Breaking News via secretary Cate from the RHS...

 

Dear Mrs Bowman,

I would like to ask for your help please - at the RHS we want to mobilise the biggest gardening army across the nation since ‘Dig for Victory’ over 80 years ago and as a valued member I hope we can count on your support. As we discussed at our new RHS Sustainability Strategy Launch in the Houses of Parliament last night, the RHS believes that the actions of each and every one of our nation’s 30 million gardeners with their 700,000 hectares of gardens can help mitigate the climate and biodiversity crisis, and help solve some of the mental and physical health issues we are suffering, especially as a result of the pandemic. 

We want you to be the first to hear about our new ambitious Sustainability Strategy, which includes an exciting nationwide RHS Planet-Friendly Gardening Campaign, details of which you can see below. Within the decade the RHS aims to become net positive for nature and people and to enable and support the gardening public to do the same. This means we will improve biodiversity, as well as remove and store more carbon from the atmosphere than we produce, and that we will actively and consciously improve the health and wellbeing of as many people as possible through gardening.

We are committed to leading by example by setting sustainability targets for our own operations that provide benefits for both nature and people. These targets include eliminating all single-use plastic, being peat free by 2025 and being water neutral. We want all our activities to be truly inclusive, and to be available to all communities across the UK.

Your membership support is appreciated more than ever and will directly help us mobilise this campaign. Thank you so much, and we hope you enjoy the first ever September Chelsea, coming to you soon in person, online and on the BBC!

All the best,

Sue Biggs

 CBE, Director General

Our Planet-Friendly Gardening Campaign

This campaign includes ten easy gardening tasks which will make a real difference to the environment and biodiversity. We'd love you and all our members to share these tips with your communities, friends and family. Tasks include growing fruit, vegetables and flowers, switching to rainwater and pulling up a paving slab or two to make room for some bee-loving perennials! We need your help to spread the word about planet-friendly gardening.

My Favourite Alpines by Neil Huntley of Hartside Nursery - 9th September 2021

Mrs Carol Ridley, (Speaker Organiser for the Club), welcomed Mr Neil Huntley from Hartside Nursery Garden near Alston.

Almost 50 members enjoyed an interesting presentation by Neil, who was supported by his Sue. Neil explained that his parents had purchased the Nursery in 1972 and opened to the public three years later. Neil and Sue took over the business in 1997 and in the intervening years they have developed Hartside Nursery Garden and established it as a National leading specialist for Alpine plants.

They have frequently won accolades and medals from major British RHS Shows and the slides which he used during his talk, showed stunning and often rare pictures of beautiful Alpines which are available from their Nursery.

Situated over 1000 feet above sea level, the garden is subject to hot sunshine during summer and very cold periods during winter… therefore the plants they sell are very hardy!

During the slide show Neil impressed us with his Latin nomenclature, knowledge of plant characteristics and anecdotes. We were also shown how to make and use troughs, containers and raised beds, in which to effectively display the delicate beauty of tiny alpines.

Neil promotes the use of local company ‘Dalefoot Compost’, from Askham () , and shared how to make various compost mixes in order to promote good alpine growth. 

Over 100 slides were shown and some depicted the many and varied primula group, oxalis, tiny iris, gentiana, erythroniums, trillium, saxifage and lots of the roscoea species, to name but a few! In essence it was beauty in miniature.

We were so lucky to be able to make purchases afterwards.

Extract from article by Jude Jansen

Zoom Presentation - 17th August 2021...

Melmerby and District Gardening Club

Are hosting a virtual Zoom presentation with celebrity gardener

Martin Fish

Tuesday 17 August 2021 7.15 for 7.30 pm

There is a small charge of £5 to attend the presentation.

If you would like to book a place please email or telephone Jennifer Baker (Treasurer) by 10^th August 2021

tonybakerdevelopments@gmail.com 079234 30932

Martin is a RHS judge, he organised Harrogate Flower shows for 5 years

He has been Involved in garden writing and broadcasting on radio and television for over 20 years.

Martin writes for Gardening News, Which?Gardening and Kitchen Garden magazine.

He has recently written a book in conjunction with his wife Jill.

Gardening on the Menu available to purchase online from www.martinfish.com

VGC's Annual Plant Sale - Early June 2021

Towards 'normality' after this ghastly pandemic year of Covid... 

The club was able to have it's annual plant sale at Wetheral Village Community Centre. There was a great turn out and members provided an array of  plants for purchase.

                    🎕

And of course there were refreshments and yummy tray bakes too. 

Debbie & Jason had a stall of garden ornaments for sale; locally made at their home, Westgarth, Hayton.

                 🎕

So many of us will relate to this...

Hutton-in-the-Forest Plant & Food Fair - 23rd May ...

Artichokes, Sunflowers & Lilies - to name but a few
(ochres & russets complementing the spring deciduous greens & deeper olive conifers)

Today the midday outside temperature was shy of double figures. Rain, at times, was either unforgiving or threatening! So it was great to see so many people visiting Hutton's Spring Plant & Food Fair (last held in 2019).

I trundled round with my RHS flower truck & easily finding plants to fill it with!

 

Debbie & Jason from Westgarth Cottage in Hayton were there with some fabulous new designs in their garden structures range.

Lucky for us they will be at the VGC Plant Sale on Saturday, 5th June  - see "Diary Dates".

                               PMR

   

Secretary's Update

Dear Member,

I hope you are all keeping well and looking forward to a sunny summer. This letter is bringing good news.

Plant Sale The Spring Plant Sale is going ahead on 5th June at Wetheral Village Hall from 10am - 12noon. I hope you’ve all been lifting and splitting so that we have plenty of plants for sale on the day. We also need donations of tray bakes, cakes etc for the coffee morning - so put your oven gloves on and get baking. All donations welcome. We have access to the hall the night before after 8 pm so you can drop off your plants and cakes and if you are feeling strong you may want to help put out the tables for the event itself. I can’t wait to buy some interesting plants, eat tasty cake and meet up with you all again - it’s been a very long year!

Club Events As we were not able to have a full AGM this year, we haven’t had the opportunity to re elect the committee but the committee decided to go ahead with the due changes to the chair and vice chair.

We say goodbye and much thanks to Caroline Ritchie as outgoing chair and hello and welcome to Anne Sutherland as incoming chair and the new vice-chair, Rosie Thomas.

The committee are planning for the re-start of club meetings from the 2nd Thursday in September. That is dependent on Covid restrictions at the time and speaker availability. I will let you know more about this nearer the time.

Our outings co ordinator, Val, is setting up a provisional trip the an RHS garden on Thursday 1st July it will be either to Harlow Carr or the new Bridgewater. We are keeping it simple for now and just visiting the one big garden. Details to follow.

Val is also looking at availability for a club holiday later in the year. We are also hoping to have a members social evening - details to follow. So you can see that we are trying to get things almost back to normal - and it feels good.

NGS Open Gardens In the meantime, the NGS gardens are beginning to open up. Some of the early openers will be taking on line bookings only ngs.org.uk and may not be selling teas. As restrictions ease there will be more opportunity to make the usual spontaneous visits. Look out for the local leaflets at garden centres and tourist information offices.

See you at the Plant Sale!                                                                                                                             
Best wishes,

Cate

VGC Secretary