THE GARDEN CLUB NEWSLETTER!

ISSUE 1 OCTOBER 2016

The Garden Club

Hi All,
We had a very productive EGM in which it was
decided that we should continue the club, but in a
non-registered version. This means that we dont
have a lot of rules about meetings, minutes and
membership and can go our own way. It was
unanimously decided to call our new venture The
Garden Club because thats how we all refer to it
anyway.

We will meet from September to April inclusive (with a barbecue in the summer) and the
subscription will remain 10 a year payable from next September. Remaining funds of the
old club will be the start fund of the new one.
The new committee is as follows:
Chairman Sue Hillier-Smith
Secretary/membership secretary Jacqui Brown
Treasurer Alistair McBoyle
Social Secretary Vicky Renwick
Members Bill Renwick, Jan Sendell.
This newsletter is going out to all members of the old club but if you want to continue to
receive it please give your name to Jacqui frenchvillagediaries@gmail.com
In October we will be trying out a new formula that Jacqui calls a shary-knowledge
thingy (henceforward SKT). This will involve everyone sharing one fact, anecdote, opinion or
question about each of five different subjects. The idea is that this will generate discussion
and we can all learn from one another. The subjects for this session will be: Lawn care,
Apples, Fungi, Ponds and bulbs. Please think of one thing you would like to say about each.
Just one sentence will do, even if its only vaguely connected to the subject.
In addition, we will be planting bulbs. Please bring a pot and you will be provided with bulbs
and compost. More details about this will be given on the day just bring a largish,
ornamental pot.
This is the start of a new era, lets hope we can build on and develop the old one.

Sue

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THE GARDEN CLUB NEWSLETTER!

ISSUE 1 OCTOBER 2016

FROM JACQUI

The final meeting of the Association

Jardiniers du Sud-Ouest Chives on
20th September was sad as we said
our farewells and thanks to Mike, but
there was a really positive feeling in
the air and

the excitement of new beginnings too.

The quiz was great fun, thanks to Sue
and Alistair, and congratulations must
go to Bill, Ann and Colin who were the
clear winners. I hope you enjoyed
your winnings.
The next meeting will be the 18th
October, 14h30 at 28 Grand Rue,
Tillou.
If you are on Facebook we would love
for you to join us in our new group
The Garden Club. This will be an
online space to keep in touch
between meetings, a place to share
photos, ask questions and make
suggestions.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/
1790545584521061/

BARNSDALE GARDENS BY VICKY

This month Vicky was lucky enough

to visit Barnsdale Gardens and has
shared her day out with us here.
Thanks Vicky.

Perhaps members of the club who are

also fans of the Gardeners' World TV
programme will have heard of
Barnsdale Gardens near Oakham and
Uppingham in Rutland, but for me, a
day out on my recent trip back to the
UK, was the first I'd heard of Barnsdale.
What a treat! Barnsdale was the home
of the late Geoff Hamilton, who joined
Gardeners' World in 1979 and who
began presenting the programme from
his original home and gardens about a
mile away from the current gardens.
Due to the limited space in the original
garden, in 1983 he found a Victorian
farmhouse with over 5 acres of land
and the Barnsdale of today was
founded. Two years later Gardeners'
World was well established in its new
home. Geoff continued to present the
show and developed the 38 individual
garden designs.

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THE GARDEN CLUB NEWSLETTER!

ISSUE 1 OCTOBER 2016

BARNSDALE CONTINUED

Geoff was a firm believer and pioneer

in organic gardening and Barnsdale
was his 'great experiment in peat free
and chemical free growing' and these
techniques have been continued in
the gardens.
All 38 gardens have been designed to
show how every day gardeners could
emulate the designs into their own
gardens, however big or small, from
the Modern Estate Garden to the mini
Versailles Garden. During each
season, there are notices indicating
which plants are flowering during that
particular season. Some of my
personal favourites are The Land's
End Garden - a seaside retreat, the
Reclaimed Garden - which was made
nearly entirely by reclaimed materials,
the Country Garden, the Allotment
and the Woodland Garden, but I was
actually really excited by all the
gardens.

the Garden's Plant Nursery where

you are able to purchase some of the
plants used throughout the gardens.
As I was flying back home to France, I
wasn't able to buy any but I was
introduced to the wonderful yellow
sunny colours of the Rudbeckia,
which was flowering throughout the
gardens and would love to find some
to buy over here in France. There is
also a nice gift shop with some
gorgeous items as well as some more
practical tools and equipment.
I can thoroughly recommend a visit to
Barnsdale Gardens for anyone
visiting that area of the UK. If you'd
like to find out more check out the
website www.barnsdalegardens.co.uk

To finish off the day, we enjoyed a

piece of homemade cake and tea in
the lovely Tea Rooms and a visit to
!

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