COLINTON GARDEN CLUB
NEWSLETTER NO 84 November 2008

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Monday 24th November,
8p.m.
“ Bees in Your Garden” – Gavin Ramsay, Scottish Crop Research Institute

Wednesday 17th December,
8p.m.
Our annual Christmas extravaganza - get into the festive mood with an evening of fun, entertainment and refreshments!

Membership

If you haven’t renewed your membership please do so as soon as possible – by sending your subscription to Colin Whitehead, 21 Laverockdale Park, Edinburgh EH13 0QE

Good News!

Treasurer's Report on the financial situation as at the year-end
31 August 2008

Our Treasurer writes:

The Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2008 have now been completed and audited.

I am pleased to say they show a net surplus of £644 of income over expenditure and total assets of £6,236 - this figure includes the value of the club's tools, projection equipment, library books and cash in the bank. This compares to a surplus of £743 and total assets of £5,575 for the year ended 31 August 2007.

The Accounts will be formally presented at the AGM next April as usual together with an unaudited update on the current year.

We are benefiting from a strong membership, well-attended workshops, events and outings. Our aim is to provide value and an interesting programme for members and these figures indicate that the Club has strengthened its financial position and we thank all members for their support.

Jo McEwan, Treasurer

Johanna Carrie writes:

Colinton School Garden Club has made a splendid start to the new academic year. We now have 18 pupils on our list - most have come to all four sessions so far and are having fun with our activities. Those parents, who collect their children and speak to us, are very supportive. We have looked at potatoes, several freaky colours were started last year. We had a seed session, which included sowing green haired egg faces using cress. We have also potted up bulbs for forcing and enjoyed a local 'treasure hunt' with Isobel's inventive rhyming clues. On a related issue, the school's Space to Grow project is progressing. Carilion (the flood prevention firm) has prepared the ground next to the school. The whole school community will have the opportunity to be involved in deciding exactly what to plant - play area, fruit and vegetables, flowers? Very much watch this space!

Fungal Foray

Sunday 5th October

Pat Taylor writes:
An enthusiastic group of twenty members and friends turned up at Bonaly car park on what was a beautiful, sunny, autumn afternoon to improve their knowledge of the world of fungi and hopefully take home a few mushrooms for their
tea. Unfortunately our various trugs, baskets and plastic containers remained empty but we all left a touch more informed and eager to find out more.

The foray was led by Susan Falconer of the Pentland Hills Ranger Service and her colleague Martin. Susan explained that it was
a poor year for fungi however she still managed to show us several different varieties on the hill. Most I regret to say were poisonous but one "The Blusher" was edible although only after thorough cooking. At the end of our foray Susan produced a grand selection
of fungi (ones she had picked earlier) some from a secret location in the Pentlands. Although there were one or two edible varieties notably the "Lawyer's Wig" and some chanterelles, a good number were poisonous which left everyone realising just how vitally important it was to have an expert accompany the group. Susan's skill and experience has been acquired over many years and we were very impressed with her knowledge of
the fungi world.

As we all wandered off home down the hill after a most enjoyable afternoon more than a few of us came to the conclusion that if mushroom foraging in the future we would need to have an expert with us or just settle for buying a selection at Sainsbury's!

From the pen of our Chair…

Dear Friends

Autumn is a time of drama. It is Nature’s exuberant display before the winter, a time when the extravert richness of fruits and foliage in hitherto barely suspected glory is displayed. When blue sky follows rain cloud, storms strip the trees and a sense of gathering mellowness fills the shortening days.

Childhood memories recall the smell of smouldering leaves, roasted chestnuts and bonfires. The corn and fruits of the earth have been safely gathered in. Our skills and our trust in nature have been richly rewarded. For a few months gardens and fields are put to rest. It is time for us to tidy up (no lack of work here!) and to turn our attention to more domestic pursuits before flora and fauna reawaken with the sun in the Springtime.

The Club’s year has started well. So far we have 17 new members. There was an enthusiastic audience at our first meeting on 22nd September to be entertained by Lindsay Morrison on “Grow Something Different in a Pot”. We had met Lindsay at her garden in Inwood last July, and with her engaging personal style she did not disappoint us.

The 5th October was a glorious day for the Fungal Foray in the Pentlands, led expertly by Ranger Susan Falconer. It was one of those golden days. This workshop was fully subscribed with participants learning how to find elusive species and being counselled to stick to those they are sure about. There are plenty of edible fungi, but a mistake can have irreversible consequences, so check twice and eat once (to adapt an old saying).

Our Plant Sale & Coffee Morning was held on 18th October (showery, cool weather, but we were under cover) – and was a most successful and pleasant social occasion. It is a time when we can show ourselves on a busy Saturday morning to the wider Colinton community. You responded wonderfully to our appeal for plants – we never had such a wide selection of high quality, priced at bargain prices. The Club made almost £300 and this supports our forthcoming activities. Thank you all for this superb response.

Steve McNamara (Branklyn Garden, Perth) transported us on a travelogue to New Zealand at our meeting on October 27th, showing us spectacular plants in their natural habitat.

In this newsletter you will see reference to what is happening in the rest of the year. I would like to remind you, if you want to come to our Christmas Party, to book your tickets early. This is a popular event but space is limited, as you will understand. Rehearsals for the specially written play start soon and we look forward to the usual expectant and supportive audience.

If you have not yet renewed your membership for 2008-9, may I remind you to do so? The £5 per household covers the cost of providing meetings, news-letters and basic administration, and is excellent value even if you cannot come to all the meetings. If you have mislaid the subscription form which was with the August newsletter, you can download one from the website.

The Colinton Conservation Trust have expressed their appreciation of the help members of the Garden Club give in looking after the “Triangle” in the village, for the enjoyment of everyone who passes by. This is another example of how the Garden Club is closely identified with the values of our community. Thank you!

Happy gardening!

Christopher Davies
Chairperson

Dates for your diary…

Ho Ho Ho!!

Don’t forget our Christmas party is on:

Wednesday
17th. December
at 8.00 pm

(entry from 7.45 pm)

Tickets for this event (£6 each) are now available and going fast. To reserve a place, phone Christopher Davies on 441 2152, or email chair@colintongardens.org.uk - or contact any Garden Club Committee Member.