Annual Potato Day takes place on Saturday February 8 at Drimpton Village Hall. Organised by the Clapton, Wayford and District Horticultural Society, there will be a wide variety of seed potatoes on sale, as well as all-day brunches, lunches and cakes. For full details please click on 2014 Potato Day here.

Our secretary Ann Prince is moving house away from Lyme. She will be much missed for her enthusiasm, charm and effectiveness as a committee member – not to mention her horticultural prowess at Show time!

We are looking for someone to replace her as secretary of the committee as soon as possible. I would be delighted to hear from members – or even non-members – of the Society who feel Ann’s job (or a share of it) would be the sort of involvement they would welcome. The secretary’s role is much like that on any committee – minute-taking at meetings and AGMs, and dealing with general correspondence on behalf of the Society.

If you would like to know more details about what is required or to volunteer your services, please give me a call or email.

Jenny Harding
Chairman
tel: 01297 444034
jennyhlyme@hotmail.co.uk

Agapanthus

‘Secrets of a Victorian Walled Garden’ will be revealed at the next meeting of our Society when Chris Smith talks about the gardening pursued in walled gardens and greenhouses of the second half of the 1800s.

Chris Smith’s own walled garden is home of Pennard Plants, a small nursery in Somerset. It produces heritage vegetable seeds – notably French bean Cherokee Trail of Tears – old-fashioned flower seeds, including a honey bee mixture, and agapanthus in a profusion of varieties old and new. His nursery is a regular Royal Horticultural Society show medal winner, including a gold at Chelsea in 2013.

Following the talk on Wednesday January 22 at 7.30pm at Uplyme Village Hall will be an opportunity to ask Chris questions and purchase seeds and plants. Admission is free for members, £3 non-members, and refreshments will be available.

Visit the Society’s web page to see our programme of talks, events and outings for the coming year here.

A quiz evening to brighten up the non-gardening months of winter is being organised. There will be a light-hearted quiz, not too taxing for amateur diggers and planters, and a chance to get social over drinks and snacks. There is also the opportunity to win a Christmas tree. Come with your own small quiz team or join in with others when you arrive. The evening starts at 7.30pm on Wednesday, November 27 at Uplyme Village Hall. Everyone is welcome, admission is free for members, £2 non-members.

As the year draws to a close we are well underway with our plans for the 2014 programme of events. Here is a taste of things coming next year:

January 22, Wednesday, 7.30pm: TALK ‘Secrets of a Victorian Walled Garden’ Chris Smith of Pennard Plants (Chelsea GOLD Medallist).

February 26, Wednesday, 7.30pm: TALK ‘The Winter Garden’ by John Horsey from East Lambrook Manor (Margery Fish) Garden.

March 26, Wednesday, 7.30pm: the Society’s ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING followed by a TALK ‘Making the Most of Veg’ by Nick Rigden, Head of Horticulture at Cannington College and Senior Examiner for the RHS.

April 23, Wednesday, 7.30pm: DEMONSTRATION/WORKSHOP Willow Weaving with Jenny Knight of J K Willows near Axminster.

May 10, Saturday, 10.30am: PLANT SALE AND COFFEE MORNING

May 20, Tuesday: VISIT to Mottisfont Abbey by coach – National Trust property at Romsey, Hampshire, a country house with art gallery and remains of a 13th century priory.  Extensive gardens with riverside walks and walled garden with world-famous rose collection.

May 28, Wednesday, 7.30pm: TALK ‘Beauty and the Beast’ – an eccentric account of the natural history of Britain by Hugh Warwick.

June 25, Wednesday, 7.30pm: TALK ‘Hardy fuchsias in the garden’ with a demonstration of propagation techniques.

July 12, Saturday, 1pm to 5pm: SUMMER SHOW AND COUNTRY FAYRE at Uplyme Village Hall and playing field – the tradition begun in 1929 continues, with challenging new classes to enter, beautifully staged exhibits to see in the marquee, good food and refreshments all afternoon, live alpacas, ferret racing, dog show, steam train rides, music, dancing, country skills demonstrations, stalls and sideshows. An afternoon of fun with a bee theme.

July 23, Wednesday, 7.30pm: DISPLAY from Xtreme Falconry’s Birds of Prey. Lifeboat Week special event.

August 27, Wednesday, 7.30pm: TALK ‘Edible Flowers and More’ by Craig Rudman, River Cottage Head Gardener.

September 9, Tuesday: VISIT to Coleton Fishacre by coach – National Trust property at Kingswear, Devon – 1920s Arts & Crafts style house with Gilbert and Sullivan connections. RHS accredited garden with a daily tour.

September 24, Wednesday, 7.30pm: TALK ‘The Perfect Partnership: Lutyens and Jekyll’ by Paul Atterbury of BBC TV’s Antiques Roadshow. £3 admission.

October 22, Wednesday, 7.30pm: TALK ‘The Botany of Witchcraft’ by Edward Wells.

October 11, Saturday: AUTUMN SHOW

November 26, Wednesday, 7.30pm: GARDENERS’ QUESTION TIME with a team of experts to answer questions from the audience.

                                                                       Jenny Harding, Chairman

A bulb masterclass is the next event of the Uplyme and Lyme Regis Horticultural Society. Beginning with a talk about the variety of bulbs providing flowers throughout the year at the award-winning Forde Abbey 30-acre garden, the evening moves on to a how-to demonstration on planting bulbs of the daffodil, tulip and crocus families, then a have-a-go session at planting your own spring bulbs to take home – with pots, bulbs and compost provided. There will be bulbs for sale, and coffee, tea and committee member Rob Harvey’s celebrated cake to provide a chance to be sociable. The bulb evening is Wednesday, October 23rd, at 7.30pm at Uplyme Village Hall.

Everyone is welcome, admission is free for members, £2 for non-members.

After more than 20 years regularly competing in the Uplyme and Lyme Regis Horticultural Society’s shows, John Wood won the prestigious Bullock Cup for most points overall in the Autumn Show on Saturday September 21st. “It was just luck. I entered the same classes as usual with entries of a similar standard, but the competition was less fierce.” says John with modesty.

The full show results were:
Bullock Cup (most points overall) John Wood
Dr Mutch Cup (best exhibit roses) Tony Cook
Dahlia Trophy (best exhibit) Roy Keeley
Musto Cup (most points vegetables) John Wood
Stan Parker Cup (best exhibit chrysanthemums) Roy Keeley
Stevens Memorial Cup (best exhibit fruit) David Edwards
Stobo Memorial Cup (best exhibit tomatoes) Paula Wyon-Brown
Mrs Thomas Cup (most points home produce) Ann Prince
Diploma (best exhibit pot plants) Sylvia Rickard
Diploma (best exhibit vegetables) Jane Garland

Prizes in the Fun Classes went to:
Chris Corbyn for A Christmas Card
Rosemary Bowler for the Longest Bean
Rosemary Bowler for the Tastiest Raspberry
Peter Hampton for his photograph of a Local Snow Scene

Jenny Harding, chairman of Uplyme and Lyme Regis Horticultural Society presenting cups to John Wood, overall winner of the Autumn Show.

Proceeds from our highly successful summer show enabled donations to a variety of local charities. At the Society’s autumn show on Saturday September 21st chairman Jenny Harding presented a cheque for £450 to Axe Valley and West Dorset Ring-and-Ride. Other organisations receiving gifts were: Uplyme Village Hall £150, Uplyme and Lyme Regis Cricket Club £70, King George V Playing Field £50 and St John’s Ambulance £70.

Sandra Ward, receiving the cheque on behalf of the Ring-and-Ride, said “This is manna from heaven. The service is experiencing unprecedented numbers of users, and gifts such as this are crucial.” The charity operates a minibus for the elderly, disabled or disadvantaged people in the local area, picking up passengers from home and taking them into town for shopping or to use local services.

Peter Williams, director, Stan Williams, treasurer, and Sandra Ward, chairman, of Axe Valley Ring-and-Ride receiving a cheque for £450 from Jenny Harding, chairman of Uplyme and Lyme Regis Horticultural Society

Enjoy an evening in the tropics – the Society’s next evening talk,  Abbotsbury Gardens – Past, Present and Future by Steve Griffith, Curator of Abbotsbury Gardens, is on Wednesday, September 25th, at 7.30pm at Uplyme Village Hall.

Steve’s illustrated talk tells how this unique woodland valley garden has been transformed and restored since it started life in 1765. It is the story of its history and present development, highlighting its unique microclimate, new rare plant collections and tender plants that survive outside in its subtropical environment.

Following the talk will be an opportunity to ask questions and meet fellow gardeners and plant enthusiasts. Everyone is welcome; admission is free for members, £2 non-members, and refreshments will be available.

Our Autumn Show and Plant Sale will be on Saturday September 21st from 2pm to 4pm at Uplyme Village Hall – a show of late-summer flowers, foliage, fruit and vegetables, as well as floral art, cookery and preserves.

Take a look at the schedule to see which classes you might enter, then submit your entry form by Wednesday 18th September. It is open to everyone, members and non-members. Download the schedule here or pick up a printed copy from Uplyme Post Office, Raymond’s Hill Post Office and Ginger Beer in Lyme Regis.

Afternoon tea, coffee and home-made cake will be available from Pam ‘the Jam’ Corbin and her team. There will plants, produce and hand-made craft items for sale.

Donations of plants and produce – cakes, jams, fruit and vegetables – to sell to raise funds for the Society will be gratefully received at the hall from 9am on the morning of the show.

Further details are available from show secretary Brian Cursley on 07831 533580