AFTER welcoming members to the meeting, chairman, Jonathan Collins, introduced Victoria Logue, the speaker for the evening. Victoria trained at Pershore College and worked with Bob Brown at Cotswold Garden Flowers, she now runs her own plant nursery high up in the Cotswolds. The audience were treated to a humorous and enlightening talk about how to extend the season in your garden.

The talk highlighted the need to have plants that ‘earned their keep’ in the garden and a useful way of seeing whether or not plants were in the right place is to take regular photographs of the garden. Unusually for a speaker Victoria was happy to show photographs of some of her own garden ‘disasters’ describing one planting of grasses as “looking as if planted by aliens.” If plants were in the wrong place or not performing well we were advised to move them to another part of the garden or to ‘the Gardening Club Plants for Sale Table’! Other advice included the necessity of regular feeding of flowering plants, this being one of the main differences between professional growers and amateurs. Various ways of enhancing the garden throughout the seasons were shown, including the use of sculptures, statues, focal points, seats, trees with decorative bark and autumn leaf colour.

Following questions from the audience an appreciative vote of thanks was given for a lively and very useful talk.

On June 15 some Mickleton Gardening Club members will be opening their gardens for club members and their guests. Maps will be available from King George’s Hall, Mickleton from 6pm. New members are welcome!

SANDRA REED