WHAT exactly is a Hardy Plant? Vivienne McGhee, previous National Chairman of the Hardy Plant Society, shared her love of plants and Hardy Plants in particular during her lively presentation to the Club on Thursday 8th January. The HPS has 8,000 members many of which belong to local or specialist groups and has a conservation scheme to preserve some of the older plant varieties.

When determining if a plant will grow and survive in your own garden it is important to understand aspects such as environment, climate, soil and life processes. Vivienne shared the RHS Plant Hardiness Ratings and members took part in a quiz to test their knowledge on which plants are the hardiest. She also shared photos of some of her successes (and failures!) in growing hardy plants and gave recommendations on good varieties to choose..

Our Annual General Meeting takes place at 7.00 pm on Thursday 5th February in Bretforton Memorial Hall. This is the meeting when we elect members to the Committee, choose the charities we wish to support for the Open Gardens, and receive reports on the business and finances of the Club. We will also be welcoming Bob Brown as our speaker for the evening. Bob will be known to many of you as the owner of the Cotswold Flower Nursery and is speaking to us on ‘So Many Flowers, So Little Space’.

There is no better way to banish your winter cobwebs than by admiring the snowdrop display at Colesbourne Park. We are planning a coach trip there from Bretforton on Saturday 21st February, non-members are welcome.

Bretforton Garden Club provides a great opportunity for people to learn about a variety of gardening topics in a friendly environment and enjoy interesting days out. We would be delighted to see any new members who wish to join. Please go to our website www.bretforton-gardenclub.co.uk for more information.

RITA BOOTH