Plants grown locally really are the best plants for your garden

By Victoria Plum

The speaker at the next meeting of the thriving Reepham & District Gardening Club at 7.30 pm on Tuesday 16 April in Reepham Town Hall will be Joe Whitehead, head gardener at Burghley House in Stamford, Lincolnshire, who used to work at the Salle Park Estate and is always full of useful good gardening information.

This meeting is also the AGM – a necessary but painless evil, at least for us members who only have to sit, listen and second the motions.

The March talk was from Lucy Skinner from Woottens of Wenhaston, Suffolk, who gave us detailed and specific information on the iris genus, one for every month.

Seventy five per cent of her plants are grown on site, a fact which has made me look more closely at gardening centre stock at other venues while out garden shopping the other day.

It is obvious that most garden centres buy in the majority of stock. In general terms don’t you think that plants grown locally should fare better in your own garden? She had interesting, healthy and unusual plants for sale, too.

The raffle was full of excitement, as raffles always are, even though I didn’t win anything because someone gave me the “wrong” tickets.

Members were also given “their” plant. This year it is Fuchsia Marbeller Flying Scotsman. The picture (above) looks very pretty, with large pink and white blooms.

The object of this exercise is to nurture your plant – only a tiny plug plant just now – and return with the enormous and flower-covered example to the Summer Show in August with the chance of winning a prize.

The big garden club outing was announced and it will be to RHS Garden Hyde Hall in Chelmsford, Essex, on Thursday 20 June.

As you tidy your garden please keep a lookout for extras, spares, seedlings and any plant you don’t need and bring it for sale to the plant sale, which will be held on Saturday 11 May in Market Place, Reepham, from 8.30 am.

Gardeners of necessity look to the future, but I wonder if those sad souls amongst you who have dishwashers at home and unfortunately might have forgotten the ancient skill of “washing up” might enjoy the opportunity to reminisce about it, while relearning this almost lost art.

Come to the kitchen after any meeting and clean tea towels and free tuition can be given.

Photo: Tina Sutton