February 2026 Meeting Report:

Lucy Ellis –  Poisonous Plants. 

Deadly, Dangerous and risky to hold – the title of a very interesting talk by Lucy Ellis on poisonous plants. She began with the plant causing the highest death toll worldwide – Tobacco. 8 million people die annually as a result of smoking. The most deadly if consumed – Castor oil plant with seeds that resemble ticks but with a poison that can be broken down by heat. The most dangerous to touch is Giant Hogweed, distinguishable from the common Hogweed by its blotchy stem. The sap on the skin causes burns and blisters when exposed to sunlight – phototoxicity.

The most poisonous UK herbaceous plants are Deadly Nightshade.  All parts are toxic – the berries being particularly dangerous.  They look like Sloes and taste delicious! Hemlock has no antidote and is responsible for tightening muscles and can be a problem weeks after being cut down. If consumed, Monkshood with its attractive blue flowers and daffodils which to some look like spring onions, are dangerous. Euphorbia, including Poinsettia and common Rue have dangerous sap. Seeds of lily of the valley, Foxgloves and Arum species are toxic.

There are killer Trees! Yew.  All parts are poisonous to humans and animals except the red fleshy part of the fruit. Laburnum. Extremely poisonous particularly the seeds. Laurel. When the leaves are cut, they produce hydrogen cyanide so beware enclosed spaces! Walnut leaves can poison the soil where they fall.

Finally, Lucy gave advice to all.  Protect yourself, wear gloves and always wash hands after gardening!

We were very grateful to Lucy for stepping in at the last minute and enjoyed her presentation. 

Jacky

Change of Speaker for February 2026:

Due to an unfortunate illness, our speaker on 5th February will now be Lucy Ellis who will speak about poisonous plants.

Jacky

November 2025 Meeting Report:

Our November speaker was Richard Cripps who gave a talk on Britain’s woodland heritage explaining the importance of diverse trees in the development and change in woodland over thousands of years, bringing with him many species for us to look at.

9000 years ago, woodland was colonised by only about 35 native species which included only 3 conifers- Yew, Juniper and Scots Pine. Invading forces over the centuries, and the isolation of Britain from continental Europe, have seen the introduction of species which have become naturalised eg Rhododendron, Sweet Chestnut ,Larch, Beech and Hornbeam being some examples. 

Woodland types are determined by the number of tree species and management of them. Climax vegetation has the largest number of woody plants, particularly the oak. Secondary woodland is cleared of regrowth and evolved in lowland situations and is regularly cut down for timber eg. Cherry which matures in 40 – 50 years, Ash 80 years and Oak 150-200 years. Farmed and urban woodland also provide timber for construction and fuel.

Overseeing these areas are The Forestry Commission and The Woodland Trust.

Woodland is not all about trees however, and smaller plants are important for wildlife and the protection of trees.  Examples Richard gave are Hops, which are supported by non-native Elm trees, Holly, Box, Ivy Dogwood and Clematis.  Clematis is also known as travellers joy, as travellers would use it as firewood when resting on their travels.

Other plants important for the protection of woodland are those which produce thorns deterring larger animals. Examples are Brambles, Hawthorn, Berberis and Blackthorn.

We were very grateful to Richard for stepping in at the last minute and very much enjoyed his presentation. 

Jacky

October 2025 Meeting Report:

NO DIG FOR VICTORY    Millie Carmichael

Millie told a little about how she came to be a gardener, having had other careers before attending Lackham College to study horticulture. Early local experience included planting the vegetable garden at Edington Priory. Millie’s enthusiasm and knowledge of her subject was communicated with humour and evidence of the depth of her experience.

She touched on the wartime initiative Dig for Victory which ensured food security at a difficult time, and compared that to the current situation, when 40%  of our fruit and vegetable produce is imported. She showed slides showing how little of our country is given over to growing these crops.

Our existence depends on six inches of soil, and rain, and soil is lost 10-40% faster than it can be replaced when it is blown or washed away. By minimal disturbance, i.e. not digging, and keeping soil covered, helps minimise soil loss and permits roots to be maintained year round.

Reasons for No Dig

*Weed seeds are not exposed to light which can reduce germination by up to 95%

*A friable surface allows plants to grow quicker and stronger, a defence against pests and diseases.

*New growing areas created quickly

*Maintains vital soil structure, which allows the myriad organisms like bacteria and fungi and creatures like worms, beetles springtails etc, who inhabit, it to thrive.

Millie described lasagne planting, where layers of material are laid over the soil and break down to form a rich compost (much like in a compost bin, and planting into this medium can take place very quickly, The key is to exclude light, which kills weeds. Cardboard, grass clippings, shredded pruning’s, garden compost in layers soon decompose to form a perfect growing medium, requiring minimum effort.

Members asked questions which were well answered, altogether an excellent talk.

Jacky

September 2025 Meeting Report:

Edington & District Gardening Club First Thursday in the month 7.00pm Parish Hall

What a wonderful display of produce and craft in the Parish Hall for this year’s Flower & Produce Show. Despite such a hot summer and challenging weather, we had a fantastic array of produce to show off, together with photos, (the most ever!), art and crafts. It amazes me how each year different produce and flowers come to the fore.

Thank you to all those who entered and those who helped in any way, including offers of cake and muscle power for the marquee and trestles, the committee, stewards and independent judges. Everything came together, making it a very successful day.

The results are shown separately.

Jacky