ANNUAL VEGETABLE AND FLOWER SHOW 14 TH AUGUST 2010

Another really successful show! The weather was not as kind as last year and there was a lot of shower dodging – not easy early in the morning as the exhibitors were arriving with their beautiful exhibits. However this did not seem to put off the visitors and once the doors opened we had a steady stream all afternoon. The exhibits were magnificent and I am so glad so many came and saw what talent we have in the area. It must have been a hard job for the judges and many thanks go to them from the Society. Many congratulations to the prize winners who won so deservedly. I am sure you will recognise many of the names! It is wonderful to get such great support every year. The afternoon seemed to be enjoyed by young and old alike enjoying the tombola, raffle and taking a rest with a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

The Committee members worked so hard to make the afternoon a success and special thanks must go the Bud, our Chairman, and Kay, our Show Secretary, who had put in so much of their time over the last few months. An event like this is a mammoth task as I am sure you will appreciate, and so many members of the Society came and helped both set it up the night before, worked all day , and then helped clear it up once it was all over – again many thanks to them all too many to mention by name.

Our next monthly meeting is on the 9th September when Mrs Frances Farrer-Brown will be entertaining us with a talk entitled ‘The Plant Hunters'. She is a great speaker and I thoroughly recommend it. If you are not a member you are most welcome to come along as a visitor and you never know you might decide to join us! 7.00 for 7.30 in the Village Hall.

Rozie Bradley

Southwood Cup: Best exhibit Class 1
Awarded to: Peter Rogers
Banksian Medal: Most points for Fruit/Veg & Flowers at Show.
Awarded to: Bud Cooper
Society’s Challenge Cup: The most meritorious exhibit Section 1 and 2. (Except Class 1).
Awarded to: Peter Rogers
Lady Worsley Cup: Most points, Section 1 (Except Class 23).
Awarded to: Peter Rogers
John Brinkman Cup: Most points Section 2.
Awarded to: Peter Rogers
Wornum Rose Bowl: Most points Classes 25-27
Awarded to: Bud Cooper
Society’s Rose Bowl: Best Exhibit Class 25-26
Awarded to: Bud Cooper
Marwood Trophy: Best Exhibit Class 30
Awarded to: Rita Sandy
Baxendale Challenge Cup: Best Exhibit Classes 31-33
Awarded to: Peter Rogers
Chidmere Cup: Best Exhibit Classes 38-40
Awarded to: Wendy Ranft
Battersby Floral Challenge Cup: Most points Classes 38-40
Awarded to: Wendy Ranft
Miniature Cup: Best Exhibit Class 40
Awarded to: Linda Banting
Novice Cup: Best exhibit in Class 41
Awarded to: Rachel Gick
Olga Baldwin Domestic Cup: Best Exhibit Section 4
Awarded to: Jenny Wild & Stephanie Fiske
Myrrh Cup: Most points Section 4
Awarded to: Steve Arkle
Handover Cup: Best Exhibit Classes 51-53
Awarded to: Doreen Hedley
Painting Cup: Best Exhibit Classes 54-56
Awarded to: Katie Price
Photographic Cup: Most points Classes 57-60
Awarded to: John Dean

Children’s Section

Woodman Challenge Cup: Best Exhibit in Section 6
Awarded to: Matthew Ritchie
Phyllis Woodman Cup: Best Exhibit in Section 7
Awarded to: Phoebe Harris
Wood Challenge Cup: Best exhibit in Section 8
Awarded to: Catherine Ritchie
Nichol Challenge Cup: Best exhibit in Section 9
Awarded to: Joe Farrell

Bud, our chairman, welcomed 46 members to our July meeting. As we approach the middle of summer the flowers in the competitions fill the Hall with such a beautiful scent, especially the sweet peas on this occasion. Congratulations to Peter Rogers on his winning the Sweet Pea Cup, and to Don Hall for winning the Mrs. Hamblin Cup. These two members always have entries in our competitions and thoroughly deserve their cups. There were some beautiful entries this month.

Bud reminded the members present that after the summer it will time for the AGM and nominations for the committee. We are always hoping to recruit members to the committee. Last year Kay and Stephanie joined us and have been such an asset, so don't be shy come forward and join us! Its fun!

Since our last meeting, we have had two outings – the first to Monica Lucas's garden in Sidlesham which was a real treat and she looked after us so well, donating the entry fee to the Snowdrop Trust. We then had a coach trip to Wisley which we all thoroughly enjoyed – every year there is something new to look at there. As we are affiliated to the RHS, the Society gets one free entry a year to Wisley. If anyone has ideas for next year's trips, please let me know.

As I hope everyone in the area is aware, our next big event is our ANNUAL SHOW on Saturday 14 th August. The committee has been very busy in organising this but will need lots of help on the night before and on the day. If you can spare the time please contact Bud or a committee member. We are hoping that members will be able to make cakes for the cake stall etc. Please bring them to the Hall on the day. If you live in the area and have not been to the Show before, please come along and view the magnificent entries , enter the raffle with its amazing prizes, try the tombola and then have a rest over a cup of tea and cake! Or even better, put in an entry!

Our speaker this month was the Head Gardener from Fittleworth, Mr Mark Saunders, and his subject this visit was ‘Annuals'. He is a most entertaining speaker with invaluable tips and beautiful slides. I liked his idea of mixing hardy annual seeds together and scattering them in the borders. I shall certainly try that – a good way to fill the gaps in flowering that always seems to occur at about this time of year. He even gave us a demonstration of the best way to plant seeds in trays and when to plant them out etc. Very useful to the amateur gardeners amongst the members, like me!

Oh dear, nearly forgot Brian's topical tips! I expect you thought you were getting a rest this month! Sow your spring cabbage at the end of the month – sow your winter carrots – transplant swede seedlings – take fuschia, geranium and pelargonium cuttings - sow more runner beans (that way you will be eating them until October) – and lastly the dreaded blackfly on the runner beans - feed with Maxi crop which makes the leaves bitter for them but make sure you wet the foliage with it as well feeding the roots.

No meeting in August but hopefully we will see you at the SHOW, both members and lots of visitors!

Our next meeting is 9 th September with Mrs Frances Farrer-Brown giving us a talk with Props and plants entitled 'The Plant Hunters'. She is an excellent speaker and I thoroughly recommend you attend. If you are new to the area, please come along on the evening as a visitor and maybe become a member. 7.00 for 7.30 in Bosham Village Hall.

Rozie Bradley

June Meeting

Roy Retallick opened the meeting with the sad news that one of our cherished members, Esther White, had died last month. We held a minute's silence in her memory. Rozie spoke to members about the forthcoming trips and also about the assistance needed from the members to make sure the Annual Show on 14th August is a success on the day. Our bookings member, Barbara Cowans, requested feedback and any ideas for the bookings for 2010/2011. Selecting speakers for the meetings is not an easy job and information of this nature would be very helpful to her. John Fox updated us on the allotment situation. Apparently the site originally offered in Station Road has been turned down by the Parish Council for various reasons. However Karen Ongley Snook has located another site which might be possible. It would need to be cleared on a self help basis and then could be divided up. John has a list of people who applied for an allotment and he has contacted them – if anyone else would like to join in please contact John or Karen.

We had some lovely exhibits in the competitions, including beautiful roses. The Handover Cup was won by Brian Linkhorn. Brian's topical tips for this month - pinch out tops of broadbeans to stop the blackfly – plant your marrow and courgette plants in the garden – ring sweetpeas and take out tendrils – feed your tomatoes and cucumbers – spray the gooseberries – plant your hanging baskets – pinch out dahlia tips and tie them. And then sit in the garden with a glass of wine and admire your efforts!

As our Show is only a couple of months' away, the excellent talk given by Margaret Borsberry on ‘Cookery and Preserves at the Show' was very appropriate. There were really far too many tips to mention, but if anyone is planning to enter in the domestic competitions in August, I have some spare copies of her REALLY USEFUL TIPS which I am happy to send you or you can collect at the next meeting. I am not much of a baker myself (my sons always called my sponge cakes Frisbees, so I gave up!) but I learnt a lot from her talk and might try again and see what the grandchildren think this time round!!

Our next outing is to RHS Wisley and I am pleased to say that we have a full coach for it. Our next meeting is on July 8 th when Mr Mark Saunders, the head gardener of Fittleworth will give a talk with slides entitled ‘Annuals' - if you have not heard him before I thoroughly recommend him - it should be very interesting. We always welcome visitors on the night and of course anyone recently come to the area who might like to join our friendly Society. 7 for 7.30 in the Bosham Village Hall.

Rozie Bradley

Mr Norman Flint was our speaker with a talk entitled The Dahlia Grower's Year. His talk, with some beautiful slides took us through from preparing the beds, storing them in the winter, to getting them ready for showing. My goodness what a dedication to one species. He got hooked on them with his first six plants which he bought for 10/6d in 1958 (about 50p to you younger readers!). He even dug up his lawn, while his wife and sons were out, in order to be able to have more plants!! He is now of course a National Judge – even judging as far afield as Australia. I apologise for readers who might have liked a more detailed account of his talk, but it is very difficult to make notes during a slide show when the lights are off!!

We have been busy preparing for this month's Coffee Morning and Plant Sale on 15 th May and the preparations for the Annual Flower and Vegetable Show on the 14 th August are well in hand. The Show schedule is now available for all who wish to put in entries. The Committee would like to thank all those who support us at these events. We have our two summer trips planned to Monica Lucas's garden in Sidlesham on the evening of the 11 th June and also our coach trip to RHS Wisley on the 26 th June. If you are not a member and wish to take advantage of the trip to Wisley please contact Rozie Bradley on 01243 576057 as we have a few spare places.

Next month's meeting on the 10 th June, will be a talk with hints and tips by Mrs Margaret Borsberry, entitled ‘Cookery & Preserves at the Show' and we look forward to seeing you there and welcoming visitors and new members.

Rozie Bradley

BOSHAM VILLAGE HALL
ENTRANCE 50P
INCLUDES YOUR COFFEE

April Meeting
Our chairman, Bud Cooper, welcomed 46 members and two visitors to our April meeting – a great turnout! He commented on how wonderful it was to have so many colourful entries decorating the Village Hall. After such a dreary winter it certainly brightened up the evening and made us all feel spring was really here at last! Bud reminded us that the COFFEE MORNING & PLANT SALE is on the 15 th May and that we should all be thinking about the plants we would be able to bring for the sale and also donations to the raffle, book and cake stall. It will be all hands on deck! Rozie spoke to the members about the forthcoming outings to Monica Lucas's garden at Sidlesham on the 11 th June and the coach trip to Wisley on the 26 th June. If you are not a member of our society and would like to take advantage of the trip to Wisley please call Rozie on 01243 576057 and she will give you the details.

Brian Linkhorn gave us his tips for the coming month including – spray gooseberries for mildew – prune hydrangeas and feed with fish, blood and bonemeal – plant early spuds – prune roses if have not already done so – plant out onion sets – sow: asters, zinnias, sprouts, lettuce, radish, carrots, parsnips and sow runner beans in the greenhouse for planting outside for the 15 th May – and if you have not pruned and fed your autumn bliss raspberries do so now! Certainly enough to keep you gardeners busy!!

We were so lucky to have as our speaker Mr Brian Kidd talking about his allotment. I would recommend his talk with slides to all societies. He is the most entertaining gentleman and was able to make his talk both informative and very funny! Some of you may have heard him on Radio Solent or read his articles in the local Portsmouth paper. I hope we are able to remember all his handy tips for when (?) Bosham gets some allotments!

Next month on May 13 th our speaker will be Mr Norman Flint with a talk and slides entitled ‘The Dahlia Growers Year'. Visitors are always welcome at our meetings - please call Rozie Bradley on 01243 576057 if you need any information about the Society, the meetings and the trips.

The March meeting
The March meeting was held on the 11 th March 2010 . Our chairman, Bud Cooper, welcomed 36 members and our speaker, Mr Peter Collett, to the meeting. As he said, the competition entries were rather thin on the ground, mainly due to the fact that spring is so late this year with all the recent cold weather. The Ernest White cup will be judged at the next meeting when hopefully there should be plenty of daffodils. Congratulations go to Pat Price who won the Best in Show Floral, and to Stephanie Fiske who won the Best in Show Domestic. Brian Linkhorn gave us his topical tips for the month including – prune hydrangeas and feed with blood, fish and bonemeal – prune and spray your roses with fungicide, including the ground beneath them and feed them with a granular rose feed – in the greenhouse sow radish, summer cabbage, sprouts, and lettuce - in open ground plant broad beans (Banyard Exhibition is ideal for Feb/March planting) – prune your Autumn Bliss raspberries and feed with bone meal - at and the end of the month try sowing some early potatoes – slight gamble but worth a try.

Peter Collett entertained us with a very informative talk on growing daffodils to show them. He showed and judged daffodils for years and there is nothing he does not know about the subject! He certainly gave us an insight into all the hard work and effort that has to go into showing them. He brightened the evening up with some beautiful slides of all the different divisions of daffodils that are shown. What a lot of varieties there are and I just hope some them start flowering in our gardens soon!!

Our next meeting on the 8 th April should be of interest to our members who are keen to have an allotment. Mr Brian Kidd will be giving us a talk with slides entitled ‘A greener way on the allotment'. If you are interested in having an allotment in Bosham, why not come along as a visitor if you are not already a member.

A reminder that we will be holding our annual Plant Sale and Coffee morning on Saturday May 15 th from 10.30- 12.00 in the Village Hall. As I do not have a greenhouse, I find it is a great way of getting the vegetable garden started without all the hard work of growing from seed – and also buying perennials and annuals for the gaps in the flower beds. We will also have a book stall, cake stall and of course a raffle! So something for everyone!

Rozie Bradley

At the February meeting, the Chairman, Bud Cooper, welcomed 41 members who had braved the cold weather to come along that evening. Bud reminded members to start collecting plants to sell at our Plant Sale and Coffee Morning on May 15th which is our main fund raiser. Bud also asked for volunteers to act as Stewards at the Annual Show in August. There were 13 competition classes with a Valentine's theme. Best in Show (floral) was Mr. M. Cope and Best in Show (Domestic) was Mrs G. Cope.

Brian Linkhorn gave his topical tips. Shallots could now be put in pots and kept in a cold frame. At the moment the ground was too hard and cold for planting. At the end of the month if the weather is mild, sow broad beans and onion sets, prune roses and sterilize the soil, put Growmore around rhubarb, lay potatoes out in the shed and order seeds.

The speaker Mr. John Negus gave a very interesting talk entitled 'Twelve Months of Colour'. He entertained members with slides of colourful flowers and shrubs throughout the year and tested the audience with a quiz about the names and details of each one, followed by questions about plants. Jacky Bowker thanked John Negus for an enjoyable and informative evening.

January Meeting

Due to the adverse weather conditions this month, it was decided by the Committee members that the monthly meeting should be cancelled. With the icy roads and with the car park and pedestrian steps at the Village Hall looking quite treacherous early on in the week, it was felt that it was not worth the risk of one of our members slipping. We were sorry to disappoint our members but feel sure they would agree with the decision. I am sure we can arrange for Mr Hancock to come at another time.

Brian Linkhorn gave me the monthly topical tips which he would have normally read out at the meeting – shallots can be planted in the cold frame – begonias should be pricked out and be in the cold frame – sow sweet peas in 5 inch pots and put in the airing cupboard - check dahlias and dust with sulphur if necessary. When the weather gets better prune the apple trees back to this side of three fruit buds - this should be done by the end of February at the latest. Don't forget to feed the birds daily and check their water is ice free. And lastly if the weather is too awful to do any of these tasks, then sit back by the fire and study your seed catalogues and dream of the spring and summer!!

Hopefully all this snow and ice will have gone in time for our next meeting (11 th Febnruary 7.30 - in the village Hall as usual) when Mr John Negus will give us a talk with slides and a Quiz entitled ‘Twelve months of Colour' sounds like the tonic we all need at present!

Rozie Bradley

Christmas Party December 2009

Our last meeting of 2009 was our annual Christmas Party held on the 10 th December. This was organised by all the Committee members and thanks go to them for an excellent evening and delicious buffet with wine.

The evening started off with the usual competitions. Congratulations to the winners who were: Peter Rogers, Brian Linkhorn, Pat Price, Marie Gilby, Anne Davis, Stephanie Fiske, Janet Phillips, and M. Cope. The Miss Scales Cup was awarded to Beryl Cooper and the Lady Allen Cup to Don Hall. Brian Linkhorn gave his Topical Tips: when the weather is dry enough you can plant out shallots, sow onions and sweet peas.

Peter Rogers, our youngest Society member, entertained us with his guitar and Beryl Cooper organised some great raffle prizes. So all in all a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

The new programme has been printed and it will be issued to members early in the New Year. There are some excellent speakers lined up for the year 2010 and I feel special thanks should go to Barbara Cowans who spends a great deal of her time arranging them - not an easy task.
The next meeting is on January 14th when Mr. Peter Hancock will be giving a talk on Antiques and members are invited to take along items to be valued etc. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Bosham, Chidham & District Horticultural Society

November Meeting

As usual, the November meeting was our Annual General Meeting. Our President, Andrew Amos, conducted the election of the present Committee en bloc. Sadly as I am sure you all know Pam Tomlins died earlier this year and she is such a great loss to the Committee. The Committee now consists of Bud Cooper - Chairman, Roy Retallick - Vice Chairman, Stewart Cowans – Treasurer, Jackie Bowker – assistant Treasurer, Rozie Bradley – Secretary, Hazel Dean – Assistant Secretary, Barbara Cowans, Don Hall and two very welcome newly elected members Kay Grant and Stephanie Fiske.

Bud, as chairman, gave us his annual report on our activities over the year, giving special thanks to Marie Gilby for all her dedicated work over the past five years as Show Secretary. Special thanks too, to Jackie Bowker who, after five years' hard work, has handed over the treasurer's task to Stewart Cowans. Our Coffee Morning and Plant Sale in May was a great success as was the Annual Show in August. He thanked the Committtee for their hard work over the year and also for those outside the committee who help at each meeting – Beryl Cooper for the Raffle, Dave Smith who sets up the Hall each month for us, and Pat Carter and Rita Sandy who serve us a welcome cup of tea or coffee each time. And we must not forget Pat Montague and her energetic team who deliver the newsletter to us all during the year.

The business of the AGM over, everyone enjoyed a glass of wine with cheese and biscuits whilst attempting the Quiz (which was voted much too hard - who could have designed that?! – sorry it seemed so easy when you knew the answers!)

Next month - Thursday 10 th December - is of course our Christmas Party with the food and drink supplied by the Society and some surprise entertainment on the night. There will be the usual raffle and competitions as per newsletter and programme. Should be a good evening and we look forward to seeing as many of our members as possible.

It is easy for me to report the results of this month’s competitions as Don Hall made an almost clean sweep winning six of them. Best in Show (floral) was Pat Price and Best in Show (domestic) was Stephanie Fiske. Brian Linkhorn gave us his monthly topical tips – plant garlic at least 3 inches deep, plant broad beans - Halve your penstemons down to 18 inches - prepare and plant strawberries – halve your rose stems if they are not still flowering, chip and sow sweet peas – plant autumn onion sets – finish planting your bulbs. Try and have all these jobs done by the end of October! He certainly likes to keep us busy!

Mr Peter Gardner kindly stepped in as our speaker at the last minute as the one we had arranged had to cancel. His interesting talk and slides on the ‘Beauties of Hampshire’ covered a wide range of subjects from wildflowers to insects and animals. He quizzed us on the names of each one and I think we did pretty well with our answers! My knowledge was sadly lacking and I just kept quiet at the back!

Next month’s meeting (November 12th) is our AGM and Members’ Evening with some entertainment and a glass of wine to liven it up!! We shall of course still have our usual competitions and the Committee hopes as many of our members as possible will be able to attend.

Rozie Bradley

Our September meeting indicates the beginning of the autumn, after the summer break. Bud opened the meeting with the sad news of the death of Don Goodall. Don and his wife have been supporters of this Society over many years and our sympathy goes out to his wife and family at this sad time.

Bud thanked Marie Gilby for all the hard work she did to ensure that the Annual Show in August was such a success. With Marie at the helm you can be sure that everything will be organised faultlessly. Bud also thanked everyone who helped set up the show the night before and worked hard on the day itself. Marie has set up a beautiful album of photos of all the shows and coffee mornings and visits we make each year but she has no photos of the last coffee morning - so if you have some please could you contact her. Bud made a plea that if the Show and Society is to continue we really need members to come forward and volunteer to be on the committee.

On a personal note, I feel it is such a marvellous Society, so enjoyed by all the members who come each month, that it would be a crying shame if it could not continue along the same lines. Another plea from our treasurer -remember subs are due next month!
Topical tips from Brian Linkhorn included – Plant Paperwhite daffodils now if you would like bulbs in bloom for Christmas – you should have lifted your main crop potatoes by now – take penstemon cuttings – pick your early variety apples (when picking, do NOT tug the apple free but turn it either to three or nine o’clock or cut it with scissors) – scarify lawn and feed with autumn feed when the next rain is due – select runner bean seeds for next year from your crop. Marlene announced the winners for this months competitions and I can only say that our youngest member Peter Rogers seemed to scoop nearly every section!! Well done Peter!

Our speaker this month was Mr Chris Howkins, an ethnobotantist, who spoke on the subject of Poisonous Plants. I thought it was one of the most informative and entertaining talks I have heard at the meetings. He has researched information on plants over the last forty years and his database is reckoned to be the third largest on the subject in the country. It is amazing how many plants in our gardens are very toxic, a lot of which we eat each day – and he wonders how many of our grandchildren are made aware of this and kept safe from poisoning. It was so interesting to learn how many of these poisonous plants are used in minute doses in modern medicine from eye drops to anaesthetics. And, never, never eat potatoes that have any green on them! There was so much information, that it would take up the whole of this magazine to report on, but Chris does has a very good website (chrishowkins.com) if you want to learn more about his work.

Rozie Bradley

I am sure that everyone who attended our special show this year would agree that it was a resounding success. It is the first time that I have been involved with the setting up and running of the show on the day. It is a huge job for our members and a special debt of gratitude is owed to Marie Gilby, our show secretary, who made all the arrangements from start to finish, and got so many of us involved on the day. To have everything up and running in time for the judges by 10.30am takes great effort both on the night before and from 8am on the day. Not to mention the ladies that provided a delicious lunch for the judges and stewards before the doors opened.
We had over 400 entries (100 more than last year!) from the under fives upwards! Once the doors had opened it was a steady stream of visitors and members who came to view the wonderful exhibits, have a cup of tea, buy raffle and tombola tickets and goods from our cake and produce stall. The Society would like to thank all our sponsors of the Show , and everyone who donated the amazing array of raffle and tombola prizes. We hope the Show was enjoyed by all and hopefully it will encourage not only new members to our Society, but also new exhibitors for next year's show. There were certainly lots of happy faces who went home with their cups and prize money, not to mention the wonderful raffle prizes.

Now that the excitement of the Show is over for another year, we can look forward to the monthly meetings resuming after the summer break. On Thursday 10th September we have Mr Chris Howkins coming to give us a talk on poisonous plants (7.30 in the Village Hall). If you enjoyed the Show, why not come along as a visitor to one of our meetings and then maybe you will be inspired to join us!! If you want any further information please call me on 01243 576057.

Rozie Bradley

Hard to believe that we are nearly getting to the longest day, giving us plenty of time to get into our gardens. I'm sure all our members are full of ideas for their garden after visiting so many beautiful and varied gardens last Sunday at the Bosham Open Gardens Day. A lot of our members opened their gardens and it was so impressive to see the fruits of all their hardwork - only sorry the weather wasn't as bright as the gardens!

Our June meeting was held on the 11 th June. Our chairman Bud Cooper opened the meeting with the sad news of the death of Pam Tomlins. Without her our Society would have failed a few years ago, and she will be sorely missed by us all. We held a few moments of silence for us all to recall our special memories of her. It was wonderful to see so many members of our Society at her thanksgiving service earlier in the week. Bud thanked everyone who helped to make our annual plant sale and coffee morning such a success. We raised £675.00 which will go a long way to help paying for speakers and the general running of the Society. Thanks to you and to the community of Bosham for supporting us so well on the day. The next date for your diary is the Annual Show which will be held on the 8th August. A chance to show off your gardening skills, flower arranging etc. !!

Brian gave us his monthly topical tips for June – spray your gooseberries for any mildew and aphids. Put codling moths traps out (1 trap will do five plants) – spray broad beans for black fly – sow runner, French and cobra beans – also wallflowers and sweet williams. Lastly don't forget to dead head the last of the tulips.

We had some magnificent roses in the monthly competitions (aren't they wonderful this year?) and some amazing perennials. Brian Linkhorn won the Handover Cup and Beryl Cooper won the best in show floral (again!).

Our speakers, Christine Westcott and her son Kester, entertained us with a very interesting talk on Managing Woodland. They have a 63 acre woodland, Bluebell Wood, over the border in Hampshire and their life is devoted to the management of it.

Their enthusiasm and love of their work was very evident. We learnt about the history of the woodland in England , the archaeology from Neolithic times to the present day, coppicing etc. and Kester stressed the importance of management. They accompanied the talk with slides of magnificent trees and the ancient woodland plants including rare orchids. Christine spoke to us about which flora, fauna and insects to look for as you walk through woodland. It is obviously a lifetime's work managing their wood, and as Kester informed us the rarest species in any woodland nowadays is a woodland worker!

Orchids are the subject of next month's talk on the 9 th July. Mr Roger Grier will talk to us on the cultivation - the basics, the truth. Bring along any orchid plants you want advice on – maybe you have a giant plant like me from the West Wittering Nursery and am not sure what to do with it!! I think I need an HGV to bring mine along!! Visitors are always welcome at our meetings!
Rozie Bradley

Bosham, Chidham & District Horticultural Society

May Report

The Society is now getting into the swing of our summer activities and outings. Not to mention all the members getting busy in their gardens! This month we have our annual Coffee Morning and Plant Sale which helps us to raise funds for our expenses and fun during the year. We have two outings planned in June and July to the National Sweet Pea Collection at Bracklesham and to the gardens at Fittleworth.
Our meeting this month was chaired by Rozie Bradley as Bud Cooper was visiting the bulb fields in Holland. She was very happy to report that our past chairman, Pam Tomlins, is now back in Bosham and recovering at home. Welcome back, Pam, we have all missed you! Marlene Whalen read out the topical tips for this coming month – all seeds can now be planted as the ground will now be warm enough – The roses should be fed and sprayed and any die back cut down to the green stems. Feed borders with a balanced fertiliser (i.e. Gromore), feed Strawberries and raspberries with sulphate of potash and water in. And lastly, but not least, for a nice lawn cut twice a week and feed once this month. Now is the time to plant your hanging baskets – why not do one for our hanging basket competition in July (members only).
Competitions – Beryl Cooper won the Best in Show floral. We had some beautiful premature baby cardigans in the interest section which will be donated to St. Richards. ( Marie Gilby’s was awarded first prize).

Our speaker at this meeting was Jaine Wild from the Badger Trust, West Sussex. As she said some people are crazy about them and others are driven crazy by them when they dig up their lawns, not to mention the question of TB. However this evening was not to discuss the politics of it all but to show us how the Trust cared for the badgers in all aspects of their lives. So many of them are injured in road traffic accidents and the Trust rescues the injured, takes them to the vet and from there if they recover they are returned to the wild. They lobby to prevent roads and property developments from being built where there are setts. They try to prevent badger baiting and snaring of badgers and other wild animals. An offshoot of the Trust is the National Anti Snare Campaign, an organisation endeavouring to ensure that all the horrific snares are banned. The snares are normally anti fox but envitabley end up snaring any wild or domestic animal which happens to pass by. Her talk was accompanied by a slide show and I am sure we all learnt a lot from her. She works tirelessly for the Trust.

Next month (11th June) there will be a talk and slides given by Mr & Mrs Keste Westcott entitled ‘Why manage Woodland’ – look forward to seeing you all there!

Rozie Bradley

Bosham, Chidham & District Horticultural Society

April Meeting report

At our April Meeting, our Chairman, Bud Cooper, welcomed 39 members, two new members and one visitor. He reminded us of our plant sale and coffee morning on the 23rd May, the two outings in June and July and a hope that a venue could be found for our cheese and wine social evening proposed for July.

Brian Linkhorn followed with his usual excellent topical tips for this April – feed the strawberry plants and all soft fruit including gooseberries. The gooseberries should also be checked for mildew and sprayed with fungicide accordingly. Now is the time to sow your broad beans and finish planting your maincrop potatoes. Runner, french and cobra beans can be planted in pots ready for sowing outdoors in early May. The present conditions are ideal for sowing parsnips. And last but definitely not least one very important tip to dead head your daffodils. Do not let the seed heads mature. We had some wonderful spring flowers and shrubs in this month’s competitions – the Best in Show floral went to Jackie Bowker and the Best in Show domestic was won by Rita Sandy.

Our speaker this evening was Frances Farrar-Brown and she entertained us with a talk and slides entitled “A History of the Gardens of South East England”. She is a Blue Badge Guide for the South East of England, covering Kent, Surrey and Sussex. The slides were beautiful and her accompanying talk was both amusing and fascinating, starting with the Roman Gardens of Fishbourne (which some of us were ashamed to admit we had never visited!) following right up to the present day. We are so lucky to have so many beautiful gardens in this area and I am sure her talk inspired us to go and have a look at as many as possible.

Next month we have a talk with slides entitled “Badgers” by Mrs J. Wild on 14th May and of course don’t forget that we have a plant sale and coffee morning on the 23rd May from 10-12noon in the Bosham Village Hall. Its an ideal time to stock up on your garden plants and vegetables for this summer.

Rozie Bradley

BOSHAM, CHIDHAM AND DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

Our programme for 2009 is full of interesting and varied topics (not all strictly related to gardening) hopefully you will find something that will tempt you along to a meeting! We would like to see some new faces; they might bring some new ideas with them.
All of our meetings are at Bosham Village Hall on the second Thursday of each month unless otherwise stated, 7.15pm for a 7.30pm start. Refreshments are available before the meeting, every month we have a wide selection of competitions, ranging from seasonal fruit, vegetables and flowers to Floral Exhibits, Domestic classes and Handicrafts, you don’t have to enter any of them, but see what is entered and I bet you will think – well I could grow/produce that. We also have Topical Tips and a Raffle. In between all of this we have a speaker (see below) I don’t know how we pack it all into 1½ hours but we do.
We also meet socially, in May, June and December added to this we arrange trips out to places of interest for our members.
Come along and meet us, you don’t need a garden – just a sense of humour and an interest in plants.

February 11th

Mr Peter Collett: Talk & Slides
‘Daffodils Growing Them to Show Them’

Mr Norman Flint : Talk with Slides. ‘The Dahlia Growers Year'

Mrs Margaret Borsberry A Talk with Hints & Tips ‘Cookery & Preserves At the Show’

Mrs Frances Farrer-Brown: A talk with Props and plants ‘The Plant Hunters’

Mr Marcus Dancer – “Clematis” A Talk & Pictures with practical demonstration on Pruning

Contact the Bosham, Chidham & District Horticultural Society for further information:

Mr Bud Cooper (tel: 572583)
or email Rozie Bradley