March 2025 Meeting Report:

At the March meeting, Andrew Tolman came along and explained all about stumperies, shady plants and ferns.

The first stumpery was set up at Biddulph Grange in 1856, built by Edward William Cooke. The stumpery at Highgrove was created in 1995. Oak or sweet chestnut are best, the outer layer of soft wood deteriorates over 40 – 60 years to get the desired stump. To form walls or arches the stumps are interlocked, otherwise they are laid out to form a rockery of stumps. Plants and ferns are planted between. Even a small area of 6’ x 3’ could be used to create this idea. Andrew gave lots of examples of gardens to go and visit.

Jacky

February 2025 Meeting Report:

A new member and a visitor were welcomed to the February meeting, joining our members.

We were taken on a trip along the Wilts & Berks canal. David Maloney gave us a history lesson about the canal dating from 1810. After falling into disrepair after the war and with a declining income it was abandoned. The Wilts and Berks Canal Trust took on the project in 2000, to bring nearly 70miles of the canal back to life from Melksham to Abingdon, with several link branches. A difficult task with now over 250 landowners along the canal and several areas having housing built on the route.

Howard Yardy, the Trust’s wildlife officer, then showed us all the work done to bring native wildlife back to the area. From bee routes, creating new wildflower pastures, hedge laying and creating dead hedges (instead of having bonfires), planting trees and forming scrapes (allowing winter ponds forming). There has been a tremendous increase in wildlife from newts to otters and kingfishers. Bird and bat boxes have been installed. There is now 8miles of finished canal.

Look at their website www.wbct.org.uk for further information.

Jacky

Useful links:

We were recently contacted by an online educator and community outreach volunteer who has offered us 2 weblinks that provide information for older adults and those with physical disabilities. We are happy to include them here, and hope that they are useful to others.

http://www.billyoh.com/resource/benefits-of-gardening-older-adults

http://www.gardenbuildingsdirect.co.uk/resource/gardening-tips-physical-disabilities-and-elderly/

November 2024 Meeting Report:

On a dull autumnal evening, members and 5 visitors enjoyed a little bit of escapism at our meeting. Abigail Willis, a writer with a passion of gardens and garden history, took us on a trip around some beautiful gardens of Somerset with wonderful photography by Clive Boursnell.

Based on her latest book, (although unfortunately no copies are available until the next print run in April), we saw many different types of gardens – Arts and Crafts, specialist, free thinking, romantic, industrial, organic, microclimate.

It was good to see that as a club, we have visited quite a few of these gardens, and as quite a time has passed with some of the gardens, another visit would be timely, as well as a visit to those new to us!

Jacky