Yarty Gardening Club

**CANCELLED ** Quiz and Social Evening (due to General Election)
2019-12-12 19:30 UTC | Otterford Parish Hall, Bishopswood. TA20 3RS
Sadly, because a general election has been sprung on us, we are having to cancel our meeting in December and with it our eagerly anticipated seasonal social and quiz. I wish all gardening readers a very Happy Christmas and a productive New Year.

Pauline Bartlett

Shrubs for Flower Arrangers
2019-11-21 19:30 - 21:00 | Buckland St Mary Village Hall. TA20 3SP

Organic Gardening and Pest Control
2019-10-17 19:30 | Otterford Parish Hall, Bishopswood. TA20 3RS
Our October meeting was about organic gardening and pest control and we were very pleased to welcome Paul Hending as our speaker. A quick show of hands proved that most members were already trying to garden with the least impact on the environment, but we are always ready to learn more.
Gardeners today are much more likely to be organic and to avoid adding inorganic chemicals to the soil. We lighten up our heavy clay soils with well-rotted farmyard manure or barrowloads of spent mushroom compost. Of course, if you are offered the chance of a load of fresh manure, don’t pass it up, instead leave it for a year under cover to stop the nutrients being leached away by heavy rain. Another great soil improver is of course leaf mould and there is a vast amount of raw material around at this time of year! Let the leaves which land on borders remain for the worms to take down into the soil, enriching the soil for you and concentrate on raking up leaves on lawns and paths. Often, they can be swept under shrubs to rot down but all the rest can go into a container to make leaf mould for the coming years. If you have room, a leaf mould cage made from four bamboo canes or posts and chicken wire is ideal, but sacks with good aeration will do just as well. A good use for old compost bags so they aren’t single use plastic perhaps?

Paul ran through the steps to making good compost starting with the container, which needs to be ideally at least a cubic metre in size (any smaller and the process is more difficult). Two or three compost bins in a line are the best way forward – or more bays if you have the luxury of space. The compost can be turned from one bin into the next so that you can keep fresh material separate from the stuff that is cooking. This turning helps with aeration which is the key to keeping the micro-organisms alive. These break down the raw materials into beautiful sweet crumbly compost if you turn the heap at least once but more often if you have the energy. We were already aware of the need to keep a balance of brown twiggy material/broken up cardboard and green material, the soggiest of which tends to be grass clippings. Moisture is often the biggest problem with making perfect compost, too much and the mixture can become slimy (avoid this by covering it to keep the rain out); too little and it doesn’t seem to do anything (so water it). We were advised to avoid adding mouldy onions to the compost (as the blue mould can kill the bacteria in the heap) or too much citrus peel as it takes too long to decompose (unless you chop it up).

Paul then turned to pest control:

Crop Rotation – Aim for a 3 or 4 year crop rotation, avoiding growing the same crop in the same area year after year will help to prevent the build up of pests.
Vigilance – Look at beds, borders and containers regularly so that any pest incursion can be dealt with rapidly. This can be done by brushing/washing off aphids and picking off the offending caterpillar or lily beetle, though whether you squish them or feed them to the birds is up to you!
Biological response – Encourage the build up of natural predators such as lacewings, ladybirds and hover-flies in the garden. Lacewing and ladybird larvae can eat as many as 150 aphids per day. Birds will eat slugs, snails, grubs, wireworms, caterpillars and insects. Hedgehogs, frogs and toads will eat slugs and snails, beetles and insects. Build a beetle bank to encourage ground beetles which eat slugs, leatherjackets, cutworms and other caterpillars.
Biological controls – Plenty of these can now be purchased, such as Encarsia formosa, (a tiny parasitic wasp which will control greenhouse whitefly) and Phytoseiulus persimilis (a predatory mite which will control red spider mite). There are a variety of nematodes available to control slugs and vine weevils. In fact, there seems to be a biological control to deal with most garden pests. The RHS web site has a comprehensive list.
Physical Barriers – Netting with enviromesh seems to be the best way forward to keep white butterflies from laying eggs on your brassicas. A mesh barrier around the carrot plot will deter the carrot root fly too.
Traps – Earwigs can devastate seedlings and soft fruit or sweetcorn silks. Try filling a few plastic flowerpots with straw and balancing them upside down on sticks to attract the pests. The earwigs crawl up the poles and take shelter in the pots at night and you can empty them and dispose of the pests in the morning. Sticky bands placed on the trunks of trees can stop pests from reaching the fruit.

We also discussed getting sowing times right to avoid pests such as black bean aphid, and the use of so-called organic pesticides and slug pellets. Not everyone was happy with the idea of killing garden pests, particularly the white butterflies, especially as the numbers of butterflies generally are declining. It made for a lively discussion.

Sadly, because a general election has been sprung on us, we are having to cancel our meeting in December and with it our eagerly anticipated seasonal social and quiz. I wish all gardening readers a very Happy Christmas and a productive New Year.

Pauline Bartlett

Brimsmore Garden Centre (self drive)
2019-09-19 18:30 - 21:00 | Brimsmore Garden Centre, Tintinhull Rd, Yeovil, BA21 3NU
A bit of a mix up with our Gold Membership meant that our September meeting was at Brimsmore Garden Centre instead of as advertised. Many apologies to anyone who had been looking forward to the advertised talk. The good news is that this will now take place on November 21st (see end of article).
Due to the late notice, there was only a small turnout at the Garden Centre, but the earlier starting time meant that we had the opportunity to browse the plant selection outside before the light went. We then enjoyed refreshments and were treated to a very interesting and informative talk by the head of the hardy plants section who introduced us to his choice of the 50 best plants for early autumn. Here are some of them.
Nandina domestica ‘Obsessed’: the foliage of this compact shrub emerges fiery red before turning fresh green, and then red again as autumn takes hold. In summer it has pretty clusters of white flowers. It is perfect for a sunny spot in a small garden, and can also be grown in containers.
Heucherella ‘Tapestry’: blue-green leaves which mature to silvery green with purple veins. Pink flowers are borne in summer. Plants have a good spreading habit and make excellent ground-cover at the front of a shady border. They are also suited to growing in pots.
Amerine ‘Belladiva’: a cross between an Amaryllis and a Nerine, originally bred for the cut flower market. One bulb can produce up to 10 slender-petalled, pink lily-like flowers on each upright stem.
Cornus alba ‘Aurea’: has deep red stems, vibrant gold-green leaves, small, creamy-white flowers and clusters of white berries. It’s tolerant of a wide range of soil types, and produces the brightest winter bark when planted in full sun. Cut it down every other February to keep the best colour.
Physalis: with its orange lanterns it is a good Halloween plant and then you can eat the round fruit with its sweet/sour flavour.
Chilli ‘Medusa’: is an extremely ornamental variety, bearing masses of long, thin peppers in shades of yellow, orange and red. The peppers are very mild in flavour and Medusa is perfect for growing on a sunny windowsill or outside in a sunny, sheltered spot.
Cyclamen persicum (bedding cyclamen): can be used in hanging baskets and containers or planted into the ground. They don’t like heavy rain so try to keep the foliage dry to avoid botrytis. A sheltered site in dappled shade with dry soil is perfect and they are fairly hardy, tolerating frost down to about -3 to -4C
If you love Camellias, try one of the autumn flowering Camellia sasanqua such as ‘Dwarf Shishi’ with small dark pink rose form flowers, ideal for containers and pots.
‘Easydendron’ with white flowers; is a new rhododendron which will grow in alkaline soil. It is however more tender and will need fleecing if frost threatens so I’m not sure if it is that easy!
Carex buchananii ‘Red Rooster’: is a superb evergreen clump forming grass, bearing long, triangular, fine-textured leaves, which flex gracefully in the breeze.
Callicarpa bodinieri ‘Profusion’: with its delicate lilac flowers followed by vibrant purple berries, much loved by song thrushes. Plants will flower and berry more profusely when planted in groups.
Cranberry ‘Pilgrim’, is an ericaceous loving, trailing ground cover plant… If you grow blueberries, try underplanting with a cranberry or two. I planted several plants last autumn in a raised bed under blueberry bushes and was rewarded this year with a small but good quality crop of cranberries for our Christmas dinner. They are also delicious with apple in a crumble, but I will have to wait for the plants to bulk up!
There was a wide variety of heucheras, sedums, Michaelmas daisies and japanese anemones to choose from too.
Having already chosen our shrubs, perennials and climbers earlier, we were then given the run of the garden centre and the bonus of 25% off everything with free delivery. We had a lovely time!

Pauline Bartlett

Buckland St Mary Flower Show
2019-08-18 | Buckland St Mary Village Hall. TA20 3SP
For full details and schedule click here

Kilver Court, Shepton Mallet
2019-08-15 14:00 - 17:00 | Kilver Court, Kilver Street, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 5NF
The visionary design influences of Mulberry founder Roger Saul can now be seen coming to fruition in his garden here at Kilver Court gardens. His unique planting schemes using colour and texture are evident in his newly redesigned 100m colourist herbaceous border, formal parterre and subtropical island. This eclectic garden is also home to one of the largest sculptures in the world, a breath-taking 15-metre-high Victorian viaduct. Explore the garden nursery which is a treasure trove of garden gifts, plants and tools. for more information, visit Kilvercourt.com

Midney Gardens Visit (self-drive)
2019-07-18 14:00 - 17:00 | Midney Gardens, Somerton, TA11 7HR
Opened for the first time in 2012, Midney Gardens is a lovely garden in the heart of Somerset. Its creator, Dave Chase has taken inspiration from some of the great garden designers of the past (particularly Gertrude Jekyll and Sylvia Crowe) and at the same time he has brought to it an approach which is all his own. It is a garden full of interesting and unusual planting combinations, lovely colour themes and some quirky/fun touches.
The main garden comprises a number of linked areas, each with its own character. For example, the ‘Clarice Cliff’ garden with the nearby planting of yellows and oranges is simple and evocative of the Art Deco designs. Other areas include a white garden, seaside garden, butterfly garden, kitchen garden, woodland walk and wildlife pond.The whole garden has been planted with wildlife in mind and in the summer, it is full of insects, butterflies and birds.
With plenty of places to sit and enjoy the views, this is a garden to take time to visit and enjoy
The plant nursery and tearoom are open at the same times as the garden – there is no entry charge for the tearoom and plant nursery.

Perennials with Peter Cantrill
2019-06-20 19:30 | Otterford Parish Hall, Bishopswood. TA20 3RS
Peter runs the wholesale nursery Dayspring Plants near Exeter, which supplies plants to National Trust gardens, amongst others. With a lifetime’s experience in the business, his horticultural knowledge is second to none, and the plants he brings to sell have been known to cause a rush to buy at the end of his lectures.
Plants for Sale

Afternoon visit to Coates Willow
2019-05-16 14:30 - 17:00 | Coates Willow, Willow & Wetlands Centre, Taunton, TA3 6HY
This is a self-drive event
Meet at the visitor centre in time for a 14.30 start

Grand Plant Sale
2019-05-04 10:00 - 12:00 | Otterford Parish Hall, Bishopswood. TA20 3RS
Our annual plant sale will take place at Bishopswood (Otterford Parish Hall) between 10am and 12pm
A good selection of plants for sale including, interesting perennials, vegetable and herbaceous plants.
Teas, coffee and homemade cake for sale

Successful Vegetable Growing
2019-04-18 19:30 | Otterford Parish Hall, Bishopswood. TA20 3RS
John Studley will be passing on top tips for successful vegetable growing. Come and learn his secrets!

Pleiones for Pleasure
2019-03-21 19:30 | Buckland St Mary Village Hall. TA20 3SP
Paul Cumbleton will be talking about Pleiones – fascinating miniature orchids, which he has grown for many years
