Meetings – Charlton and Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society

Resolutions for 2026

At our January meeting, members were asked to share – anonymously – their garden-related resolutions for the coming year. In addition, the CABAHS Committee put forward a suggestion for a CABAHS-wide resolution for 2026 (more on this in a separate post).

A fine, wise, and hopefully achievable range of planned actions were submitted, with members resolving to complete practical tasks that are easily put off or forgotten, right through to adjusting their attitudes / approaches to their gardens.

Some of the CABAHS members' resolutions for 2026

CABAHS Committee Members Resolution 2026: Seed Collection and Cuttings

Always a good start:

“I am going to actually go into my garden.”

January 2026 talk: Clematis for every season

On Monday we welcomed Everett Leeds who gave us an amusing and highly informative talk about the prolific world of Clematis. He has been involved with Clematis for many years through growing, speaking and writing about them. He has been the Chairman of the British Clematis Society four times and is co-author of The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Clematis . Everett’s enthusiasm for the genus was highlighted when he shared a photo of his former home with the front fence, hedges and trees completely swamped by a 120 foot long and 40 foot high ‘monstrous’ C. Montana. After cutting this completely away, he planted another!

Everett Leeds talking about Clematis CABAHS January 2026 — Everett Leeds discussing the vast range of Clematis and how to grow them from cuttings

January 2026 Meeting and Show Table

Our first meeting of 2026 welcomed Everett Leeds as our speaker. A Clematis expert, Everett gave an entertaining talk and also sold seeds of some of the Clematis he discussed.

As usual, members enjoyed refreshments, took part in the raffle, shared their garden-related resolutions for 2026 and, of course, there was the regular Show Table. Six members took part with a wide variety of entries. We hope that as Spring gets going more members will be keen to show off and share their plants that are looking good each month.

November 2025 talk: The Great Geranium Robbery

It was a pleasure to welcome back Dr David Marsh, garden historian, academic and former trustee of The Gardens Trust. The intriguing title of his talk was ‘The Great Geranium Robbery’, about an Old Bailey trial in 1795 following the theft of numerous expensive plants…

The scene:

Daniel Grimwood’s Nursery (formerly The Kensington Nursery) in West Kensington.

The context:

Furber's 'Twelve Months of Flowers: September' 1730, by Henry Fletcher. — Furber’s ‘Twelve Months of Flowers: September’ (1730)
and ‘Twelve Months of Fruit: June’ (1732)

Furber's 'Twelve Months of Fruit: June' 1732, by Henry Fletcher — Furber’s ‘Twelve Months of Flowers: September’ (1730)
and ‘Twelve Months of Fruit: June’ (1732)

November 2025 Meeting and Show Table

CABAHS Show Table, November 2025 — So much colour in November!

There was a great turn out for CABAHS’ last meeting of 2025. As usual, there were refreshments (this month featuring mini-stollen and mince pies!), also a plant sales table, a raffle, the Show Table and – the main event – an engaging talk from Dr David Marsh, garden historian and blogger.

October 2025 Talk: Flowers in Art

This month we welcomed Ruth Cornett, one of our own members, who talked to us about Flowers in Art, building on some of the themes she had developed in an earlier presentation.

Ruth demonstrated that, over the years, artists have used flowers in their work to indicate and symbolise a range of meanings, from simple decoration to literary references. Depending on the context, flowers have been used to deliver a hidden message, promote certain ideas, to educate, to convey a Christian story or describe the cycle of life. Ruth’s presentation used one or two paintings to illustrate each of these themes.

Charles-pineapple — *Charles II of England being given the first pineapple grown in England*
*by his royal gardener, John Rose*
Hendrick Danckerts, 1675

October 2025 Meeting and Show Table

The October meeting at CABAHS featured tea. coffee and biscuits, a raffle, bulbs for sale, the Show Table and an enlightening talk from Ruth Cornett about ‘Flowers in Art’.

September 2025 Talk: Clare Lanes on the Greenwich Park Rose Garden

Clare Lanes talking about the Greenwich Park Rose Garden renovation project.
CABAHS September 2025 — Clare Lanes explaining the Greenwich Park Rose Garden renovation project.

CABAHS members were delighted to welcome Clare Lanes, Project Manager of the ambitious Greenwich Park Revealed project, to talk to us about ‘The Greenwich Park Rose Garden: Renovation and Redesign 2023-2025‘.

Tackling this has been a thorny issue – no pun intended – amongst park users as the Rose Garden was a much-loved feature. Somewhat surprisingly the Rose Garden, as it was when Head Gardener Tom Brown began work on the replanting in 2021, was not one of the heritage areas that fell under the Greenwich Park Revealed project. The garden had first been laid out only in the 1960s with some updates taking place in the 1990s.

August/Autumn Show 2025

The 2025 Autumn ‘Flower, Fruit and Vegetable Show’ was held on Monday 18 August in the Old Library at Charlton House.

As it is usually held in September, there were some adjustments to the range of classes. It was a well attended and lively show, and our fears that perhaps there would be fewer entries – due to the date change or the fact that we have had such a long period of drought – were unfounded. In fact, across the 18 classes there were 150 entries and we had to extend the show tables!

As this year is a special one, in which we celebrate the 75th anniversary of CABAHS, there were a couple of ’75th anniversary’ themed classes, and we were delighted to welcome as judge Jillian Smith, long-time CABAHS member and Chair of the Society, and now joint Vice President with Ron Roffey. Jillian has a long experience in judging shows over many years and has a beautiful garden in Winn Road, which was opened to the public on a number of occasions to raise money for charity.

July 2025 Talk: Adventures with Bulbs

Following on from a talk given in October 2024 by Dr Tim Ingram about his family run garden – Copton Ash – he returned for a more detailed presentation about the bulbs grown there. As he was not well that evening, his wife Gillian gallantly stepped up at the last moment to deliver the talk.

Gillian Ingram of Copton Ash Nursery speaking at CABAHS July 2025 meeting

A wealth of bulbs have now been planted at Copton Ash, in beds, under trees and also allowed to naturalise in long grass. In particular a circular sunny gravelly bed was highlighted. The planting was at first inspired by the Lime Walk at Sissinghurst Castle which is very much a spring show of narcissus, tulips, primroses, anemones, scillas, violets and erythroniums. Tim has continuously added to and altered the planting in the circular bed so that there is now interest throughout the year.