May Meeting

"Dahlias and Chrysanthemums " were the subject of the talk and slide show given by Mr Bryan Madders at our May meeting. According to him Chrysanthemums are the most maligned flower grown at the moment. Originally from China, they flower from late July onwards, depending on the variety. He explained how to take and keep cuttings over the winter and when to plant out. Taking out the tips a fortnight after planting, encourages side shoots and taking out the central flower bud encourages the other buds to come out thus producing a larger flower head.

Dahlias on the other hand are becoming more popular with 80% of gardeners growing them. They like sunshine and moisture  and will continue to flower till the first frosts. His tip for successful winter storage was to make sure the tuber was properly dried and then wrap in newspaper.  With both chrysanthemums and dahlias the darker the leaf the happier the plant.

Mr  Madders was thanked for his very interesting and informative talk which lead to lots of questions from members.

Flower of the month competition was won by Mrs Peggy Worboys with this Azalea.

Plant Sale and Coffee Morning held on 21st May raised £445 mainly due to the plants donated by Mrs Keogh . Many thanks to her and to the other members who assisted on the day. 

Date of next meeting :- Wednesday 12th June for the members evening outing to Upton House and Gardens Meeting there at 6.00pm. Members are to let John Watts (400749) know if they intend to join the visit.

Change to published programme - the meeting on July 10th will now be at Holme Nursery where a talk by Simon Goldsack  will be preceded by supper. The members evening will now be held at the September 11th meeting .