charity – Charlton and Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society

May 2025 Talk: Francesca Murray on The Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution

On 19 May we welcomed Dr. Francesca Murray to give a talk on ‘The Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution and its horticultural heroes and heroines’.

Dr Francesca Murray speaking at CABAHS, May 2025

Dr. Murray is an author, speaker and researcher on garden history and the horticultural trades, with a special interest in nineteenth century gardeners and nursery owners.
Her talk focused on the range of benevolent, mutual aid and charitable societies – as well as the individual characters that founded and used them – that were set up in support of gardeners, florists and associated trades in the years before the welfare state was even considered.

Plant Sale Bonanza, May 2025

What a day was had at yesterday’s plant sale in the Peace Garden! We had more plants for sale than ever before, longer queues than ever before, and made more money than ever before. The CABAHS members and Charlton House garden volunteers worked harder than ever before too – but it was absolutely worth it. Between us we raised well over £4000 to be divided between the Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice and the gardens maintenance fund.

Plants for sale! Charlton House Gardens volunteer plant stalls, May 2025 — Just one moment at a busy, busy plant sale

Plants for sale! CABAHS plant stalls, May 2025 — Just one moment at a busy, busy plant sale

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!

Open garden, Oakcroft Road

10 October 2021: A special opening of Sian’s garden for CABAHS members, a lovely chance to catch up and £251 raised for Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice.

‘The Gatehouse’

A selection of photos of Ruth & Matthew’s beautiful garden ‘The Gatehouse’. CABAHS members attended a lovely open evening, wandering around their garden recently, with donations in aid of the Hospice.

Roses (red one is WB Yeats) grown in a bed in the shape of a Tudor Rose

Thank you from the hospice

We received a lovely letter of appreciation from Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice, when we sent them £950 raised at our recent Charlton House plant sale. They looked back over the last 17 years and sent us this certificate showing how much we have raised in total for them. Well done everyone!

OPG diary – May 2021

Early May
The rainiest May for years, wet volunteers still working away. (They come for the Lotus biscuits at half time…). The gravel garden looks rather good in the rain actually. But for heaven’s sake when is that Alianthus (Tree of Heaven) going to come into leaf? It’s almost as slow as the Mulberry.

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Bird bath being used, and our lovely Cotinus (Smoke Bush) is coming out.

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Sunday 30 May
Our Plant Sale and Community Day was a great success – all those pleas were answered and the sun did come out. Thank you so much to everyone who donated plants or gave their time on the day to help. This was the biggest plant sale CABAHS has ever held, and has raised over £950 for the Hospice, plus more funds to continue the garden revival.

Plant sale and community day in Charlton House gardens, May 2021 — The stalls all set up, selling about to start!

Mottingham Open Gardens

Thank you to all members who visited Fran, Viv and Vija’s open gardens over the August Bank Holiday weekend. They have raised £319 in total for Macmillan Cancer Support, such a very good cause. The gardens all looked fabulous and everyone had a great time.

Fran’s garden

Viv’s garden

Vija’s garden

Thank you to everyone who visited!

CABAHS Plant Sale, 9 August 2020

Thank you to everyone who donated plants, or helped set up or bought plants, we raised an amazing £1,070 from the day! If you had to queue, we do apologise, but we are also pleased that it was so popular! We had sold out by 2pm. Half the funds will go towards the walled garden restoration, and half will be donated to the Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice. Thank you again!

Online Spring Flower Display 2020

Photos of our 70th Anniversary and 1st Online SPRING SHOW 2020 winners

Our President, Sir Nicolas Bevan says, “I am greatly impressed by the quality of entries to our virtual Spring Show and I congratulate all those who sent in their photographs. At this time of anxiety and sadness our gardens can be a source of consolation and diversion and provide an outlet for our energies. I encourage all our members to carry on gardening and I look forward to the time when we can meet together again.”

The winner of Best in Show photograph is 10A, sent in by Faith. Congratulations! Here it is:

CABAHS Spring Show 2020: Best in Show photograph, by Faith

Close runners up were 9F, the tea cup display by Ann H, followed by 4D the stripy camellia by Peter S, and 2D, the white tulips by Anastasia.

We have submitted Faith’s lovely photo to the Horti-Aid Gardening competition being run by the Perennial charity, to be judged by Alan Titchmarsh, Jim Buttress & others.

CABAHS has traditionally helped to support Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice over many years. Usually, we donate two months of our Plant Sales Table proceeds to the Hospice but this year we invited donations through this page, in celebration of successfully holding our first online Spring Show.