Charlton and Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society

Moth Night at the Old Pond Garden 18/19th September 2024

Jason Sylvan, Head Gardener at Charlton House, has designed the Old Pond Garden to be as attractive to wildlife as possible. Because we talk about monitoring moths, he asked if we could check how many moths are visiting the garden. We should have tried this in the warmer months when there are more plants in full flower but we had missed that for this year so we gave it a shot on a warmer dry night in September to test out a strategy.

As we wrote in an earlier post, we have been monitoring moths for the Garden Moth Scheme since 2013 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and since 2019 in Blackheath. The moth trap is a box with a light (our type gives off no heat), and below the light are two panels of see-through Perspex, one each side and shallowly angled down, with a slot/gap between them. The moths ‘funnel’ into the box, and it’s difficult (but not impossible) to get out. Inside are egg-trays, which provide resting places.

Why do moths fly towards the light? Until recently, the correct answer has been that nobody knows, but researchers in Sweden found the answer: for aeons, light at night was above and dark was below, so moths orientated themselves to fly with their backs to the light above. In artificial light – fires, candles, street lamps – they still try to fly with their backs to the light, circling round and round, and sometimes become disorientated.

The trap is placed before sunset, and collected at sunrise the next day. So an early start.

Autumn Flower, Fruit and Vegetable Show 2024

The 2024 Autumn Show was held on Monday 16th September in the Old Library of Charlton House. It was well attended and the standard of entry was very high – particularly given the strange growing year we’ve had.

Whole table of entries and audience awaiting decisions

Jason judged the flower classes and Melanie the vegetables but there was lots of discussion between the judges and Stella, the Chair. Anna judged the cakes and preserves, ably assisted by Annette, and Hugh weighed the potatoes. As ‘Best in Class’ winners and ‘Highly Commended’ entries were announced, the judges explained the reasons for their decisions. Finally, they agreed their choice for Best in Show.

Plant of the Month: Clematis (September 2024)

What a struggle it has been to protect the shoots of these two clematis from sustained attacks by the usual culprits this year! Not only did I use a garlic spray (one clove of garlic simmered in water) but I also liberally (and continually) sprinkled spent coffee grounds around the base of the plants. Although they were saved, I did lose other clematis: scented C ‘Betty Corning’, C ‘Rising Star’ and C ‘Wedding Day’ – all absolutely lovely and such a loss that I will need to repurchase them.

Clematis ‘Princess Diana’
This clematis is definitely one of my ‘top five’. The tulip-shaped flower is an unusual shade of bright pink, with beautifully striped markings both inside and outside of the petals (sepals). This variety (texensis) was introduced by a British breeder to honour the Princess of Wales in 1984 and has deservedly been given the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Clematis 'Princess Diana' showing beautiful markings — Clematis ‘Princess Diana’ showing beautiful markings

Clematis 'Princess Diana' mid-September 2024 — Clematis ‘Princess Diana’ showing beautiful markings

As to be expected ‘Princess Diana’ came into flower late – in July, rather than June – and has been flowering continually, with eight flowers and a few buds on the vine at present.

Pat’s Jobs for September 2024

1. Start ordering your bulbs now as all the bulb catalogues are arriving – though prices don’t stop going up!

2. Start planting bulbs when they arrive but save your tulips until later as they are prone to virus and rotting, and to theft by squirrels.

3. Divide large established clumps of perennials by cutting back first, then splitting either by hand or with two forks back to back. Delay if soil is heavy or too wet.

Split established clumps of perennials — Order Spring Bulbs

4. Replace tired summer bedding in pots and replant for winter and replenish with fresh compost.

What to look out for in the Walled Gardens: September 2024

We hope you enjoy walking around the walled gardens at Charlton House!
This month, look out for:

Night moth Salvia (Salvia nachtvlinder)

Salvia 'Nachtvlinder' in the Old Pond Garden, Charlton House, September 2023

With velvety plum-purple flowers, this Salvia is attractive to moths and other pollinating insects and flowers over a long period – well into late Autumn.
It has deliciously blackcurrant-scented leaves and is said to protect roses against black spot when it is planted under them. A large clump is now happy in the Peace Garden.

Michaelmas daisy (Aster x frikartii ‘Monch’)

Aster x frikartii 'Monch' in the Old Pond Garden, Charlton House, September 2023

A bushy perennial with clusters of yellow-centred, lavender-blue daisies that flower right through the Autumn, it is very attractive to pollinators. One of the most reliable and popular Michaelmas daisies (so called because they flower at the time of the feast of Michaelmas on 29 September), it was bred by a Swiss nurseryman called Frikart and named ‘Monch’ after a Swiss mountain.

August 2024: Gardeners Question Time

An entertaining and informative evening was had at this year’s Gardeners Question Time. As usual, it enabled members to get advice on their gardening problems, and to air their gardening frustrations. Chaired by Sir Nicolas Bevan, the CABAHS President, the panel also comprised Tom Brown, the Greenwich Park’s Head Gardener, and Pat Kane, a long standing CABAHS member.

Most of the questions were sent in by members beforehand. They covered a broad range of gardening areas and problems: growing hollyhocks; aphid control; tree size; cistus, salvia and sisyrinchium pruning; how to grow dahlias; what killed my rose; problems with apple trees and rambling roses; how to encourage children to get involved in gardening; recommending a fertiliser for yew hedges; the cause of curly cucumbers; dealing with self seeding; and problems with bamboo.

The Sunk Garden at Great Dixter House and Gardens, East Sussex

Christopher Lloyd loved colour, and as I stand on the upper pathway of the Sunk Garden, here at Great Dixter, I notice the pops of colour from the spires of pink-purple Lythrum and terracotta-orange Crocosmia all around me.

Designed by Nathaniel Lloyd, Christopher Lloyd’s father, after WW1, this south-facing and sheltered sunken garden is enclosed by two barns, a magnificent yew hedge and a wall on the southern boundary, thus creating its own micro-climate and the plants love it!

Rodgersia and a pink Hydrangea — A white and pink planting combination

Plant of the Month: Agapanthus (August 2024)

One of the nicest aspects about walking around the streets in our neighbourhoods is being able to view the diverse range of flowering trees, shrubs, perennials and bulbs that enhance front gardens and, in early August, it’s the showiness of Agapanthus that makes one stop in one’s tracks in admiration.

And so, it was an added pleasure to be able to admire the magnificent evergreen Agapanthus praecox “Madeira Blue” and “Madeira White” in my neighbour’s rear garden. Linda tells me she purchased the bulbs in Madeira approximately ten years ago, where these perennials have become naturalised throughout the island.

Agapanthus 'Madeira Blue' and 'Madeira White'

The plants are extremely tall and vigorous and absolutely stunning, with additional flowering stems this year, having outgrown (and broken) previous terracotta pots. The bulbs have been in the existing plastic pots (sitting on feet) for the past three years, having been divided up – no easy task – and planted into several more containers. They have not been fed for a while and are not given protection in the winter (it’s a sheltered garden) with the flower heads left on until spring.

Pat’s Jobs for August 2024

1. It is especially important to keep Camellias and Rhododendrons damp at the roots this month as this is the time that the buds form for next Spring. Water well and mulch if you can.

2. Take Aeonium cuttings now by severing leggy leaf stems a couple of inches below a cluster. Leave the stem end to callous over, then push into gritty compost and keep in a shady spot until roots start to form.

Fans of Clivia miniata

Angela B wrote: “Clivia (or Natal lily, originally from South Africa) is one of my favourite plants. It comes in a variety of colours. I have been growing Clivia miniata, the orange-flower variety, for years. Its glossy leaves and bright orange trumpets are striking and decorative. It has flowered well this year and I thought members might like to see it, and I encourage those who have not grown one to do so.

It’s easy to grow. See the RHS website for detailed care instructions. It’s a woodland plant and likes indirect sunlight and regular watering from Spring to Autumn, but minimal watering over the winter.”

We asked a few other members about this unusual and lovely plant. Chris B is also a fan of them, she says hers has beautiful flowers in May and June and she puts it outside for a holiday in the Summer (although not in full sun). She brings it back inside for winter and reduces the watering.