COLINTON GARDEN CLUB
NEWSLETTER NO 88 November 2009

Print the newsletter

Coming soon...

Monday 23rd November, 8p.m.
“The Redwood Trail, California and Oregon” – Ian Douglas, Scottish Rhododendron Society

Wednesday 16th December, 8pm
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 – please see here for details

Good News!

Treasurer's Report on the financial situation as at the end of October 2009

Our Treasurer and Bulb Coordinator writes:

We had a very successful take-up for Parker’s Bulbs this year, and we distributed no less than 75 kilos of bulbs. For those of you who have ordered bulbs, I will contact you as soon as they arrive.

I am pleased to report that there was a similar good response to the Fertiliser Orders, both in Spring and Autumn.

Together with the equally successful Plant Sale in October, we have banked around £600 and the total assets of the Garden Club now stand at around £7500, though this will reduce as we pay our bills over the coming months.

Elspeth MacGregor
Treasurer & Bulb Coordinator

From the pen of our Chair…

Dear Friends

The glorious, multi-coloured Autumnal display at this time of year is an affirmation of Nature’s splendour and at the same time an advance compensation for the darker and colder winter days which we know will be coming soon. How fortunate we are in Colinton, against the backdrop of the Pentland Hills, to have such a wealth of trees with their profusion of golden foliage, changing gradually into ever richer hues, delighting our eye and imagination. The acer in our garden is glowing a fiery red and the shrubs, though past their best, are still full of colour and texture.

Such was the panorama that welcomed us on our return after 3 weeks in Switzerland, where
in an Alpine village, we experienced three seasons in three weeks: hot summer, crisp autumn, and the first winter snow. There is drama in the mountains, but a lot can be said for the gentler landscapes and contrasts of the Pentlands and the Water of Leith.

So another year has started for the Garden Club, and it has started well.

Welcome to our new members (20 at the time of writing). We are sure that you will find fellowship in the Club and we invite you to participate in our activities by contributing your ideas, for topics, workshops
or outings. Old hands know how it works: have a quiet word with a Committee Member and we will follow up. New people mean new ideas, and new ideas mean new life!

At our first meeting on 28th September, Ian and Carole Bainbridge expertly described and illustrated Alpine Plants of Scotland, showing how these hardy and beautiful plants, great survivors, seek out appropriate environments for their existence. Ian was optimistic that they would continue to adapt. The Plant Sale & Coffee morning on 10th October was very well attended, with an excellent result. Thank you to all who supported this event. The Committee is particularly grateful for the expertise and assistance of the helpers, including Elizabeth Ferro, Ann Dean and Mitchell MacLean. On 26th October, Professor Robert Crawford spoke to us on “A Plant View of Climatic Warming”. Here in an accomplished wide-ranging survey, he illustrated how plants survive and how environments adapt to changes, and expressed his view that the human race will do the same.

You will see the details of forthcoming events in your membership booklet, or for updated information you can refer anytime to our website, conscientiously maintained by Sonia Duffy, with current and past newsletters, photo-gallery and factsheets where available.

Our Christmas Party will take place on Wednesday 16th December, in our usual venue. This always a popular event, having a well earned reputation for good humour and bonhomie. The highlight is the performance of a specially written play, where the keen, amateur cast do their best to meet the expectations of the audience and the demands of the Author/ Actress/ Director, Isobel Lodge. For practical reasons, we have to limit numbers attending, so access is for members only and by ticket only, please. Tickets are available, £6 per person, which includes a glass of wine (or soft drink) and refreshments. If you want to come, don’t hesitate. Phone me on
441 2152, or email chair@colintongardens.org.uk
to reserve your places.

Consistent with our interest in the natural environment, the Garden Club is active in community projects. Members gave hands-on help with the Colinton Primary School “Room to Grow” Garden which was featured on BBC TV Beechgrove in September. The Amenity Association much appreciates our helping with looking after “The Triangle” in the village, and we are also involved with the Colinton Community Conservation Trust “Long Steps” project. Chris Seiler spoke about this at our meeting on 26th October. Ann Dean is the person to contact in the Garden Club if you would like to help.

Finally, Colinton Garden Club is a Council Member of the Scottish Gardeners’ Forum (SGF) and through this we actively contribute to the wider scene in Scotland. The SGF publishes a quarterly newsletter (of which I am editor), which you can access on the internet. If you would like to receive this by email, see the details on page 3 of this newsletter.

Perhaps you are contemplating the final grass cut of the year, or facing repeated raking-up of falling leaves. Either way – or both – we wish you clear, crisp November weather, satisfaction at a job well done, and

Happy Gardening!

Christopher Davies

Event

Meeting: “The Redwood Trail, California and Oregon”
Ian Douglas,
Scottish Rhododendron Society

Members’ Christmas Party

Festive fun!

Meeting: “Creating a Country Garden”
Margaret Kilpatrick,
Honorary Member, CGC

Meeting: “Growing and Showing Roses”
Iain Silver, National Rose Society

Meeting: “Birds in Your Garden”
Stan da Prato, Wildlife Consultant

Annual General Meeting

Evening Open Garden
Date and details to follow

Open Gardens Morning
Date and details to be confirmed nearer the time

Summer Outing
Date and details to be confirmed nearer the time