Kent Group Newsletter Winter 2016
CONTENTS Chairman’s Letter
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Kent Group News
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Forthcoming Events
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Recent Events
15
Member’s Article
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Area Group Contacts
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Officers and Committee 2016
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Front cover photograph: Iris ‘Harmony’ and Eranthis hiemalis at Ragley Hall, Warwickshire, courtesy Karin Proudfoot Back cover photographs: courtesy Karin Proudfoot Other photographs: Page 8, courtesy Mike Belton Page 14, courtesy Virginia Oakes Page 19, courtesy Karin Proudfoot Page 21, courtesy Mike and Linda Belton Page 22, courtesy Mike and Linda Belton Layout and design: Sue Cumming
Address for copy and deadline for Spring newsletter Please send any copy by email to the Editor: keproudfoot@firenet. uk.net, or if that is not possible, by post to: Karin Proudfoot, The Old Rectory, Fawkham, Longfield, Kent DA3 8LX The deadline for inclusion in the Spring newsletter is 1st March. The Editor reserves the right to edit contributions if necessary. Opinions expressed by authors are their personal views and not specifically endorsed by HPS Kent Group.
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HPS KENT GROUP | Winter 2016
Chairman’s Letter I hope you all had a Happy Christmas and New Year, and although we moan about our weather, we can all be thankful that we didn’t have to endure the appalling floods that ruined the festivities, to say nothing of homes and businesses, in the north. At the time of writing, in early January, we have had only a couple of nights of frost, at least here in north-west Kent, and everything is so far advanced that I am seriously worried as to what there will be for my NGS visitors to see in February. Winter aconites were in flower before Christmas, and the first snowdrops (ordinary Galanthus nivalis, not the early flowering varieties) were opening their flowers shortly afterwards, as was Iris ‘Katharine Hodgkin’, usually not in flower until February. As for the hellebores – the Helleborus x hybridus varieties have been coming into flower since late November, while H. foetidus and H. argutifolius were in full bloom by the end of December. Meanwhile Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’ and similar varieties have been scenting our gardens since early to mid-December, and were prominent in the display at our Christmas Party. I am just hoping there will be a cold snap to hold things back! At least all these precocious flowers are a cheering sign that spring is on the way, and with the days now starting to lengthen we can look forward to seeing our new acquisitions and the old favourites in our gardens starting into growth. One area where I am not looking forward to seeing new growth is where I am trying to eradicate a patch of Acanthus spinosus. Everyone says this can’t be done, but I have in the past succeeded in killing off two clumps of it, though they were smaller than the present target. On that occasion I went for deep digging, then zapping all new growth with Roundup – it took two or three years, but it worked. This time I cut off all growth at ground level in the autumn, painted the cut stems with SBK Brushwood Killer at tree stump strength, then some weeks later I dug out as much root as possible. I am now keeping an eye open for the inevitable re-growth, and have the Roundup ready for action. It is not very attractive having an area of bare earth at the end of one border where I can’t plant anything, but I hope that it will all be worth it . . . in the end. I’ll keep you posted. I hope to meet many of you at our lecture meetings and visits in the coming months, and also at our two plant fairs, at Goodnestone and Lenham. In the meantime, Happy Gardening in 2016! Karin Proudfoot HPS KENT GROUP | Winter 2016
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KENT GROUP NEWS Subscriptions
Just a quick reminder that subscription renewals were due on 1st January, in case it has slipped your mind – easily done at this time of year! A renewal form was included in the Autumn 2015 newsletter. Don’t forget to renew your membership of the national HPS at the same time.
New members
We extend a warm welcome to the following new member and to our other new members, and look forward to meeting them at some of our forthcoming events: Margot Birkbeck, Chipstead
Annual General Meeting
Our 28th AGM broke all records for the fastest one ever, coming in at just 12 minutes! Sue Martin and Carolyn Millen stood down as their time on the committee had come to an end and both were thanked for all their hard work: Sue for organising the Snowdrop and Hellebore Extravaganza, Christmas parties and interesting workshops, and Carolyn for her excellent talking plants and garden visits. Barbara Badham agreed to be co-opted on to the committee for a further year to carry on booking speakers and halls. Alison Crayford was voted back on to the committee after a year of being co-opted, to continue with plant and sundry sales. We also had two new committee members voted on, Jeanette Lerwill and Robert Lines, to whom we extend a warm welcome. Our Chairman, Karin Proudfoot, also officially took over the extra role of Newsletter Editor. There were no questions for the Treasurer or any other of the reports and after Karin had thanked her committee for all their time and commitment in 2015, the meeting was declared closed and everyone moved swiftly towards the superb tea and cakes! 4
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New committee members
Jeanette Lerwill Some of you may already know me from a visit to Orchard House and Wheelgate Nursery last year. I changed career some 16 years ago to become a professional gardener and worked for five years at Knebworth House in Hertfordshire as an under gardener. My husband and I moved to Kent 10 years ago to a house with a much larger garden than we had previously and I expanded my collection of plants accordingly. I looked after two large gardens locally and then decided four years ago to set up a small nursery, thinking this might be less physically demanding than garden maintenance. Running the nursery may be less physical but the hours are much longer; however, I really enjoy growing and selling plants. In addition to the nursery, I do some border design work and offer gardening advice. Although the nursery specialises in hardy perennials and ornamental grasses, I am very interested in a wide variety of plants and have a collection of tender specimens which I display outside in the summer and house in a heated greenhouse during winter. We open our garden for the NGS and for groups from local gardening clubs, and in addition I am a keen beekeeper and cook. Robert Lines Although originally from Kent, I spent most of my career in Newcastle upon Tyne and was an early member of the HPS North East Group. Climate and soil conditions there were ideal for growing roses and I developed a penchant for all varieties of conifers. Now retired and back on home territory, I am reorganising my much smaller suburban garden to accommodate both plants and an observatory enabling me to appreciate nature at both ends of the scale! I look forward to serving on the committee, meeting new people and, of course, learning more about plants.
Plant Fairs Roadshow 2016 Interesting plants grown by dedicated growers
These exciting events are attended by several of your favourite nurseries, many of which are HPS Kent Group members, including Blueleaf Plants, HPS KENT GROUP | Winter 2016
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Pineview Plants, The Professional Gardener, Little Omenden, Swallowfields and Brickwall Cottage Nursery (Holder of the National Collection of Geums), to name but a few. The following dates are confirmed: Sunday 17th April (10am – 3pm) Spring Fair, Hall Place and Gardens, Bourne Road, Bexley DA5 1PQ. Admission free. Saturday 21st May (1pm – 4pm) Telegraph Hill Centre, Kitto Road, New Cross SE14 5TY. Admission £2 (tbc). Sunday 3rd July (10am – 3pm) Summer Fair, Hall Place and Gardens, Bourne Road, Bexley DA5 1PQ. Admission free (this will be in conjunction with their regular Farmers’ Market).
Members’ Gardens open for the NGS (up to the end of April) Check website for full details: www.ngs.org.uk
Ashley, White Horse Lane, Otham, Maidstone ME15 8RQ – By appointment from April to September. Copton Ash, 105 Ashford Road, Faversham ME13 8XW – Sunday 14th February (12 noon – 4pm), Sunday 10th and Sunday 24th April (12 noon – 5pm). 34 Cross Road, Walmer, CT14 9LB – Sunday 17th April (11am – 5pm). Spring Platt, Boyton Court Road, Sutton Valence, Maidstone ME17 3B – By appointment in February. Frith Old Farmhouse, Frith Road, Otterden, Faversham ME13 0DD – April to September. Groups 50 maximum. Please book in advance. Knowle Hill Farm, Ulcombe, Maidstone ME17 1ES – Sunday 7th February (11am – 3pm). The Old Rectory, Valley Road, Fawkham, Longfield DA3 8LX – By appointment in February. Timbers, Dean Street, East Farleigh, Maidstone ME15 0HS – By appointment from April to the end of July. 6
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East Kent Alpine Garden Society The East Kent Alpine Garden Society meets at Lower Hardres Village Hall, South of Canterbury (CT4 5NP), on the second Friday of the month from September to May at 7pm for 7.30pm. Below are the remaining events and talks of the 2015/16 programme. Visitors and guests are welcome. February 12th Practical demonstration of ‘Growing plants in troughs’ and ‘Kokedama’ (Japanese bonsai) by members March 11th Kew student Ruth Calder will talk on ‘Plants and people of Oaxaca’ – a region of Mexico with the richest flora in the world March 26th AGS Kent Show at Sutton Valence School (please note the change of date and venue) April 8th Rachael Castle will speak about ‘Auriculas’ May 13th Plant auction For further information, please contact Gillian Ingram on 01795 535919 or email: coptonash@yahoo.co.uk
Mid Kent Alpine Garden Society The Mid Kent Alpine Garden Society meets at Madginford Village Hall, Egremont Road, Bearsted (ME15 8LH), on the first Friday of the month at 7.30pm for 8.00pm. Below is the programme of events for the first half of 2016. Visitors and guests are welcome. February 5th
Talk by Jon Evans, Blackthorn Gardens
March 4th Talk by Pat Digby, followed by Plant Sale March 26th AGS Kent Show at Sutton Valence School (please note the change of date and venue) April 1st Local show at Bearsted, 6.00pm start May 6th Talk by Gillian and Peter Regan on ‘Flowers of the Russian Balkans’ June 3rd Daytime garden visit For further information, please contact John Millen on 01622 843383 or email: john.millen1@btinternet.com HPS KENT GROUP | Winter 2016
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Kent County Show This year we are going to be staging an exhibit in the Flower and Horticultural Tent at the Kent County Show, on 8th, 9th and 10th July. While this will not be on the same scale as Chelsea, we want to put on a good display to publicise the HPS and encourage more people to join us. We plan to concentrate on showcasing hardy perennials for sunny and shady situations, and will be needing plants for the display, as well as plants that we can sell – as the show lasts for three days we will need a lot of these! Please think what you have in your gardens that might be looking good in early July, and pot up and grow on anything that could fit the bill. People always like to buy plants they can see on a display, so if you could also pot up smaller pieces for sale this would be very useful. Nearer the time we will be asking for help manning the stand so could you also make a note of the dates and try to keep a day or two free over that weekend.
Linda Belton admiring one of the borders at Heronswood – Dan Hinkley’s garden in Washington state, USA. See pages 20-22 for a description by Mike Belton of their unexpected visit while on holiday in the Pacific Northwest 8
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS Summary Tuesday 9th February 1.30pm
Garden Visit – Knowle Hill Farm, Ulcombe
Sunday 28th February 11.00am – 4.00pm
Snowdrop and Hellebore Extravaganza – Goodnestone Park Gardens, Canterbury, with a Talk – ‘Hellebores – Why I’m Still Interested After All These Years’ by Julian Sutton
Sunday 20th March 11.00am – 2.00pm 2.30pm
Special Spring Meeting Indoor Plant Fair followed by a Talk – ‘Plant Hunting in Colombia’ with Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones Lenham Community Centre
Saturday 9th April 10.30am
Garden Visit – Witch Hazel Nursery, Newington**
Sunday 24th April 2.30pm
Talk – ‘Spring-Flowering Perennials’ with Rosy Hardy, followed by Seedling Swap Headcorn Village Hall
Saturday 7th May
Day Trip – Beervelde Park Plant Fair, Belgium. This event must be pre-booked – see details on pages 13-14
Tuesday 31st May 10.00am
Talking Plants – Oak Cottage and Swallowfields Nursery, Elmsted†
Wednesday 15th June 10.30am and 2.00pm
Garden Visit – Boyton Court, East Sutton†‡
Wednesday 13th July 2.30pm
Garden Visit – Hawe Farmhouse, Herne†‡
** This event must be pre-booked using the enclosed booking form † Booking form for this event will be included in a later newsletter ‡ Further information will be provided in following newsletters HPS KENT GROUP | Winter 2016
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Event Details Tuesday 9th February: 1.30pm Garden Visit – Knowle Hill Farm
Ulcombe, near Maidstone
One-and-a-half-acre garden, created over 30 years on a south-facing slope of the North Downs with spectacular views. There are mixed borders, with many unusual plants, interesting trees and shrubs, and extensive box topiary and hedging to provide a winter framework. In early Spring the garden includes over 60 named varieties of snowdrops, with aconites, cyclamen, hellebores and other early flowers. A booking form for this visit was included with the last newsletter; there are still places available, so please contact Jeanette Lerwill (details on page 23) if you would like to book. Admission: £4 per person. There will be a £1.50 charge for tea and cake, payable on the day. Sunday 28th February: 11.00am – 4.00pm Snowdrop and Hellebore Extravaganza
Goodnestone Park
Sadly, Lady FitzWalter died in September last year, as reported in the Autumn 2015 newsletter. She will be greatly missed at our annual visit to Goodnestone but the event will go on as usual with the support of her son Francis. Our speaker this year will be Julian Sutton who, with his wife Sarah, owns Desirable Plants. This is a wholesale nursery situated near Totnes in Devon, which specialises in unusual woodland and South African plants. The title of his talk will be ‘Hellebores – why I’m still interested after all these years’. He will bring hellebores to sell. The talk will take place at 12 noon in the lecture room. Tickets, which are free, can be collected from the entrance hall. As usual, there will be nurseries selling a wide range of spring-flowering plants, including many snowdrops. There will also be a display in the entrance hall 10
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and members are asked to bring anything from their gardens to make this a really spectacular exhibit. Those bringing material for this will get in free if they arrive before 10.30am. Admission: Adults £7.00. Concessions, including HPS members, £6.50. Children (6–16) £2.00. Exhibit contributors before 10.30am admitted free. Directions: (CT3 1PL) Goodnestone Park Gardens are in Goodnestone Village south of the B2046 from the A2 to Wingham, east of Canterbury. Brown tourist signs on the B2406 indicate where to turn off. Sunday 20th March: 11.00am – 2.00pm Lenham Community Centre Special Spring Meeting followed by a Talk – ‘Plant Hunting in Colombia’ with Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones at 2.30pm Once again our very popular Spring Meeting will be held at Lenham, combining an indoor plant fair, photographic competition and lecture. There will, as usual, be a tempting selection of plants for sale from local nurseries throughout the morning. They will be joined, this year, by Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones, who will be selling rare and interesting plants from their nursery, Crûg Farm Plants. A schedule for the Photographic Show is enclosed with this newsletter, and we hope that even more of you will look out your best images and bring them along. Perhaps those of you who were at the Christmas Party will have been inspired by Bennet Smith’s useful advice and beautiful photographs to get out and about with your own cameras – we look forward to seeing the results! Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones started their nursery, Crûg Farm Plants in north Wales, more than 20 years ago and have been plant hunting at least once a year since the early 1990s, visiting the Far East, South America and, in particular, Asia. Plant hunting is the backdrop to everything that goes on at Crûg Farm and is what distinguishes its plant collections from others. Bleddyn and Sue will be attending the plant fair in the morning where we will be able to browse and buy some of these interesting and unusual plants. HPS KENT GROUP | Winter 2016
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Refreshments include tea and coffee in the morning, homemade soup and bread at lunchtime and, of course, tea and cake to round off the day after the talk. Plant display • Teas • Plant sales • Book sales • Raffle Directions: (ME17 2QT) Lenham is just off the A20, about nine miles south-east of Maidstone. From Ashford, turn left into Lenham. The Community Centre is on Groom Way, which is the first turning on the right. From Maidstone, take the second on the right into the village, through the square and over the crossroads and past the church. Groom Way is second on the left. Saturday 9th April: 10.30am Garden Visit – Witch Hazel Nursery
Newington, near Sittingbourne
Chris Lane will be showing us round his nursery, specialising in woody plants, in particular Hamamelis (of which he holds the National Collection). He also has an extensive collection of Prunus and Wisteria in addition to Amelanchier, Betula, Cercidiphyllum and Syringa. Admission: £4 per person, to include refreshments. Sunday 24th April: 2.30pm Headcorn Village Hall Talk – ‘Spring-Flowering Perennials’ with Rosy Hardy followed by Seedling Swap Rosy Hardy is well known as an authority on herbaceous perennials and is a member of the RHS Herbaceous Committee. In 1988 she and her husband Rob founded Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants in Hampshire, and they have bred and introduced many new perennial varieties, and won 20 Gold Medals at Chelsea. Rosy’s taste in plants is reflected throughout the nursery, which is stocked with 1400 varieties, all of which have to earn their place. She will be bringing plants for sale and will be happy to bring any plant orders to the meeting. The talk will be followed by our popular Seedling Swap – a great chance to acquire and try out seedlings of a huge range of plants, including many unusual ones, all for a minimal charge. Plant display • Teas • Plant sales • Book sales • Raffle 12
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Directions: (TN27 9NR) Headcorn is about five miles south of Maidstone on the A274. From Maidstone, at the sharp bend at the entrance to the village, opposite the Kings Arms, take the narrow lane on the right between the two churches to the hall. If approaching from Biddenden, pass through the village and the lane is on your left, immediately in front of the church and before the bend in the road. There is ample parking all the way around the hall. Saturday 7th May Day Trip – Beervelde Park Plant Fair
Ghent, Belgium
Following the huge success of our trip to the Autumn Plant Fair in October 2015 (photos of which can be seen on the Kent Group website under Future Events) and requests for a repeat visit, we have arranged a day trip to the Spring Plant Fair at Beervelde. If you have not been before, you can see more about the plant fair on the Beervelde website: www.parkvanbeervelde.be/en/ home. There are still a few places available but bookings need to be in as soon as possible. Detailed information about the October trip was in the Spring 2015 newsletter, and arrangements this time will be similar, but we are having to take the 8.20am Eurotunnel train from Folkestone in the morning, so the pick-up times will be slightly earlier than before. Exact timings will be sent out in due course to those who have booked. As before, we will be travelling by coach with Buzzlines, with two pick-up points. The first is at the Mercure Great Danes Hotel, Hollingbourne, Maidstone ME17 1RE. The hotel charges £4 per car for the day, and drivers should go to the 24-hour reception desk on arrival to pay and leave their vehicle registration details. The second pick up, kindly offered by Vera and Tony Orsbourne, will be at Silver Spray, Sellindge TN25 6JX (on the main road opposite Moorstock Lane), where they will assist in parking arrangements. It would be appreciated if members parking at Silver Spray could arrange to share cars where possible. The total cost, to include entrance to Beervelde, coach and train transport plus tips for our two drivers, will be approximately £40 per person. A deposit of £10 per person is payable by Friday 29th January, with the balance due by the end of February. Refunds will only be offered if we are able to find replacements. It is strongly recommended that you arrange travel insurance for the trip as this is not included in the price. HPS KENT GROUP | Winter 2016
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If you went on the trip in October and would like to go again, we already have your details, so you only need to contact Alison Crayford as soon as possible by email or phone (details on page 23), and send her your deposit. Those who did not go in October also need to contact Alison, and provide the number and expiry date of your passport. Could everyone booking please tell her which pick-up point they will be using. Deposit cheques (£10 per person) should be made out to ‘HPS Kent Group’ and sent to Alison by Friday 29th January. We do ask that you provide an email address for confirmation of your booking; if you do not have email, please could you send Alison a stamped addressed envelope.
Beervelde Spring Plant Fair
Tuesday 31st May: 10.00am and 2.00pm Elmsted, near Ashford Talking Plants – Oak Cottage and Swallowfields Nursery Set off the beaten track in the small village of Elmsted, Oak Cottage is a ½-acre garden surrounded by farmland, where unusual plants can be found hidden among traditional cottage garden borders. At the end of the garden is Swallowfields Nursery, where many of the plants seen in the garden are propagated and grown for sale. A booking form for this visit will be enclosed in the next newsletter. Admission: £3.50 per person, to include refreshments. 14
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RECENT EVENTS ‘North American Plants in British Gardens’ Talk by Dr Keith Ferguson 25th October 2015
One of the areas that develop in parallel with our plant knowledge is the importance of knowing where our plants grow in the wild, their natural habitat, and the growing conditions. So a talk such as this is always informative. The starting point was geographic, and pointing out that the east of the USA is deciduous woodland and the west is coniferous (most of it situated in the north), so, for the most part, the majority of their woodland plants are found in the east. Keith also pointed out that California has a third of the plants grown in North America too, and worryingly they had only experienced 10% of their normal rainfall levels in the last 10 years. Keith then reeled off a number of choice woodland perennials (including many of my favourites) starting with the quite well known but, in my view, underused Maianthemum racemosum (probably more popular when it was called Smilacina) which is present in both the east and the west but in different forms, with the eastern form being slightly weaker, and offering pink berries. Dicentra varieties were also covered from the better known D. formosa (fooled me too!) from the west to the choicer and subtler D. cucullaria, from the east, adding that the latter combines well with ferns. Other woodlanders of note were Disporum smithii, in his view a ‘must have’ plant, Uvularia grandiflora, noting that the ‘wild’ form was much more yellow than the more lemon form commonly found in cultivation, and Sanguinaria canadensis ‘Plena’. This, in addition to having a very showy, if transient, flower, also boasts excellent foliage. Out of the 41 trilliums native to the USA, 36 of them grow in the Appalachian range, with T. grandiflorum being the most widespread and T. erectum having the most colour variation. T. albidum, unsurprisingly white and invariably fragrant, has lovely colouration on the foliage (a great feature of a number of trilliums). T. kurabayashii is one of the tallest with lovely marked foliage combined, in the slide shown, with large deep red petals. He added that if you wanted to see a great display of trilliums closer to home, then visit the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens. HPS KENT GROUP | Winter 2016
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Before moving on to ferns he gave a passing mention of the Phlox divaricata found there and one of the named forms, P. ‘Clouds of Perfume’, a prostrate variety, which provides a wonderful display and wafts of scent in the spring, helping you to overlook the untidy summer foliage. The ferns mentioned were Matteucia struthiopteris, the shuttlecock fern (a wonderful drift of which can be seen in the garden at Beervelde), and Polystichum munitum, which is found both in temperate rain forests and also very dry places; it is evergreen, but benefits from a spring clean. From the mountains of Wyoming (west USA) has come Polemonium viscosum, and the better known erythroniums, E. grandiflorum being the most difficult to grow, with E. californicum ‘White Beauty’ the easiest. He added that the form with the best foliage is E. americanum, with yellow flared petals, and he also liked the lilac form E. revolutum. Additionally there are the American primulas, Dodecatheon meadia (easy from seed) and the low-growing Phlox douglasii with its wonderful range of flower colour. From the west coast comes the tricky Lewisia cotyledon (grow it on its side, in walls) and the stonecrop Sedum spathulifolium, the best-known cultivars being ‘Cape Blanco’ and ‘Purpureum’. Bulbs from the Oregon region include Camassia quamash and C. leichtlinii, Triteleia (formerly Brodiea) ixioides and T. laxa (a good doer in neutral clay), which are useful as they flower in late May. The swamps of New Orleans have brought us Iris fulva, which caused a sensation when it was introduced in the 19th century and, having looked it up, the copper flowers look stunning. But Keith advises it struggles in Gloucestershire, which, as the source said it needed at least six hours of sun a day during the summer, could explain why. Another tricky wet-loving plant mentioned was Lysichiton americanus, which is best left to The Savill Garden. From the Texas panhandle and prairies, which have arid and dry conditions, with rain in April, May and June, come a lot of our garden daisies. Gaillardia aristata is not long lived in our gardens, and Stokesia laevis is not common either, but Echinacea purpurea is, and is a good garden plant, but a copious number of its American-bred cultivars have suicidal tendencies. Heleniums have generally provided lots of garden-worthy forms, such as H. ‘Moerheim Beauty’ and ‘Goldfuchs’, and Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii has proved its worth, and R. triloba is worth trying. Helianthus salicifolius and Symphyotrichum 16
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novie-belgii (easier to remember than aster!) also has become a mainstay in many British gardens. He had mixed feelings about tradescanthia, found all across Tennessee, but didn’t really expand on why. Keith finished on one of my new favourites, Actaea (Cimicifuga as was) picking out A. rubra and A. pachypoda, both excellent plants. I have missed out all the ‘woody’ mentions but, as you can see, the plant list was pretty comprehensive, with one surprising omission – there was no mention of grasses, despite the USA having forms of Panicum, Sporobolus and Schizachyrium, cultivars of which feature in a lot of modern gardens. But it was no less interesting a talk for that. Colin Moat
‘Autumn Flowering Plants of the Peloponnese’ Talk by Joe Sharman 29th November 2015
I now realise that I have been going about planning my holidays all wrong. Next time I will take a leaf out of Joe Sharman’s book and hop on a flight to Greece. I’ll buy myself a road map at the airport, find the most winding route that I can, and head off to the hills. I shall continue in this way until something catches my eye, such as a three-legged dog (one of Joe’s suggestions), and there I shall stop to see what floral delights await! Yes, this is how Joe’s wonderful plant adventures usually begin, and it was the plants that he discovered on four such trips to Greece that he shared with us at the November meeting at King’s Hill. Joe first opened Monksilver Nursery 26 years ago with the aim of introducing as many rare and unusual plants to people as possible. Snowdrops have been his particular interest since he was given his first one by a fellow enthusiast. On discovering that this little beauty (the snowdrop, not the friend!) came from the Peloponnese, he then decided he must go there and discover more of this area of Greece. Thousands of years ago the Peloponnese had a mild climate similar to our own, but as it grew ever warmer and drier plants either died out completely, moved themselves further north, or developed ways of adapting to the new conditions. Some developed thick leathery leaves, others very dry leaves. HPS KENT GROUP | Winter 2016
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Some became bulbous, burying their storage units below ground to escape the summer heat. Others brought forward their flowering times to enable them to set seed before the intense summer temperatures. Some plants found hiding places in small pockets of the land where conditions remained unchanged. Joe showed us plants that thrive in the hot, dry conditions of the hills and others that enjoy the humus-rich soil of lush shaded valleys. We saw the diminutive Colchicum cupani that only grows to 4 inches tall and thrives in pockets of peaty soil. We saw Crocus niveus, which sports enormous flowers, that loves damp lush conditions and Crocus biflorus melantherus that proliferates in areas that are very hot and dry. Wonders of the Peloponnese included hillsides carpeted in Crocus boryi, alliums sprouting flowers from seemingly dead leaf stalks, valleys full of 3000year-old coppiced olive trees, fresh-water crabs in high mountain valleys, and places where Cyclamen crassifolium are so numerous that their corms form an unbroken pathway underfoot. I left this fascinating talk with the realisation that just because a plant comes from Greece it does not mean that we should put it in the hottest, driest part of the garden. We need to appreciate exactly where in the landscape it comes from. If we can replicate these conditions we, like Joe, can delight in the beauty of these autumn flowering plants from the Peloponnese in our own gardens. Rachael Castle
Christmas Party
Tunstall Village Memorial Hall, 13th December 2015 Forty-nine HPS members gathered at the village hall on a mild but rather damp Sunday ready to socialise and enjoy the day’s programme. There were two talks before lunch. First, Rachael Castle from Swallowfields Nursery gave a very accomplished presentation on the history of auriculas and their connection with the Huguenots. A school of thought has it that Flemish weavers introduced the plants to England in the 1570s while fleeing religious persecution, although, as Rachael pointed out, there is no unequivocal 18
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evidence for this. There is no doubt, however, that the cultivation of auriculas was an established tradition among the Huguenot weavers. Rachael’s talk finished with some beautiful images of various auriculas.
Auriculas on display at Chelsea
On a completely different theme, Bennet Smith gave the second talk entitled ‘My office through the viewfinder’. As a professional garden photographer Bennet discussed the general principles behind getting the best shots of plants, whether close-up or general landscape views. His talk was illustrated with some fine slides and showed, for instance, how the time of day and position of the sun can make or break a good image. Generally, early morning or afternoon offers much softer light and enhances colours. Composition using the ‘rule of thirds’ was mentioned, as was the role of depth of field in focusing attention on the selected subject. After a rearrangement of the seating, lunch was next on the agenda and the ample contributions by the attendees made for an excellent repast (especially the deserts!). At this time Roy Baker distributed his quiz. On first reading the questions seemed impenetrable but with the help of a thoughtfully provided collection of relevant objects the answers and overall theme were slowly revealed – characters from popular entertainment shows. Following from the raffle, Karin Proudfoot led an informal discussion of the plant displays gathered from people’s gardens and this was followed by the final talk of the day: ‘An alphabet of plants’ by Ginny Oakes and Vera Orsbourne. The duo entertained us with their selection of favourite plants in a nicely assembled presentation but time was running out! It was decided to halt at the letter M and break for tea and mince pies so that the meeting could finish by 4.30pm. So, a nice event to round off the year and executed with the usual smooth and trouble-free organisation. Robert Lines HPS KENT GROUP | Winter 2016
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MEMBER’S ARTICLE Neat coincidences Back in February last year, we were sitting at our kitchen table talking to our bed and breakfast guest – a lady from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, who was volunteering at Great Dixter – about our forthcoming trip to Oregon. She remarked that Dan Hinkley’s garden was in that neck of the woods and that we should make a visit. As dreaming turned to planning, Linda looked up Dan Hinkley on the internet, www.heronswoodgarden.org, only to discover that the garden is rarely open. We had other ideas for our trip so no problem. Come the holiday we decided that we would make a tour of the Olympic Peninsula, Washington state, and see what turned up – we like making unplanned excursions – and make a ferry trip to Seattle from Bremerton. Getting into conversation with the lady in the coffee stall beside the road when we stopped for a break she said, ‘You don’t want to go to Bremerton, it’s horrible and the ferry trip takes hours. You want to go to Poulsbo, it’s charming and near the short ferry ride from Bainbridge’. We took her advice and she was right. While there, we saw posters advertising a plant fair; obviously that interested us, as we had had no gardening for over a fortnight by then and, even better, it was at Heronswood, Dan Hinkley’s place. Was the garden going to be open? Yes. Would we have time to go because we had to be back in Portland? We would make time. Where was the garden? We started asking but without success and it looked like a trip into the tourist office was needed, until the only other customer in the shop we were in said that she was going that afternoon, so she gave us directions. It was strange not having to resist temptation at the plant fair but we do have some names to seek out. Several plants we saw mentioned Great Dixter on the label and we had some interesting conversations with stallholders. And so to the garden. The garden guide handout explained that the infrequent opening was because the garden had been sold to a business that failed to keep it up, so it was in danger of becoming derelict. Fortunately, a local First 20
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American tribe were successful bidders at its auction in 2012 and, since then, under the guidance of Dan, a strong team of volunteers has been built up and have made great progress in restoring the garden to its former status. One enters the garden down a long drive through woodland of mature coniferous trees with a network of sinuous side paths. The whole is underplanted with a wide range of shade-loving subjects and advantage has been taken of some of the trees to grow huge climbers. Emerging into the light one is greeted by a pair of herbaceous borders, some of whose subjects were enormous, much larger than their kin in this country. There wasn’t time to join a tour or make notes but I remember some huge thalictrums and the whole was full of late summer colour (this was the USA). Another striking area was the potager with its wide stone paths and low hedges enclosing a wide variety of colours and textures, with an exuberantly filled planter in the centre. Here, we noted an interesting labelling technique: plant names had been written down the length of tall canes so that one did not have to stoop to read them and their natural colour made them very unobtrusive. One further memory before returning via the sinuous woodland paths to the car was the formal bog with its frog fountain enclosed by a tall carpinus hedge clipped into a two-tiered series of arches.
Different aspects of Heronswood
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Features at Heronswood
How marvellously everything had fallen into place; we consider ourselves extremely fortunate. As a matter of accuracy, although I have referred to the garden as Dan Hinkley’s, there were two people involved. Dan was a plant collector and horticulturalist but Robert Jones, an architect, designed the layout, hardscape and structures. Should you be visiting the Pacific Northwest, we can recommend a visit to Heronswood. Mike Belton
Area Group Contacts Canterbury Group
Lucy Hamlin, 9 Beach Alley, Whitstable, Kent CT5 1BS Tel: 01227 652 819 Email: le.hamlin@gmail.com
Cranbrook Group
Sue Martin, 1 Brickwall Cottages, Frittenden, Cranbrook, Kent TN17 2DH Tel: 01580 852425 Email: sue.martin@talktalk.net
Faversham Group
Edith Darvill, Eagleswood, Slade Road, Warren Street, Lenham, Maidstone, Kent ME17 2EG Tel: 01622 858702 Email: mike.darvill@btinternet.com 22
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Folkestone Group
Geraldine Fish, Mounts Court Farmhouse, Acrise, Nr Folkestone, Kent CT18 8LQ Tel: 01303 840598 Email: geraldine_fish@btinternet.com
Sevenoaks Group
Gill Pannett, 2 Brownway Cottages, Riding Lane, Hildenborough, Kent TN11 9LL Tel: 01732 834955 Email: richard.pannett@btinternet.com For more information about your local group’s activities, get in touch with the area contact.
Officers and Committee 2016 Karin Proudfoot Chairman and Newsletter Editor The Old Rectory, Fawkham, Longfield, Kent DA3 8LX Tel: 01474 707513 Email: keproudfoot@firenet.uk.net
Barbara Badham (co-opted) Talks 11 Raymer Road, Penenden Heath, Maidstone, Kent ME14 2JQ Tel: 01622 202914 Email: barbarabadham7@gmail.com
Sheila Wyver Secretary The Guinea, 31 Island Wall, Whitstable, Kent CT5 1EW Tel: 01227 271159 Email: sheilawyver@hotmail.co.uk
Jeanette Lerwill Garden Visits Orchard House, Spenny Lane, Claygate, Marden, Kent TN12 9PJ Tel: 01892 730662 Email: jeanette@lerwill.com
Virginia Oakes Treasurer, Web Editor 28 Castle Road, Hythe, Kent CT21 5HN Tel: 01303 266017 Email: virginia.oakes@gmail.com Anne Smith Membership Secretary Little Bewley, Tonbridge Road, Ightham, Kent TN15 9AP Tel: 01732 885366 Email: asmith2422@aol.com Alison Crayford Plant Sales 6 Hazel Avenue, Allington, Maidstone, Kent ME16 0BA Tel: 01622 356887 Email: ajcrayford@sky.com
Robert Lines Talks and Special Events 13 Kestrel Close, Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 4PX Tel: 01795 420430 Email: roblines@talktalk.net Marieke van Eldik Publicity Tulips, 7 Orchard Fields, Postling, Kent CT21 4EE Tel: 01303 863951 Email: ave13.40@gmail.com Malliet Pattrick Publicity West Court Lodge, Postling Court Lodge, The Street, Postling, Kent CT21 4EX Tel: 01303 863285 Email: malliet@hotmail.co.uk
Kent Group website: www.hpskent.co.uk
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A seasonal display at Goodnestone
Crocus tommasinianus