‘Create A Garden For All Seasons’ was the topic choice that received the most votes by members from Adam’s list. We will be sending out the Zoom link to you all nearer the time.  Meanwhile, below is Adam’s description of the talk, which we hope as many members as possible will be able to join.

“Would you like to look out onto a beautiful garden all-year-round filled with some of the best performing flowers, hardy perennials, bulbs, shrubs, ornamental trees and colourful seasonal plants available?
In this illustrated talk Adam includes practical planning and design tips to help you plant a garden that provides colour and interest throughout the year. Adam also gives planting suggestions for long-lasting colour combinations and monthly showstoppers to enjoy in different seasons.
As well as ‘tried and tested’ favourites that are guaranteed to perform year after year he also introduces some unusual varieties and highlights flowers and plants new to the market. Plants are recommended for different soils, sites and situations, helping fill every corner of the garden and patio with colour.
With photographs and videos taken in Adam’s home garden in Peterborough and at some of the best gardens around the country, this talk will feature plants that provide a long period of colour through the year. Emphasis will also be given to planting combinations and plants that provide continuity of colour with more than one season of interest.
From hardy perennials to climbers, roses to seasonal bulbs, grasses to succulents, and even easy plants to raise from seed, Adam’s illustrated talk is sure to inspire!”
We will be sending out the Zoom link for the talk to everyone nearer the time.

*STOP PRESS NEWS* We know that many of you were concerned and offered your suggestions regarding the only funds we had not been able to reclaim back from the Agents of one of the Speakers for the cancelled PAPs event.  This has been wrangling on for almost a year now, however, we are pleased to report that Lynn has continued her tenacious efforts on this and she is now pleased to report that we are to receive a full refund of the deposit of £500 back into HPSMG’s bank account.  Much time and effort has gone into this by Carol and Lynn over the past year and is a great relief, with a significant outstanding amount going back into Group funds, which at one stage did not seem at all likely. HPSMG OUTINGS 2021: Please email us your interest in either of these two trips as we need to know numbers before we can book: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Church Gardens, Harefield: Wednesday 14 July 2021 at 10.30 am.  Entrance £10, includes cake and refreshments.  Members will need to use their own cars or public transport for this trip.  By CAR:  follow the postcode UB9 6DU to Church Hill and enter down through the height restriction barrier into St Mary’s Church car park or outside the church.  By BUS: No 331 and U9 buses to Church Hill Stop, then a 2 minute walk.  We can all meet at the entrance in good time for a 10.30 am start. https://www.churchgardens.co.uk/copy-of-visit-us

RHS Garden Wisley Flower Show: Wednesday, 8 September 2021.  Group visit for up to maximum of 15 people travelling on a community bus; or you may prefer to drive yourself and we can all meet there.  Please let us know if you intend to travel by the community bus OR by your own transport AND also if you are an RHS member - as there is FREE entrance for RHS members - https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley/RHS-Garden-Wisley-Flower-Show
HPSMG Group Speaker Programme for 2021 – (COVID Restrictions Allowing)

OCTOBER 4th:  *David Hurrion: ‘Pruning’ or ‘The World of Plants in Our Back Gardens’ or ‘Designing to Conceal Unwanted Views and Buildings’ (email us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. your preferred topic choice).

NOVEMBER 1st:  Bob Brown: ‘Plants Grow in Dirt’

DECEMBER 6th:  Val Bourne: ‘Roses and Peonies’: A Marriage Made in Heaven – Speaker to confirm.  The December Group meeting will include a Christmas social of mulled wine and mince pies (subject to COVID restrictions at the time).

*David Hurrion has an excellent website and he also produces an extremely good fortnightly Newsletter which you can subscribe to for free from his website @ www.davidhurrion.com

Brian’s Plant Sales Cancelled: Unfortunately, Brian has informed us that due to the new COVID regulations, he will be unable to hold the 3 public plant sales planned for this year and bookings for the Community Hut will be cancelled.  He wishes us all well for the spring and summer and hopes to see us all, at what we all hope will be our next Group meeting, in September 2021

HPSMG Committee/Helper Vacancies:

As we all know, the success of our local Middlesex Hardy Plant Society is dependent upon volunteers whose work is very much appreciated. 

Currently, we are still short of Committee members AND volunteer helpers in order to organise and progress the Group through 2021 and beyond.   This is a good way to become involved in running your local Society at a local level. During the pandemic, our Committee has been using Zoom for meetings and it is likely that this will continue, as well as meeting in person, enabling participation by members more widely across the county. 

If you, or anyone you know would be interested in joining us as a Committee member or helper, we would love to welcome people on board.  We would like to be able to reach out more widely to our local community and make the most of the positivity and recognition around the benefits of being involved more closely with plants, gardens and community spaces.  We hope more people will join us in helping to provide an enjoyable, informative, relaxed and encouraging appreciation of hardy plants in our local community.  We would be pleased to hear from any interested potential Committee members, helper volunteers or new members at any time by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Conservation Scheme:

Chrysanthemum Dulwich Pink  -  Linda Martin  

 

Phlox Lady Grey - I thought it was dead, but again one stem with lots of flowers. 

Markings not as distinct as photos on details from the Society.  Linda Martin

 

“The plant did really well and I must apologise that I didn’t think to photograph it when it was flowering at its peak; the photo attached was taken this morning after all that rain but you can see just how many flowers there were.

I didn’t take any cuttings this year as the plant was still getting established but I will try when the new shoots emerge next spring.

Having said that, in the summer the dog accidentally broke off a shoot which came away with a bit of root so that plant is now in my sister’s garden down in Hampshire. Fingers crossed the plants survive the winter.” Wendy Jones

 

Erysimum 'Ruston Royal – Ros Bryar