Date/Time
Date(s) - 08/01/2016
7:30 pm
Location
Kilmington Village Hall
Categories
As the Club’s Secretary said in her welcome, Anne Swithinbank needs no introduction. 75 members and guests had packed the Village Hall, anxious to pick up words of gardening wisdom. They were not disappointed: Anne charmed and enlightened them in equal measure. She had chosen as her topic the garden in January. First of all, the weather which this year is 4°C warmer than average, encouraging spring flowers to emerge early, ready to be flattened by the frosts to come. Her advice was to be prepared; ensure that plants in pots have protection; and when the soil is neither too wet nor frosty, move perennials and shrubs that could do better somewhere else in the garden. Dramatic shapes are important in the winter garden and Anne recommended some exotics for this part of the country, waving aloft specimens she had brought with her, among them a tall, evergreen frond of Rhodocoma capensis, a delicate red-stemmed eucalyptus (gregsoniana) and a striking Phormium ‘Alice Blackman’.
Having written a weekly column for Amateur Gardening for the past 17 years, Anne is well aware that fashions in gardening change. She predicted that individual plants would perhaps take precedence over horticultural styles; even houseplants could make a come-back. As gardens shrink in size, containers, pots and bottle gardens are likely to be popular – a whole new trend could change the way we look at individual plants. She shared her expertise with us – on tools, mixing composts, new ‘air pots’ for trees to prevent roots curling round in circles and how to encourage nature for pest control instead of using chemicals.
As a finale, Anne showed slides of plants which are at their best in January, emphasising that most are fragrant and all are desirable. They included flowering shrubs – daphnes, winter honeysuckle and witch hazel; hips on roses; evergreen ferns and, of course, snowdrops. The scope inside the greenhouse includes exotics such as mimosas and peaches, orchids and aeoniums. She did, however, leave us with a winter work list of what to prune or propagate in January. We had been treated to a delightful evening of expertise and personal experience – what a great way to start the gardening year.
Sydie Bones