Members’ gardens – Charlton and Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society

Grow Amaryllis!

“Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) are considered naff by some – their flowers being so spectacularly over the top and being so widely available in supermarkets. But I think their spectacular-ness is attractive and grow them every year.
I hope this photograph of the Amaryllis that I have grown this year will encourage those who do not already grow them to do so. Perhaps we could have an annual Amaryllis competition at CABAHS!”

Angela

Prompted by a member’s New Year Resolution to keep and re-grow their Amaryllis bulbs, here is some RHS advice on the steps to take to have flowers next year from the same bulb, and for years after that too!

RHS Hippeastrum care
including Planting, Aftercare, and Propagation

Amaryllis in February 2025, and the same bulb in January 2026

There are several methods. I have chosen to try the simplest, which is to allow the plant continue to grow leaves and photosynthesise for the spring and summer months, then die back. Induce dormancy for about 6 weeks in a cool but frost-free, dark place (we have a coal cellar), before bringing back to light and warmth and resuming watering. It’s all going to plan so far, they have leaves and buds are forming, even though I did forget to put them in the cellar until the beginning of November, then forgot to get them back up until after New Year…

Ali H

New Year flowers in Members’ Gardens

Following on from the New Year’s Day Flower Count in Charlton House Gardens, several members did their own Flower Count, and reported some surprising (and not-so-surprising) discoveries.

New Year's Day flowers in Ali H's garden (Chaenomeles, Geum, Hebe, Primula) — Japanese quince, water avens, elephants’ ears, Geranium, winter jasmine, Mexican fleabane, Viburnum bodnantense, Hebe, primrose, Salvia ‘Amistad’, Cyclamen coum, rose, brown-eyed Susan, Mexican orange blossom and laurustinus in Ali H’s garden

New Year's Day flowers in Ali H's garden (Bergenia, Geranium, Salvia, Cyclamen) — Japanese quince, water avens, elephants’ ears, Geranium, winter jasmine, Mexican fleabane, Viburnum bodnantense, Hebe, primrose, Salvia ‘Amistad’, Cyclamen coum, rose, brown-eyed Susan, Mexican orange blossom and laurustinus in Ali H’s garden

The winter-flowering shrubs were of course out in force (Camellia, Jasminum nudiflorum – winter jasmine, Skimmia japonica, Viburnum – both V. bodnantense and V. tinus, Clematis ‘Freckles’ and Daphne odora), as were the hellebores (though mine have remained resolutely in bud with not a single one opening yet!). Mandy A’s Loropetalum (Chinese witchhazel) was in flower, as were several people’s Hebes. My Chaenomeles japonica (Japanese quince) was covered in fruits, but still producing the odd confused flower too, along with a nearby Geranium macrorrhizum and Geum rivale.

Plant(s) of the Month: December flowers

What a mild 2025 December we are having! So mild, the weather is confusing some plants, such as lavender, Calendula and yellow-flowered Phlomis, out in flower at present.

One of the joys of winter is admiring all the window boxes, the wide variety of beautiful Christmas door-wreaths and observing what’s flowering in front gardens whilst out strolling.

Calendula officinalis flowering in December — A confused pot marigold, beautiful Camellia sasanqua and festive Abutilon

A confused pot marigold, beautiful Camellia sasanqua and festive Abutilon

10 Things for December 2025

December is a month when the garden often takes a back seat, and when Pat deserves a break from helping you all with your garden jobs, so the CABAHS Committee have come up with a list of 10 Things that they are doing this month in, from, or for their gardens.

Kathy's decorated greenhouse, December 2025 — December in the festive greenhouse

Members’ gardens: virtual wreaths

Everyone enjoyed seeing the autumn colour in CABAHS members gardens, so we thought we’d like to see some more – this time on the theme of ‘ingredients for a winter wreath’. People submitted photographs of evergreen shrubs and perennials, winter flowers, berries and seedheads, and here they all are, compiled into virtual wreaths – complete with festive bows! If you contributed a photo, can you spot your plant or plants?

Virtual 'winter flowers and berries' wreath compiled from CABAHS member photographs. — Winter flowers and berries wreath, made up from Kathy’s ‘Spider’s Web’ *Fatsia* and yew berries, Jenny and Pat T’s *Pyracanthas*, Pat K’s ivy, a seedhead from the Old Pond Garden, Carolyn’s *Fatsia*, Pat T’s hellebore (won in a recent CABAHS raffle!) and Mandy, Brownie and Fran’s *Mahonias*.

Plant of the Month: More Salvia! (November 2025)

Last week I was in Greenwich Park, in what was the Old Rose Garden for several decades, and now transformed into a fantastic herbaceous garden, a riot of colour, shapes and forms, tall grasses swaying and intermingling flowering shrubs (find out more about this transformation). I had gone there to see one specific Salvia – and what a show they were putting on!

Salvia 'Phyllis' Fancy' in Greenwich Park Old Rose Garden, November 2025

Autumn Colour in Members’ Gardens

This year’s ‘autumn colour’ seems to have developed quite suddenly and intensely, but may be short-lived. So we asked CABAHS members to share photographs of the colour they could find in their gardens this week. The weather has been dull and grey most of the time, yet these late flowers and glowing leaves shine out of the gloom. You can click on the images for more information and to see at full size.
Take a tour…

We tend to focus on brightly coloured leaves when we think of autumn colour, but several groups of flowers add plenty of zing to the October garden. Salvia really is ‘Plant of the Month‘!

First pomegranate! Among Salvia 'Pink Pong' in Kathy's garden, October 2025. — *Salvias* with pomegranate, *Hydrangea, Tithonia* and *Calamagrostis* by Kathy, Sharon, Georgie and Vija

Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' and Salvia in Sharon's garden, October 2025 — *Salvias* with pomegranate, *Hydrangea, Tithonia* and *Calamagrostis* by Kathy, Sharon, Georgie and Vija

Salvia doesn’t get all the glory though – there’s competition from another richly-coloured group, the Dahlias.

Plant of the Month: Salvia (October 2025)

A few years ago, my garden would be looking quite green at this time of the year. But not this year; I am pleased to say that it’s actually very colourful, all due to my collection of salvias, which I’ve added to year-on-year. As you know, they are not 100% hardy as they originate from hotter climates, but, they do appear to survive in sheltered, London gardens if the winters are not too severe. And, as a precaution, we have learnt to take cuttings – just in case!

Salvia curviflora — Pink and purple *Salvia* in Anna’s garden

Salvia x guaranitica 'Amino' — Pink and purple *Salvia* in Anna’s garden

Plants of the Month: The annuals (September 2025)

If your own space is looking ‘a bit green’ at the moment, think about adding annuals to liven up your garden in 2026. Here are a few I highly recommend:

Zinnia

This year I’ve grown Zinnia elegans SPRITE MIXED at my allotment and they are looking good – tall, healthy, robust, colourful and bee-friendly. I am very pleased with them, as the flowers themselves are a mixture of vibrant and subtle shades, and, as an added bonus, no signs of stem rot (fungi/bacteria more prevalent in warm, wetter summers that attack the stems).

I sowed the seed straight into the soil in two rows. Two or three weeks later, I thinned the seedlings and replanted those thinnings into a third row. So, they are tightly packed and they don’t seem to mind that and I don’t need to stake them. Flowering from July to October, this robust variety is perfect for displaying in gaps in borders or containers. And ideal for picking, although I don’t have the heart to do that yet!

What we bring to the table

Class 17 (‘photograph of a display of plants on a table’) in our recent Flower, Fruit and Vegetable Show was partly inspired by Vija’s ‘Fantasy Garden Tables‘ post in May, which in turn was inspired by Monty Don’s ever-changing and covetable table displays on Gardeners’ World. Members’ photographs were displayed and judged on a digital screen, and were so varied, lovely and interesting, we thought we’d show them here (click on images to see in more detail):