The National Garden Scheme - "How it all began"

The Viaduct Gardening Club has Mrs Cate Bowman (NGS Assistant County Organiser for Cumbria) as a member. Therefore it was a real bonus for members to listen to her presentation about the history of the National Garden Scheme.

The Scheme is the most significant fundraiser of Nursing Charities in Great Britain. Last year it raised £3,000,000 from the sale of tickets to see beautiful gardens, and to enjoy drinking tea and eating cakes!

The list of NGS beneficiaries include the Queen's Nursing Institute, Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Carer's Trust, Hospice UK, Perennial and Parkinson's UK.

About 3,700 private gardens open their gates each year and detailed information can be found on social media and in the NGS handbook. Each county also has a booklet featuring local gardens.

A Brief History

In 1859, William Rathbone, a merchant from Liverpool, employed a nurse in order to care for his sick wife at home. Following his wife's death, Mr Rathbone kept the nurse on to care for the sick in his neighbourhood. This was the foundation of District Nursing as we know it today.

In 1926, Elsie Wagg had the idea for raising monies by opening up private gardens. The charge was 1 shilling and that first year, over £8,000 was raised. The following year, the District Nursing Organisation became officially named 'The Queen's Nursing Institute.

In 1948, following the war, the National Health Service took over the role of District Nursing but funds were still needed for retired nurses and for training new nurses.

The NGS also liaised with the National Trust and offered to donate funding to the NT to help them restore and preserve important gardens. In return, the NT open many gardens for the NGS.

In 1970, £52,000 was raised by people generously opening their gardens for the NGS. Last year, in Cumbria alone, that figure was raised.

1984 saw Macmillan Cancer Support join the list of Beneficiary Charities and in 1996, Marie Curie, Help the Hospices and the Carer's Trust also benefited from support. In 2013,  Parkinson's UK was also added.

Recently the NGS has benefited from the introduction of attractive new graphics and a new modern logo.

Jude Jansen

Springtime in the Garden

http://www.ribblesdalenurseries.co.uk/

We enjoyed another fabulous talk this month from our speaker, Phil Dunnett of Ribblesdale Nurseries, Woodplumpton, Lancashire.

Despite an early, mild spring this year, bringing with it a cacophony of simultaneous blooming (e.g. hellebores with camellias /rhododendrons) there is still time for us to do that most special thing – revitalise our soil in the borders and pots.

A good feed now will ensure essentially health growth through this year's growing season. The best way to achieve this is to use granule/pellet based feeds – these formulations allow for slow release of fertiliser for six months, whilst liquid feeds require fortnightly application.

Phil recommends using feeds with a high mineral content e.g. seaweed for all plant types. Minerals promote strength in all parts – roots & leaves, thus making the plants less susceptible to “Ps & Ds” (pests and diseases).

Plants' raison d'être is to reproduce themselves. Plants like to grow – so that's the easier bit! However once they prepare to flower they have to accelerate their work, so more nutrients are needed. But what do they need most of in these phases? This brings in the science of elemental needs – NPK Balance: Nitrogen / Phosphorus / Potassium!

Horticulturists will therefore vary their NPK ratios of fertiliser during the season; using a high Nitrogen (N) content fertiliser early in the season to promote growth and changing to one with higher potassium (K or potash) ratio in May when there is evidence of budding/flower formation.

High Mineral Fertilisers - seaweed / fish/blood /bone are good for root formation & health ( remember dogs dig when bone meal is added)

Balanced Fertilisers – tend to promote growth but do less for root growth and flowering, as N is taken up preferentially to P and K.

Pots & Tubs – soil becomes rapidly impoverished, so a new annual top layer of soil & fertiliser is critical.

Watering Tips -

• never water over foliage
• proper hydration of pot plants is essential for root survival
• a properly watered hanging basket should feel so heavy that it barely moves when you place you hand underneath, so this becomes the 'push' or 'weight' test.

Pests & Disease ( fungal especially) Control Tips -

• Anti-fungal treatments are preventative, so start treatment before leaves open. Treatment needs to be applied fortnightly.
• Some pest preventatives ( e.g. for blackfly) can offer six months protection.

Phil also brought a lovely collection of spring plants for sale. He described and defined them by their suitability for shade / light as well as their usual emergence time in spring.

So there were more that a few of us delighted and laden on the way home!

AGM Minutes from 9th February 2017

Chair - Jude Jansen        
Secretary - Trish Rodgers pp Lesley Norman

We have recorded 'blanket' apologies for all members who were unable to attend tonight's AGM. We hope that you will accept and understand that your apology for absence is not recorded individually.

We also decided to not print last year's AGM minutes as they have been displayed throughout the year on the notice board. The agenda was also placed on the notice board and projected during the meeting. However please do let Lesley know if you would like a personal copy of any of these.

As usual, we had an excellent turnout of members with all the hall chairs being used!

The minutes of the 2016 AGM were unanimously passed by all present.

Helen presented her annual financial statement. As monies for the 2017 club holiday had been collected this sum had to be included. Interestingly this year's hall/heating fees are down by over £100. Thus overall the club has an extremely healthy funds balance of £ 6,449.28. The financial audit was kindly certified by Mr N. Stewartson.

This report was Proposed by Pauline Hudson and seconded by Tony Hesketh.

(After the meeting some members approached the committee with suggestions for using the funds.

These ideas will be discussed at the next committee meeting

and brought to the club for consideration in due course.)

Please remember to pay your subs by March each year or

it will be assumed that you have relinquished your club membership.

Judy then presented her chairman's report. (The full report is available from Lesley on request.) Jude gave a summary of the year's club activities and thanked all the various new and old committee members for their support during her two years as chairman. Thanks were also expressed to those who help with teas and tidying up the hall after meetings. Jude has enjoyed her tenure of chairman and has kindly agreed to now become the club's Plant Sales Organiser.

Thanks and gift presentations were made to Christine Davidson and Ann Oswin for their roles over the past two years as Speaker / Summer Evening Garden Visit Organisers. Joan Truman and Ruth Couzens were formally welcomed as the new organisers in this role.

Sadly, Joyce this evening retired from her invaluable role as Outings /Holiday Organiser, after an amazing eleven years in the post. We were delighted to be able to present her with a special 'Thank You' gift. Joyce thanked us all saying how she had “enjoyed and loved every minute” in this role but was now looking forward to spending more time with her family. We look forward to her continued presence as a club member and informal advisor to the committee.

As most of you know, Janice Stewartson has stepped into Joyce's shoes. Janice is a knowledgeable and skilled gardener and so we look forward to exploring her choice of gardens on day trips. Again Jude Jansen will support Janice in this role.

 PLEASE CAN YOU HELP?
The club needs a VICE CHAIR … now
&
In February 2018 we need a new
SECRETARY & TREASURER

Otherwise the current committee were all happy to stand down and be re-elected. This was carried unanimously.

Proposed by Anne Sutherland and seconded by Derek Forster.

Down-a- Gate's Management Committee have still not received full planning permission for their hall. They have a £5,000 shortfall in funds for the project. They have a donations site on line,

www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Down-a-gate

& a local live music fundraiser is to be held at The Golden Fleece Inn, Rulehome on

Sat. 25^th February. Tickets - £10 via Pauline Tel 01228 -560800 / Mob 07411422301

Meanwhile we unanimously agreed to provide a donation from the club of £500.

Proposed by Jill Armsby and seconded by Mary Beresford-Jones.

Unfortunately there are no other suitable interim venues for meetings on Thursday evenings, so again it was unanimously decided to continue to have our meetings at Heads Nook Village Hall until Down-a-gate is once again available.

Proposed by Jackie Morris and seconded by Anne Sutherland.

In future we are reserving two parking spaces at HNVH for the Speaker and one committee member. Please also consider those who have difficulty with walking when you park, thank you.

Please do sign up to help with the Tea/Refreshments Rota – you don't have to bring anything, just yourself. Thank you to those who have already signed up.

Notices were presented by Jude, details of which can be found on the blog. Thereafter Alice announced tonight's raffle winners – a continuing great way to raise more funds!

The meeting was closed by Trish Rodgers (incoming Chair) once she had thanked Jude for her fabulous role as Chair and presenting her with her retiral gift. (The meeting was closed by 8pm.)

We then adjourned to enjoy a chatty 'cupper' (or two) and Marilyn Lord's delicious tray bakes; ginger cake, apple tart-lets, butterfly cup cakes and more...

 

Agreed by the committee on 

27th March 2017

Chairman

Jude Jansen …............................................................................

Secretary

Lesley Norman ….............................................................................

To be signed off at the AGM in February, 2018 ….......….......................................................................... Chairman: Trish Rodgers

 

Fungi in the Garden - Friends or Foes?...

On Thursday, 9th March we were very privileged to be given this talk by Paul Nichol, a distinguished national mycologist who is a trustee of the Association of British Fungi Groups.

Paul gently took us through key biological facts about fungi in a sequential manner. Fungi are now classified as a distinct Kingdom within the Domain of Eukaryotes: which are any organisms whose cells contain a nucleus and other organelles enclosed within membranes. 

 

Fungi can be symbiotic, parasitic and saprophytic (living off dead / decaying matter).

Of some 3,000 species of fungi in the UK, only about 12-15 are lethal. It is probably for this reason that in the UK we do not regularly forage for mushrooms in the fruiting months, unlike our European neighbours.

Using reference guides when foraging are useful. But for improved safety in identification of species, a field expedition is best undertaken with an expert. 

 

Paul holds courses regularly in Cumbria at Highham Hall

http://highamhall.com/organiser/paul-nichol/

You can also contact Paul by e mail - paulnichol20@gmail.com

Paul's book, now in it's 3^rd Edition is available via book stores /Amazon

 

 

The Club's AGM - 9th February 2017...

The minutes of the meeting are still in draft form, awaiting checking by the committee.
However, after the meeting we did adjourn to enjoy a chatty 'cupper' (or two) & Marilyn's delicious tray bakes: ginger cake, apple tart-lets, butterfly cup cakes and much more...

Thank you Marilyn

Welcome to 2017 - Our New Year's Party...

We did have fun when we gathered for our first meeting of 2017 on Thursday, 12th January - a party to celebrate the New Year. As usual our table groaned with savoury and sweet treats, brought by us all:

 Wine and soft drinks flowed and our party spirit was held aloft by floating balloons

 

 

And of course things would not be the same with a bit of stiff competition between us all with Derek's gardening quiz. Remember this tantalising question?

Sadly our old gnome has left the building, so Jude purchased an up market festive gnome from

 M&S and a more down market booby prize (rather cute in my opinion).

Using Stone & Aggregates in the Garden...

Mr. Peter Ebbatson, owner of Dalston Aggregates & Landscape Supplies Ltd. Peter gave us a knowledgeable, amusing talk in which he gave a brief geological overview and revealed many innovative design ideas. Dalston Aggregates supplies carefully assessed and only ethically sourced stock The materials come from within the global market, from countries as far afield as China and India: offering gardeners an amazing range of materials from which to choose.

www.dalston-aggregates.co.uk

Peter brought with him many different samples of stone for us to see and touch. Moreover, he illustrated how he himself used stone features and aggregates to create his own garden lake and wild flower meadow. He also showed us how to make a DIY water feature, explaining why, here in Cumbria, water pumps are still best powered by electricity rather than solar storage batteries.

Peter and his wife, Emma kindly asked that a donation to Hospice at Home be given in lieu of a fee.

(Edited from Chairman Jude Jansen's Press Reports)