Date/Time
Date(s) - 08/05/2026
7:00 pm
Location
Kilmington Village Hall
Categories
Martin Young, whose interest in butterflies and moths led him to be passionate about the plants which attract them, is a regular speaker at the Kilmington Gardening Club. Formerly in the RAF, he is also an active member of Plant Heritage and takes a keen interest in plant conservation and the National Collections of Dorset. Martin made a welcome return to the Club on 8th May. ‘P’ was the theme to his talk which featured Peonies, Phlox, Penstemons and Poppies and, as ever, his talk was well -structured and well-illustrated.
Peonies are relatively easy to grow, but they take a year or two to get established. They flower better in sunny locations in reasonably free-draining soil. Don’t overfeed them – once a year is sufficient. Martin recommends planting them not too deeply (2”) and not to crowd them with lots of other plants. Tree peonies are often grafted and are more like shrubs.
Phlox are colourful perennials which are attractive to insects. Some are short with a spreading habit – they flower in spring and early summer. Others are much taller and flower late spring to autumn. Many are scented and will attract butterflies and moths. They all like reasonably fertile, not too dry soil, except alpine/rockery varieties. It’s advisable to keep slugs and snails away from young plants by using sharp grit around the base of the plant.
Penstemons are relatively easy to grow and are hardy to -15°C. They are related to Foxgloves with their tubular-shaped flowers so brilliant for attracting pollinators, especially bees. Leave the old growth on over winter and prune back quite hard 3-4 weeks later than most perennials. They like sun or partial shade and require reasonably free-draining, fertile soil. If you lose a Penstemon, it could be that the soil is wet and claggy or you pruned it back too early. Slugs and snails leave mature plants well alone!
The Poppy family is very large and diverse. Some Poppies are annuals and self-seed readily but many are perennials. Some grow in difficult locations although most like the sun. Others need quite specific care, e.g. Blue Poppies (Meconopsis). There are tall, impressive Poppies while others are very compact (alpine) or have a lax habit. Some are used for medicinal purposes and others for baking.
All the plants highlighted are wildlife-friendly and make welcome, colourful additions to any garden. Martin brought good-quality examples of these plants which were very popular with the audience.