Read the April 2012 newsletter here - Hampstead Garden Suburb

The Hampstead Garden Suburb Horticultural Society
Affiliated to the Royal Horticultural Society
NEWSLETTER – April 2012
Editor: Katja Goldberg
katja.goldberg@yahoo.co.uk
www.hgs.org.uk/hortsoc
**To members who have not paid their subscription for 2012: to continue enjoying
the benefits of the Hampstead Garden Suburb Horticultural Society you must have
a valid 2012 yellow membership card. Please see back page of this Newsletter to
renew your membership.
Supper Quiz
by Léonie Stephen
The Supper Quiz evening is always well attended and jolly. This year the questions,
set by Jane Gee and Gladys McLeod, were more taxing than previously with lots of
anagrams. The cartoons of well-known gardeners were a real brain-teaser for those of
us who remember faces but not names. I think we all got Monty Don!
The photos of benches on the Suburb were a genuine test of how observant we are.
Marjorie Harris and her table romped home with a very good win – congratulations to
all concerned. We were treated to a tasty supper: tomato soup, barbecued burgers and
sausages, and a variety of delicious desserts.
Gardeners’ Question Time
by Michael Franklin
A packed Fellowship House enjoyed a most entertaining evening, with Jim Buttress
VMH, from the London Gardens Society, and Mark Wasilewski, Superintendent of
the Royal Park of St James, answering questions from the many local gardeners with
problems to solve. The speakers were not only highly knowledgeable but they gave
their answers with considerable humour. Mark also talked about the many Olympic
events being held in St James Park and other parks in London for which he will be
responsible in the summer. Wine and sandwiches helped the evening go with a swing
and seven members joined the Society that evening. We hope to repeat this event next
year with the same enthusiastic experts - be sure not to miss it!

The famous snowdrops of Anglesey Abbey
by Sylvia Coury
We set off on a blustery morning with rainproof clothing in case the weather forecast
proved correct. On arrival, Evelyn and I had coffee in the restaurant, where a glass
wall looks out onto the well-established pinetum. Leaves wheeled through the air and
across the mossy lawn as we ventured out in search of the famous snowdrops. We
soon found our way to a meandering path bordered by varieties of snowdrops growing
in large clumps among the vegetation. There were many kinds of dogwood, especially
cornus sanguinea, Winter Beauty, a stunning sight with its orange and gold stems
underplanted by galanthus, Magnet - probably the largest snowdrops I’ve ever seen.
The gardens were originally planted with snowdrops in the mid-19th century, with
many more introduced in the 1960s. After the felling of 4,000 trees due to Dutch elm
disease, many bulbs, dormant for decades, flowered. Several new cultivars emerged,
among them G.nivalis, Anglesey Abbey.
In the woodland area, the snowdrops appeared to their best advantage in naturalised
drifts, especially striking when combined with golden winter aconite.
A grove of betula utilis var. jacquemontii, Himalayan Birch, was a dramatic sight, the
white trunks contrasting starkly with the dark leaf mould mulch and the cloudy sky.
Standing in isolation was the skeleton of a giant redwood tree, struck by lightning in
1999 for the second time in 12 years.
We visited Lode Mill, an 18th-century watermill in full working order. The smell of
freshly ground wheat was delicious!
The Abbey itself was closed, but the exterior was beautiful, in the Jacobean style. The
weathered roof was crowned by a vane in the shape of a golden sailing boat - this
must look wonderful on a sunny day!
Various statues, mainly classical in style, provided arresting focal points throughout
the gardens. My favourites were a pair of startled-looking stone griffins guarding the
entrance to a beech-hedged enclosure.
The first drops of rain fell as we made our way back to the visitor centre for a late
lunch, followed by a fascinating film about the snowdrops of Anglesey Abbey. A
most enjoyable outing!

Mysterious and enticing - Anglesey Abbey’s
sculptures and ‘wild wood’
by Rosie Daniels
How I enjoyed the trip to Anglesey Abbey - thanks to Diane and Sonia. The
snowdrops and aconites were delightful. The Himalayan Birch Grove was startlingly
white and delicate. I was also impressed by the clear plant labelling and the helpful
plant list. But my highlights were the sculptures and the magical ‘wild wood’.
Who saw the splendid Elizabeth galleon, with all the rigging but no sails, seemingly
on top of a chimney, bronze glinting in the sunlight? With the head of a horse at the
prow, and a lantern dangling astern, it made an extraordinary sight. Someone at the
Abbey clearly has a good sense of fun!
There was a bronze fat little Bacchus-like cherub snuggling up to a bearded goat with
magnificent horns. The beautiful house was surrounded by garden ‘rooms’ with
dormant herbaceous borders and a rose garden. Between two of these areas I had to
smile at a couple of ancient-looking stone sentinels some 7ft high, adorned with areas
of lichen. They were blowing conch shells, had Dr Spock ears and their nether regions
were clothed for modesty in a sheepskin, complete with droopy-eared head.
On one of the porticos on the house was an impressive stone carving of St George and
a dragon clearly not long for this world. There were also a number of striking
metalwork gates and beautiful garden seats with graceful fern design backs – probably
not terribly comfortable but you can’t have everything!
As we entered the ‘wild wood’ we were warned by another of our group to advance
with caution. He had got lost - and so did we! The many meandering pathways
confusingly criss-crossed one another, lured you forward. When summer comes, and
foliage reduces visibility still further, the whole place will seem even more mysterious
and enticing. The wood itself had lots of branch and twig sculptures. There was a
large branch archway, a giant bird’s nest of some 10ft diameter, a path lined by a log
and branch ‘wall’, and three rows of quirky hanging ‘wind chimes’ made of straight
branches, some of the ‘bells’ around 4ft long. There was a fenced-off children’s storytime
area (a touch of the Peter Pans), a wildlife observation area and environmental
information areas. In short, this is a children’s paradise. It was fun. It was
imaginative. A summer visit in a few years’ time please!

Dates for your Diary
Thursday 12 April Talk: ‘Kenwood’s Park and Gardens’
Fellowship House, 7.30 pm
Members free, non-members £2
Saturday 12 May Plant Sale
Fellowship House, 10.30 am-12 noon
Wednesday 6 June Entry Night for 273rd Flower Show
Fellowship House, 7.00-8.00 pm
Saturday 9 June 273rd Flower Show;
Children’s Fancy Dress Competition
Free Church Hall, 3.00-5.30 pm
Thursday 14 June Coach trip - Gardeners’ World Live
NEC Birmingham
An opportunity to watch the TV programme
brought to life
£37.50 coach and entry
Subscribers to ‘Gardeners’ World’ £22.00 coach
Tickets must be bought in advance (see magazine)
See back page for booking form
Sunday 8 July- Gardens of Norfolk
Tuesday 10 July Three-day visit to six gardens. Hotel accommodation
now only available for double rooms
See back page for booking form
Tuesday 10 July Closing date for ‘Suburb in Bloom’ Garden
Competition
Saturday 14 July Supper party and Ceilidh
A social gathering with folk music and dancing
See back page for booking form
Be sure to see NGS Local Gardens 2012 booklet for details of local
gardens open to the public this summer - often available free from
W. H. Smith.

RHS National Gardening Week
The Royal Horticultural Society is launching its first National Gardening Week in
spring 2012. Among other events, on Monday 16 April the RHS Advisory Service
is providing a Gardening SOS to answer queries from members and non-members
alike.
The RHS is asking UK residents to send in photographs of their gardens on Tuesday
17 April, a day named ‘Gardens of the Nation’. The best images will form part of the
charity’s award-winning Lindley Library Archives to provide a historical record of
gardens today.
For further information contact RHS at 80 Vincent Square, London SW1P 2PE or tel
0845 260 5000.
Ruta’s Word Search, No. 2
Hidden in the box below are 20 names of well-known scented flowers (including
shrubs and climbers) grown in Hampstead Garden Suburb gardens. Names may be
read vertically, horizontally or diagonally.
Replies should be listed and sent by file attachment to ruta.teteris@btinternet.com or
by post to Ruta Teteris, 9 The Orchard, Hampstead Way, NW11 6YN with your
name, address and phone number.
Closing date 30 April 2012
The senders of the first three correct entries, drawn out of a hat, will receive a scented
plant in a pot at our plant sale on Saturday 12 May at Fellowship House.
A B L O C F G L A P I H S E G D L
S H X L C R A I R E T S I W U R A
U E O A L D G N E N I M S A J A V
H L L R T E M U I G L U L B O V E
P I H A D U C C S U S S I C R A N
L O P R A G A U I L V T R O T N D
E T I M P Y N G R I E O I Y M I E
D R A E H N D A P L L N L U A R R
A O N I N A Y R K R A I N O H A M
L P I N E N T C R E L R I N I M E
I E L A K R U M E N U A N F N A N
H R I C A S F E R B R C O R I B E
P O O T Y U T R I U A T R E N O T
A T R E N M E V E N C E T E S E N
S E N N O I T A N R A C R S L O A
N O R E L M U R A A N R E I B N R
H O L D E B U D D L E A S A S E A

Garden Girl
aka Caroline Broome
At last spring is here and there are a hundred and one things that need doing. So here
are just a few suggestions that should keep your garden looking tip-top throughout the
season:
Three things to do in spring
1. With the likelihood of a drought and the threat of a hose-pipe ban, here are a few
tips on damage limitation. Water in the evening - if you water in the morning, most of
the water will be lost through evaporation as the temperatures climb during the day.
Do not water the lawn - it may well look like straw but will soon recover after the
rains come, and when mowing - keep the blades on a slightly higher setting than
normal as longer grass will conserve any moisture better. Watering your plants little
and often isn’t beneficial: the water will barely penetrate the soil surface. Far better to
give the borders a good drenching every 3-4 days, aiming at the base of the plants to
enable it to sink right down to the roots, where it is needed. And don’t forget to keep
the lid on your water butt to prevent wildlife from falling in and drowning.
2. Plant summer bulbs now. They add a new dimension to the summer borders,
especially as so many of them flower in July, when there is a natural lull between
early and late summer. Summer bulbs should be planted in spring, when the soil is
beginning to warm up to about 60° F (15.5° C) or more. Compared with more
conventional perennials, they are marvellous value for money and an ideal alternative
to labour-intensive and thirsty summer bedding for providing colourful displays.
Alliums, acidanthera, dahlias, gladioli, gloriosa lilies, liatris, nerines, oxalis, pineapple
lilies, tuberose and tigridia – the list is endless.
3. Even if you don’t mow the lawn regularly, always keep your lawn edges trimmed.
No matter how unruly your borders get, this will maintain the appearance of structure
in your garden presentation.
Three colour combinations to admire
There are so many beautiful perennials in the spring that I can only hope to offer a
few alternative combinations to the mix. My particular favourites are heuchera and
erysimum (perennial wallflower) because they are evergreen, compact and startlingly
colourful.
1. Peach and pastel pink: Heuchera, Georgia Peach; Erysimum, Pastel
Patchwork; Digitalis, Illumination Raspberry; Agastache rupestris,
Hummingbird Mint; Acapulco Salmon and Pink.

Erysimum, Pastel Patchwork
2. Lilac and lime: Heuchera, Lime Rickey; Carnation, Green Trick; Clematis,
Fragrant Oberon; Thalictrum, Aqualegifolium; Erysimum, Bowles’ Mauve.
3. Wine and orange: Cirsium rivulare, Atropurpureum; Erysimum, Apricot Twist;
Verbascum, Clementine; Heuchera, Creme Brulee; Scabiosa, Atropurpurea, Black
Knight.
Verbascum, Clementine
Three places to visit - other than Chelsea Flower Show!
1. Capel Manor Gardens, Bullsmoor Lane, Enfield EN1 4RQ
Spring Gardening Show: Saturday 14-Sunday 15 April, 10.00 am-5.00 pm. Visit
www.capelmanorgardens.co.uk
2. Garden Museum, Lambeth Palace Rd, London SE1 7LB
Exhibition ‘Garden Open Today! 300 Years of Garden Visiting’, Starts 24 April
Visit www.gardenmuseum.org.uk/page/coming-soon
3. Spring Plant Fair: Plant Heritage, Saturday 5 May 10 am-4.30 pm: Highgate
School, North Road, Highgate N6 4AY
For more info on the London group of Plant Heritage, visit www.nccpg.com/In-yourarea/Local-Groups/London.aspx

Friends and Neighbours - The Harington Scheme
Rosalind Laurie, Chair, Friends of Harington
Friends of the Harington Scheme are supporters of this small, horticulture-based
charity, which has occupied an open space behind Highgate High Street for 31 years.
Perhaps you would like to support some of our fund-raising events yourself.
The Harington Scheme provides individual training programmes for young people
with learning difficulties, to help them into employment and/or a more rewarding life.
It teaches them practical horticulture and offers practice in literacy, numeracy and
retail skills. The trainees learn work as a team and, at the end of each week, they come
together to discuss each individual’s achievements. On completion of their
programmes, some trainees join the Harington Gardeners, whom you can employ to
carry out under supervision all those gardening jobs which are too heavy or timeconsuming
for you to do yourself - please tel 020 8348 5605 if you are interested in
supporting them through this work.
Each year Friends of Harington run events to raise money for the scheme. Eighteen
months ago some of you came to our highly entertaining ‘Evening with Joe Swift and
Friends’. We run spring and Christmas sales and nual supper quiz, and this year we
are planning summer and autumn wine-tastings.
We are also considering a day trip to Highgrove in May 2013, but need to establish
the amount of interest in this before we make any arrangements. As we would be
running it to make a profit for the scheme, the cost would have to be between £60 and
£70, and this and the journey-time (about two-and-a-half hours each way) might put
people off. But if people want to support our charity as well as enjoying Prince
Charles’s fabulous gardens, they might not mind paying that much. Do let me know if
you would like to go on this trip - no commitment on your part but we would be able
to gauge the level of interest in it - by calling me on 020 8883 0615 or emailing
rosalindlaurie@talktalk.net.

BOOKING FORMS
SUMMER SUPPER PARTY AND CEILIDH, SATURDAY 21 JULY
To Event Secretary, Sonia Mathias, Willifield Way NW11 6YH
I wish to book ... places at the Summer Party @ £ 22.50
TOTAL £ ... (cheques payable to HGS Horticultural Society)
Name ..................................................................................................................
Address................................................................................................................
Tel No.................................................................................................................
Email ..................................................................................................................
Signed .................................................................................................................
GARDENS OF NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK
SUNDAY 8 JULY - TUESDAY 10 JULY
To Events Secretary, Diane Berger, Willifield Way NW11 6YJ Tel 8455 0455
I wish to book … places for Gardens of Norfolk and Suffolk @ £349 pp. Double rooms only available
now
Deposit £100 pp (cheques made out to HGS Horticultural Society)
Name ..................................................................................................................
Address................................................................................................................
Tel No.................................................................................................................
Email ..................................................................................................................
Signed ................................................................................................................
GARDENERS WORLD LIVE AT NEC BIRMINGHAM,
THURSDAY 14 JUNE
To Event Secretary, Diane Berger, 86 Willifield Way NW11 6YJ
I wish to book .... seats for Gardeners’ World Live @ £37.50 pp
TOTAL £ ... (cheques payable to HGS Horticultural Society)
Name ..................................................................................................................
Address................................................................................................................
Tel No.................................................................................................................
Email ..................................................................................................................
Signed...................................................................................................................

MEMBERSHIP FORM 2012
Subscriptions for 2012 membership are now due.
Please complete and return to David Broome, 79 Church Lane, London N2
OTH; tel 020 8444 2329; email david.m.broome@virginmedia.com
I/ We wish to join the HGS Horticultural Society
I/ We wish to renew subscription to the HGS Horticultural
NAME(S) …………………………………..........................................
TITLE …………....................................................................................
ADDRESS ……………………………………………………………...
POSTCODE ………………………………….........................................
TELEPHONE ……………………...........................................................
EMAIL ADDRESS …...............................................................................
I/we enclose a cheque (payable to HGS Horticultural Society) for £5.00 (single
subscription)
I/ We enclose a cheque for £7.50 (family subscription)
I/We enclose a cheque for £ … which includes a £ … DONATION
No need for an envelope but a postage stamp would be appreciated.