2025

Wednesday 8th January

2pm, The Memorial Hall, Great Addington

No dig gardening

by Russell Attwood

Russell is a speaker for Gardening Clubs. with over 10 years of experience as a popular speaker to clubs in Northamptonshire and Leicestershire. He has had a large allotment for over 25 years where he specialities in no-dig gardening, pumpkins and squashes and soil improvement. Russell has a degree is in Crop Science and took part on the panel of experts on BBC Radio 4's Money Box Live programme 4th May 2022 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0016xr9

Wednesday 5th February

2pm, The Memorial Hall, Great Addington

A history of Daffodils

by Twigs Way

My background is in  consultancy and research projects on historic gardens and designed landscapes of all periods and sizes. There is nothing I enjoy more than talking about my favourite subjects including garden history, allotment history, women and gardens, art and gardens. I have recently become fascinated by the history of indvidual flowers in art and culture and can explore with your society  either the Sunflower, the Daffodil or the Chrysanthemum in Art and Culture from their earliest histories through appearance on canvas and the page. All my talks are fully illustrated and are entertaining as well as educational and constantly refreshed,  as I like to enjoy giving them as much as you enjoy listening.    More at https://www.twigsway.me

Wednesday 5th March

2pm, The Memorial Hall, Great Addington

Butterflies in the Garden

by Douglas Goddard

Doug is a retired Deputy Headteacher who has followed the fortunes of Northamptonshire butterflies for over forty years. From 1986 to 2015 he was county recorder for Beds and Northants Butterfly Conservation and the county Wildllife Trust. Author of Butterflies of Northamptonshire in 2012 with Andy Wyldes, he was presented with an Outstanding Volunteer Award by Butterfly Conservation in the same year, he served as Branch Chair from 2017 to 2022 and is on the Steering Committee for the initiative to re-introduce the Chequered Skipper into Rockingham Forest. 

Wednesday 2nd April

2pm, The Memorial Hall, Great Addington

Two for the price of One (Plants with two or more attractive features)

by Timothy Walker

There are many plants that we can grow in our gardens with two or more reasons for growing.  Flowers and fruit is an obvious combination but there is also scent, foliage, autumn colour, and many others.  This talk is particularly useful for those of us with a garden that is too small and so we have to get maximum impact and value from the plants that we can grow.

I was born and brought up in South Buckinghamshire.  I read Botany at University College Oxford.  After graduation, I worked for two years as a trainee at the University of Oxford Botanic Garden. Since 1986 I have been giving lectures to gardening clubs, horticultural societies, Art Societies, WIs, and many other types of group. From August 2014 I have been a lecturer in Plant Sciences at Somerville College, Oxford, and I now hold similar positions at Pembroke College and Hertford College. More at http://www.timothywalker.org.uk

Wednesday 7th May

2pm, The Memorial Hall, Great Addington

People and Gardens of Japan

by Stuart Phillips

2024

Wednesday 3rd January

2pm, The Memorial Hall, Great Adddington

A visit to Tresco and the Abbey Garden

By Gillian Underwood 

Gillian has been a member of The Addingtons Horticultural Society for a number of years and is a very keen gardener growing both flowers and vegetables both at home and on her allotment.

She has travelled extensively to visit beautiful gardens around the world.

In August 2023 Gillian visited Tresco in the Scilly Isles and spent a wonderful time at the Abbey Garden there. Her talk will be focused around some of the photographs she took during her visit.

Tresco, a family owned island is situated 28 miles off the Cornish coast and as such has a subtropical climate. The Abbey Garden was established in 1834 and is home to 2,500 species from every Mediterranean climate zone across the globe.

Wednesday February 7th   Geoff Hodge ‘Grow your own vegetables’

2pm, The Memorial Hall, Great Adddington

Geoff is a freelance gardening and horticultural writer, author, editor and radio and TV broadcaster living in Peterborough. After graduating from Reading University with a  degree in Agricultural Botany Geoff became a garden centre manager and started writing freelance for a couple of gardening magazines. He enjoyed the writing work so much he decided to develop that and has edited Garden Answers magazine and Garden News magazine. He then realised the future was digital and after setting up a couple of gardening websites, became the Web Editor for the Royal Horticultural Society

Wednesday March 6th        John Lee ‘Penstemons’

2pm, The Memorial Hall, Great Adddington

Our speaker this month curates the National Collection of Penstemons at Froggery Cottage, Desborough. Society members will be visiting Froggery Cottage in August (see below). The garden has been developed by us over the past sixteen years on land that was formerly allotments laid out by the local Coop Society in the early 1920’s providing the townfolk with somewhere to grow their fruit and veg’s keeping hens and the odd pig. As the popularity of allotments diminished in post war years as a result of new dwellings being built with large gardens many of the plots began to be built upon and today almost every plot has been developed for housing. More at https://www.froggerycottage.com

The only reminders in the garden of those early days are the four large apple trees which have been retained and around which the cottage garden has been developed. These provide a pleasant shading for the visitors and to rest and enjoy a cup of tea and some home made cake.

https://www.froggerycottage.com

Wednesday April 3rd.          Karen Gimson ‘Growing plants from bulbs, corms and tubers’

2pm, The Memorial Hall, Great Adddington

Karen is a garden designer and has been a travelling head gardener for several large gardens over the last 25 years. She is an ambassador for Rainbows hospice and a member of Leicestershire’s National Garden Scheme. Karen's notes to accompany her slide show are reproduced HERE.

Karen has kindly given us a copy of her notes for this talk.....

Here are some notes and plant names to accompany the slide show.

Please read the blog at https://www.bramblegarden.com   and listen in to BBC Radio Leicester on Tuesdays  at 3.10pm. 

Snowdrop Galanthus Midas is very special because of the yellow markings.   It was found at Avon Bulbs nursery. https://www.avonbulbs.co.uk/

I recommend Galanthus Madeline which has yellow markings and is robust and relatively quick to bulk up. A lovely teardrop shape.   Much prettier than Wendy’s Gold.  Mine came from Thenford Gardens. Also sold at Avon Bulbs.

Willow heart: Black hellebore, white paperwhite narcissi, pittosporum, eucalyptus.   Paper Whites come from Gee Tee Bulbs. 

Another willow heart contains Paperwhite narcissi, dried gypsophila, alstroemeria grown in a poly tunnel.    Viv Marsh Postal Plants   www.https://postalplants.co.uk

Crocus   tommasinianus Whitewell Purple and Barrs Purple for naturalising.   - best to buy large bulbs from Gee Tee Bulbs.  I recommend large-flowering Joan of Arc (white) and Pickwick (striped).

Iris Unguicularis Mary Barnard – grows against a sunny wall in gravel.   Flowers Nov to April.  Protect from slugs.

Walter Butt has very pale blue flowers 12” tall. Grass like leaves.   Peloponnese Snow, white.  Oxford Dwarf. Broadleigh Gardens Nursery run by Lady Christine Skelmersdale is the best place to buy new stock.  www.broadleigh-bulbs-spring.co.uk

Iris Katherine’s Gold.  Yellow Sport of Katherine Hodgkin.  Starts out deep yellow in bud and   fades to white.   Dwarf iris. Best grown in pots or alpine gardens. Flowers Jan to March.  Parkers Bulbs sell these. 

Daffodils:  Tenby, the Welsh wild daffodil. Hardy and reliable and good for woodland settings. 

Narcissus Snow Baby.   Miniature trumpet daffodil 4-6” soft cream petals. Hardy stems.  March to May. Stands up to the weather and long flowering.    Good in containers and shallow pans.

Thalia. White double-headed late flowering daffodil. 

Mass plantings of Winston Churchill. Highly scented. good for cut flowers. 

Daffodil Flower Record from Taylors Bulbs for strong cut flowers and good garden display. 

Narcissus Geranium.  White heritage daffodil with an orange centre.  Traditionally sold as cut flowers.  Orchards.

And pots.  Lasagne-planted Narcissus Geranium with new variety of tulip- Exotic Emperor. It’s a new White Emperor, Fosteriana tulip, so opens in early spring alongside the daffodils.    Double flowers are often more long-lasting than singles. Just keeps opening out.    White with a green flame.   Also known as White Valley. From Gee tee bulbs.

Pheasants Eye heritage daffodil: Goes well with Tulip Blushing Apeldoorn   which has a picotee edge matching the middle of the pheasant’s eye daffodil.    Soft lemon edged in orange.    Darwin hybrid tulips.

Flaming Purissima    developed from Fosteriana tulips found in the mountains of central Asia. creamy colour deepening to rosy, red and pink.  Strong stem.  March /April. Long-flowering and weather resistant.   We buy from Gee Tee Bulbs.

Parrot Tulip Black Parrot- late flowering with forget me nots.

Tulips: Curly Sue, Violet Beauty, Queen of Night, white Tres Chic.

Cutting mixture tulips from Gee tee Bulbs   www.gee-tee.co.uk 

Yellow Westpoint, Queen of Night, Lilly flowering types.  Negrita.

Tulip Bakeri Lilac Wonder - pink short, stemmed rockery tulip with egg yellow centre.

Species tulips which are likely to come back each year  www.broadleigh-bulbs-spring.co.uk 

Tulip Clusiana Peppermint Stick bred from the Lady Tulip.   Narcissus Hawera.  April/May   Daisies and bluebells.     Yellow tulips batalinii Honky Tonk   - part of a ‘small tulip’ collection from Avon Bulbs. 

Yellow Fritillaria Imperialis.   Plant bulbs on their sides to prevent rotting. Woodland plants. Shade or full sun.  Plant under deciduous trees. With Honesty, or Lunaria annua.

Here’s the link for the garlic spray I mentioned which is good for deterring slugs and snails and also aphids on plants. Organic.

 https://bramblegarden.com/2019/11/20/garlic-wash-recipe-for-hostas-defeating-slugs/ 

Original recipe from Sienna Hosta Nursery.  

https://www.siennahosta.co.uk/pages/garlic-wash-recipe

Allium purple sensation. New  Allium Christophii X Purple Sensation is   Purple Rain.   New var. Millennium.     Hardy’s Plants nursery.    https://www.hardysplants.co.uk/

Allium Sphaerocephalon  

Dahlia David Howard. Taylors bulbs 

Dahlia Nuit D’Ete, Arabia Night, Petra’s wedding (white).

I recommended https://mulchorganic.co.uk  for weed suppressing ground covering paper. Cut holes and plant through it.

And https://plantgrow.co.uk  fertiliser and soil conditioner. 

I am karengimson1 on Instagram

@kgimson on twitter

https://bramblegarden.com/    blog pages.

Weekly columnist for Garden News Magazine, and answering questions live on BBC Radio Leicester Wednesdays at 3pm and some Saturday afternoons.  On BBC Radio London also. 

Thank you for inviting me to speak to your garden group.  If there are any questions, please feel free to e mail me at k.gimson@btinternet.com 

Wednesday May 1st.           Becky Webb ‘Flower Farming',

2pm, The Memorial Hall, Great Adddington

Becky and her husband were lucky enough to build a house on the family farm near Towcester and that got her thinking about a project of her own. Over the last 10 years she has transformed a corner of a rather slopy field into a "cutting patch" and so Pink Welly Posies was born; providing floral bunches and bouquets, Christmas wreaths and running workshops and special events.

Friday 24th May, 2pm Lamport Hall Gardens (self-drive / car-share). See photos on the Memories Page

Approximately 10 acres of tranquil gardens, the result of over 450 years of love and dedication, enclosed by a spacious park. Although their size and location are the same as when they were first laid out, their design has been strongly influenced by the interests and tastes of successive owners.

Wednesday 19th June, All day Batsford Arboretum (coach trip from Lt & Gt Addington + Woodford). Details to be advised

Batsford Arboretum, Moreton-in-Marsh, is home to a unique collection of some of the world’s most beautiful and rare trees, shrubs and bamboos spread across 60 acres. www.batsarb.co.uk

Thursday 18th July,  2pm Cottesbrooke Hall Gardens (self-drive / car-share)

The 13 acres of gardens wrap around the west side of the house in a series of rooms – gardens themselves – divided by formal hedging and warm brick walls, with views and vistas punctuated by statuary. Beyond the gardens, the park provides a stunning backdrop with vistas towards far distant ridges and churches, notably All Saints Brixworth (680ad), lakes and wonderful trees. Flanking a small brook on the other side of the park, is The Wild Garden. Spring bulbs, gunnera, fine acers and wonderful specimen trees abound.

 Wednesday 21st August, 2.30pm Froggery Cottage Gardens, Desborough (self-drive / car-share) Details to be advised

A 3/4 acre garden developed on an old Co--op allotment with herbaceous borders, old apple trees and a National Collection of Penstemons.

Wednesday September 4th. Simon White of Peter Beales Roses, ‘Roses - who Dares Prune’

2pm, The Memorial Hall, Great Adddington

Passionate about roses since 1968 Peter Beales Roses have become renowned for specialising in the very best varieties that the world of roses has to offer, including many modern, classic, unusual, old fashioned, historic and rare roses. Winners of 28 RHS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW GOLD MEDAL.

Peter will bring plants and sundries for sale, so bring cash.

Wednesday October 2nd. AGM followed by Alan Mason ‘A gardener’s life, part 3’

2pm, The Memorial Hall, Great Adddington

Alan makes a welcome return to the Hort. Soc. to present the next chapter in his life as a gardener.

2023