Thurcaston And Cropston Gardening Club

Article by Richard Elks

‘Waving in the Wind’ – Gardening with Grasses with Steve Lovell Grasses – probably the most important plant in the world. This was the view of Steve Lovell, the April speaker at the Thurcaston and Cropston Gardening Club.

One of the reasons that grasses are so important is that grasses ‘feed the world’ with wheat, oats, and many other cereal crops. But Steve also suggested that by using ornamental grasses in the garden, they can greatly improve garden design and planting.

Grasses add texture, movement and are very durable. Steve talked about the various groups of grasses and their required growing conditions. Care and pruning were also covered.

There are many groups of ornamental grasses available to gardeners. These include Stipa, Miscanthus, Carex, Molina, Penniseturn, and many others. In addition, there are many cultivars of these grasses – so the choice is vast. Throughout the talk Steve showed photos of the different grasses which showed their different form and texture. Steve also provided a very useful plant list so that members could do their own research of grasses that would improve their gardens.

Many of the images in this illustrated talk showed how grasses can be used in planting schemes with other plants.

Steve Lovell is a professionally qualified garden designer and soft landscaper with 30 years’ experience, specialising in gardens for wildlife. His talk was informative and entertaining, and it created a lot of interest amongst the audience.

The Gardening Club meets in the Thurcaston and Cropston Memorial Hall

Whether an experienced gardener or an enthusiastic beginner we are sure you will find something of interest in this year’s programme. New members are made most welcome. What’s more, it’s excellent value!! The membership fee is still only £12 for the year (pro rota) or £3.00 per meeting. So, if you are interested in gardening - come and give the Club a try.

For more information about the Club, please contact

Dave Haddon (0116) 235 9758: david.haddon20@ntlworld.com Or Richard Elks (0116) 236 8313: cropston161@hotmail.co.uk

Wed 10th May

Plants for the Connoisseur

Simon Gulliver

Simon is a Gardens & Parks Consultant for the National Trust, responsible for advising on the development of 20 historic gardens in West and North Midlands.

Simon trained at Pershore College and worked at the RHS Garden Wisley for two years as the horticulturalist at Plant Heritage (administering the National Plant Collections Scheme). He also trained in Biodiversity and worked for ten years at Birmingham Botanical Gardens and became the Horticultural Lecturer and Plant Collections Manager there.

Plants for the connoisseur is Simons favourite selection of beautiful plants that are a little different, interesting, unusual and/ or a bit more challenging to grow. It also covers how to grow them and enjoy them.

This is an Illustrated talk and there are plants for sale.

Wed 14th June

Top 20 Tips from a former Head Gardener

Pip Smith

Top 20 tips from a former Head Gardener - Pip shares some of his favourite tips from his time as a Head Gardener. It’s an eclectic mix that includes ideas on how to save water in the summer to his favourite plants for those tricky to grow spots in your garden. There is something for everyone!

Pip Smith is a landscape designer with over 13 years’ experience. He trained in horticulture at Pershore College and has an MA in Landscape Architecture from Birmingham City University.

He's held the post of Head Gardener at several private and public gardens, most recently at the highly acclaimed Wollerton Old Hall in Shropshire. In 2020 he set up his own landscape design studio based in Worcestershire and uses his previous experience to create imaginative, sympathetic and long-lasting designs for clients.

This is an illustrated talk.

A Night At The Oscars – In Newtown Linford!

Article by Peter Sayer

The members of Newtown Linford Choral Society are looking forward to presenting their next concert in the Village Hall, which features songs from Oscar winning or nominated films. They’re confident that audiences will be familiar with all of the songs, which will include classics such as ‘Cheek to Cheek’, ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’ and selections from ‘Mary Poppins’, Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘La La Land’.

There will be a licensed bar, and tickets are priced at £12 for adults, and £6 for children and students in full time education. Performances will be on Friday 9th and Saturday 10th June, starting at 7.30 pm –but optionally you can bring a picnic or nibbles (but drinks only from the bar please) at 7 pm to enjoy before the concert starts. For tickets please ring 01530 243822.

Charnwood Local Group Of The LRWT Raises £1000

Article by Linda Tomlinson

Dave Robinson, chair of the Charnwood Local Group of the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, recently handed over a cheque for £1000 to the C.E.O. of the Trust, Mat Carter, at their recent AGM.

Donations had been raised by group members organising talks, walks and fundraising events to support vital nature conservation work carried out by the Trust in Charnwood, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Talks about wildlife and nature conservation are regularly hosted by the local group at Woodhouse Eaves Village Hall on the second Wednesday evening of the month from September to May. There are also walks and other activities throughout the year.

For further information about the Wildlife Trust and the Charnwood Group's events and activities see the website wwww.lrwr.org.uk and we will get back to you asap.