Newsletters
Meopham Gardeners Association
Spring Newsletter 2024
Despite the early date, Spring seems to be making itself felt in our gardens already. I have Daffodils and Snowdrops in full flower already, not to mention the Crocuses and several varieties of bulb Irises in Yellow, blue and mauve. Hellebore is also showing its buds and Primula are beginning to flower.
Winter flowering shrubs are continuing to bloom and I have a couple of varieties of Viburnum, Mahonia and, of course, winter Jasmine. Amazingly, Cyclamen, in tubs and baskets, from the garden centre have survived the recent frosts and are being joined by the little Spring flowering Cyclamen (Coum).
I hope your gardens are looking as promising!
Promising, also, is our programme for 2024, beginning with a talk about the work of ‘Spadework, a charity based nearby which supports disabled young people through work at their garden centre.
In March, Caroline Halfpenny returns to tell us about ‘Ponds & Water Plants’ ready to include when you redesign your garden following the talk about ‘Garden Design’ from a local firm, Consilio, in April.
Other topics covered during the year will be Flower Arranging, Irises, Hydrangeas and the latest trends in sustainability. At the end of the year, as we look forward to Christmas, we tackle the appropriate topic of ‘Brussel Sprouts and Tangerines’ with Jaqueline Aviolet who will, no-doubt, be as amusing as always!
Of course, there will be our two shows, Spring – open to the public (I hope your Daffodils and Hyacinths are coming along well) and our Autumn show for members.
We hope that there will also be some extra garden visits to be announced as the year progresses.
All this and more can be found on our ‘Facebook’ page or on our Website, which we expect to be undergoing a major facelift in the next month or so.
Whatever the weather brings, I’m sure you will be taking every opportunity to get out into the garden, or at least the greenhouse or conservatory, to keep things growing along.
Keep us informed about what you are doing and what you would like us to organise. Send in pictures of unusual or prized plants in your garden or any other things that you find interesting that you would like to share with fellow gardeners.
You can contact us through our new Secretary, Elizabeth by our e-mail address meophamgardeners@gmail.com or tell us when you come to the next meeting.
See you there!
Clive Adams (Chair)
°Meopham Garden Association
Summer Newsletter 2024
I am writing this Newsletter at the very end of April, although you would find it hard to believe! While the weather is still pretty chilly at the moment, under 11°C, the garden is looking bizarrely advanced. Most of my Tulips have been and gone and the Irises are in full bloom. I noticed that, in a neighbour’s garden, there was even a Flag Iris in flower!
The Apple blossom is well developed, it looks to be a good year for apples, and my Roses are just coming into bloom. Make what you like of all that but be assured the garden will continue to develop under your care. We aim to give you every assistance with that, but please don’t ask us to do your weeding!
During the last few months we have heard about how the ‘Spadework’ charity is helping local disabled young people in this area and have had advice on developing our garden ponds and the importance of ‘structure’ in our gardens.
There is a mixed programme ahead to lead us up to our Autumn Show in September.
The May talk will give us an opportunity to hear about a nearby garden, Reuthe’s (between Borough Green and Sevenoaks) which for a long time has specialized in Rhododendrons and Azaleas but has had some new life put into it over the past few years.
In June there will be our annual Rose featured evening and Jean Scofield will tell us how best to display them, and other flowers, in your home.
In July we will feature Irises and in August it will be Hydrangeas that we learn about.
All these talks will, I hope, help you to be able to present ‘Show Stopping’ exhibits at our internal Autumn Show.
That reminds me that the specified plant for Schedule 1 will be available as a well-developed ‘Plug’ at the May meeting. No excuses for not entering.
Something else to look forward to is our annual garden visit, this time to Longstock Park Water Garden in Hampshire on Thursday 27th June. Wendy has worked hard to arrange this coach outing so you are encouraged to contact her and reserve yourself (and perhaps friends and family) a place.
Speaking of ‘friends and family’, we always welcome new members so encourage them to come along to one of our meetings so that they can sample some of what we have on offer. (Their first visit is free).
Finally, much of this and other important information can be found on our new web-site meophamgardeners.org, which has just been launched. Although it is still at a basic level, we will be developing it over the next few months, so have a look and send your comments.
All the best for this next gardening season and I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events.
Clive Adams, (Chair)