June was a busy month. Fifteen members accepted an invitation from Hinton Ampner to visit the house and garden during their Celebration of Flowers on Monday 9th June and it was not a disappointment. Car sharing worked well and we had an excellent guide who gave us a tour of the gardens after which we were able to see the flower displays inside the house. Our visit was followed by a talk on 12th June by Chris Skinner, Head Gardener, who also judged the Rose Show which this year was won by your Chairman, Janet Pooley. The winning entry was a David Austin rose, Roald Dahl, which it appears is one of Chris’s favourite varieties, but who was to know!
We accepted another invitation, this time to take part in the Green and Garden Fair in Broad Street on Sunday 29th June, organised by New Leaf and the Town Trust and supported by Winchester Council. We really didn’t know what to expect but we thought we should have a presence. On the day there were a number of participants mostly promoting a greener way of living and on the horticultural scene we were joined by a grower of succulents and Community Centre plants. We used our pitch to promote the Society and our involvement in the Alresford Show and our volunteers assembled a wide range of items which you would normally expect to find in the show tent. It was all very colourful and attracted a lot of interest.
We are not having a regular talk this month but on Wednesday 9th July, the day when we would normally gather in the hall we will instead be in the garden of Val Ramshaw, 1 Oak Hill (6.00 – 8.00pm) A reminder has already been sent out and as usual it would be good if everyone could bring a plate of food and a chair. I’m sorry I will not be joining you this year as I will be on holiday with my family in Cornwall. The party will be an opportunity for you to bring donations to Val for the tombola at the Alresford Show.
The town is so colourful with many hanging basket and container displays. Please let us know if you would like to take part in our own container/hanging basket competition by contacting Stephen Morley – hortic@allthemorleys.co.uk. The deadline will be 9th July after which we will let you know when you might expect a visit from the judges.
I realise we haven’t recorded the amount of money we raised for Society funds at our Plant Sale in May. Thanks to your support and a good number of visitors on the day, we raised £423. Needless to say we were delighted.
Janet Pooley
Chairman