1. home and garden

NEWSLETTER
Issue 85
Summer 2015
The flowers that bloom in the Spring, tra la……
In this issue
Editorial
2
Jo Smith
2
LHS Coach Outings update
3
New roof garden at Canary
Wharf
3
Near neighbours
4-5
Bothered by foxes?
5
LHS Summer 2015 Newsletter
LHS Spring Show
6
Three garden history events
to visit in London
7
Octavia Hill
8
Thatu wine-tasting invitation
8
From the archives, “Light in
the garden”
9
The wildlife garden at the
Natural History Museum
9
Talk: planting in tufa troughs
10
Camberwell Gardens Guild
coach trips
10
Dates for 2015
11
LHS Officers
11
The Hut – hours and events
12
Summer Show photographic
classes titles– early warning
12
Page 1
JO SMITH 1943-2015
It is with great sadness that we have to report the death of Jo
(Joan) Smith in January.
She was well-known in the Society as a regular on the coach trips
for many years. She had a wonderful sense of humour and kept
us entertained on the coach with her knowledge of what was to
come on the visits, and was always a mine of information on
almost any subject.
Born in Bermondsey, the daughter of a dock worker, she was
intending to go to art college and become a graphic designer;
however, after volunteering at St Christopher’s Hospice she
changed tack and trained as a nurse at King’s College Hospital,
specialising in midwifery and health visiting, and teaching child
development at Brixton College for many years.
She loved to travel, ran a bookstall on Greenwich Market, and
became a guide at Southwark Cathedral.
A talented artist, she continued to paint, draw, etch, sculpt and pot all her life. She loved her garden, and
garden visiting with our Society. She was also very involved with local activities around her house in the
Alexandra Estate in Penge.
A veritable polymath, she surely filled the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds-worth of distance run. She
will be much missed by all her friends and family.
EDITORIAL
Spring is well and truly here, and even my garden is full of flower, albeit mostly accidental (forget-me nots),
but the alliums are about to burst forth and I hope my rose ‘Maigold’ will actually bloom this month.
How wonderful it must be to have successional flowering built-in to one’s garden by proper design! One
garden designer who is an ace at doing this is our own Virginia Kennedy, and I’m happy to reprint one of her
early articles for this publication, from Summer 1994, “Light in the Garden” (p9). I hope further articles from
the Archives will follow.
Membership subscriptions are now due (actually a bit overdue) so if you haven’t paid your £7 - what value! please send it to Rhiannon asap, or drop it in at The Hut, or see Rhiannon at a talk.
Whether you have your paperwork by post or electronically, if you can get online it is worth looking at our
website, lambethhorticulturalsociety.org.uk – our webmaster Peter Day is constantly updating the site, adding
photos of events and flagging up areas of interest. Of course, all photos, including those in this newsletter, are
in glorious colour.
Gardening-associated things are always happening in London, but not often free of charge. As far as I can
ascertain, the amazing new roof garden over the Crossrail Station at Canary Wharf is not only open all day,
but has no admission charge – but check online first. If I find out differently, I’ll let you know in the next issue.
Those members who visit Chelsea Flower Show will, I’m sure, want to head for Howards Nurseries stand in
the Great Pavilion to see the long-lost irises bred by Cedric Morris. See p7 for details of this, and also two
other garden history events currently in London.
Copy date for the next issue is Monday July 27th. Articles by members are always very welcome, so thank you
to Gabrielle for her piece on the Victorian philanthropist Octavia Hill (p8). Also on that page – an invitation to
a wine-tasting!
Happy gardening!
Val Hunn
LHS Summer 2015 Newsletter
Page 2
COACH OUTINGS UPDATE
Our season of coach outings begins on 17th May with a visit to Sussex, Standen House and Caxton
Manor, so if you weren’t on that coach you’ve missed this trip!
There are still places available on the three outings yet to come; if they appeal to you, please get in
touch with Brendan and book up – you are sure to have a good day with us!
Saturday 13th June Warley Place and RHS Hyde Hall in Essex
Saturday 11th July Leeds Castle and Tram Hatch Gardens in Kent
Saturday 12th September Cliveden House in Buckinghamshire
Members are very welcome to bring friends or relatives on our outings, as many of you do. Perhaps
they would like to become members as well?
Contact Brendan Byrne by email: [email protected]
Telephone: 020 87615651
NEW ROOF GARDEN OPENS AT
CANARY WHARF
A tropical roof garden and a leisure
complex , designed by British firm Foster &
Partners, has just opened above the new
seven-storey Crossrail station at Canary
Wharf, although trains will not run until
2018.
Foster & Partners has designed the roof
structure and cladding that wraps around
the four storeys of shopping and leisure
facilities, as well as the gardens on the top
level. Named Crossrail Place, this complex
is now open to the public, with the roof garden open from dawn till dusk, and no booking required.
The roof garden, landscaped by London-based studio Gillespies, is located under a 310-metre-long
transparent hood. Triangular air-filled cushions are set into the timber-latticed awning.
Planting is intended to reference the area’s maritime heritage. Many of the species are indigenous to
countries visited during the 19th century by trading ships that used the three docks built in the area by the
West India Dock Company trading group. The docks began to fall out of use in the 1960’s and closed in the
1980’s, later becoming part of the Canary Wharf development.
The garden will offer visitors a totally new vantage point from which to look out across the water and the
surrounding area.
Text and photo source: dezeen magazine online
LHS Summer 2015 Newsletter
Page 3
NEAR NEIGHBOURS
I was reading a magazine recently and the subject of
garden wildlife was mentioned. That set me thinking
of my own encounters. Our South London garden in
Dulwich provided a much greater range of wildlife
than the one we are now in on a Yorkshire hillside
with farmland on three sides. Both houses have a
main road on one side and there was almost as much
open land around the London garden - with a raised
railway embankment along the bottom of the garden
beyond which were a number of large playing fields,
and three big parks beyond them! The first close
neighbours we really became aware of (if you
discount the house mice our cat completely ignored)
were the brown rats who lived under the garden shed
and in the compost heap. That was fine until a pair
took up residence in Mother's scullery. They chewed
the mat which was under the door between the
scullery and the kitchen so that we couldn't open the
door without a battle. After a few days of banging on
the kitchen door before we ventured in Mother called
in the rat catcher who solved the problem. Doubtless
there are rats here in Yorkshire but I haven't seen any.
One evening I heard a loud panting and snuffling in
the Dulwich garden and, wondering how next-door's
boxer dog had got into the back garden I went out to
investigate. The moon was full and it was clear there
was no dog but all the noise came from an amorous
hedgehog wooing his lady friend! Not being aware, at
that time, that milk was not really good for hedgehogs
we put some bread and milk on a tin plate which we
left on the garden path. It was a mistake we did not
repeat for we were kept awake a good part of the
night as the plate was kicked up and down the
concrete path with a great clatter. On another
occasion Mother spotted a hedgehog in the sideway
so she put out a saucer of milk for it. In the morning
she came to me saying she thought the hedgehog
wasn't very well because the milk was still there and
so was the hedgehog. Upon investigation Mother,
whose sight was very poor, had 'fed' a loo brush
which had been put in the sun to dry. When we first
came to Yorkshire there was a number of hedgehogs
in the garden enjoying the grass jungle which the
garden had become. I chose to suppress the weeds and
grass where I wanted to cultivate by covering the
areas with heavy black plastic sheets and as the
autumn turned wintry three hedgehogs decided to
hibernate underneath and made themselves cosy
nests. Very sadly, they were discovered by a big dog
fox who dispatched all three and I have never seen
another hedgehog in all the years since.
That old dog fox, who took to sleeping under a
conifer right by the garden steps, left the Queensbury
garden shortly after catching the hedgehogs and I
LHS Summer 2015 Newsletter
have not seen one since, whereas in Dulwich the
foxes came in families! The first one we saw was a
very handsome adult, walking along the top of the
embankment beside the railway line with the sun
highlighting his red body and white chest. Sightings
became more and more frequent over time. A vixen
had cubs under a friend’s garden shed and savaged
her poor dog when it was let out into their garden.
We watched a young cat and a young fox playing
together on the embankment one late afternoon. I
feared for the safety of the cat, but saw it several
times on other days afterwards. My son, aged 10 at
the time, was lying on the embankment at dusk
watching the moon rise when he became aware of a
wet nose snuffling his hair. He kept very still in case a
movement might scare the fox into biting him and
was very relieved when it ambled off. Some years
later the foxes dug a home with an entrance on the
embankment and a second one in our garden. There
were four cubs as a rule and it was possible to get
really close when I was working in and around my
greenhouse at the bottom of the garden. I learned to
my cost that you couldn't leave anything in the garden
which could be used as a plaything - gardening shoes
left outside the back door to dry were found, badly
mauled, almost anywhere in the garden. A new,
expensive pair of gardening gloves were accidentally
left on the garden seat and found, fingerless and
shredded several days later. My small heather bed
was treated as trampoline and flattened. Incidentally,
do not put blood-fish-and-bone meal in your planting
holes if there are foxes around - everything you have
planted will be dug up as the foxes search for the
bones they can smell!
For a long time we didn't see a grey squirrel in
Queensbury, for which I was very grateful - me and
squirrels don't go well together! Now, however, one
has made its way from the copse down the road to our
garden. There may be more but I have only ever seen
one. It raids the bird food, eats my bulbs, chews on
the plant labels and generally makes a nuisance of
itself. There were a couple of families in the horse
chestnut trees at the bottom of the Dulwich gardens. I
did not lose bulbs - instead I got horse chestnut
seedlings in the pots of bulbs. One made the mistake
of deciding to investigate my mother's sitting room
through the open French windows, unaware that my
Siamese cat was sunning herself just inside. They
both took off along the top of the fence as if shot from
a cannon and the squirrel only escaped because it was
quicker up a tree than my cat!
I have a love/hate relationship with what I have
always called field mice (I think they are actually
wood mice). I got on well enough with the Dulwich
mice except on a couple of occasions. The food for
Mr Rusty the guinea-pig was kept in a box in the
bike shed and twice I grabbed a handful of food only
Page 4
to find I had a warm, furry, wildly kicking bundle we continued quite happily until about three years ago
instead. I don't know which of us was most startled! when I opened my jumper drawer in the bedroom and
Mr Rusty took in a lodger to keep him company; met the gaze of a field mouse, up on her hind legs,
every time I pulled out his bedding hay I disturbed the caught in the act of turning my best woolly jumper
mouse which lived in with him! My Queensbury field into a well-chewed fluffy nest. A week or two later
mice have developed a living pattern which suits them my husband found the nest building had been moved
more than me. Every year, as soon as the weather into his jumper drawer so they too had to go. I work
turns autumnal, they move into the house, and every round the ones who live in the greenhouse for the
spring they return to the garden. For some years this winter by putting very fine wire netting over my pots
worked quite well. In fact when I was living alone in and am resigned to the mess of chewed up
the house (son on a world exploration and husband polystyrene they regularly leave. I keep this for
working in London) I made a pet of one and fed 'crocks' in the bigger flower pots. The difficulty is
him/her on sunflower seeds every evening on the when the bulbs etc. have grown too tall to remain
kitchen floor. Then the house adjoining ours was under the netting as the mice are just ready to eat the
given a complete up-date and the house mice from new shoots as a first course and the bulbs/seeds for
there moved into our house. That evening I witnessed pudding.
a fierce battle on the kitchen floor - 2 house mice v 1 Two animals exclusive to Queensbury were rabbits
field mouse. The house mice won. In the following and a stoat. The first really snowy winter after we
weeks there were mouse 'trails' everywhere not only moved in the rabbits ringed the bark off everything
in the kitchen; a box of biscuits was raided, as was a growing above the snow; they even climbed up into
box of chocolates; my emergency store of candles the hazel bush as the gnawings showed. However,
was gnawed and they must have been the cleanest several times the following spring I saw two men with
mice ever for they also ate almost a whole bar of lurcher dogs and shot guns out in the fields and I
Fairy soap kept in a bucket under the sink for haven't seen a rabbit since. The stoat I saw running
scrubbing the floor. There were no further sightings along the top of our terrace wall early one morning of the field mouse/mice so once again the rat catcher, the only sighting.
now called a rodent operative, was called in. The
following autumn the garden refugees returned and Audrey Luff
************************************
BOTHERED BY FOXES?
Audrey (see article above) clearly has a fairly relaxed attitude to foxes in her garden. However, they can be a
nuisance with digging and fouling, and if you are not entranced by natural history on your doorstep, they can
become an upsetting problem. The time, fast approaching, when the cubs emerge from their den, can be a
delight to some, and to others a portent of teenage foxes burrowing in the garden later in the year. Foxes are
not classed as vermin, and local authorities have no legal obligation to act against them.
Whatever your feelings on vulpine matters, good advice can be obtained from The Fox Project, a registered
charity dedicated to our native Red Fox. Amongst other things it runs a rescue service for injured or sick foxes,
covering a large part of South-east London, Kent and East Sussex.
The Fox Project will also advise on humane fox deterrence, “the thinking man’s pest control”. Rather than
killing foxes by trapping, shooting or poisoning, fox deterrence utilises a knowledge of fox psychology and
turns that psychology on the animal itself. Your garden problems are sorted out; the animal does not lose its
life, but learns how to behave on your property, and will keep away other foxes. If “your” fox were removed,
another would soon fill the vacancy!
The Fox Project sell a detailed book, Unearthing the Urban Fox, £7.95, with comprehensive DIY advice.
If you prefer specific advice or a professional service, they recommend the three wildlife consultancies listed
below. Enjoy your native wildlife if you can!
The Fox Project: www.foxproject.org.uk
email: [email protected]
Admin office: 01892 824111 Fox deterrence helpline (24 hours): 01892 8262
The Fox Website: www.thefoxwebsite.net
Humane Wildlife Deterrence Association: www.jbryant.co.uk
Foxolutions: www.foxolutions.co.uk
LHS Summer 2015 Newsletter
Page 5
LHS SPRING SHOW : Saturday 21st March 2015,
at St Luke’s Church, West Norwood
Our thanks go to Audrey and Ken Luff for their prize
sponsorship, and to the judges: Audrey Head, Bill Lockyer,
Joan Lockyer, Diana Smale and Virginia Kennedy.
Trophies awarded were as follows:
Best Children’s exhibit was awarded to Benjamin KingsleyScott who had painted a vase using special paint and pens as
a Mother’s Day present.
A big hairy cactus, all of fourteen inches tall, was judged to be
the best horticultural exhibit and the shield was awarded to
Ben Pizzoferro.
The Lily Jeal plate for the most points gained in the domestic
section was awarded to Sue Wallace, who has now scored a
hat trick, as this makes it three years in a row.
The Joan Axon shield for the best floral art exhibit was awarded to
Mrs S Buxton, whose entry in the Simplicity class was a
composition of white lilies, resting on foliage, backed by triple
vertical stems of pussy willow, all mounted on a square glass base.
The best photographic entry was a Western Isles seascape, shafts
of sunlight through clouds onto rippling water, entered by Ruth
Lyon.
The best handicraft exhibit was awarded to St James’s Church in
the exhibit of needlecraft class, Not by might, nor by power, but by
my spirit.
The Cheviot Gardens award for the best domestic exhibit was
awarded to Bob Tydeman for his apple tart (as recipe).
Bob Tydeman
(Photos: Peter Day)
LHS Summer 2015 Newsletter
Page 6
THREE GARDEN HISTORY EVENTS TO VISIT IN LONDON
If you are interested in garden history, there is a lot happening in London at the moment. Here are three very
different events not to be missed, including one for Chelsea visitors.
Painting Paradise: the Art of the Garden: Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, until 11th October.
020 7766 7300; www.royalcollection.org.uk
This very enjoyable companion guide to garden history comprises about 150 exhibits – paintings, drawings,
manuscripts, porcelain and objets d’art from the Royal Collection. There are some well-known works, such as
Brueghel’s Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (1615), elegant botanical drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, and
watercolours by gentleman-botanist Alexander Marshal for his late 17th century Florilegium. Images of Kew
and the dilapidated Hermitage at Frogmore rub shoulders with tapestries, jewellery, furniture and rare
enamelled and hardstone flowers by Fabergé.
(Source: Tim Richardson, Telegraph Gardening, March 21st 2015)
Education of a Gardener: the life and work of Russell Page: The Garden Museum, Lambeth Palace
Road, SE1, until 21st June. 020 7401 8865; www.gardenmuseum.org.uk
Russell Page was garden designer to the jet-set in the 1960s, but now is almost forgotten, despite fragments
of his life and work being scattered all over Europe. This exhibition hopes to introduce Page to a new
generation of gardeners. As he revealed in his 1962 book, The Education of a Gardener, his interest in
gardening began as a bored teenager at a county flower show, suddenly struck dumb by the beauty of
Campanula pulla. Aloof, taciturn, and very tall, he apparently terrified many of his clients, but he made many
gardens abroad, especially in Italy. He was sensitive always to the history and locality, “spirit of place” as he
called it. Those people who still remember him do so with fondness, revealing a man true to himself,
indifferent to the fashions of the time, with confidence in his own experience.
(Source: Christopher Woodward, Telegraph Gardening, March 21st 2015)
Sir Cedric Morris’s irises at Chelsea Flower Show: Howard Nurseries stand GPG2, Great Pavilion, RHS
Chelsea Flower Show, 19-23 May 2015. Sarah Cook, [email protected]; 01473 822400
Sarah Cook was head gardener at Sissinghurst when she came across a plant label for the iris ‘Benton Nigel’.
Sarah had been brought up in Suffolk, and realised that this was one of the long-neglected irises bred by Sir
Cedric Morris at Benton End in the ‘40s and ‘50s. She began researching the irises and found that 90 had been
named, including several more ‘Bentons’. The irises, described by Dan Pearson as having ”soft bruised colours
and elegant open flower forms”, were distributed by Morris to various nurseries, who sold them up until the
early ‘70s and showed them at Chelsea. To date, Sarah has found 25 named Morris introductions with good
provenance, and five more are awaiting verification. Cedric Morris was well-known and loved in Suffolk ; an
excellent painter, he ran the East Anglian Art School at Benton End for more than 40 years, as well as breeding
his award-winning irises. Many of the Benton irises are named after people, ‘Nigel’ being named for Beth
Chatto’s friend Nigel Scott. Morris was Beth Chatto’s lifelong friend and mentor.
Sarah is delighted that Howard Nurseries have taken on these irises, of which she says, ”They’re reliable and
disease-resistant and the wonderful thing about tall bearded irises is that they flower at the end of May when
not a lot of other things do. Anyone could fit one into their garden”.
For more details of this fascinating search, read the article “Cedric rides again” at Telegraph Gardening online.
(Source: Paula McWaters, Telegraph Gardening, April 18th 2015)
LHS Summer 2015 Newsletter
Page 7
OCTAVIA HILL
I was very interested to see in an old edition of the newsletter Ann
Shaw’s letter about the striking pelargonium ‘Octavia Hill’.
As Ann says, Octavia Hill was an energetic and committed
campaigner, with many achievements. She was born in Wisbech,
Cambridgeshire, my husband Michael’s home town – where there
is an Octavia Hill Museum - and so we take an interest in her life
and works.
Octavia Hill is probably best known now for her role in founding
the National Trust, but she was also one of the first to
comprehend the link between poor living conditions and disease.
She did much to improve the living conditions of the Victorian
poor and founded, for example, the Octavia Hill estates around
Vauxhall and Waterloo (although their sale a few years ago
provoked controversy).
Octavia Hill, by John Singer Sargent
In Southwark, there is the restored Red Cross Garden, where Octavia Hill sought to provide meaningful work
for the poor and opportunities for their children to play in safety. It’s well worth a visit; and, for anyone who
wants another memento of Octavia Hill for their garden, there is also a rose which the Harkness Roses
website describes as having “all the charm of the Victorian garden with all the advantages and repeatflowering abundance of modern roses”.
Gabrielle Garton Grimwood
(Photo : Wikipedia)
www.octaviahill.org
www.bost.org.uk/open-places/red-cross-garden
www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/5174
www.roses.co.uk/shrubs/156-octavia-hill.html
www.southwark.anglican.org/news/octavia_sermon.htm
Thatu wine tasting in the Lambeth Mayor’s Parlour
Friday 26 June 2015 6.30pm – 8.30pm
You are invited to a wine tasting with a difference. Thatu is giving you the
chance to taste some brilliant South African wines in aid of its work to help deprived communities in South
Africa improve their nutrition by growing their own food.
Thanks to the generosity of the Lambeth Mayor, the event will be in the Mayor's Parlour in Lambeth Town
Hall, London SW2 1RW between 6.30pm and 8.30pm on Friday 26 June 2015. Places are strictly limited, so
book now!
Your evening’s host will be the acclaimed and highly entertaining Jimmy Smith, founder of the West London
Wine School. He is guaranteed to give you a fun and informative evening guiding you through tastings of up to
eight wines from probably the world’s fastest-rising wine-making country. Even if you think you know about
South African wines, you are certain to discover something new. Spitting is allowed and you can nibble on
biscuits, biltong and cheese.
You will even get the chance to taste one of the world’s top ten wines – mentioned in Jane Austen’s Pride and
Prejudice, in Charles Dickens’ The Mystery of Edwin Drood and even requested by Napoleon on his deathbed!
Places are strictly limited, so early booking for this fun and educational evening is essential. The cost is only
£35 and all proceeds will go to the charity Thatu. (www.thatu.org UK Registered Charity No 1108655)
Reserve your place by emailing [email protected] or telephoning 07910 332939.
LHS Summer 2015 Newsletter
Page 8
FROM THE ARCHIVES
LIGHT IN YOUR GARDEN
First published in the LHS Newsletter
Summer 1994
How often do we stop to consider light? We know
when it is dark and when the sun is out, but what
effect does light have, day to day, on your garden?
Many of us may only be tempted out into the garden
when the sun is shining, but how much do we really
notice? Certain plants, when backlit by strong light,
have leaves that become wonderfully translucent.
Many purple leaved plants are transformed, Heuchera
‘Palace purple’, Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’ and
Rheum palmatum ‘Atrosanguineum’ amongst them.
Golden
foliage
plants
including
Robinia
pseudoacacia ‘Frisia’ and Acer japonicum ‘Aureum’
are similarly striking. Many trees and shrubs have
tinted young foliage and colour amazingly in autumn.
Again, this is all enhanced by backlighting. Some
flowers become magical, even delicate, constructions
when lit from behind, whereas they just appear flat
when in direct, strong light. Often, when trying to
photograph gardens, strong sunlight is a disaster;
shadows become black caverns, and sunlit areas
sparkling and
rather
colourless.
Although
unsophisticated photographic equipment exaggerates
this effect, we ourselves see it similarly.
Often when there is quite heavy cloud cover and
reduced light source, greens in particular, but colours
in general, become incredibly rich and intense. This
is often noticeable after a shower of rain.
Some plants and structures in our gardens can make
fascinating silhouettes. Upright conifers such as
Juniperus virginian ‘Skyrocket’, a corkscrew hazel,
or the finely detailed twigs of a silver birch are
examples. Pergolas, statuary, trellis work and ornate
gazebos can be equally effective. These structures
can also give good shadows, creating strong abstract,
geometric patterns across our terraces and lawns,
giving another dimension to largely flat and uniform
areas. Wrought iron in all its complexity has a
decorative effect.
The movement of plants creates endless permutations
of light and shade. Underplanting of large trees can
take advantage of this. Fresh, spring green growths of
Millum effusum ‘Aureum’ amongst the dark foliage
of Arum italicum ‘Pictum’ with dappled light and
shade shimmering over it is quite stunning.
Some effects are particularly apparent in winter. We
have already mentioned silhouettes. Also in this
season, when perhaps uninspired by other aspects of
our gardens, reflections in our pools or bird-baths
lighten the scene. We can contrive our reflected
images by installing a sculpture, perhaps one that
deliberately uses mirror images, or a particularly
LHS Summer 2015 Newsletter
good plant. These features will show up with a
background of light, reflected sky. A mirror placed
on a shady, dark wall, perhaps can reflect a much
more sunlit view, not only apparently enlarging the
space, but also enhancing it with borrowed light.
Some plants with downy leaves hold drops of water.
Alchemilla mollis after a shower of rain is bejewelled
with reflective drops of water. I know a cherry tree,
whose twigs are bedecked with sparkling droplets
after rain, that changes colour when backed by a
sunset.
Some of these effects can be achieved by artificial
means, but Nature rings so many changes,
independent of our technology, it almost seems
superfluous. What we can do, though, is to consider
these “perks” when planning our gardens and site our
special effect accordingly.
Virginia Kennedy
THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM’S WILD
GARDEN
Few know of this one-acre wildlife garden, yet it is 20
years old this year. Established by scientists in 1995
to study London’s flora and fauna, it is also a living
educational resource. Visitors can walk among
heathland, chalk downland, hedgerow and
woodland, all natural habitats which have declined
over the centuries as agricultural methods have
changed. On what used to be a car park are mature
trees, home to bird and bat boxes, three ponds,
reed beds and woodland coppice. Regular biological
recordings have identified more than 2,500 species,
including 500 species of butterfly and moth, and 300
species of lichen, some normally only found on
heathland. Greater spotted woodpeckers can be
heard, and blue and great tits use the nest boxes.
The garden has several species of bat, a pair of
moorhens and a family of foxes. Wild flowers are all
native and match the specific habitat they represent.
A colony of honey bees live in a large, hollow oak log
with a viewing panel, and numerous information
boards clarify leaf shapes and plant varieties.
Next time you are in South Kensington and long to
escape the traffic noise – pop in and visit this wild
oasis!
Open April 1st – October 31st, 10am-5pm daily,
admission free. 020 7942 5000 www.nhm.ac.uk
(Source: Kate Bradbury, Telegraph Gardening,
April 4th 2015)
Page 9
Talk: PLANTING IN TUFA TROUGHS
by Ray Bates, 22nd April 2015
Ray’s family-run business is Rotherview Nursery, established in
1989 and now situated at Three Oaks near Hastings. Originally
specialising in alpines, they now grow and stock a wide range of
hardy plants, including alpines, ferns, perennials and camellias.
They exhibit at several shows each year including the RHS
shows, and the nursery is open to the public.
Ray explained that it is difficult to give a good display of alpines
in gravel in containers, but displaying them in troughs is very
successful, and they sell well.
Rhodohypoxis in a tufa trough (photo:Rotherview)
They planted in real stone and rock troughs at first, but these were so heavy they had to use cranes to move
them, and they were very expensive. Next tried were butler sinks, thrown out of houses during modernisation,
covered in hypertufa to look like stone. These were lighter, but still unwieldy. Now a “stone” trough is likely to
be a polystyrene fish box coated in hypertufa, a sand/peat/cement mixture developed by the Alpine Garden
Society. Nowadays he uses recycled compost instead of peat. These troughs are much lighter and insulate the
plant roots, which is good for alpines.
Why grow plants in troughs? There is the intrinsic charm of a rock garden in miniature, a good feature in a
small garden or on a patio; for the plants, cultural conditions can be well controlled. Some groups of alpines
need completely different growing conditions to others. In a trough, the amount of food and water can be easily
controlled. Alpines need little of either.
Siting the trough is important - the plants need an open, sunny site, as in Nature they live above the tree line, so
check the garden conditions for sun, wind, shade etc. Ideally place the trough on a paved or gravel area - then
you can plant in the gravel to match, as a feature.
Ensure that your trough has drainage holes and tilt it slightly towards them; lift the trough off the ground to
keep the drainage free. The soil mix should be acidic, with sharp drainage. John Innes No2 is a good base with
added grit and slow-release fertiliser. All pre-planted pots sold at Rotherview also incorporate an anti-fungal.
Ray then demonstrated how to plant up a trough from scratch, filling the container with an alpine mix. To give
the display height he added rocks of varying sizes. Here he uses real tufa, which is limestone - the plants don't
seem to mind this. He used a saxifrage and several other plants to give a succession of flowering times,
allowing plenty of space for growth over 2-3 years, and tucking rocks around and between them as appropriate.
Finally he top-dressed the trough with alpine grit, working it in under the lower leaves to avoid them getting
wet. Planting slightly high makes this easier.
It is better to grow alpines in the cold - in the wild they are often under snow in winter. Ray only provides heat
at propagation time. Too much heat can lead to large weak plants, susceptible to botrytis.
After refreshments, during which Ray was available to give advice and sell some of his plants, the evening was
rounded off with questions and discussion.
Rotherview Nursery, Ivyhouse lane, Three Oaks, Hastings TN35 4NP 01424 756228
www.rotherview.com
Email: [email protected]
CAMBERWELL GARDENS GUILD COACH TRIPS
We have received notification of 3 coach trips which you may like to join.
Saturday 6th June to Hever Castle, Edenbridge, Kent, fare £12, entry fee £12.65/£11.00.
Saturday 18th July to Ightham Mote, Sevenoaks, Kent, fare £12 , free entry this day.
Saturday 12th September to Nuffield Place, Henley on Thames, fare £12, entry fee £7.75.
Contact: J Finlay 07758 149408 or L Smith 07930 857933
LHS Summer 2015 Newsletter
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Dates for 2015
May 20th
Talk: Heritage vegetables We have again snaffled Gold medal winner Chris Smith of Pennard
Plants. Always a charismatic speaker, Chris will be talking about one of his specialities and
hopes to bring samples with him.
Please note that this talk is being held on the THIRD Wednesday of May to coincide with
Chelsea week.
June 24th
Talk: Winning ways with Mig Mig Kimpton, Chelsea Gold medal winning floral artist, will
be taking us through the steps to a successful show display. Volunteers will be needed to
bring raw materials and work with him on the demonstrations – if you would like to be one of
the lucky participants, please let Rhiannon know in advance.
July 18th-19th
Lambeth Country Show (Saturday & Sunday)
July 22nd
Talk: Gardens in France Colin Jones will take us on one of his beautifully-illustrated tours of
gardens across the Channel.
August 26th
Talk: to be arranged
September 23rd Talk: to be arranged
October 28th
LHS Prize-giving and Social
November 25th Talk: to be arranged
Talks take place on the fourth Wednesday of every month from April to November inclusive.
All talks start at 8.00pm (doors open 7.30pm) and finish at 10pm.
Entry is free and non-members are welcome!
We shall continue to meet at St Luke's Church, Knights Hill, West Norwood,
for the foreseeable future.
LAMBETH HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OFFICERS
LHS website address: www.lambethhorticulturalsociety.org.uk
Chair
Show Secretary
Tony Pizzoferro
Bob Tydeman
Flat 2, 1 Chatsworth Way, West Norwood
58 Gipsy Hill, London SE19 1PD
London SE27 9HR
Phone: 020 8761 5543
Phone: 020 8766 6438
Secretary and Membership Secretary
Outings Organiser
Rhiannon Harlow Smith
Brendan Byrne
32 Chatsworth Way, London SE27 9HN
10A The Pavement, Chapel Road, SE27 0UN
Phone: 020 8244 9317
Phone: 020 8761 5651
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Newsletter Editor
Trading Secretary
Val Hunn
Eveline Cragg
33 Boughton Avenue, Hayes, Bromley, Kent BR2 7PL
8A the Woodlands, Beulah Hill, London SE19 3EG
Phone: 020 8402 0433
Phone: 020 8771 4311
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
LHS Summer 2015 Newsletter
Page 11
TRADING HUT
Cedar Tree Close, Cedar Tree Grove (off Lakeview Road, Knight’s Hill, London SE27)
Opening times: Saturday: 2.00pm – 4.30pm (last customer 4.15)
Sunday: 10.00am – 12.30pm (last customer 12.15)
Exceptions – The Hut will be closed on Show dates – Saturday 5th September (LHS Summer Show)
and the weekend of 18th-19th July (Lambeth Country Show).
CURRENT STOCK AT THE HUT
The Hut is fully stocked with composts, fertilisers and manures. You may also find patio plants,
vegetables, roses, tender perennials, and annuals. There are always plenty of flower and vegetable
seeds, hanging basket materials, containers, tools - everything you need to keep up the momentum
of the gardening year; and, of course, free advice from our seasoned gardeners!
******************************************
VOLUNTEERS WELCOME
ON SATURDAY OR SUNDAY!
The Hut is the Society’s chief source of income, and is
used by many members who take advantage of the
competitive prices and wide range of stock. However, it
only runs on the goodwill of its volunteer helpers – and
we always need more!
If you would like to join the happy band of volunteers at
The Hut, for one day a month, one weekend a month, or
any other permutation, please call in at The Hut, or
contact our Trading Secretary, Eveline Cragg, on
020 8771 9212.
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Early warning - Summer Show photographic classes
The LHS Summer Show will be on Saturday 5th September 2015. Why not get ahead by
planning to take some photos over the next few months, to enter in the photographic
classes? The titles of the three classes are:
2 Coloured prints – “How beautiful they stand”
1 Print – “Fast falls the eventide”
1 Print – any subject, maximum size 7” x 5”
Have a go – you may just surprise yourself and win a prize!
(Articles and photos in this issue are by the Editor unless otherwise stated)
LHS Summer 2015 Newsletter
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