What would be the best weather to ensure a super Spring Show? It would not be a sudden blaze of hot weather to bring on all the blossom, then more heat to dry said blossoms (the gardeners were the only people looking miserable while everybody else was trying out their shorts and suntan lotion) .And then very windy weather to blow away the shrivelled blossom. Great. That’s what we got. But Ash Gardeners rose to the challenge and produced some lovely exhibits, some of which would usually have graced a summer show. There were daffodils in nearly all classes, including those not usually...

The previously scheduled speaker had to pull out through ill health, and Martin stepped into the breach with just a few days’ notice, for which he was warmly thanked. Martin is an ecologist with a long career behind him, and continuing: he is currently engaged in a biodiversity survey at Sissinghurst. He lives in a house that was once occupied by Noel Coward’s gardener!  For his talk to us, he presented an easily overlooked aspect of gardening: how did those familiar plants come to be in our gardens in the first place? Some have been developed from native species, some originate...

Our February talk, coming at the end of the week in which Winter at last tried to turn into Spring, featured the young horticultural entrepreneur Laura Brady, who runs a market garden at Brogdale Farm, near Faversham. A graduate of Harper Adams University at Newport in Shropshire, Laura has gained experience of agriculture and horticulture around the world (she has been firmly bitten by the travel bug). This told her as much about what she did not want to do as what she did. She decided to concentrate on quality rather than yield and set up a gardening business to focus on taste and...

Despite a summer that was first hot and dry and then wet, the gardeners of Ash & District produced a memorable show, as commented on by the judge: “The standard of the show entries was excellent. Please do let your participants know their produce look great and would certainly hold their own at a national show!”  It was a memorable year for apples with 10 entries, won by the Grannie Smiths entered by Val McCulloch. There were fewer flower entries, reflecting the weather conditions, although there was a good display of dahlias. The flower arranging classes proved popular, with a new...

It was an early start from Ash for members and friends , as we had anticipated a rather arduous journey as this particular weekend was one when the M25 / A3 Junction was closed due to the major road works there . However our driver Derek had done his homework and led us through the leafy back lanes of Surrey on his diversion route , with only a small amount of extra time incurred. Arrival at RHS Wisley was a pleasant surprise for those of us who had not visited in the recent past ; the very majestic new double row of matched trees into the new reception area – this avenue also extending...

The Society was very pleased to be invited to the garden of our President Christine Brown and her husband Albert, in Pudding Lane , on the evening of 26th June for our Annual Rose Show.  Several members had been in that garden many years previous for the same event, and we were shocked to see how much larger all those trees had now grown!     We were fortunate to have very pleasant sunny weather although it was rather breezy , which seems to be characteristic of our current summer ! Among the lovely borders and trees we relaxed with drinks and...

Arit is well-known as a presenter of several TV gardening shows from Gardeners’ World to Garden Rescue, she came to Ash at the end of November to talk to over 100 people interested in her idea that gardens and gardening promote wellbeing. After working in the fashion industry for about 25 years she started on a course in garden design and within three years won an award at Chelsea, part of the RHS New Shoots programme to encourage careers in all aspects of horticulture.  Her talk began with personal account of her experiences ranging over a number of aspects of her relatively short...

Our members were treated to a very  interesting talk by Dan Cooper  on ‘Growing a gorgeous garden in pots ‘.  It turns out that Dan ,who lives in Broadstairs , had no choice but to garden only in pots as his back yard was concrete over a void below. His great photos showed how he has created a magnificent space with good growth all year round. There, the many semi-exotic plants can survive the winter as the location has sea on three sides.  He gave us a good number of useful tips – using large a pot as it practical to cut down on watering requirement , grouping pots together to reduce...