By Victoria Plum 
By Victoria Plum
If you weren’t there you missed a real treat! The Reepham & District Gardening Club’s talk in July was by a lively and knowledgeable speaker, Sally Bates, on the Norfolk Gardens Trust. This is a branch of a larger organisation, the Gardens Trust, which aims to conserve, research and promote historic gardens and designed landscapes.
She assured us that when we make decisions about how and what we garden, we are in fact making our own works of art. And it is placing a value on this skill, now and historically, upon which the Gardens Trust focuses.
If people don’t understand the value of gardens, they can become lost and the energy and ideas, and fashions, of past gardeners can be forgotten.
Historically interesting gardens are listed as historic houses. In Norfolk we have two grade one gardens, Holkham and Houghton, but there are many grade two gardens that you may have visited.
One of these is the Venetian Waterways, known locally just as The Waterways, in Great Yarmouth, comprising ornamental gardens and a boating lake. These were built as a work creation project in the 1920s and are a delightful asset to the area.
Sally Bates also spoke interestingly about Humphry Repton and particularly about his local links.
Excitement for July? It was the gardening club trip to Easton Walled Gardens. Of course, the trip was immaculately organised, but someone forgot to organise the weather, and it rained almost continuously.
Our coach driver looked after us well and carefully explained the safety protocols as we drove past sodden fields. He ensured we knew where the loo was and the emergency exits. There were extra exits in the roof, two handles to release these doors, then you need to attach rope ladders that are stored under the seats. The picture in my mind of gardening club members scrambling up rope ladders and through the exit kept me amused for almost the entire two-hour journey.
The gardens are famous for their sweet peas, and they certainly looked fabulous. They originated from Sicily and much warmer climes so all the more amazing to see them looking so good in the rain.
We would have appreciated just a small ray of sunshine but although we were cold and wet, we still very much enjoyed our visit. The cake was good, and the gift items in the shop very tasteful.
Join us next month on Tuesday 20 August at 7.30 pm in the Town Hall, Church Street, Reepham, for the Summer Show and Social Evening. We will obviously be complaining about the weather, but there will be fierce competition over the vases of grasses and the best cucumber (no whipping up to the Co-op to get one at the last minute; all entries must come from your own garden).
Top photo: The White Garden, Easton Walled Gardens. Below: Sweet peas at Easton Walled Gardens. Photos: Tina Sutton
Geoff Fisher