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.
There was a great turn out for CABAHS’ last meeting of 2025. As usual, there were refreshments (this month featuring mini-stollen and mince pies!), also a plant sales table, a raffle, the Show Table and – the main event – an engaging talk from Dr David Marsh, garden historian and blogger.
Lots of variety on the Show Table this month, just as we like it! The Show Table is a chance for members to bring in and display plants and flowers that are performing well in their own gardens each month, be that a single flower / stem / fruit / vegetable or a display of all that is looking good – or indeed something in between. It’s lovely to see what people are growing.
There were some exquisite entries for the Show Table this month (click on the images to see in detail), but it was the simple, single species vase of sweet peas that won the prize.
Congratulations to Pat for ‘Best on the Table’ – they are perfect!
There was a great turnout for the CABAHS May meeting, even after the exertions of the previous day’s Plant Sale! A small but beautiful range of items on the Show Table, from a cornucopia of Spring flowers to a single rose and a cactus. Congratulations to Kathy for winning this month’s ‘Best on the Table’ prize with a vase of Salvia, Cerinthe, Teucrium, Hesperis, Centranthus, Luzula and chives.
A packed library for the March meeting, and the first Show Table of the year – congratulations to Kathy for winning this month’s Best on the Table prize with her Narcissus ‘St Patrick’s Day’.
There was also a Plant Sales table and the usual raffle with lots of lovely plant prizes. The main event was a talk by Fiona Davison, author of ‘An Almost Impossible Thing: The radical lives of Britain’s pioneering women gardeners‘.
Sixty-three members attended our Annual General Meeting on Monday 17th February in the Old Library at Charlton House. There were opportunities to renew membership, check the data CABAHS holds on members for GDPR purposes and book the next CABAHS outing to RHS Wisley on 6th May, as well as the Raffle.
AGM 2024 AudienceMembership Tables
The AGM included a review of achievements over the past year and the election of the Committee and Officers of the Society for 2025.
Stella giving the Chairs Review of the Year 2024Treasurer’s Report for 2024
Three Committee Members have stepped down Stella B stepped down as Chair of CABAHS and Anna L and Lynda F stepped down as Committee Members. Each was presented with a bouquet and a book in thanks for their contribution to the work of the CABAHS Committee.
New Committee for 2025 With departures from the Committee, new Committee members are required and Vija V was elected as Chair. She responded that “It was good to see so many of our members at the AGM. I am delighted to be returning as Chair of CABAHS and look forward to working with you all again.”
Our first meeting of 2025 was very well attended. The speaker and the topic obviously attracted a good audience. The Show Table received a good selection of displays, with Jean’s a worthy winner of Best on the Table.
Our speaker, Fergus Garrett, the highly influential plantsman and horticulturalist, has been Head Gardener at the internationally acclaimed Great Dixter Garden in Northiam, East Sussex since 1993 and is the CEO of the Great Dixter Charitable Trust. He gave an excellent, wide-ranging talk on how to keep our gardens looking vibrant and spectacular all the year round. He explained how to plant for a long flowering season with plants co-existing in one place, but performing at different times. He used photographs of the spectacular gardens at Great Dixter to illustrate his points. He said Great Dixter had the advantage of scale and greenhouses but it is possible to scale down what they do at Great Dixter and use their scheme in our own gardens with minimal labour.
He particularly used the magnificent long border at Great Dixter as an example of how to plan a long flowering season. How to use structural under-planting, interlaying and interplanting with bulbs, self-sowers, perennials, clumps of bedding plants and climbers.
Charlton and Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society 