Charlton and Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society

And another year goes by..

OPG Diary – April to December 2023

Unbelievably, the last “diary” post I made about the Volunteer scheme was back in March, when we had just started to dig up the palms in the Front Lawn and hyacinths were just coming in to flower. The year is not quite done, but the Volunteers have worked a total of 2,724 hours, I feel quite tired just thinking about it!

We have posted about our events, like Bunnies in the Beds, but not about the important work that goes on behind the scenes, under Jason’s direction. So in April, we pruned the Pomegranates and the overgrown parts of the Wilderness and front shrubberies were tackled. Paths were mown through the grassy areas and Jason got RBG’s agreement not to mow in certain parts of the estate – saving them time and making our life greener.

Arch cut in hedge — Paths in the Wilderness

Long grass paths — Paths in the Wilderness

The final palm roots had been removed by May (they were HUGE!) and preparation and planting started in the front beds. The Peace Garden beds were re-shaped, they will be better for functions like weddings and coincidentally there is now more “bed” available to plant into! The Wilderness paths really came into their own as the grass around them became taller. When he wasn’t mowing the paths, Pete bravely tackled the area around the Substation, which was full of very thorny shrubs like Pyracantha and Berberis, really unpleasant to work with. The rose beds at the front were tidied and some major Long Border weeding started.

Are we Feeling Christmas-y yet?

At this ho-ho jolly time of year I expect everyone is looking forward to getting some good Christmas gardening presents! (Yes? No? Bah Humbug?)

I asked the committee what ideas they have this year, and we came up with the selection below. I hope it gives you some inspiration, or at least is something you can use when asked the dreaded question “What would you like for Christmas this year?”

Books: The Power of Trees by Peter Wohlleben. This was reviewed recently in the RHS magazine and I have seen it recommended elsewhere too. Waterstones says it is “a manifesto aimed at preserving the future of our forests and debunking accepted wisdom about tree-planting schemes”.

Books: What did the Tree See by Charlotte Guillain. I bought this for my grandson, it’s one of those childrens books that covers a huge age range. He is far too young to understand the whole thing at 3, but loves the pictures and storytelling. Much older children will like the historical side of it. And OAP’s like me love it too!

November 2023 Talk: Sex, Lies and Putrefaction

Timothy Walker is a botanist with an extensive career in horticulture. He is a former Director of Oxford Botanical Gardens and still lectures at Somerville and Pembroke Colleges as well as being a Fellow of the Linnean Society and winner of four Chelsea gold medals. He came to our attention as the presenter of the BBC 4 television series Botany – a Blooming History. He gave an entertaining and informative talk which was very well received by the audience.

Like all living organisms, plants aim to ensure offspring for the next generation. Timothy described the sexual life of plants as the movement of pollen along the stem from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma to allow fertilisation. He put his discussion within the context of Darwinian theory of the Origin of the Species and Natural Selection and said pollination is less subservient than normally assumed.

He described a variety of stratagems for pollination and ways plants have developed to ensure it happens. Nature abhors inbreeding and, because of genetic problems associated with self pollination, tries to avoid it.

Wellbeing Garden at Lewisham Hospital

During September 2023 I revisited the newly-built Wellbeing Garden, located at the rear of University Hospital, Lewisham.

There have been some exciting changes and the most notable is the large, beautifully-built, pergola that pulls the whole garden together. The pergola not only provides shelter but acts as a meeting place for various classes, including the Gardening Club. Some of the structure’s uprights are decorated with painted terracotta tiles, showcasing talented and creative individuals.

The planting in the garden had matured, and, being autumn, the grasses were in their prime, growing alongside the flowering stars of pink Tulbaghia violacea. I noticed a Snow Drop tree (Halesia diptera) and an additional small tree, Heptacodium miconioides, a species I had never seen before. The tree was displaying clusters of prominent, white, flowers with an intoxicating perfume, so, for me, this was an exciting find.

Last Show Table of 2023

Another wonderful Show Table at our November meeting, with beautiful Autumnal overtones. Winner of “Best on the Table” this month was Maggie, with her “Not quite Christmas” cactus in full flow. There were some lovely late Salvias and Carolyn’s Persicaria gave a real “pop” of pink to the table. Lynda’s asparagus (which won the Wildcard at the Spring Show) keeps on giving, with leaves a zingy yellow this month.

Maggie with Xmas Cactus — Maggie with her prize – chocolate coins and plant

Members also brought in colourful leaves and flowers to display as a mandala, and Annie added hers to make a pretty Show Table exhibit.

A great display everyone!

Kathy A

Down at Down House

According to my (many) English Heritage emails, Down House and garden is one of the best of their sites to visit in the autumn. We went expecting a show of bright autumn colours but I have to say we were rather disappointed.

However, there were compensations. There were autumn colours aplenty on the drive down with the low autumn sun sparkling through the yellow trees.

The house itself is very interesting. The staff were friendly and welcoming and keen to impart their knowledge of Charles Darwin and to ensure that we were enjoying our visit. The original kitchen with its flag-stoned floor is a good place to start with coffee and cakes.

Charles Darwin lived in the house for 40 years with his wife, Emma Wedgewood (also his first cousin). They had ten children, seven of whom survived beyond the age of eleven. Darwin was an unconventional Victorian father, allowing the children into his study and providing them with the means to play noisily in the house, building a wooden slide that fitted on one of the staircases.

Poppies to Remember, 2023

They shall not grow old.

Thank you.

The Charlton House Garden Volunteers

Sedum or Hylotelephium? Aster or Symphyotrichum?

Hylotelephium telephium 'Touchdown Teak'

But which is which?

I’m sure you know by now that herb garden favourite rosemary had its botanical name changed following DNA testing. It was reclassified to the Salvia family and its proper name is now Salvia rosmarinus (while the common name of course remains ‘rosemary’). Another common garden plant, Perovskia (aka Russian sage), has been renamed Salvia yangii. And then there are the sedums, some (but not all) of which must have needed a few more syllables to sound properly botanical!

Gardeners often wonder why this happens, and feel like botanical names are simply there to confuse us. Many gardeners choose to stick to the ‘old’ names, and occasionally (but not usually!) this is rewarded as science progresses, as is pointed out in this useful article from Gardens Illustrated.

Overbeck’s Garden Devon

On a recent visit to Devon we decided to visit Overbeck’s Garden owned by the National Trust. If you can brave the narrowest of South Devon lanes (and scarily so!) you’ll come to Overbecks built into a cliffside at Salcombe and overlooking the Kingsbridge estuary. The setting is stunning and because it’s so sheltered supports plants and trees from around the globe.

The day was very warm but luckily there’s plenty of shade provided by the collection of trees including magnolias, olives and palms of various sorts and the feel is very much sub-tropical. Amongst many areas there’s a Gazebo Garden, a Banana Garden, the Old Quarry, the Statue Garden and a lovely shady Woodland garden with a viewing point over to Salcombe with stunning views. Many lovely plants grow on the slopes and with only 3 full time gardeners I should think they rely heavily on volunteers although how they regularly navigate those lanes was a mystery to us. There’s a refreshment area (outdoors) and a picnic area. If you are in South Devon it is very well worth a visit and I hope the pictures convey the variety of lovely plants and trees you can see.

October 2023 Talk: The Middle-Sized Garden

Fifty three people attended our October meeting in the Old Library, enjoying refreshments, the raffle, the plant sale and the Show Table, as well as an interesting talk. The Best on the Show Table was Annie H’s display of Dahlia flowers and Helichrysum.

The talk on the Middle-Sized Garden was a first for CABAHS as it was given by a blogger, Alexandra Campbell who describes herself as a blogger, YouTuber, journalist and author.

For most of her career Alexandra worked as a journalist at journals such as Harpers, Queen and She. But when the introduction of IT led to the drying up of hard print journalism work she embarked on a second career teaching herself blogging and videoing. She now blogs at the Middle-Sized Garden blog which gives advice and tips on gardening. It is one of the top ten gardening blogs in the UK with over a million viewers and covers garden design, middle-sized gardens and expert interviews and tips. She also has five million viewers on her YouTube site.