September 2023

52
Wanstead Village Directory
Planting ideas
The Aldersbrook Horticultural Society’s new season of talks kicks off this
month with a presentation by Danny Clarke, aka The Black Gardener.
Here, Ruth Martin introduces some of the other names on the bill
After a break in August, the members
of Aldersbrook Horticultural
Society are looking forward to
another great year and a busy programme
from September.
Our last eventful year ended with a fun social
with good food and prosecco, hosted by
Jane Batey and Rob Owen, which followed
a fascinating walk in Wanstead Park led by
John Meehan. He pointed out the origins and
development of a number of interesting trees
and explained that the park was established
in the early 1820s after Wanstead House was
demolished. No doubt we will learn more
about the origins of Wanstead Park at our
November meeting, when Hannah Armstrong,
author of Wanstead House, East London’s Lost
Palace, will talk to us about the gardens of
Wanstead House. Hannah is among a number
of excellent and interesting speakers we have
lined up for the coming year.
Things get underway with Danny Clarke, also
known as The Black Gardener, speaking at
our September meeting about ‘gardening
on a budget’. Danny is a garden designer
and appears on ITV’s Love Your Garden. We
will also hear from Fergus Garrett, the head
gardener at the iconic Great Dixter Garden
in East Sussex, who will talk at our February
meeting about succession planting. Fergus is
described as one of the most influential living
garden designers and horticultural educators
in Britain today, and is the chief executive of
the Great Dixter Charitable Trust.
As well as hosting nationally known speakers,
we are continuing to use our many local
enthusiasts and experts to talk about aspects
of gardening and horticulture on a range
of topics, including a talk by Mark Kenny
about his garden in Ilford that he opens
Danny Clarke (The
Black Gardener)
for the National Gardening Scheme, two
local gardeners, Barry Reeves and Elaine
Fieldhouse, talking about composting, and
a keen allotmenteer, Celia Parker, taking
us through a ‘year on the plot’. At least two
garden visits will be organised over the next
year: to Sissinghurst Castle Gardens in June
and to The Gibberd Garden in Harlow in
January to see the snowdrops and early-spring
bulbs. Cerith Lowery from The Gibberd Garden
will also speak at our January meeting.
Aldersbrook Horticultural Society was reestablished
in 2018, a hundred years after
the original society was set up. We regularly
work in our two community gardens at
the Aldersbrook Medical Centre and the
Aldersbrook Bowls Club (where we hold our
meetings). Over the last year, we opened 20
gardens locally and raised more than £5,000
for local and national charities. We are a
friendly bunch of keen gardeners, novice
gardeners, allotmenteers, and those interested
in the natural environment. All are welcome.
Aldersbrook Horticultural Society meet
at Aldersbrook Bowls Club on the second
Tuesday of each month at 7.30pm
(membership: £35 per year; visitors: £5 per
meeting). Visit wnstd.com/ahs
© Neil Marshment Photography
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