Welcome to the CABAHS website. Here you can find information about the Society, what we do and how to join in, along with general posts on gardening.
For our next meetings and events, see our Programme of Events.
Weather winners and losers
Following on from Pat’s ’10 Jobs…’ tips on coping with drought and heat, we asked CABAHS members to share which plants had proved to be ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ in the recent extreme weather, to help us all make climate-change-appropriate choices in the future.
A summary: After the spring AND summer drought of 2025 (with four of the previous five years being the warmest on record), we experienced a cold November and a wet winter (the 4th wettest on record for Southern England), with the addition of unusually low light levels in early spring. We have now had extreme drought (no rain at all since early June and counting – and there were long dry periods before that too) and, so far, several heatwaves (which is counted as three or more consecutive days over 28 degrees in London – all have been in the 30s). Of course, the heatwaves may have counted six times (starting on 22 May, 19 June, 4 July, 28 July, 2 August and 9 August respectively) but the weather hasn’t exactly cooled off much in between. In addition, Thames Water declared a hosepipe ban beginning on 23 July (though watering cans and drip-feed systems are not banned) and there’s precious little rain showing in the forecast even now.
Continue reading Weather winners and losersPat’s 10 jobs for August 2026
1. To be honest we know at the moment with the drought and the heat this column will be about the few things you can do to keep things alive. I am sure we will all have losses along the way, but remember all is not lost and will mean new planting opportunities for next year.
2. If you have weeds growing (even they are struggling at the moment!), pull out and place around plants to help hold the moisture in the soil. Make sure the weeds haven’t gone to seed and, if they have, pull the seedheads off and dispose of them.
3. Mulch the soil with anything you have to hand: your own compost, fallen leaves (as there seem to be so many) but make sure the soil is damp first so you can help lock in the moisture.
Continue reading Pat’s 10 jobs for August 2026Plant of the Month: Tithonia (July 2026)
Being very partial to soft-orange and terracotta-orange coloured flowers, I am delighted that from my kitchen I can enjoy the vibrant, terracotta-orange flowers of the statuesque Tithonia rotundifolia. The flowers are an absolute delight, lighting up my garden at the moment, and, hopefully will do so until October.
I’ve never tried sowing seed of this wonderful variety but I will experiment next year. I spied this plant for sale when visiting one of the lovely gardens open for the Greenwich and Bexley Hospice Open Gardens, held once again in June, to the delight of local residents.
Continue reading Plant of the Month: Tithonia (July 2026)July 2026 Talk: Hardy Geraniums
July’s meeting featured an entertaining and informative talk about hardy geraniums by Graham Spencer who has been involved in the horticultural industry for over 30 years, including 15 years as a nursery manager and perennial plant specialist. In 2003 he set up Plants for Europe and now works with plant breeders to bring new varieties to market giving him a strong understanding of current trends and an expert insight into what makes a plant exceptional.
Graham gave us a comprehensive overview of this huge genus, with fascinating insights into the different species, their natural habitats and the many hybrid varieties bred to take on the the best characteristics of parent plants. Easy to grow and loved by bees, this popular group of plants includes 120-130 species and some 500-600 named varieties. Once established most are drought tolerant and flower from April to June or July. After a dormant period many flower again in September. British native geraniums include Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum) although many think of it as a weed.
July 2026 Meeting and Show Table
Well it’s been quite a month for weather! In June, we had had heavy downpours as well as blistering heat, but there has been no rain and yet more 30 degrees + heatwaves since then, as well as the imminent imposition of a hosepipe ban. It was good to be able to see such a range of healthy plants on the Show Table despite the difficult drought conditions.
Continue reading July 2026 Meeting and Show TablePat’s 10 jobs for July 2026
1. Maybe in this challenging weather the best thing you can do is mulch the soil (after watering, so that the soil is moist and the mulch will retain that moisture). If you pull out weeds leave them on the surface to keep roots cool, use grass clippings if you have them but making sure to keep away from stems of plants.
2. To save water just water around the roots of plants by removing roses on watering cans and spray attachments on hoses.
Members coach trip to RHS Hyde Hall
[This post contains lots of photographs, just click on the photos to see a larger version. There are so many plants that we haven’t named them all (we don’t necessarily know every cultivar), but feel free to ask about them in the comments and we’ll do our best to answer!]
On the first day of July more than 50 CABAHS members and a few guests set off from Charlton House bright and early for a trip to RHS Hyde Hall in Essex.
As we arrived, a staff member advised us not to miss the Cottage Garden near the entrance. They were not wrong – the garden was as exuberant as I’ve ever seen it, with bursts of height and colour expressed in some beautifully grown species such as Clematis, hollyhocks, Dierama and Zinnia.
Plant(s) of the Month: The Purples (June 2026)
Clematis ‘John Treasure’ (Viticella)
This free-flowering and vigorous Clematis has been growing on the north side of my garden fence – for many years, as the label reads £3.50!
June 2026: Gardeners’ Question Time
Our version of Gardeners’ Question Time was back for the June meeting and proved once again to be an informative and enjoyable event.
The evening started with a pleasant stroll around the Old Pond Garden, admiring the plants and taking in the evening sun.
Back in the Old Library, we set about tackling questions that had been submitted by members before the meeting. In a change to previous years, there was no formal panel or guest expert. Instead, questions were answered by our very own experts with lots of discussion and contributions from CABAHS members, compered by Kathy and illustrated with slides.
Continue reading June 2026: Gardeners’ Question TimeJune 2026 Meeting and Show Table
The evening started with a pleasant stroll around the Old Pond Garden, followed by our annual, friendly and informative ‘Amateur Gardeners’ Question Time’. As usual, there were was a raffle and a selection of plants for sale and reliable Show Table exhibitor Annie finally got to take away her trophy as winner of the 2025 Show Table Cup.
Continue reading June 2026 Meeting and Show Table
Charlton and Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society 