SURREY HORTICULTURAL FEDERATION
Early Spring Newsletter 2021
Chairman: Mr. Richard Tabor
17 Bax Close,
Cranleigh,
Surrey. GU6 7NB
Tel: 01483-277494
Email: r.c.tabor@btinternet.com
Secretary: Mrs. Janet Arm
Redleaf Nursery,
Green Lane,
Tilford,
Farnham,
Surrey GU10 2AP
Tel: 01252-783133
Email: janetarm@btinternet.com
EARLY SPRING NEWSLETTER 2021
ALTERNATIVE AGM – The Result
A very big THANK YOU to all the clubs who sent back the Proxy Ballot Paper – we have received these from over 50 clubs and every single one has voted YES for all the resolutions and the accounts. We can now move on with the same committee; although whether we will manage to hold any events this year is still in doubt.
If you haven’t sent in a ballot please don’t worry now, but we do need details of any change of contacts or email addresses for your club – there is a form at the end of this Newsletter.
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ADAM FROST’S SPRING TALK
It is now looking extremely unlikely that the covid restrictions will be over by the end of March, and we very much fear that we will have to cancel the following which has already been re-booked from 2020.
ADAM FROST’S SPRING TALK
Booked for Thursday, 25th March 2021 2.30 pm, Normandy Hall.
If you had bought tickets for the cancelled talk in March 2020 (which are valid for the above) and we have to cancel again, you then will have the choice to hold on to them yet again as they will be valid for the CHRIS BEARDSHAW TALK booked for 10th March 2022. However, if you don’t wish to come to this, or you require a refund for any other reason, please return your tickets with an s.a.e to the SHF Secretary.
We are obviously trying to find out whether we can book Adam again for 2023, but the hall is not taking bookings at the moment.
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GARDEN VISITS
Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Goodridge and our own President Daphne Foulsham, the SHF has been invited back to both gardens: 2 Chinthurst Lodge, Wonersh, from 11.30 am and Vale End, Albury, from 2.30 pm, on Sunday 13th June 2021! Full details in your next Newsletter.
WELCOME TO NEW CLUBS
In 2020, despite the lockdowns we had three new groups join, Bentley Gardening Club, Merstham Horticultural Society, and Sanderstead Horticultural Society. This year Oakley has rejoined, and one new group has joined, Surrey Gardens Trust – go to their website as there are some lovely gardens to visit: www.surreygardenstrust.org.uk
We are sorry to hear this, but not only have Mid Southern Daffodil Group closed this year, but Puttenham and Wanborough Garden Club is closing – like many others they have found it difficult to get new committee members.
FREE PLANT SUPPORTS
Beth, our website co-ordinator, writes:
I have been approached by a hobbyist inventor who has grant of patent for a new kind of plant support. Not all of us have outdoor gardens and this support is for those who would like to grow some vegetables on a balcony, patio, terrace or similar. The first prototypes are for climbing runner and climbing French beans. To save space these are grown part vertical – part horizontal on a frame 24”X 10”. Trials have shown that this method can produce enough beans for an average size family.
Anthony is looking for volunteers to try out his invention. There are two models- a two plant and a one plant frame. Each will be provided free of charge with a starter kit (compost, ties, pots, seeds, and fertiliser).
The frames on their own may also have a use for teaching in therapy gardening.
There are a limited number of prototypes available. Interested gardeners please contact Bruncketts@gmail.com
NEW ZOOM SPEAKERS
Beth is currently compiling a full list of zoom speakers, which are available for the Surrey Horticultural Federation clubs on request from Beth, please email beth@pumpkinbeth.com to receive a copy.
SHF CLUBS’ ZOOM TALKS
Details of clubs who are holding Virtual Talks on Zoom can be found in our Club Events section. If you have an actual or virtual event coming up that you would like to advertise, please make it clear whether your talk is a Zoom or Online event and send full details (including any charge) to our web manager, Beth Otway. Email beth@pumpkinbeth.com with details of events for the website; while copy for the Newsletter should be sent to janetarm@btinternet.com
If you’re looking at hosting Zoom events, Beth recommends going for the paid Zoom registration, as you are limited to 40 minutes on the free version of Zoom otherwise.
Beth also recommends clubs investigate using Zoom’s Paypal integration which will allow them to set up talks with pre-registration and payment. More details available here. If your club is using this method, then please send the Zoom registration link with your event details, and attendees will be able to register and join the talk directly from the SHF website event page.
Please note that we do not currently give out personal email addresses in this Newsletter or on the website unless we have your permission to do so, so if you are offering Zoom talks to other clubs we suggest you include your permission for us to print your details. Until then we will only be giving your telephone number as contact.
CLUB EVENTS FOR the next 3 months. Many clubs have just held over events/talks booked for 2020 and rebooked for 2021 but these are details of some we have received. We will try to keep the website updated – this depends on what information we get from you! As usual we are not listing clubs AGM’s or member only events.
BORDE HILL GARDENS
Hoping for a better year, Borde Hill near Haywards Heath have been busy planting thousands of bulbs, and have a fabulous line-up of events, including a guided Camellia Heritage Tour at the end of March. This will be followed by Rose Celebration weeks in June, and some other special events. For more information email pre@bordehill.co.uk or check the website www.bordehill.co.uk
MORE VIRTUAL TALKS
You might be interested in the following, who contacted Chairman Richard Tabor the other day. There is no charge as speakers are sponsored by individual clubs who then get to participate in all meetings.
TENDER SHOOTS GARDEN CLUB NETWORK
My name is Indy, I’m Chairman of the Barlaston Village Garden Club in Stoke on Trent.
We’ve all unfortunately had to cancel our meetings for last year & probably for most/all of this year, so our club had decided to have fortnightly club meetings on zoom. We’ve now started working with dozens of other independent garden clubs as a collective to have joint meetings under the name ‘Tender Shoots Garden Club Network’. We’ll have spare places available so I’m extending an invite out to other garden clubs to join in for free. Anything we can do to help each other out during covid would be great.
For us smaller clubs it can be difficult to justify the cost of zoom licenses & speakers if only a handful of members will use zoom, so it would be great if all our small independent clubs can work together as a network to have joint zoom meetings, speakers, share knowledge, etc. To that end we’ve created a FaceBook page for our joint activities under the name ‘Tender Shoots Garden Club Network’ (TSGCN). Facebook = www.facebook.com/tsgcn1
I’ve also created a small introductory video to explain what we’re doing with joint club meetings, click here: https://youtu.be/A1Q3Cq24NIo
Speakers are funded by individual clubs (or several can split the cost of a speaker) then have it hosted by Tender Shoots so that all participating clubs can join in. It’s all voluntary, there is no obligation for clubs to sponsor a speaker but they can still join in thanks to sponsoring speakers or clubs. We are not making a central charge but are also compiling a list of zoom speakers and hopefully will get some preferential prices.
Dates of meetings (breakout rooms open at 7.15pm for 7.30 start for all meetings unless stated otherwise):
Feb 17th Wed – Talk from our very own Jo Bird: ‘The Story Behind David Austin Roses’
Feb 22nd Mon – 2.30pm (rooms open 2.15pm) Talk from John Chambers Wildflowers – Establishing a wildflower area
Mar 3rd Wed – Talk from Kevin Reynolds – ‘Love & War, how we created our garden birds’
Mar 11th Thu – Talk from Dr. Andrew Ward, Norwell Nurseries – ‘Brilliant Borages’. Sponsored talk.
April 8th Thur – Talk from Sue Bosson ‘ Millennium seed bank project’. Sponsored by Sue Bosson.
Further dates to be announced in due course.
Indy, Chair of Barlaston Village Garden Club www.BVGClub.co.uk
RHS NEWS:
Malvern Spring Show (5th -9th May) has now been cancelled, and the Chelsea Flower Show 2021 has been moved to the autumn for the first time in its history. It will run over six days instead of the usual five, with a reduction of numbers in the grounds each day and overall. The change to the dates will mean the show is on as follows:-
Monday 20th September – Press, Private View and Charity Gala Preview: 8am – 9pm
Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd September – Members: 8am – 8pm
Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th September – Public: 8am – 8pm
Saturday 25th September – Public: 8am – 8pm
Sunday 26th September – Public: 8am – 5pm
In addition to the autumn event, the RHS will once again hold its hugely successful RHS Virtual Chelsea Flower Show online, during the May show week (18-23 May), which millions of people across the UK and around the world tuned in to enjoy last year.
SPECIALIST PLANT SOCIETIES VIRTUAL WORKSHOP – A report by SHF council member Anne Bradbeer
The specialist Plant Societies Workshop is normally held at RHS Wisley Garden but this year, for the first time, it was held virtually on 10 February via Zoom.
The Alpine Garden Society and the National Dahlia Society both gave talks explaining how they have kept their societies running in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic using online and social media platforms and other innovative ideas for shows, meetings and sales. Overall this has been very successful with more members attending AGMs, membership increasing and younger members coming forward to stand on their committees. One major advantage for all these was the fact that there was no travelling involved with consequence financial saving to the societies.
Updates on RHS activities and on progress both at the Wisely Hilltop Centre and the new Bridgewater Garden in Salford were presented together with a very detailed research project on Honey Fungus. The workshop ended with a lively panel discussion and Q&A. The overall conclusion was that ‘virtual is here to stay’! Thanks Anne.
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And finally: If you haven’t sent these details in with the Ballot Paper, please complete and send to SHF Secretary, or if no changes please just email janetarm@btinternet.com to advise.
CLUB NAME ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
WOULD LIKE TO REMAIN A MEMBER OF THE SURREY HORTICULTURAL FEDERATION WITH FREE SUBSCRIPTION 2021
Has there been any changes in your club’s contacts? Yes……… No………. If Yes, please complete:
Name of new main contact …………………………………………………………………………………… Position …………………………………
New email address ………………………………………………………………..……………………………… Tel No:…………………………………….
New Address..…..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Post Code ……………….
If a second contact has changed please give new email …………………………………………………………………………………………..
If you can’t receive your Newsletters by email, tick here and a copy will be posted to you (…….) Post
DATA PROTECTION ACT: Details provided will be held securely by the Secretary for the use of the SHF Council.
NO details will be given to any outside companies or organisations. ( … ) Please tick that you accept.
Please attach/send a copy of your proposed events list for 2021 for the Club Events list and on our website