Skip to content

Category: Gardening

Posted on

Vegetables for value…

…is speaker Rodney Tibbs’s topic at at the West Bergholt Gardeners Association meeting at 7.30pm on Monday 19 March in the Orpen Memorial Hall.

Today the enthusiasm for growing vegetables is as strong as ever, motivated by an appreciation of the sheer quality and taste of fresh home grown produce and supported by the knowledge that it is cutting down on carbon emissions.

Rodney, who’s been growing vegetables for over fifty years, will be looking at the most rewarding vegetables to grow and the many different ways of growing them.

VISITORS (£3 entry) ARE ALWAYS WELCOME AT OUR MEETINGS

Come and join us on our organised trips, all departing from the Orpen Hall:

  • Wednesday 23 May – HATFIELD HOUSE, WEST GARDEN & PARK
  • Sunday 3 June – WRITTLE COLLEGE GARDENS
  • Thursday 19 July – WREST PARK, LUTON, BEDFORDSHIRE

For further details and bookings, contact WBGA Treasurer, 44 Pirie Road, West Bergholt CO6 3TA Tel: 01206 242124 – [email protected]

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
Posted on

Looking forward to Summer …

Come and join the West Bergholt Gardeners’ Association on their organised 2012 trips, all departing from the Orpen Hall.

Wednesday 23 May – HATFIELD HOUSE, WEST GARDEN & PARK

Sundial Garden, Hatfield House

An Elizabethan park with a famous Jacobean house and ‘17th-century character’ garden, Hatfield House is the home of the 7th Marquis and Marchioness of Salisbury and their family.

Visitors can enjoy the peace of the West Garden with its scented garden and fountains, and view the famous knot garden adjoining the Tudor Old Palace where Elizabeth I spent much of her childhood. http://www.hatfield-house.co.uk/

£25 Members; £27 non-members (includes coach; gratuity; House; West Garden and Park).

Sunday 3 June – WRITTLE COLLEGE GARDENS

Fifteen acres of grounds with seasonal bedding displays to meander around and landscaped gardens designed and built by the College’s students including a ‘Centenary’ garden.” The gardens will be open under the National Gardens Scheme. Times and cost to be advised.

Thursday 19 July – WREST PARK, LUTON, BEDFORDSHIRE
Italian Garden, Wrest park

After decades behind virtually closed doors, its treasures overgrown and largely unknown, English Heritage is reviving one of Britain’s largest and most important ‘secret gardens’. Enjoy miles of reinstated historic pathways as you discover the garden buildings, pavilion and statues. Stroll in the recently restored Italian and Rose Gardens. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/wrest-park/

£18 members; £20 non-members (includes coach; gratuity and Park).

For further details and a booking form, contact WBGA Treasurer, 44 Pirie Road, West Bergholt CO6 3TA Tel: 01206 242124

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
Posted on

Get your green fingers going…

Come along to the next meeting of West Bergholt Gardeners’ Association on Monday 20th February in the Orpen Memorial Hall at 7.30 pm. And meet Ric Staines, HND, Cert.Ed, professional horticulturalist who will talk on ‘To Prune or not Prune’. He’s had a book published on both sides of the Atlantic, has a regular gardening column, and features as a long standing gardening expert on BBC Radio.

Ric has run his own market garden growing a range of salads and other vegetables for all the major UK supermarkets. He then moved into lecturing, developing courses as well as teaching in Commercial Organic Production as well as the first ever course in Holistic Horticulture, which incorporated sustainable and co-creative gardening, permaculture, bio dynamics and the complementary health care uses of plants. More recently, Ric has been working as a consultant helping the BBC set up local community-based gardening programmes across the country.

Another diary date to note is …
Our annual plant sale to be held on Monday 21 May at 7.30pm in the Orpen Hall. This is one month later than in previous years. We will offer an extended range of vegetable and bedding plants, as well as perennials, etc at our bumper sale.

If you’re interested in becoming a member or coming along as a visitor, the annual subscription is £9; visitor entry £3. For details on our Association please contact: [email protected] or [email protected] tel 01206 242124.

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
Posted on

Flower shows and Autumn

‘Around the Flower Shows’ was this month’s speaker topic at the West Bergholt Gardeners Association meeting when Richard Ford delighted his audience with an informative account of 28 years’ experiences of both exhibiting and visiting national and county shows.

RHS Hyde Hall

‘A Taste of Autumn’ was the theme for last weekend’s coach trip to RHS Hyde Hall by thirty-five members. A celebration of everything that is autumn was on offer – wonderful colours in the garden, fresh fruit and vegetables and traditional country crafts. The sweeping panoramas beneath big open skies gave way to an eclectic range of inspirational horticultural styles from traditional to modern.

‘United Women’

Visitors were delighted by a ‘mystery in stone’ sculpture exhibition. Displays punctuated the gardens, adding interest and fascination. Left – ‘United Women’ by Washington Musonza representing the importance of coming together.

The Association’s next meeting will be on Monday 21 November with speaker Roger Harvey presenting on ‘Hellebores in the Winter Garden’.

For further enquires on the Association please contact: [email protected] or [email protected] tel 01206 242124.

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
Posted on

Top Ten Trees of Colchester

… is the speakers topic when Ian Baalham visits the West Bergholt Gardeners Association meeting on Monday 19th September (7:30pm) in the Orpen Hall.

The talk will be followed by the Annual general Meeting. The Association looks forward to welcoming back present members as well as newcomers and visitors. Annual subscription is only £9; visitor entry £3. The association offers a varied programme throughout the year including trips to national and local gardens.

DIG TOGETHER DAY Growing as a Community

Please note that this event (as publicised in the village bulletin for 24 September) is postponed until Spring 2012.

For further information about the organisation please contact Terry Claydon 01206 242124 – [email protected] or Valerie Lofthouse 01206 855450 – [email protected]

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
Posted on

Gardening – Beeleigh Update

Beeleigh Abbey Gardens

An historical and peaceful retreat of three acres of riverside gardens in a delightful setting dating from the 13th century was enjoyed by 32 members of teh west Bergholt Gardeners Association on their July evening visit to Beeleigh Abbey Gardens, Maldon.  The original abbey was founded in 1180 for white robed canons of the strict Premonstratensian order.  The energetic commitment to Beeleigh by the owners and their staff was reflected in the splendid show of English old roses; mixed borders; cottage garden; wild flower meadow; river walk; vegetable and fruit production and water features.

Interested in visiting the gardens? They are next open on 8 & 22 July; 5 & 19 August and 2 & 30 September 10.30am to 4.30pm – entry £4. Refreshments available/ free parking. Information available on http://visitmaldon.co.uk/beeleigh-abbey/ – telephone: 07779 223321.

For details on the Gardener’s Association’s meetings and outings contact Valerie Lofthouse, Chair: tel. 01206 855450 – [email protected] or Terry Claydon, Treasurer: tel. 01206 242124 – [email protected].

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
Posted on

Ebullient & exuberant gardens

Ebullient and Exuberant – aptly described the Old Vicarage Gardens, East Ruston when 52 members and guests visited this week. As we left one beautiful ‘themed’ garden we were enticed into the next. We felt we had travelled many continents seeing Echium pininana from the Canary Islands; Eschonaria yuccoides from Mexico; agaves, aloes, puyas and cacti in the Arizona ‘Desert Wash’; native cordylines and phormiums in the New Zealand garden and a South African flavour in the Exotic section.

Aeoniums and succulents in
the North Garden

Feeling more at home, we ambled through areas of woodland; adored the fragrances in the rose garden; admired with envy, ʽmega’ sized lettuces in the highly productive vegetable patch. A walk into a meadow of cornflowers threw out a blue haze whilst in the wildflower meadow hardy geraniums and other herbaceous plants competed with the grass. And this is just a brief description of all we sampled and enjoyed.

Beeleigh Abbey Gardens, Maldon – will be our next outing on the evening of Tuesday 5 July. The three acres of riverside gardens are set in a picturesque and historic setting dating from the 13th century.

For details on our meetings and outings contact Valerie Lofthouse, Chair: tel. 01206 855450 – [email protected] or Terry Claydon, Treasurer: tel. 01206 242124 – [email protected].

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
Posted on

Gardening update

The West Bergholt Gardeners’ Association thanks everyone for supporting their April Plant Sale. From funds raised they are donating to two village organisations and Essex Air Ambulance. Next year’s sale will be on 21 May 2012.

Natalie Finch delighted her audience in a virtual tour of her garden of roses at the Association’s May meeting. Members shared her knowledge, passion and romanticised in a journey of beauty and colour landscaped by old English roses.

Wickham Place Farm Gardens

A leisurely stroll in Wickham Place Farm ancient walled gardens, dating from 1706 and 14 acres of woodland was enjoyed by members this week. Theirr admission costs were donated by the owner to charities supported by the National Garden Scheme.

All seats are sold for the trip in June to East Ruston Old Vicarage Gardens.

Beeleigh Abbey Gardens, Maldon will be visited on Tuesday 5 July at 7.00pm. Three acres of riverside gardens in a picturesque and historic setting dating from the 13th century.

Growing as a Community is this year’s theme for RHS’s Dig Together Day in September. The Gardeners’ Association will undertake to improve an authorised public area in the village. Updates and publicity on this project will follow.

Top Ten Trees of Colchester is the topic of speaker Ian Baalham at the Association’s AGM on 19 September.

For details on our meetings and activities contact the Chair – [email protected] or the Treasurer – [email protected].

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
Posted on

Wildlife & Summer Gardens

‘The Wildlife Man’ – Barry Kaufmann-Wright, delighted his audience at the March meeting. He spoke in depth on ‘Wildlife in the Garden’ punctuated with humorous anecdotes and experiences drawn from his long career as an Essex Wildlife Crime Officer. After his presentation of slides on both the friendly and the lesser welcomed garden visitors, members took the opportunity to purchase greetings cards and books by Barry, including his autobiography.

Next month is our ANNUAL PLANT SALE on Monday 18 April at 7.30pm. Arrive early at the Orpen Hall to bag the bargain plants and garden bric-à-brac items. Any donations would be gratefully received at the hall at 5.00pm on the sale day.

Wickham Place Farm Gardens

Join us on our summer outings to:

  • Wickham Place Farm Gardens, Wickham Bishops on Wednesday 18 May at 2.30pm. 14 acre site featuring 2 acre walled garden and large mixed woodland. Renowned for wisterias.
  • East Ruston Old Vicarage Gardens on Wednesday 15 June at 2.00pm. Remarkable 32 acre garden incorporating formal design, enormous decorative exuberance and brilliant planting.
    • Beeleigh Abbey Gardens
  • Beeleigh Abbey Gardens, Maldon on Tuesday 5 July at 7.00pm. Three acres of riverside gardens in a picturesque and historic setting dating from the 13th century.

For details on our meetings and outings contact the Chair – [email protected] or the Treasurer – [email protected].

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net