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Bretforton Garden Club is a thriving and friendly club and our members come not
only from Bretforton but also the surrounding villages. We aim to appeal to anyone who has an interest in gardening or horticulture from absolute beginners to more experienced gardeners. New members are always welcome! |
Contact: Lynette Moxon
Email: contact@bretforton-gardenclub.co.uk Website: www.bretforton-gardenclub.co.uk Meetings Location: Bretforton Village Hall Frequency: First Thursday of every month (See 2022 programme for exceptions and list of speakers) Time: 7.30pm Cost: £10 annual subscription |
Meeting Details
The Club is now holding regular meetings back at Bretforton Village Hall.
Our list of speakers for the year can be seen in our 2022-23 Programme below. Details of visits will be posted on the Garden Club website as they are arranged.
A few of the Gardens already visited by the club include Hampton Court Palace and Gardens, Kew Gardens Orchid Festival and RHS Wisley.
Our list of speakers for the year can be seen in our 2022-23 Programme below. Details of visits will be posted on the Garden Club website as they are arranged.
A few of the Gardens already visited by the club include Hampton Court Palace and Gardens, Kew Gardens Orchid Festival and RHS Wisley.
Hampton Court Visit
The Garden Club visited Hampton Court Castle and Gardens in Hertfordshire on the 8th of June. The weather was perfect and it proved to be as interesting a day as expected. The maze, Mike tells us, was certainly a challenge!
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the 2019 bret scarecrow competition is here
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Download the above entry form here
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kew gardens visit
Visit to Kew Gardens for the Orchid Festival on Saturday 2 March 2019
Please let Alison know if you wish to come on this trip – we nearly have a full coach but there are some seats left.
The cost is £35 for members and £37 for non members and we can also take advantage of hop-on, hop-off land train for a cost of £4 if you wish.
This year the Orchid Festival’s theme is Colombia. The Festival, which is held in the warmth of Princess of Wales Conservatory, promises cascades of hundreds of hanging orchids to represent the “rainbow river” and an enchanted forest with life-size jaguars. Please check Kew’s website where there are photos and a brilliant description of the Festival.
This is a great opportunity to see this amazing and unique display of orchids and not have to worry about driving to Kew and then having to find somewhere to park! – let the coach just take you there.
Please can you pay for the trip on Thursday 3 January or Thursday 7 February at the very latest as we can get a reduced entrance price by pre paying.
If you have not booked yet just ring me 01386 830084 or email alison.baumber@btinternet.com
Alison
Please let Alison know if you wish to come on this trip – we nearly have a full coach but there are some seats left.
The cost is £35 for members and £37 for non members and we can also take advantage of hop-on, hop-off land train for a cost of £4 if you wish.
This year the Orchid Festival’s theme is Colombia. The Festival, which is held in the warmth of Princess of Wales Conservatory, promises cascades of hundreds of hanging orchids to represent the “rainbow river” and an enchanted forest with life-size jaguars. Please check Kew’s website where there are photos and a brilliant description of the Festival.
This is a great opportunity to see this amazing and unique display of orchids and not have to worry about driving to Kew and then having to find somewhere to park! – let the coach just take you there.
Please can you pay for the trip on Thursday 3 January or Thursday 7 February at the very latest as we can get a reduced entrance price by pre paying.
If you have not booked yet just ring me 01386 830084 or email alison.baumber@btinternet.com
Alison
Bretforton garden club celebrate christmas
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On Thursday the 6th December a large number of the Garden Club members descended on the Social Club to celebrate Christmas with their Annual dinner. We were well looked after with an excellent meal of up to three courses and with portions to satisfy the biggest appetites!
This was followed by a really fun quiz with all the questions based on Panto. The scoring was close but there were two couples that had to be separated by a tie breaker! Mike, our Chairman, stood and gave thanks to all the staff at the Social Club who kept us all very well fed and watered and allowed us to take over their club for the evening! It was, I think its fair to say, universal felt that a good time was had by all!! |
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News from The lenches
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Well its that time of year again for planning garden visits for next year!!!!!! At the Lenches we have been doing this for a number of years for Charity and I think this may well be the final year that we open…. so I’m hoping that your group will come and give our charity support ( Air Ambulance this year having supported St Richards Hospice for many years!!!)
If you wish to come …we will be opening the week commencing June 24th as the garden is looking particularly good then or alternatively the week commencing Sept 2nd when the Prairie Garden is coming into its own. To remind you The Lenches Eckington is a 4 acre garden composed of various rooms and includes a Knot Garden, Water Garden, Scented Garden plus extensive Prairie Garden and Herb and Vegetable Gardens. There is also a variety of topiary and various sculptures collected on our travels. Teas are available and the cost is £10.00 to include Tea. I hope this whets your appetite and if your group hasn’t been for a while ( or ever!!!) then why not book your group in for a visit? My contact details are as follows so please give me a call or drop an email in order to “book your slot!!!” Biddy Bolsover – Mob – 07775865688 Land – 01386750539 Email – biddy@b2consulting.co I look forward to hearing from you and please just call to chat for further details |
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Latest meeting
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Plants for Awkward Corners
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Do you know what to do with those annoying, awkward, spots in the garden, what will thrive and what will inevitably die!
Well Julie Ritchie from Hoo House Nursey ( www.hoohouse.co.uk ) near Tewkesbury certainly does and she entertained November’s garden club meeting with a detailed run through of many, many perennials and shrubs that will do the trick.
The talk covered plants for all types of shade, spots near rockeries and ponds as well favourites for hot and dry areas. Certainly, too many to recount here but Julies big message was that you can’t go too far wrong for any problem area with hardy geraniums and cyclamens are also far more resilient than I realised. Indeed, my top memory from the talk was the importance of ants to establishing cyclamens. So we should look after ants if we’ve got them, they transport seeds very effectively!
The meeting also heard about the sterling work going on in the churchyard with the village school, where a new bed, up near the manor wall will be developed and looked after by the children themselves. Anyone who has spare herbs, particularly rosemary and lavender, the school would be really grateful for them. Get in touch with Mike Cook and he will arrange to pick them up.
Finally just a reminder for the Christmas meal at the Social Club on December 6th. Please get there for 7 pm, the meal starts at 7.30pm.
Well Julie Ritchie from Hoo House Nursey ( www.hoohouse.co.uk ) near Tewkesbury certainly does and she entertained November’s garden club meeting with a detailed run through of many, many perennials and shrubs that will do the trick.
The talk covered plants for all types of shade, spots near rockeries and ponds as well favourites for hot and dry areas. Certainly, too many to recount here but Julies big message was that you can’t go too far wrong for any problem area with hardy geraniums and cyclamens are also far more resilient than I realised. Indeed, my top memory from the talk was the importance of ants to establishing cyclamens. So we should look after ants if we’ve got them, they transport seeds very effectively!
The meeting also heard about the sterling work going on in the churchyard with the village school, where a new bed, up near the manor wall will be developed and looked after by the children themselves. Anyone who has spare herbs, particularly rosemary and lavender, the school would be really grateful for them. Get in touch with Mike Cook and he will arrange to pick them up.
Finally just a reminder for the Christmas meal at the Social Club on December 6th. Please get there for 7 pm, the meal starts at 7.30pm.
news:
visit to RHS Wisley
What a wonderful day we all had at RHS Wisley on Saturday, the sun shone down on these spectacular gardens. From the tropical plants in the large glasshouse to the exotic gardens and the rockeries it was a sight to behold.
The Autumn colours were at their very best, from glorious yellows and golds through to oranges and reds it was truly magnificent. We all enjoyed the "Taste of Autumn", were we sampled juices and cider made from the differing varieties of apples grown at Wisley, as well as lots of other delicious foods. Then on to the plant centre where many of us found plants we had seen growing in the gardens at Wisley to take home to plant in our own gardens .Many thanks to those who organised this memorable trip. october Meeting
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GFGS newsletter
The following events are advertised in Latest from The Autumn 2018 Gloucestershire Federation of Gardening Societies Newsletter - Bretforton Garden Club is affiliated to GFGS. If Members are interested in attending they should book direct:
Cheltenham & District Orchid Society Annual Show - Saturday 2nd March 2019 10.30am to 4.00pm. More information at www.cheltenhamorchids.org Cheltenham Horticultural Society Spring Flower & Craft Show - Sunday 24th March 2019 - 12.30 to 3.30pm. www.cheltenhamhorticultural .co.uk |
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At the beginning of this well attended meeting our Chairman, Mike Cook, was very pleased to announce that our membership had now reached a 100 strong. Barbara and Alison quickly delivered the club notices before we welcomed the speaker.
Our speaker this month was Joan Bomford, a local celebrity since becoming BBC’s farmer of the year in 2015 and releasing her autobiography ‘Up with The Lark.’ We have waited a long time to hear her speak as unfortunately heavy snow fall in March this year prevented our meeting going ahead when she was originally booked. Her opening statement was ‘I am not a gardener, I don’t know about gardening’, you might think that would lead to a disappointing talk for a garden club but no! She talked about her life in agriculture and soon had the members laughing at the accounts of her escapades over the years. From helping her father on the family farm to coming to Littleton as a married woman and in addition to working on her husband’s farm there she also established a riding stables. Joan spoke about the land, farming and the changes she had lived through in her time at Moyfields Stables, South Littleton. She shared her memories from childhood and as she talked a picture emerged of the hardworking folk and their sturdy machines that had sustained farming in the last century. Being of diminutive stature it was most surprising to hear of the tasks that presented themselves and which she embraced as part of her everyday life. Her understanding of the land and animals had not come without cost, she had sustained many injuries over the years but never been tempted to leave the farm. She is still working full time now even though she is in her 80’s. She spoke of the effects of this exceptionally hot summer. Her fortitude when battling against the elements to provide feed for her livestock are challenges that most of us will never face and indeed might run away from. She has seen many changes both in the usage of the land and the technological developments of the machines that she worked with……… from steam through to digital age!!! She is such a quiet character normally that once when she turned up for a 100 mile ride over the Moors she was assigned a very docile pony but the organisers soon realised she could master anything with four legs and reassigned her a more energetic steed. A very enjoyable, colourful and amusing speech which inspired the many questions that followed. Joan could of course answer them all with ease. One question inspired a debate about whether horses should be shod or unshod…..she was adamant that not shoeing the horses reduces the damage to the lower leg caused by shock vibrations from the metal shoes. Another question did cause concern as it raised the issue of farming in years to come. Will anyone now choose to take on the challenges of a farming life? Joan was given a robust round of applause from the members before our tea break during which we are pleased to report that the plant swop is going from strength to strength. Some members are now ‘token’ rich . We are all very much looking forward to the coach trip to Wisley on the 20th of October which promises to be a super day out. Our next meeting is November 1st at Bretforton Memorial hall, 7:30pm start for a talk about ‘Awkward Plants’. Everyone welcome! For more information contact Barbara Jenman on 01789 720514. |
the Future of Gardening?
Article submitted by Mary Cook
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Bretforton Open Gardens
Sunday 3rd June 2018, 11.00 am - 5.00 pm
There was an amazing turn-out of visitors to the Open Garden event on Sunday.
The wonderful Nursery Rhyme scarecrows around the village added a great touch of humour, and Bretforton Choir entertained the crowds at the Manor during the afternoon.
A share of the proceeds will go to The Shakespeare Hospice, Stratford upon Avon and DEPAUL NIGHTSTOP Charity, South Worcestershire.
Sunday 3rd June 2018, 11.00 am - 5.00 pm
There was an amazing turn-out of visitors to the Open Garden event on Sunday.
The wonderful Nursery Rhyme scarecrows around the village added a great touch of humour, and Bretforton Choir entertained the crowds at the Manor during the afternoon.
A share of the proceeds will go to The Shakespeare Hospice, Stratford upon Avon and DEPAUL NIGHTSTOP Charity, South Worcestershire.
Bretforton Memorial Hall, Main Street, Bretforton
