COLINTON GARDEN CLUB
NEWSLETTER NO 71 August 2005

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Don’t forget that the first meeting of the new session is on Monday 26th September at 8.00 p.m. (see below or events)

We have asked the Royal Botanic Gardens to run a workshop on plant division on 1 April 2006, 9.30 – 12.30 p.m. Places limited, bookings accepted with payment from 24th October. Cost is £9.50

Winter fertiliser order

A blank order form is enclosed with this newsletter. Please pass your completed form to Dina Milne by Monday 26th September

New library books!

Jo McEwan writes:

New books for the new session! We've added 3 new books to the library stock, ready for our first meeting in September:

'Plant' by Janet Marinelli/DK - a hefty comprehensive tome full of everything you could wish to know

'Succession Planting for Adventurous Gardeners' - a new book by Christopher Lloyd

'Beth Chatto's Damp Garden' - a new book by Beth Chatto

Newsletter

Many thanks go to Pat Currie for all her hard work in putting the newsletter together over the last few years. Pat has now handed the reins to fellow committee member Alasdair Ferguson

Chair's Introduction

“The fault was nature’s fault not thine,
Which made thee fickle as thou art.”

To a youthful friend
Lord Byron

“Summer has gone on swallow’s wings”

The departure of summer
Thomas Hood

This summer has been a theatrical lady of capricious moods; one moment sultry and warm, another, dark and forbidding; at times, gentle and inviting, but, also, capable of cold and distant humours. The plants are confused and the ground remains hard and dry despite a few teasing showers. Never-theless, as the sorbus bears its torch of berries and the robin follows me round the garden when I water, I realise that summer will soon slip into autumn and the Festival fireworks will light up the dark skies of September in only a few weeks.

It is time to think about the Garden Club autumn programme and to report about those events which have taken place since the last newsletter was issued in April. I do hope that you have enjoyed a wonderful summer of gardening and look forward to meeting you again.

June was when it all happened for Colinton Garden Club! We had our first ever display garden at the “Gardening Scotland” Show and our own Open Gardens, on the 4th. A small group designed and constructed a micro-garden with the theme of an impression of Colinton with the Pentlands covered in woods, moors and sheep, the crags, the river, the bridge, the park and the gardens of Colinton; all created in miniature. We did not win any prizes but we were proud of our efforts and we had good fun participating in such a big professional event. I thank the other members of the group for their cooperation and team spirit. We hope Colinton will participate again, next year.

Although the constant downpours during the weekend of the Show eased the burden of maintaining the micro-garden, the rain was confined to light showers on the morning of our own show gardens. This was a very happy and successful occasion when members were welcomed by Mr and Mrs Innes, Miss McLaughlin, and Mr and Mrs Duffy to their lovely gardens in Torphin and Woodfield. Everyone who came along enjoyed socialising, exchanging ideas and buying plants at bargain prices. The Treasurer was delighted too because the sale raised more than ever!

On 9th July, a party of members sallied forth to Fife for the garden outing to Kellie Castle and to Cambo where we had conducted tours of each of the gardens. The sun shone while we dallied among the scented rose bowers of the ancient walled garden at Kellie; the sun stroked our backs as we picnicked by the Cathedral ruins of St. Andrews; and the sun scorched us among the myriads of shimmering colours in the sheltered garden of Cambo. It was a perfect day.

Photographs of all these events are available on the website and there will be a special showing of our wonderful new equipment at our first meeting on 26th September.

We owe a debt of gratitude to those who opened their gardens and to Jonathan Davey for organising the outing and to Sonia Duffy for organising the display on the website.

Following the A.G.M., we welcomed two new members on to the Committee; Dawn Ellis and James Smith. James has taken over responsibility for the garden tools and I have regained my garage. Hoorah!

Sadly, I am afraid that all my persuasive efforts came to naught and you are stuck with me for another year as Chairperson.

Last year was one of new developments and I am delighted to tell you these are continuing. The Garden Club is alive and thriving! In April 2006, we have organised another workshop at the Botanics. Please sign up as soon as you can. If this is oversubscribed, another will be organised at a later date.

In conjunction with Colinton Primary School, we are engaging in a pilot project for a gardening club for children and their parents based at the school on Thursday afternoons, this autumn.

If anyone can offer help, I would be pleased to hear from them. This is only a pilot and will be reviewed at the end of term.

I do look forward to welcoming you to the first meeting in our programme on 26th September when Professor Rankin, who is famous for his plant hunting expeditions to collect alpines, will take us on a tour of the Alps! His wife, who is also an expert, will have plants for sale from her garden at Lasswade at our meeting so we will have the chance to transfer some Alpine treasures to Colinton.

I wish you happy gardening in an Indian summer.

Isobel Lodge

Chairperson

Meetings are held at 8.00 p.m. in the Dreghorn Loan Hall, Dreghorn Loan

Members, please tell your friends about our Club’s events and meetings. They will be made very welcome if they come along and they will be able to see what we have to offer –we hope they will want to join us.

We are now the proud owners of a new LCD projector so not only will this mean that the slides you see will be clearer and sharper, but we can also show some slides of recent events. On 26th September, at the first meeting of the season, we will see slides of the Plant Sale and Open Gardens Event in June, and the garden outing to Fife in July.

Don’t forget that you can borrow gardening books from our library at the Monday evening meetings.

Here are the dates for our main events in 2005/06: