cherry – Charlton and Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society

What a strange spring this has been as everything has grown so tall ….but then some things especially vegetables have hardly grown at all and are struggling as there has been little warmth.

Giant Foxglove - 8 foot tall — Giant Foxglove – 8 foot tall

Cephalaria a foot taller than usual — Giant Foxglove – 8 foot tall

Anyway we soldier on….

1. Divide spring flowering bulbs as soon as foliage fades. My own stock has diminished and badly need splitting.

2. Prune ornamental cherries when flowering has finished making as few cuts as possible as they have difficulty healing.

3. Tie in shoots on sweetpeas which are finally growing and revelling in the cool conditions.

4. Cut early flowering hardy geraniums to the ground when they finish as they have a tendency to seed everywhere…unless you want them to of course.

Inspired by Melanie’s wonderful talk to members about the various Rothschild gardens, Sharon & I accompanied her on a trip to see the restoration project at Gunnersbury Park. We had our volunteer project at Charlton House & Gardens firmly in mind throughout the day, and were pleased to find parallels – albeit on a much grander scale there! Gunnersbury was bought by Ealing & Acton council in 1925 (Charlton was bought by Greenwich Council in the 1920s) and used as a public park in much the same way that Charlton Park has been.

In 2018 the “Large Mansion” was restored using Heritage Lottery and other funding and opened as a Museum housing the borough archive. Major parts of the park were included in the funding, the Orangery, lake and orchards for example. The Friends of Gunnersbury Park were instrumental in the restoration effort, and volunteers clearly play a large part in the day-to-day running.

Tag: cherry

Pat’s Jobs for June

A day trip to Gunnersbury Park