houseplants – Charlton and Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society

Pat’s 10 jobs for October 2026

A lovely crop of sweet peas! — Sow sweetpeas and plant *Narcissus* bulbs for beautiful flowers in 2027

Some of the 18 entries for Class 13: Narcissus 'Pipit' CABAHS Spring Show 2025 — Sow sweetpeas and plant *Narcissus* bulbs for beautiful flowers in 2027

1. You can sow some sweetpeas now for an early start next year. Sow in root trainers or sow five seeds to a 3″ (9cm) pot and keep in warmth until germinated, then keep in an unheated greenhouse, coldframe or cool room until spring. Sweetpeas are pretty hardy. A sheltered corner of the garden may work too.

2. Plant Narcissus and daffodils now so they have a chance to make good roots for a spring flowering. If planting in soil plant as deeply as you can at about three times their depth.

Autumn Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Display 2026 – classes to enter

This year’s Autumn Show will be held on Monday 21 September, at 7.30pm in the Old Library at Charlton House.

Here’s a reminder of last year’s show – a groaning table of entries…

The classes you can enter this year are shown below, please have a go at as many as you like!

Spring Show 2026 – classes to enter

The CABAHS Spring Show will take place on Monday 20 April 2026 and classes will be judged by John Hughes. Here’s a reminder of last year’s efforts!

Getting the 2025 CABAHS Spring Show set up and ready for judging — Spring Show 2025

The classes you can enter this year are shown below, please have a go at as many as you like!

Pat’s 10 jobs for March 2026

1. Time to cut back Buddleja davidii hard… don’t be timid, take it right back to 40cm to a pair of buds. If you want a taller plant make the cuts higher up the stem. It will grow back in no time. The prunings make good hardwood cuttings and root easily straight in the ground.

Buddleja davidii in need of a hard prune — *Buddlejas* before and after a hard prune (not the same plant!)

Buddleja davidii after a fairly hard prune - already developing new shoots! — *Buddlejas* before and after a hard prune (not the same plant!)

2. You can pot up Dahlia tubers now by placing in pots or trays of peat-free compost in a frost-free place, and water once with no need to water again until shoots appear. Make sure the tubers are firm with no sign of rot.

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

January 2026 Meeting and Show Table

Our first meeting of 2026 welcomed Everett Leeds as our speaker. A Clematis expert, Everett gave an entertaining talk and also sold seeds of some of the Clematis he discussed.

As usual, members enjoyed refreshments, took part in the raffle, shared their garden-related resolutions for 2026 and, of course, there was the regular Show Table. Six members took part with a wide variety of entries. We hope that as Spring gets going more members will be keen to show off and share their plants that are looking good each month.

August Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Display 2025 – classes to enter

This year’s Autumn Show will be held a month earlier than usual, on Monday 18 August, at 7.30pm in the Old Library at Charlton House.
Please note that due to the earlier date, the Potato competition will be judged as part of the Show Table at September’s meeting.

Here’s a reminder of last year’s efforts!

Whole table of entries, Autumn Show 2024

The classes you can enter this year are shown below, please have a go at as many as you like!

June 2025: Gardeners Question Time

This is now a regular and popular event in which our panel answer questions sent through in advance from members, some with illustrations or examples sent in plastic bags. The panel this year consisted of our very own CABAHS committee member and all-round plant guru Pat K, our President Sir Nicolas Bevan and horticulturalist and teacher Joe Woodcock. Sir Nicolas invited advice and contributions from the audience too, saying that in a room full of gardeners, the panel did not “have the monopoly on wisdom”. We did our best!

Our 'Amateur Gardeners' Question Time' panel, June 2025 — Our esteemed panel: Pat, Nicolas and Joe

Last year we were all overwhelmed by slugs and snails, this year’s scourge is aphids! The first question related to a particularly damaging infestation on Buddleja, which seemed to have caused a virus. Several people, including Joe, have experienced the same this year. He was able to tell us that it is likely to be a specific species, the Melon-cotton aphid, which the RHS are monitoring (you can report cases to the RHS here).

Pat’s Jobs for November 2024

1. Check for blackspot on roses and make sure to remove the leaves by checking the bush itself and below it. But don’t add to the compost heap.

2. If you have to, this is the best time to move trees and shrubs, but have your planting hole ready, and dig up with all the root ball and replant quickly, watering well until settled.

3. Plant your tulips and hyacinths now. either in the ground or in pots – but protect from squirrels.

4. If you sowed sweet peas last month. harden them off now and it’s still not too late to get some going for an early crop.

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.