugely uplifting to explore ranges. There is much promise in the imminence of new beginnings. Seeds make great stock fillers too. And finally. It’s Christmas pot plant time and we always see casualties across the period. Most are over watered. Keep watering light and regular only if needed. Wet plants sulk. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
November Gardening News
The great expectation became a reality and we did get our Indian Summer. The mild weather held up well into October, the grass kept growing and there was a reluctance to dig up anything. Some of the summer bedding has been stunning this autumn. Some of the veg has coughed and spluttered, but my tomatoes just kept coming and in mid-October I was still eating fresh picked tomatoes on toast for breakfast most mornings. As usual I played with varieties and can recommend my medley of Super Marmande (a beefsteak), Roma (a plum) and Oxheart (a fleshy, flavoursome tomato that as you may have guessed is heart shaped). I’ve has some good Butternut Squash too. But alas now all gone for another year, the clean ground taken with spring cabbage, winter cauliflower, a bit of perpetual Spinach and a few onion sets. You can still get away with these late bits, but the ground is cooling, so get cracking. If nothing else drop in a row of Aquadulce Broad Beans for over wintering. In the flower beds you need to make a bid to lift and protect anything tender that you want to keep for next year. Dahlia tubers are certainly worth the trouble, as are half hardy fuchsias. Ideally tender items are going to need shelter, but allowed to dry, they will sit in trays in a garage or shed and settle into dormancy. Covering them with paper, cardboard or sacking will give them a bit of help. Where things are being stored you may want to set one or two traps or lay some bait. Rodents will head for cover and stored plants and vegetables can become additions to the vermin pantry. You can still get away with planting a bit of winter bedding this month and certainly there are plenty of bulbs to be had. If you going with late bedding, then do buy reasonable sized plants. Tiny plugs (which are being offered by some) are not likely to be good value. Plants do need a decent root system to give them a chance. This month there will be soft fruit and bare root hedging to buy, it’s good value a will settle quickly. As always there is plenty of tidying up to do and even a bit of light pruning to restore shape. Light is the key word. And finally, get organised with catalogues for 2024, it’ll be upon us in no time. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org
October Gardening News
Well, as Summers go it wasn’t too bad really, was it? The usual mish mash, ever inconsistent, unreliable and unique. There were a few low night temperatures and some stinking hot days in September too. The cropping was very hit and miss and certainly some things have performed poorly, our dwarf French beans were productive for less than a month and the Courgettes had mildew almost from day one, but tomatoes and cucumbers have done well. The flower beds took a long time and a lot of water to get going, but have been a joy across recent weeks, our dahlias have been magnificent and at every turn I have spotted spectacular sunflowers. It is quite extraordinary, the way that from a single seed, across a short season you end up with a plant eight to ten feet tall. This September one nodding giant in our garden supported twelve blooms in one go. This month we need to get back on track with autumn bedding and bulbs, the ground is warm, but the days are shortening. There is plenty of material to look at, with Pansies and Violas everywhere. Wallflowers and other over wintering biennials are around too. Look at Siberian wallflowers if you can find some, they are compact, tough and very floriferous in the spring. Some are also strongly scented. This month can be a good month for reconfiguring the shape of the garden and new shrubs and trees can be introduced and other relocated. There will be something in the wrong place, we all plant things too close together and it takes a year or two to realise it. Where possible do stake or cane new plantings, nothing will make much growth now until the spring and plants just need a bit of anchorage. In the vegetable garden you can be filling up newly vacated space with Onion sets, garlic and towards the end of the month some Aquadulce broad beans. Things are slowing down, so consider late pruning of hedges or boisterous growers to make them tidy for the winter and whip off the lawn before packing the mower away. If the mood takes, then do a bit of prodding around the lawn with a fork to offer aeration (it does reduce the advance of moss). And finally shift any tender plants that you hope to hold for next year into a sheltered position. As we spotted last winter, the cold doesn’t take prisoners. Happy Gardening. Chris Evans www.dundrynurseries.co.uk www.thebutterflygarden.org