Christmas came a little early at our November meeting when Pam Lewis came along to give us a talk and demonstration on wreath making, 12 of our members joined in with the practical workshop and ended up taking home their wonderful wreaths. Pam is a very talented lady and has been a long-standing member of Devizes Flower Club. Our own club visited her wonderful garden in Marston a few years ago.

December will see members meeting at a local restaurant for the Christmas social this time, which has already been booked. There is no meeting in January, although the committee will be meeting to discuss next year’s programme (from June – May.) If anyone would like us to include a particular speaker or visit, please contact one of the committee members.

It will be our 20^th birthday next year, so we hope to make it a very good year!

I would like to wish all our members and supporters a very Happy and Prosperous New Year and that you all enjoy the festive Christmastime.

Keep gardening!

Jacky

The intriguing talk ‘Crayfish on the lawn’ showed us how gardeners see more than most in the garden when down on our hands and knees! Together with lovely slides, Joff showed us what an eclectic variety there is to be seen especially at ground level. Not just beautiful combinations of flowers but also the moths, beetles, fasciations, snails, and fungi. We were treated to a poem by Pam Ayres about ‘The Last Hedgehog’, spoken by Pam Ayres herself (Joff tends her garden!). Yes, we did also see a crayfish on the lawn, one of the invasive American varieties, probably dropped by a passing bird!

Enjoy the last of the late summer sunshine,

Another successful show was held in the Parish Hall on Saturday 2^nd September, the entries certainly brightened up the Hall. Thank you to Mercedes for her article and pictures in the September E-News.

Thank you to all those who came along, either entering a class or just marvelling at the entries and enjoying tea and cake.

This is always a social event for the village and judging by the chatter this is just so!

Thank you to the committee and other helpers stewarding or in the tearoom and for the lovely cakes made for consumption! And to those who stayed to put everything away including the marquee.

Congratulations go to Liz Pike who retained both trophies (Best Gross and the Silver Salver best 10 nominated).

On October 5^th Joff Elphick will give a talk ‘Crayfish on the lawn’.

As a student Joff worked for Mary Keen while studying horticulture at Pershore under Chris Beardshaw. He writes a weekly blog and produces podcasts and talks about his work as a professional gardener.

We always welcome any guests to come along and join us and see what we are up to.

For more details ring 830133.

Jacky

Don’t forget the show this Saturday 2 September @2.30pm in the Parish Hall

Ten members had the privilege of visiting Longstock Park Water Garden on the Leckford Estate now currently owned by Waitrose. John Lewis originally purchased Longstock House and concentrated on developing a beautiful Water Garden.

The whole setting was beautiful, serine with water-loving plants from all over the world.

Plants around the Water Garden included over 40 different varieties of water lilies, swathes of primula, bright lobelia, hostas and many other beautiful plants, shrubs and trees.

Two full time gardeners work in the Water Garden and were seen to be weeding and edging the garden from end to end. Access and walking conditions all around the Water Garden were well maintained making it easy to experience this beautiful venue.

Every aspect of this extraordinary Water Garden was superb, colourful with hundreds of different species of trees and plants on a beautiful sunny day.