Ferns - Steven Moss - September 14th 2023

A talk by Mr Steven Moss, a volunteer gardener from Holehird Gardens near Windermere (which is a member of the Lakeland Horticultural Society).

Holehird is a ten-acre fellside garden which was founded in 1969 and has no permanent staff, being run entirely by volunteers. The garden is open from dawn until dusk and visitors can purchase a variety of plants which are on sale and enjoy a drink on the premises. Holehird also holds six National Collections ….Astilbes, Daboecia (a type of heather), Mouse Ear miniature hostas, Meconopsis and Tanacetum (painted daisies). They also grow  a large collection of ferns because on the whole, Cumbria has ideal weather conditions for successful fern growing. 

The British Pteridological Society was formed in Kendal in 1891 and is still active in the area searching and cataloguing specimens of local ferns. The Victorians were keen fern growers and did a lot of hybridisation and collecting of ferns.

As a species, they thrive in a wide range of habitats, shady, dry, damp, and can tolerate  acid or alkaline soils, and make a perfect foil for other plants. (There are 400 million year old fossils which depict ferns)
The Holehird fern collection was started in 1987 and has over 100 plants and 18 species including 26 different varieties.

Mr Moss showed slides to illustrate his informative and often humorous presentation and explained how best to make a ‘loggery’ which provides a perfect growing area for ferns and he gave tips on the best methods of nurturing these plants.

He also showed how to propagate ferns by collecting spores from the nodules on the underside of fronds, and continuing a fairly lengthy process of sterilising soil, avoiding contamination from the air, and which hopefully results in tiny green fern growth many months later! An easier way to propagate is to split the rysomes (crowns) or to grow on by layering the tiny bulbuls which often form along the fronds of some ferns.

Written by Jude Jansen

Evening Garden Visit for Charity - Thursday, 20th July 2023

What a treat it was to visit Bryan & Barbara Lloyd’s garden again. Many of us will remember visiting the garden in 2016. On returning, none of us could be disappointed! The evening was rather menacing with heavy showers and foreboding darkness; mixed with transient blue sky and sunlight. A special thanks to all at Briscoe Hill for their hospitality, for sharing the garden, their knowledge and experience.

Here is our visit in photos ...

Denise Poole

 

May 2017
Annual Plant Fayre, Wetheral

     It was with great sadness, but also with great thanks, that      many of us from VGC attended Denise's funeral,                 yesterday at the Crematorium, Carlisle.

    Denise died suddenly but peacefully at home on                    Wednesday, 21st June, after spending the evening                organising a village event for Warwick-on-Eden.

    She will be missed by us all; but particularly by her            family and dearest friends, of whom there were many.

                       

 On entering the service room, many of us will have felt a bittersweet lump as English Country Garden (c.1728) played.

How many kinds of sweet flowers grow 

In an English country garden?

We'll tell you now of some that we know

Those we miss you'll surely pardon

 Daffodils, heart's ease and phlox

Meadowsweet and lady smocks

Gentian, lupin and tall hollyhocks

Roses, foxgloves, snowdrops, forget-me-nots

In an English country garden

Denise would surely smile if perhaps we especially think of heartsease, Viola Tricolor at this time. 

The name pansy comes from Middle French - pensée (“thought / remberance”).          

Violas and pansies resemble someone that is in deep thought, with a lowered head. 

"Out & About" - Trips in Early Summer 2023

Our first day trip was on Sunday, 21st May, to RHS Bridgewater near Salford. With smooth coach rides with  Alba Travel, we were able to enjoy a sunny day. For some it was a first visit and for others a chance to check out the latest developments!

https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/bridgewater

"Bridgewater Gardens (opened in 2021) has been created in 154 acres (62 ha) of the former Worsley New Hall estate, with the Bridgewater Canal forming the southern boundary. It is one of Europe's largest gardening projects.

Tom Stuart-Smith's Watercolour

Landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith has created the overall plan, in which the walled kitchen garden has been restored with historic features such as the tree-lined Garden Approach recreated, and the lost terraces reworked. Marcus Chilton-Jones is the first curator of the garden. The Welcome Building (2022) was crowned by the Royal Insitute of British Architects as the North West Building of the Year: being praised for its sustainable and engaging design."

Natural Obelisks in the Walled Gatdens

Developing the stream as part of the Japanese Garden

Remembering the Bees

Using "No Mow May" with graded grass cuts to provide shape & form

A trip to the Spring Show in Harrogate in late April was a treat for some of us as well.

Dilston Physic Garden, Corbridge - Dr Nicolette Perry - 11th May 2023

What a privilege it was to welcome our speaker Dr Nicolette Perry, who has a PhD in Pharmacognosy from King’s College, London. She has researched and published trials of the use of medicinal plants for the brain. Her research into using sage, Salvia officinalis, in the management of Alzheimer’s Disease is linked with ongoing research at Newcastle University. Nicolette’s mother is Elaine Perry, professor emeritus of Neuroscience at Newcastle University and founder of Dilston Physic Garden.

https://dilstonphysicgarden.com

The garden was established in the early 1990s with a view to growing plants for research.

“Science is catching up with what we have known for 1,000s of years” NP

Physic Gardens date from 800 AD and were mostly located in monasteries. These medicinal plant gardens and were the forerunners to the botanical gardens of today. Currently there are four physic gardens in the UK, with Chelsea Physic (1673) being especially well known.

With 700 medicinal plants (worldwide there are 20,000 edible plants) Dilston is a centre for clinical trials and laboratory studies. There is a dispensary (where a medical herbalist can give personal advice on Wednesdays by appointment) and there are knowledgeable volunteers to help guide you on a visit along with information boards. The garden is also a peaceful haven in which to relax.

Historically and over the last thirty years, half of new single component therapy drugs, created by pharmacologists in pharmaceutical companies, are derived from plants. Often the plants used in their ‘whole’ are indeed toxic! E.g. Galanthamine (from snowdrops) is used for the management of Alzheimer’s Disease and Atropine (from Deadly Night Shade, Belladonna) increases abnormal, slow heart rates or dilates pupils for eye examinations. 

Interestingly many drug producing companies (pharmaceuticals) have their origins in plants. E.g. Merck & Co. began in 1668 in Darmstadt, Germany. Friedrich Jacob Merck sold morphine (from Papaver somniferum poppies), cocaine and codeine. The company became a manufacturer in 1827. Bayer AG (famous as the manufacture of asprin) was founded as a dyestuffs factory in 1863 in Germany, by Friedrich Bayer and his partner, Johann Friedrich Weskott, a master dyer.

PHARMACOLOGY is the detailed scientific study of single component drugs.

PHARMACOGNOSY is the study of complex compounds in natural drugs obtained from organisms such as most plants, microbes and animals. When the term “natural product” is mentioned, they can be the organism itself (plant, animal, and microorganism), any part of an organism (a leaf or flower of a plant, an isolated gland or other organ of an animal), and extract or pure substances.

Traditional medicine is also a part of pharmacognosy and most of the third world countries still depend on the use of herbal medicines. Consequently, pharmacognosy always keeps its popularity in pharmaceutical sciences and plays a critical role in drug discovery.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4204033/#:~:text=Pharmacognosy

Indeed this has been a fascinating talk. It gratifying to hear that herbal therapies are increasingly been shown to be effective within scientific trials. A glimpse into future therapies is tantalising!

Written by Trish Rodgers (using  various internet sources)

Impact of Climate Change on Gardening - David Fletcher - 13th April 2023

David is known to some of us, particularly for articles written for Village Link. He is a member of the Chartered Institute for Horticulture and is currently based in Houghton,Carlisle. David’s career spans forty plus years. After looking after his parents’ large garden in the 1970s, he joined Leeds City Council as an apprentice gardener at sixteen. Post university he worked in conservation in the UK, spent time in India and latterly was a viticulturist in Italy. He currently works for the government, managing plant health control in the North of England; e.g. the statutory notification of Category A - Pests & Diseases). David is also is an advisor for potential vineyard sites in England.

Accurate information may be accessed from the RHS with their publication in April 2017

https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/gardening-in-a-changing-world/climate-change

Weather has changed dramatically in the last decade resulting is 29 extra growing days in the year! Seasons are becoming less defined with warming (drought in summer) coupled with heavy rains and storms. And the pattern is becoming less predictable over time. So flood management (e.g. Cumbria & West Country) and water storage (e.g. East Anglia) are now priorities.

Due to seasonal blurring, flowering plants are blooming earlier than previously; so in evolutionary terms there is likely to be a current mismatch for their pollinating insects.

So what can we do as gardeners?

In a nutshell we will need to gradually, but increasingly introduce more resilient plants.

TIPS / IDEAS

1. Source plants from reliable nurseries and growers to reduce risks of introducing pests and diseases

2. Trees – Planting smaller trees species will mean that they are more resilient to storm damage. Smaller trees (e.g. Acacia dealbata) have larger root systems compared to their leaf canopy surface. Tree whips planted without support produce stronger trees long term. In the south consider planting non indigenous species. E.g. In Kew Gardens where the soil is free draining (sand and gravel), the beech trees are under stress (and so are susceptible to disease) caused by summer droughts and in winter rains are leeching out nutrients and destabilising the soil.

3. Introduce Mediterranean plants where there is drought. Consider growing peaches, olives and almonds (maybe not in Cumbria though).

4. Decrease the amount of lawn (which is a monoculture), consider ‘No Mow May’. Learn to appreciate mixed lawns.

5. Rethink borders, summer displays are increasingly difficult to irrigate. Recognise drought lovers.

6. Raised beds reduce problems of waterlogging.

6. Read Beth Chatto’s book, The Dry Garden, first published in 1978!

With these climate changes viticulture has become an emerging industry in England and Wales. However viticulturists will need to be mindful of those late ‘naughty’ frosts that occur: so aspect and altitude will need consideration. (Historically Henry VIII was the first to nurture the hope of a growing grapes for wine in the sixteenth century!) Indeed prestigious Champagne houses are currently competing for potential land to cultivate grapes, especially in the south of England. However such investment will only be possible if the land is free of Category A (Notifiable) Plant Pests & Diseases.

With global plant mobility and climate change; so also come new threats for plant health in the UK.

https://planthealthportal.defra.gov.uk/pests-and-diseases/pest-and-disease-factsheets/notifiable-diseases/

Xylella fastidiosa (BACTERIAL) - colonises the xylem vessels of plant systems, leading to internal dehydration with wilt, dieback & leaf scorch

Phytophthora (FUNGAL) – P. ramorum (oak USAand larch trees) / P. kernoviae (rhododendrons)

Anoplohora chinensis / Citrus Long Horn (BEETLE) – feed inside tress and weaken them

Dryocosmus kuriphilus / Oriental Chestnut Gall (WASP)

Anoplophora glabripennis / Asian Longhorn (BETTLE) – found in certain trees, that survive in wood plallets that are untreated.

Candidatus liberibacter / Zebra Chip Potato Disease (BACTERIAL)

David believes that if we can modify and evolve our gardening methods to suit the climate changes we can help to sustain our plant whilst growing beautiful and healthy plants. In the UK it is estimated that there are 23 million gardens. As individuals and collectively we CAN make a difference.

Written by Trish Rodgers

All About Dahlias - Mr Jack Gott - 9th February 2023

We were so lucky to have Cumbria’s renowned dahlia breeder, Mr Jack Gott from Milnthorpe talking to us this month. Jack has been a passionate grower of dahlias for 52 years and grows over 300 varieties and stocks upwards of 6,000 dahlias each year. The recent winter frosts however, have diminished many of his tubers so he envisions lots of work this year replenishing his stock!

Jack is fortunate to live adjacent to his one and a half allotments, so he is on hand to care for and tend this enormous collection. Jack successfully exhibits his dahlias all around the country, and also sells dahlias to the public.

Some time ago, Jack stopped digging his dahlia beds each year, and has lessened his weeding by paving between the rows of flowers. Specially made fishing nets are used as plant supports. Chicken manure pellets and compost are used to enrich his soil.

By using many photographs to illustrate his talk, it was clear to see the scale of work involved and Jack’s level of passion for dahlias. He maintains and propagates his stock, attends National Shows / Plant Fairs and develops and breeds many new varieties.

To propagate dahlias, Jack described how he takes cuttings from every tuber…..at least two dozen from each. The four-inch cuttings are popped closely together in trays of dry sand. When the tray is full he waters it and leaves the cuttings to root. No feeding or mollycoddling, only watering again once the sand is dry. He recommended spraying the cuttings with water if they look droopy and to avoid them getting waterlogged. Jack advocated ’treat ‘em rough’! Once each cutting has developed roots, it is potted into compost. These new plants are grown on to be sold as tubers the following year.

There were many interesting slides both of Jack’s own production nursery/allotments and his show exhibits together with pictures from the Netherland producers who are world renowned dahlia growers. Many photographs too, of the amazing range of colours and different forms of dahlia which are available, cacti, pom-pom, anemone, singles, and waterlily to name but a few.

“The Dahlia is one of the most beautiful of the native American flowers. They were used abundantly by the Aztecs of Mexico, as food, medicine and of course, decorations! Very little is known about the early history of the Dahlia due to the destruction of the Aztec culture after the Spanish Conquest. Francisco Hernadez was sent to Mexico by King Phillip II of Spain in 1570 to study it’s natural resources. He stayed for 7 years and was the first to describe the plants we know as Dahlias today. He called them Acocotli and Cocoxochitl.

In October of 1789, the first Dahlia bloomed in Europe at the Madrid Botanical Garden. By the early part of the 1800s, Dahlias were growing in luxurious gardens all over Europe.

The thing about Dahlias that sets them apart from other flowers in the plant world is the fact that they are octoploids. This means they have eight sets of chromosomes, whereas most plants only have two. (Humans have 23.) This gives the Dahlia the unique ability to be cultivated with an extremely high variety of results.

CLASSIFICATION OF DAHLIAS

Dahlia varieties are based not only on shape, but size. Dahlias are a genus with 30 species and over 20,000 cultivars… (Big family!)

Dahlia Size Categories:

Giant (AA) – over 10″ diameter

Large (A) – 8-10″ diameter

Medium (B) – 6-8″ diameter

Small (BB) – 4-6″ diameter

Miniature (Min) – 2-4″ diameter

Mignon – to 2″ diameter

1. Formal Decorative Dahlias (FD) – flat, rounded florets regularly arranged.
2. Informal Decorative Dahlias (ID) – twisty, curvy or wavy florets arranged irregularly.
3. Semi-cactus Dahlias (SC) – ray florets that can be straight, incurved or recurved
4. Straight-cactus Dahlias (C)- ray florets arranged regularly
5. Laciniated Dahlias (LC) – twisted and split, ray florets
6. Waterlily Dahlia (WL) – broad, slightly cupped florets
7. Collarette Dahlia – single row of ray florets around a center ring of shorter florets
8. Anemone Dahlia – ray florets composed around central tubular disk florets
9. Ball (Ba), Miniature Ball (MBa) Pompon (P) – ball-shaped or slightly flatted flowerheads
10. Single Dahlia – One row of uniform, ray florets
11. Orchid Dahlias – single row of ray florets with inward-curving margins
Novelty Dahlias (NO) – Dahlias whose characteristics do not fit into any other category.

https://www.flowershopnetwork.com/blog/dahlia-flower-day/

Jack described how to recognise ‘sports’, an anomaly on the plant which often creates a new variant to breed from. Some may become named varieties, but others are discarded as not commercially viable. Breeders over the years have developed a huge variation within the species.

More information can be found on the National Dahlia Society’s website

https://www.dahlia-nds.co.uk

Dalemain Plant Fair is a great local venue where a large collection of dahlias (as well as other plants) can be seen and purchased. This year it will be held on 11th June at Dalemain. To conclude his interesting talk, Jack played a video of when he was featured on a Gardener’s World programme in 2016. 

https://vimeo.com/159788504 

 There were many dahlia tubers available for members to buy afterwards.

Written by Jude Jansen

Compiled for blog by Trish Rodgers

Photos – various / Internet