From the Chairman:
"Summer is now almost over, and I hope we are harvesting the fruits (and veg) of our labours. If we have a kind autumn, the flowers can keep blooming for many weeks yet, and the slower crops may get a chance to ripen fully – keep the fingers crossed. There is plenty in this edition of the newsletter to help you maintain your interest in gardening, and news of a range of activities that we are starting up, as well as the Autumn Show – virtual again, like the Summer Show, so get taking those photographs to send in.
We are doing our best to provide you with some horticultural activities, so the extent to which you take up these opportunities will determine how the programme develops – over to you! I hope we may have some sort of AGM in November, but please watch this space for developments." - Robin Britton
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In this bumper issue:
- Our use of the Village Hall
- September events (and beyond)
- Virtual Autumn Show Week
- Zooming good!
- 2021 Subscriptions /email addresses
- Mapperton House visit
- Athelhampton and Mapperton plant fairs return
- Growing your garden from seed ….
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- … but not from ‘free chia seed’
- Sewards Coaches
- What’s the point of wasps?
- The Great British Tea Party 14-20 September
- Plant Heritage evenings
- Recipe from Pam Corbin - Runners Relish
- Gardening for Disabled Trust wants your gardening tips
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Our use of the Village Hall
The Committee has already met once in person, and we are hoping to do so regularly, now in the Village Hall, to plan out the next few months. At present, the Hall can be used by groups no larger than 30, so attendance at the monthly talks would have to be limited, if and when we can restart them.
Robin Britton would be interested to hear from you, as the membership, how you feel about talks in a sparsely filled hall, without heating and with the fire doors open to increase ventilation – these are the current arrangements. It may all change as time goes on, either a relaxation or, if there is a resurgence, more restrictions – we have to hope for the former.
We are represented on the Village Hall Committee, so if you have a view, please let Robin know and we can pass the message on. It looks as if the Pre-school and Mrs. Ethelston’s will take priority for use of the hall, but we may well be able to fit some activities in. Unfortunately, this will not allow a “live” Autumn Show, so virtual it is (see later).
Robin can be contacted at britton424@btinternet.com; 01297 631850
September events (and beyond)
It’s pleasing to report that we have several events coming up in September. We are resuming coach trips now they conform to Covid regulations through measures such as increased spacing and the wearing of face coverings. Please help us assess the viability of trips by booking as early as possible.
On Tuesday 29th September there is a coach trip to The Newt (formerly Hadspen House), Bruton. This spectacular garden, reopened in 2019 features a kitchen garden, fragrance garden, greenhouse, colour gardens, cascades, ponds and lakes, apple tree maze, woodland and orchards. Lunch must be booked either in the café or as a picnic. You cannot bring your own picnic.
The coach will depart at 9am from Uplyme Village Hall and an Axminster pick up is available. Please remember that face coverings must be worn at all times on the coach. Cost for members £20; guests £3 extra. 26 places available on a 53-seat coach.
Please contact Jenny Harding as soon as possible so that we can be sure the trip is viable (jennyhlyme@hotmail.co.uk; 07773 604137).
Our trip in own cars on Tuesday 15th September to Corscombe House and Harvard Farm is currently fully booked but please contact Tricia Boyd (tricia@thegardenersblacksmith.co.uk; 07767 261444) if you would like to go on the waiting list.
We are currently working on a practical workshop on propagation for September. This will be for a maximum of 30 people. If you are in principle interested please contact Jenny Harding as soon as possible so that we can assess interest (jennyhlyme@hotmail.co.uk; 07773 604137). If the event goes ahead we will send a separate email invitation.
We are also optimistic that we’ll be able to run coach trips in October (Longleat) and November (RHS Rosemoor). Please contact Annie Kobus on 01297 443346 for the October trip and Jo Benke-Smith 07504 442219 or joanna.ulrhs@yahoo.com for the November trip to book. Early bookings will enable us to ensure trips are viable.
Virtual Autumn Show Week
A live autumn show is a bit too finely balanced to run while we are still dealing with Covid-19 restrictions so the Committee have decided to hold a virtual show this autumn.
We have a week of activities leading up to the show. On Wednesday 21st October we’ll be holding a Zoom quiz. From Thursday 22nd to Sunday 25th October people can submit their entries by email. We’ll then prepare the online show over the following two days, with the virtual show going live on Wednesday 28th October.
Rules of entry are similar to those for the summer show. We have eight classes for anyone to enter. Your photographs can be taken at any point leading up to the close of submissions so start snapping now!
Entries, in the form of landscape (i.e. wide format, rather than tall) photographs, can be made from Thursday 22nd to Sunday 25th October, by emailing them to tricia@thegardenersblacksmith.co.uk. You will need to clearly state your name, which class you are entering and the title of your entry (if appropriate) to be eligible. People may enter two photographs per class.
Entries will be assembled into galleries on our website www.ulrhs.wordpress.com. The show will go live on Wednesday 28th October – the original date of our live show.
The event is for fun and there will be no judging. The eight classes are listed below and are designed to be as broad as possible for interpretation. You are invited to post your entries on to other social media channels but please tag the ULRHS.
- Autumn flowers - displayed or growing
- Autumnal table decoration - floral or craft
- Home grown fruit, displayed or growing
- Home grown autumn vegetables, displayed or growing
- Hedgerow harvest
- Apple cake - whole cake and with a slice from the centre
- Carved pumpkin
- Photography - images of autumn.
Zooming good!
One of the unexpected joys of our Zoom meetings has been discovering the impressive range of knowledge and talent amongst our members. Our version of Gardeners’ Question Time showed people’s knowledge while our latest Zoom meeting looked at the flair and passion people exhibit in their individual gardens.
Jean Stacey looked at alpines, Brian Cursley gave us a virtual tour of his garden, Jennie Pearson showed us how to use art and found objects, and Lois Wakeman described her wildlife pond. It was all topped off by a virtual tour of the garden of John Massey of Ashwood Nurseries, a great plantsman renowned for his hellebores and hepaticas.
Here are just a couple of verbatim comments from people who joined the meeting.
"Just to tell you how fantastic it was tonight. It’s so lovely to be able to continue our monthly meetings in this way, and such a good idea to look at members gardens which I found interesting and valuable"
"Many thanks for this evening’s chat, it was a great success and fascinating to see other people’s gardens. I enjoyed it every bit as much as the usual talks. I had a ball!”
We’ll be holding a quiz by Zoom on October 21st at 7.15pm at the start of our week of preparations for the Autumn Show, so please save the date.
In November, we plan to hold another session exploring members’ gardens. If you have some plants, a project, or gardening know-how that you would like to share with others please contact Tricia Boyd (tricia@thegardenersblacksmith.co.uk; 07767 261444).
2021 Subscriptions /email addresses
The Committee has decided that there will be no additional subscription due for 2021 for existing paid-up members. Any new members joining during the year will be required to pay the £6 annual membership fee as usual.
Also, please make sure you tell the Horticultural Society if you change your email address, otherwise you’ll miss out on our newsletter and any email updates. Please email anita.routley@sky.com, or advise any other Committee member.
Mapperton House visit
 In August, on possibly the hottest day of the year, 10 members made their way in own cars to visit Mapperton House. Rose Mock says “We were warmly welcomed by our guide Paula who was kind enough to give us a brief history of the families who had owned the estate since its mention in the Domesday book. There was particular emphasis on a wealthy French lady, Mrs Ethel Labouchere, who bought Mapperton House in 1919 (the first time it had been on the market in 800 years) and created the spectacular Italian garden.
“There were arrows to organise a preferred one-way route for visitors to accommodate Covid distancing. The café served us with some delicious ‘takeaway’ food! Percy the giant African horned tortoise and the ripe fruit on the mulberry tree were two added bonuses.”
The guide kindly took a photograph of our socially distanced visitors.
Athelhampton and Mapperton plant fairs return
September sees a very welcome return of some plant fairs. This gives us a chance to interact with many of the smaller specialist and independent nurseries that offer a great range of plants at value prices.
On Sunday 13th September, Athelhampton House (DT2 7LG) is holding an Autumn Plant and Craft Fair from 10am to 3pm. The event offers a mix of plants, local craft and garden-related stalls and is organised by Dorset Plant Heritage. The entry fee of £7 includes admission to the grounds and gardens, which are well worth a visit in their own right. Tickets must be bought in advance https://www.athelhampton.com/events-1/autumn-plant-fair.
The following Sunday, 20th September, Mapperton House holds its Autumn Plant Fair from 10am to 4pm. All sorts of perennials, grasses, bulbs and specialist plants can be found. Sally Gregson, one of our previous speakers will be there with a selection of plants for shade. Entry tickets are £5 and include garden entry (https://mapperton.com/online-booking-mapperton-tickets).
Growing your garden from seed …
Robin Britton reports on how he has used plants from seed as an opportunity to experiment.
"Many of us grow vegetables from seed, and quite a few grow annual flowers the same way – but do we grow the same things every year, or do we experiment with annuals or perennials which might be harder to find and grow?
Having moved house a year ago to one with a neglected and mostly empty garden, I was in need of new plants to develop and fill new beds and borders. Then came coronavirus on top of it all.
We have regularly made use of the RHS members’ seed scheme, whereby packets of seeds collected in RHS gardens are made available to members early in the year. We could choose up to 15 packets of seed from nearly 200 types, for the princely sum of £8.50 – we went for a mixture of annuals and perennials, some well-known varieties and others less so. There is a germination guide, and it can require a heated propagator or at least a warm, light windowsill – and patience!
Some came through very quickly, some did not come at all, and some took months – Cyclamen hederifolium and Agapanthus took about four months, but now we have a number of tiny plants growing on in the greenhouse. The quantities in each packet are not huge, but we got at least a dozen seedlings of each of Gaura, Agastache, giant scabious, opium poppies, Calendula and Baptisia as well as grasses like Stipa tenuissima. They have helped a great deal in filling up our new borders especially when we were unable to go to nurseries in the early stages of lockdown.
Other organisations also run seed schemes, and it is an interesting way to try seeds you have never tried before, or cannot easily buy from the usual suspects. Patience and a little space can bring dividends – try it in 2021!"
... but not from ‘free chia seed'
Jane Godfrey tells us a cautionary tale.
"About 2 months ago when I was scrounging around to find seeds when garden centres were closed, I received an unsolicited package from China, marked “stud earring” on the customs information on the envelope. I opened it, and found a completely unlabelled clear plastic envelope containing what looked like lettuce seeds. Knowing that I didn’t order these, and that seeds from abroad should not be imported, I put it aside and got on with life. However, on Gardeners’ Question Time today I heard someone from DEFRA mentioning that many of these packages had been sent not only to the UK but also the US, and inviting people to report to their website if they had received these seeds. I did so this evening and got an immediate request to send them the seeds for destruction, together with their original packaging, as they are trying to find out where they came from, and why. This I will do. I wonder if others have received these packages?
The email to report to is: planthealth.info@apha.gov.uk.
They will ask you to retain the packets of seeds with the original envelope/package that the seeds were mailed in and not to plant the seeds. They provide an address to post the seeds to and will destroy the seeds. Anyone who has planted any of the seeds is asked dig up any plants, double bag them and place them in their household waste bin so that they can be disposed of in an authorised landfill site."
Sewards Coaches
As many of you know, Sewards Coaches have provided our coach service for trips for many years. They are a small family firm and we have received this note from Catherine Seward who runs it.
"I am writing to you on behalf of my family & the Staff of Sewards Coaches to ask that you might take a few minutes to read this & view the accompanying link - https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/332280
You may have seen on TV or read in the media about 'Honk for Hope' which has taken place both in the North of England & in London recently. The background to this is because coach companies throughout the UK have been 'grounded' since 23 March 2020, with little or no prospect of covering costs, let alone making a profit anytime soon. The Confederation of Public Transport has twice had meetings with the Government to ask for some support for our industry. Both meetings were unsuccessful.
We are currently between a rock and a hard place, falling outside of Bus Support, Leisure, Tourism or Hospitality sectors. It has been said that the Bus & Coach Industry are second only to the Nuclear Power Industry for rules & regulations. We understand the need for (most) of the regulations, but, boy, do they ever cost money? (Not half!) Thank you for taking the time to read this and follow the above."
Gill Williams reports that as well as signing the petition she has emailed her MP Neil Parish. Other members might consider writing to their MP too. Guidance on how to contact your MP is included on the parliamentary website https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-an-mp-or-lord/contact-your-mp/
What’s the point of wasps?
You're having a few drinks in the garden with your friends, or a family BBQ, when a load of pesky wasps arrive to spoil the party. You haven't seen them all summer and then suddenly they're all over the place, annoying everybody, causing panic and helicopter hands. Sound familiar? August is the time of year when people start to ask 'what's the point of wasps?' The answer may surprise you.
Did you know that there are approximately 9,000 species of wasp here in the UK? These include the parasitic wasps, some of which are so diminutive they are like pin heads. Of the 250 larger wasps which have a stinger, the majority are solitary and cause no upset to humans. However, when we talk about wasps, we're almost certainly referring to the nation's nemesis, the common wasp (Vespula vulgaris). To understand why these wasps become really annoying this time of year, you first need to understand their life cycle.
Common wasps live socially like bees but, unlike honey bees, they haven't evolved a way of storing food to allow the colony to survive the winter. In fact, the only survivors are the young, fertilised queens who hibernate over winter. They emerge in the spring to build little walnut sized nests where they lay around 20 eggs. The queen feeds the resulting larvae until around May, when they mature and become workers. Then she focuses on more egg-laying and the workers get on with feeding them, enlarging the nest as they go along. By this time of year, the nest has grown to around 40cm in diameter, often larger, and that nest can contain up to 10,000 wasps!
Typical wasps’ nest
Then, in late August and September, a dramatic change takes place. The queen quits her egg laying (save a few that will go on to be future queens and males to fertilise them) and no longer releases the pheromone that causes the workers to work. Basically, these workers are made redundant, and are left jobless and disorientated. And the problem for us is that, although adult wasps are insect predators, that meat is to feed the larvae not themselves. In their adult state wasps are not able to digest solid food and need sugary liquid to survive.
Now, with fewer /no larvae to feed, they become uncontrollably and insatiably hungry. Wasps love easy food such as over ripe fruit and your fizzy drinks. Towards the end of their brief lives, their hunger drives them to search for easy sugar at exactly the time when we are more likely to be using our gardens and outdoor spaces for eating sweet things. The timing couldn't be better for them or worse for us.
So why are those who panic and try to swat them away more likely to be stung than those who remain calm? Well the problem is that these redundant workers have their own pheromone, which helps protect the nest from attack earlier in the year, and that's essentially a chemical rallying cry to other workers that the nest is under attack.
So when you swat that annoying wasp and it feels under attack, that rallying cry will go out. Suddenly it all kicks off, and loads more wasps will start arriving in aggressive 'red-mist' mode, fired up and ready to defend their nest. This is why the best advice is to stay calm.
Think of it this way, from May that wasp has been working its socks off helping to keep things nice on planet Earth. Now it’s going to die. So why not give it a break, save your swats, put a bowl of sugary drink somewhere out of your way, and let it go out on a nice sugar rush. At the very least don't kill it.
What's the point of wasps? Without them it’s likely that human life would not survive because, in the absence of their role as predators, our planet would be overrun by even more damaging insects such as aphids, ants and caterpillars.
Article taken from the Red Gables Garden Project.
The Great British Tea Party 14-20 September
If you’ve missed visiting gardens under the National Gardens Scheme this summer you may wish to participate in The Great British Garden Party, led by Mary Berry, during the week of 14-20 September.
They are inviting people to host their own socially distanced garden party and join The Great British Garden Party to raise funds for vital nursing charities. Choose your event to suit you - from hosting an afternoon tea party, supping prosecco by candlelight or holding a plant sale in your front garden. Everyone can join in and help raise funds through donations and sales.
Mary Berry comments “It’s a wonderful opportunity to share your own outdoor space – whatever it’s like – to remind yourself what a huge comfort it has been in recent months and to share those memories with friends, family and neighbours. Every penny will help, big or small. I’ll be hosting my own tea party with my family and friends. Make cakes, have fun and help us to support these wonderful nursing charities.”
https://ngs.org.uk/great-british-garden-party/
Plant Heritage evenings
Anyone who likes to find out more about particular types of plants may be interested in online evenings being organised by Plant Heritage where national collection holders share their knowledge. The next one in their calendar is for Bromeliads and Aeonium (17th Sept) with one on asters to follow on 1st Oct. Events are free for Plant Heritage members and £4 for non-members. They run at least one event per month so keep an eye on the main Plant Heritage website for details of future events.
Recipe from Pam Corbin - Runners Relish
This lightly spiced, mustardy relish is so good, it always disappears fast from my kitchen. Young beans are preferable, but you can use older ones – just remove the stringy edges, and cook them a little longer. The size and shape you cut them is up to you. For a change, replace some of all of the turmeric with a good-quality curry powder or garam masala. But whatever you do, make plenty and in big jars – you don’t want to run out. It’s a fab way to use up gluts if you grow your own beans, or you can find cheap bagsful of snappily fresh ones in the shops in the late summer.
Makes 5 x 400ml jars
750g runner or French beans
500g onions
500ml malt or cider vinegar
2 heaped tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tsp fine sea salt
350g demerara sugar
Sterilise your jars and twist-on lids. Top and tail the beans and remove any stringy fibres from the sides. Cut diagonally into roughly 1.5cm slices, or to the size you prefer – you should have 650g prepared weight. Peel, halve and quarter the onions and slice thinly.
Put the sliced onions into a large, heavy-based pan or preserving pan with the vinegar and bring to a simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Meanwhile, plunge the beans into a pan of boiling water and cook until just about tender – this will depend on the type and age of the beans: young beans take 4-5 minutes, older beans up to 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 250ml of the cooking water. Add the beans to the onions.
Mix together the cornflour, spices and salt with the reserved cooking water and mix to a paste. Return the pan to a medium heat, stir in the sugar, bring to a simmer then stir in the spice mixture. Return to simmering point for 5 minutes to allow the cornflour to thicken the mixture. Remove from the heat.
Spoon the relish into the sterilised jars, filling to the brim and tapping them gently on the work surface as you fill to remove any pockets of air. Seal immediately.
Ideally, allow 2-3 weeks before opening a jar to allow the flavours to develop. Store in a cool, dark, dry place for up to a year. There’s no need to keep in the fridge once opened but make sure the jar is sealed and kept in a coolish cupboard, and use within 3-4 months.
Gardening for Disabled Trust wants your gardening tips
The Gardening for Disabled Trust helps people to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of gardening, despite disability and helped around 900 people in 2019. They are looking to collect everyone's favourite gardening hints or tips - the little bits of advice you'd pass on to your children or grandchildren - into a single book ... collectively thousands of years of gardening experience in a single place!
Tips on anything to make your garden grow beautifully are appreciated e.g. planting and growing, composting, meadows and re-wilding, pests and bugs, gardening challenges, garden design and recipes for gluts.
Each tip should be 25-75 words (3 or 4 lines). Please send as many tips as you like to rosiegdt@gmail.com by Friday 11th September, together with your name and county, and how many years you’ve been gardening. The book will be available in time for Christmas.
For more information about the Trust and how they support disabled people with grants, go to www.gardeningfordisabledtrust.org.uk.
Your contributions welcome!
It was lovely to have such a bumper issue this month and contributions from so many members: Ann Fudger, Annie Kobus, Gill Williams, Jane Godfrey, Jenny Harding, Jo Benke-Smith, Pam Corbin, Robin Britton, Rose Mock, Tony Cook. If you have anything to contribute for future issues please email them to tricia@thegardenersblacksmith.co.uk or call on 07767 261444.
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Top left: Ann Fudger’s pink and yellow Brugmansia
Top right: Tony Cook’s Rosa ‘For Your Eyes Only’
Bottom right: When Annie Kobus was asked if she’d like a courgette she wasn’t expecting this 3.5kg whopper!
Bottom left: A common blue butterfly, taken by Robin Britton’s neighbour Phil Leigh
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