Horticultural reports from November 2023
From Lacey Green History
(note. Hallmark November 2022 has been added at the bottom of this)
Hallmark February 2025. The year saw the society off to a flying start with an excellent and very well attended talk by John Tyler, our local wild life expert. John talked about the Ridgeway, the long distance path which passes through Princes Risborough’s outskirts and on over the Chilterns to Avebury. Having walked a large part of that it was interesting to see John’s excellent photographs and to hear about the people who made and used the track and lived alongside it. This, together with snippets about the flora and fauna to be encountered on the Ridgeway made a very entertaining evening.
We look forward to our AGM, the third Wednesday in March. As always, we will keep the business part of the meeting to a minimum and this will be followed by a talk entitled ‘What’s in a Name?’ Heather Houston will talk about people who have given their names to plants.
We also look forward to our Spring Show to be held on March 22nd at the Millennium Village Hall. At the time of writing things are not looking promising, wet and dull! However, there are signs of spring already in the snowdrops beginning to flower and the daffodils peaking out from the earth Buds are also showing green on many of the shrubs and climbers, so it won’t be long before things burst into bloom and things look optimistic again.
Now is the time of course to start planning your vegetable plot and what to grow. Annuals can be sown in a greenhouse or on the windowsill from now until April, depending on the variety. If you are not keen to sow your own try coming along to the Plant sale in May.
Sowing is not difficult and provides a lot of satisfaction! You can grow in pots and grow bags; you don’t have to have a massive vegetable plot to benefit from delicious home-grown vegetables. A few climbing French beans will provide you with wonderful produce for up to 3 months. Pumpkins are great fun for children as they scramble along the ground and up fences and even trees! There are very tasty varieties to be had too. Why not give something new a try this year? If you are new to growing veg then please ask the society. We can usually answer your queries or if not, we know someone who can!
In my other role as Chair of the National Sweet Pea Society we are currently busy planning activities to celebrate 125 years since the foundation of the society. Sweet peas are annuals which provide so much pleasure. I have just finished a second sowing of seeds in a heated greenhouse and will move them to a cold and airy place as soon as the shoots appear. They then go into the ground in my vegetable plot and if the slugs and mice leave them alone, they should be flowering by the end of May. I hope this year will be better than last year; the cold spring caused the plants to drop their buds, so flowering was very late. If you don’t want to sow your own, but like to smell them and see them make a plan to visit the Early National Show at Millets Garden Centre, near Abingdon from 21st-22nd July.
By Alison Shreeve
Hallmark December 2024. Report by Alison Shreeve.. Since the last Hallmark edition we have had our Autumn Show. In spite of a difficult growing year, with a very late and gloomy Spring, things picked up enough to provide a good range of exhibits for vegetables and flowers. The fruit was excellent this year, unlike last year, so as usual the gardening year has been full of surprises!
Well done to everyone who exhibited. We had a good range of exhibitors and the younger growers proved once again that they were as good as any of us older people. That looks promising for the future. We hope that more young people will have a go at showing. It’s great fun to see how well your produce compares to other keen growers and there is always plenty of help to learn how to display your veg to its best. The judges look for good condition – freshly picked, clean veg. The uniformity of your exhibits will win over size: if you have three small carrots that look fresh and of similar shapes and sizes, they will win over large, irregular sized, lumpy carrots for example. There is a rule book which we are happy to share if you wish to know more – just ask!
One area in which entries were down on last year was the domestic section. Disappointingly the numbers of exhibits have declined in the last couple of years. Perhaps we have less time for baking? I don’t know, but we do have a great domestic judge who ran a workshop for us on how she judges exhibits. She will also be giving us a demonstration on how to work with chocolate. That will hopefully solve a few Christmas presents. If you enjoy baking do think about having a go and entering next year. Our Spring Show is in March, so plenty of time to practise once we send the schedules out in the New Year.
The weather has of course been a big point of discussion this year. As I write we have a mild but dull Autumn. There are still plants flowering which I wouldn't expect to see, like Gladioli and clematis, which usually flowers in July/August, plus the usual annuals which go on until the first frost. My perennial Lathyrus latifolius didn’t flower until August and carried on until the end of September; its normal flowering time being June/July. Something is definitely happening to our climate and affecting the normal patterns of flowering plants. I just hope that we have more sunlight than we had last winter and spring plus some nice cold frosty sunny days – that would be nice! Good gardening to you all and good health over the winter months.
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Hallmark June 2024. Horticultural Society by Alison Shreeve – Chair LRLGHS
The Horticultural Society held its Spring Show in March and the benches were a riot of colour. Well done to everyone who took part. The children’s entries were, as usual, very inventive and amusing. The adults too displayed skills from baking, to crafts and of course, gardening. There are a couple of pictures here, but full results and more photographs are available on the village website.
We also had our AGM in March, with a very popular talk from Simon Bolton: Badger’s Garden. A fascinating insight into a new, local, commercial horticultural venture. Anyone who has eaten Simon’s salads will Know just how delicious they are – literally as good as they look!
Also at the AGM we were told that our Treasurer, John Burnett, and Membership secretary, Laura Chapman, are stepping down in 2025. John and Laura have been a mainstay of the society for over 20 years and now feel that it is someone else's turn to help out. They will of course be part of the society in future, but are exhausted having given so much over the years.
However, we are now faced with a position that many societies and clubs are facing – vacancies on the committee which mean that unless we replace them, the society will fold. We have prided ourselves on being a friendly group ready to try out new ideas for social activities based around a love of gardens, the natural world and the produce we grow and eat. We maintain traditions of sharing our knowledge and enthusiasm for growing through the two shows we hold each year.
These traditions are likely to die out and this is in an era which has seen a rise in the popularity of shows such as the Chelsea Flower Show, Hampton Court and Tatton Park. Big commercial ventures with thousands of visitors each year. Gardening programmes proliferate on the TV and lockdown saw a rise in interest in gardening and growing your own food.
It will be a sad day if we have to stop our activities next year for want of a few hours of help with organising and running the society. The committee meet one evening every other month and it is always a social event. The other months are the Wednesday evening talks, garden visits, and additional practical workshops sometimes at weekends. We have grown new traditions, as well as preserving older ones and it would be a sad loss to our villages if we can't continue. So please have a think about the skills you have and might like to share with us. Or perhaps you know someone who, with a little encouragement, would enjoy a role on the committee of the LR&LG Horticultural Society.
Hallmark February 2024. Report by Alison Shreeve. The New Year brings a time of hope and plenty to look forward to in the garden. Now is the time to plant and to sow seeds ready for the summer harvests. In February to March many annual flowers and vegetables can be started off in the warmth on a windowsill.
Ideally young plants will need good light to do well. Not everyone has the space or the ideal location to grow from seed of course, so you might prefer to come along to the Plant Sale in the Millennium Hall on Saturday 12th May where we will have a variety of vegetables, shrubs and flowers for sale.
The first event of our year happened in January when we have a speaker on the third Wednesday of the Month. This year the speaker was a snowdrop expert.
The next big event for the Society is the Spring Show. We are always at the mercy of the weather for this one, but usually we can find a few narcissi or flowering shrubs and the more creative among you might like to have a go at the craft section or the floral art.
It is a smaller show than our Autumn one, but designed to have enough variety for everyone.
However, it is particularly aimed at the younger members of the community for whom it is free to enter. There are different age groupings so that we are not pitting the skills of a four-year-old against a teenager!
The children’s categories include a Lego model, making and growing things, as well as a jam jar of flowers and foliage. They are also able to enter the open classes and do on occasion show up the more experienced growers among us by winning overall, in spite of the age categories.
If you are not a member you are very welcome to enter the show too. Full details are on the schedule which is available on the village website.
In order to help newer exhibitors we are holding two workshops this year, one in March and one probably in August, though the date for this is to be confirmed.
The March workshop on Sunday afternoon (date tbc) will be run by our domestic judge who is a fully qualified and very experienced WI Domestic Judge. She will talk through what she is looking for in the most commonly found items of baked goods (eg. Victoria Sponge, scones, bread, jam etc).
Similarly, our very experienced National Vegetable Society Judge, Graeme Hollingdale will talk through what he looks for and how to win points in these classes.
We hope this will encourage some less experienced growers and bakers to have a go. Full details of the workshops will be circulated to members as soon as details are confirmed. If you are not a member but would like to attend, please contact a member of the committee.
The Society meets on the third Wednesday of alternate months, but we do also organise workshops, visits and trips, outside these fixed date. To be sure of getting the right information please do consider joining the society. The fees due in March are £7 for the year, which includes six talks. There are benefits for members at Hildreth’s Garden Centre and we circulate other horticulturally related activities throughout the year for your interest.
To end on a heads-up regarding dates, we usually hold our Autumn Show on the first Saturday of September, but this year the hall has been booked by someone else, so we are having a break with tradition and holding the show on Sunday 1st September. Full details of shows and schedules will be sent out to members and put on the website. Please make a note in your diary of the change of date.
. Hallmark November 2023. The Horticultural Society held its Autumn Show on the first Saturday in September. It was an excellent event with many beautiful exhibits. We were fortunate with the weather having had a spell of rainy days which alleviated the scorching heat of early summer and allowed flowers and fruit to flourish. Each year is always an unknown quantity with different problems besetting the gardener and each year something different flourishes and surprises one, which is one of the reasons why we never get bored with our gardens! In the vegetable section we had a couple of outstanding leeks from Luke Cottis, an excellent set of entries for tomatoes, including novelty cultivars, plum tomatoes and different coloured varieties. This year also gave us more entries in the cucumber class than we often see and indeed, as I write this I still have cucumbers in the greenhouse in October! It has obviously been a good climate for these fruits this year and there are varieties that will do well outside as well as in the greenhouse and they come in all shapes and sizes too.
The domestic section was well supported, though the jam and jelly classes were disappointing, possibly reflecting a trend to more healthy eating and less use of sugar to preserve our crops. The floral section was stunning with plenty of beautifully coloured exhibits. There are pictures here, but more on the village website https://laceyqreen.com/sections/autumnshow23.php
At the meeting following the show we had an excellent talk from local naturalist John Tyler. As always John showed us amazing photographs, some in extraordinary close up, which depicted what we could expect to see in our locality in the Autumn. These included fungi originating in Australia, flowering and non-flowering plants and insects in abundance. It was a very inspiring talk, though on one of the worst, rainiest nights of the year!
Our next event is a Fish and Chip Supper and Quiz night, to be followed in January with our first talk of the new year on Snowdrops. In March we have local grower extraordinaire, Simon Bolton, who will be telling us all about his Badger’s Garden business growing unusual salad crops for some of the top chefs in the country. And if you have eaten any of Simon’s produce you will know that a bag of salad is a cornucopia of wonderful flavours, colours and shapes! This is no ordinary food – this is locally grown and exceptional food!
Visitors are welcome for a small charge. Contact any of the committee if you would like any further information.
Hallmark August 2023. Horticultural Society. Forthcoming Events. By Alison Shreeve and Alison Jarvis
The next event is our annual show at the Millennium Hall on Saturday 2nd September. There are plenty of classes for everyone to join in. These include vegetables, flowers, floral art and cookery. Why not have a go? It’s great fun for the children and encourages them to grow and to bake.
Children’s entries are free and they are judged in a separate age category. Some of our best exhibits have been from under 16s! The Show Schedule is available on the village website under the Horticultural Society.
On Wednesday Sept 20th we will have a talk from John Tyler on “The countryside in autumn’.
On November 15th we are breaking with tradition and having a Fish and Chip Supper and Quiz. You have to be a member to take part, but it only costs £5.00 per annum, so come and join in the fun! Ask any of the committee for more information.
Hallmark May 2023. By Alison Shreeve - Chair Horticultural Society
The Horticultural Society held its first actual Spring Show for three years in March. We had one virtual show in lockdown and last year’s was cancelled at the last minute because of key people going down with Covid.
Not surprisingly the numbers this year were lower than previously, but those who entered did surprisingly well! We had some wonderful blooms in spite of the appalling cold wet spring. A little sunshine on the Monday before the show probably helped to bring on the hyacinths and daffodils.
Fewer children showed than previously, but demonstrated plenty of enthusiasm and expertise. The jam jars of flowers were beautiful and the Lego models full of imagination. In fact, the overall winner of the President’s Cup for the most points in the show went to Lauren McComish who was a very worthy winner, with lots of entries in the children’s classes, including a magnificent banana bread! Well done Lauren and well done to everyone who entered.
In the domestic section Liz Patient swept the board with some very skillful and delicious baking. Nigel Rolph won the daffodil classes, always against a lot of competition. The flowering pot plants were dominated by orchids, but the worthy winner was one owned by Alison Jarvis who is newly elected onto the committee and a very keen gardener.
Although we were without John and Laura and our President, Michael Hardy to present the awards this year the committee managed the show admirably!
We were very grateful to those who stayed behind to help clear away tables and sweep up. It is a case of many hands make light work and we really appreciate it at the end of the day! Thank you.
Our next meeting on May 17th is in fact a visit to Lindengate charity gardens in Wendover.
If you are not a member and would like to find out more about our activities, please do contact a member of the committee.
If you are only interested in one talk, we do welcome guests as well. In July we have a talk from Graeme Hollingdale. Experienced horticultural judge and the Chilterns District Representative of the National Sweet Pea Society, so that should be a wonderfully
Hallmark November 2022. By Alison Shreeve I write this looking out at a beautiful autumn day with the sun shining on golden trees laden with berries and ripe fruit. It’s been a strange year for weather, but then it usually is! However, the heat and drought in the summer affected many things, from the flowering times of the sweet peas to the setting of the runners. I have never had runner beans as late as this, but we had hardly any until September when it turned a little cooler. Fortunately, we haven’t yet had a frost to kill them off. I suspect that we will have to change many of our expectations and gardening practices in the near future.
The society has returned to its full menu of activities in the hall. Our Autumn Show was a great success though domestic entries were very much lower than previously. Images and results are on the village website.
Our last speaker was a visual delight and told a great story of setting up a flower business here in Bucks, the Wildrose Flower Company.
Our next event is the Annual Supper in November. In January we will have a welcome return of speaker Tom Way, international award-winning wildlife photographer. Those who attended his last talk will remember his amazing photographs and an excellent and entertaining speaker too. All are welcome to the talks, as a visitor if not a member.
We are reliant on our membership to keep us going and since Covid, numbers have been lower for all our events. So, if you are interested in gardens, wildlife or indeed continued social activities in our villages then please do think about joining in. We have a very – active and dedicated committee, but all our efforts are in vain if we are only doing it for ourselves!
We introduced some afternoon workshops this year in an attempt to reach a different audience. Our next is on Sunday 20th November from 2.00-4.00pm on the topic of Getting Started with Sweet Peas. It includes full instructions for sowing, planting and growing on. You will go away with at least two pots full of different kinds of sweet pea seeds ready to plant out next year and enjoy their wonderful heady perfume. To book your place email: horticultural.society@btconnect.com or phone: 01844345750. The workshop costs £10 and includes fabulous tea and cakes!
The benefits of becoming a member are many and include meeting like-minded people in the village, learning more about gardens, gardening and related topics; gaining practical advice; having fun; visiting interesting places and seeing amazing flowers, fruit and vegetables. So, whatever your interests we hope to offer you something worthwhile. I look forward to meeting new members and guests to our events.