Gardening Club Run-down of the Autumn Progrramme

On the 30th September, Sharon Henshaw, a Yoga Teacher who practices in Penrhiwllan, gave members a great workout from our chairs, with a demonstration and session on chair yoga. This turned out to be perfect for gardeners, and, as some of our members also suffer from a variety of ailments that restrict their gardening, it came as a welcome and enjoyable evening meeting. Some of us are considering going to her chair yogo sessions, we felt so good after the gentle workout. Her details are below.

The next meeting is on October 28th, and it's Richard Bramley from the well-respected Farmyard Nurseries talking about ponds. Ponds bring tranquility and nature into our gardens, including all those slug-loving amphibians, and he'll talk about building, planting and managing any sort of water garden you may have, or wish you had. Join us for an interesting, informative talk that should also be loads of fun.

Farmyard Nursery's winning display. 

A couple of interesting gardening books have come my way recently; a little different from the usual.

 

Kate Bradbury won the People's Book Prize with One garden against the world : in search of hope in a changing climate She invites us into her garden – home to bats, mason bees, hedgehogs and frogs – and shows us how to adapt green spaces in a changing world. Bradbury writes regularly for the RHS The Garden magazine, and is an award-winning writer specialising in wildlife gardening–– Wildlife Editor of BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine with a Country Diary column in The Guardian.The book's message is 'if we work together, we can make a difference'.

The Garden against Time by Olivia Laing is a slightly less uplifing read by fascinating none the less. In 2020, Olivia Laing began to restore a walled garden in Suffolk, an overgrown Eden of unusual plants. The work drew them into an exhilarating investigation of paradise and its long association with gardens.

Moving between real and imagined gardens, from Milton’s Paradise Lost to John Clare’s enclosure elegies, from a wartime sanctuary in Italy to a grotesque aristocratic pleasure ground funded by slavery, Laing interrogates the sometimes shocking cost of making paradise on earth.

But the story of the garden doesn’t always enact larger patterns of privilege and exclusion. It’s also a place of rebel outposts and communal dreams. From the improbable queer utopia conjured by Derek Jarman on the beach at Dungeness to the fertile vision of a common Eden propagated by William Morris. New modes of living can and have been attempted amidst the flower beds, experiments that could prove vital in the coming era of climate change.

Finally...

There was a brilliant turnout of entries for the Flower and Produce show run by the Rhydlewis and district Gardening club on Tuesday 26 August.

Thank you to everyone who entered the show and massive thanks to everyone who helped with setting out the tables, selling raffle tickets, running the kitchen and clearing up afterwards and a big thank you to our amazing judges, Dr. Bob and Rannveig Wallis for giving our show the benefit of their expertise.  

Growers clubbed together and excelled in their efforts to put on a magnificent display for judges Dr Bob and Rannveig Wallis to deliberate over.

We also had a new award, starting this year; The People's Choice, where everyone got to vote for their favourite exhibit in the hall. And the winner was Dilys Davies with her Dahlias!

Here are the results in full and congratulations to all the winners.

1. 4 white potato 1^st  Gwen Thomas 2^nd Jim Milton
2. 4 Coloured potatos 1^st Gary Soltys
3. 3 Beetroot 1^st Jim Milton 2^nd Carrie Davies
4. 3 carrots 1^st Janet Piggott 2^nd Jim Milton
5. 3 Courgettes 1^st Michelle Brown 2^nd Jim Milton
6. 1 Marrow 1^st Georgia Heath 2^nd Sophie Heath
7. 4 Runner beans 1^st Jim Milton 2^nd Joy Wason
8. 4 Pods of peas 1^st Gary Soltys 2^nd Gemma Cohen
9. 3 Onions 1^st Carrie Davies 2^nd Carrie Davies
10. 5 Shallots 1^st Jim Milton
11. 4 Tomatos 1^st Gemma Cohen 2^nd Jim Milton and Gary Soltys
12. 5 Cherry Tomatos 1^st Gwen Thomas 2^nd Jim Milton
13. 1 Cucumber 1^st Sarah Taylor 2^nd Janet Piggott
14. Longest Runner bean 1^st Sue Davies 2^nd Joy Wason
15. Best Comic Vegetable 1^st Janet Piggott 2^nd Jim Milton
16. Collection of 6 Veggies 1^st Janet Piggott 2^nd Jim Milton
17. Bunch of 5 herbs 1^st Joy Wason 2^nd Gary Soltys
18. 3 Cooking Apples 1^st Gwen Thomas 2^nd Anne Tod
19. 3 Dessert Apples 1^st Gary Soltys 2^nd Jim Milton
20. Vase of Dahilas 1^st Dilys Davies 2^nd Janet Piggott
21. Vase of Roses 1^st w/h 2^nd Sue Edmunds
22. Vase of Hyrangeas 1^st Sarah Taylor 2^nd Doreen Driscol
23. Vase of Sweet Peas 1^st Janet Piggott 2^nd w/h
24. Vase of garden flowers 1^st Joy Wason 2^nd Janet Piggott
25. Arrangement of salad items N/E
26. Arrangement of summer flowers in mug 1^st Doreen Driscol 2^nd Erica Knight
27. Photo ‘A bridge’ 1^st Sue Davies 2^nd Sue Edmunds
28. Photo ‘Clouds’ 1^st Sue Davies 2^nd Sue Davies
29. Painting ‘Native Wildlife’ 1^st Doreen Driscol 2^nd Ruth Potter and Doreen Driscol
30. Painting ‘A basket of vegetables 1^st N/A 2^nd Georgia Heath
31. Woodwork home made bird box N/E
32. Woodwork A wooden Mushroom N/E
33. Woodwork A carved wooden Item 1^st Carrie Davies
34. A handmade wind chime 1^st Sophie Heath 2^nd Georgia Heath
35. Handmade Bracelet 1^st Sophie Heath 2^nd Sophie Heath
36. A knitted or crochet shawl 1^st Sue de Villiers 2^nd Sue de Villiers
37. A Focaccia 1^st Sophie Heath 2^nd Sophie Heath
38. A fruit Crumble 1^st Sophie Heath 2^nd Sophie Heath
39. Cake with vegetable ingredient not carrot 1^st Sophie Heath 2^nd Sophie Heath
40. 4 decorated cup cakes 1^st Georgia Heath 2^nd Sophie Heath
41. 3 white hen eggs 1^st Sarah Taylor 2^nd Georgia Heath
42. 3 hens eggs AOC 1^st Anne Tod 2^nd Jane Puddephatt
43. Jar of Marmalade 1^st Frank Blades 2^nd Frank Blades
44. Jar of Jam 1^st Janet Piggott 2^nd Nina Milton
45. Jar of jelly 1^st Frank Blades 2^nd Doreen Driscol
46. Jar of relish 1^st Nina Milton
47. Childs class 4 decorated cup cakes 1^st Georgia Heath
48. Childs class Picture made from buttons and string 1^st Georgia Heath

Best exhibit in show classes 1-19 Georgia Heath (Marrow)

Most points in classes 1-19 Jim Milton

The Liz Blackler award for most points in classes 29-44 Sue Davies and Sophie Heath

Floral Challenge award most points in classes 22-26 Janet Piggott

D & G Homecraft award foe most points classes 35-46 Sophie Heath