Category: Uncategorized
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June meeting
At our June meeting we had an unusual topic for our talk: “The History of Silk” from Clive Garner of The Mulberry Worm explaining how it was first made in China followed by the development of the famous Silk Road and and the industry eventually reaching Britain via Italy and France, with reminiscences of Cash’s…
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AGM 2023
At our AGM on May 9th the usual reports were received then all the committee who were standing for one more year were re-elected and members endorsed a proposed annual membership fee of £20 for the 2023/24 year. The official business was followed by a raffle then an amusing multiple-choice gardening quiz with some very…
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SAGG Trophy Winners!
Hot on the heels of our coach trip was the SAGG (Staffordshire Association of Garden Guilds) AGM on Saturday 22nd April and for the first time ever we had entered the Photographic Competition. Much to our delight we won the trophy for the most points in show, with three first and two second places in…
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Spring Coach Trip
We finally made it back on the road for our first trip of the year to John’s Garden Ashwood Nurseries on Wednesday 19th April. Our club members and guests were whisked by coach to Kingswinford with time for a coffee before our personal guided tour with Head Gardener Nigel Hopes. The garden is an absolute…
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Growing Herbs through the Seasons
We were pleased to welcome Malcolm Dickson of Hooksgreen Herbs to our April meeting on a very wet and windy evening. He gave an interesting presentation about their herb nursery and how they prepare for plant fairs and flower shows, where they have won several prestigious gold and silver-gilt medals with their displays. He talked…
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The Secret Lives of Solitary Bees….
After day of snow, sunshine and hailstorms, at our March meeting a good number of members and guests were enthralled by a beautifully illustrated talk from Ron Rock, an enthusiastic volunteer for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, on some of the many different species of solitary bees, which number over 200 in total. These very effective…
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Staffordshire Gems
In February we welcomed Ruth Williams with her fascinating whistlestop tour of the many interesting locations in our county, some well known and others much less so, even for those who’ve lived here all their lives. A real mixture of gardens, nature reserves and buildings, many with extra snippets of information that you won’t find…
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First 2023 meeting
We started our 2023 programme on a wet and windy evening with an amusing and informative talk on Primulas and Auriculas from Ingrid and John Millington of Hillview Hardy Plants. Ingrid showed us all the different types and colour ranges available, how they were bred and the various growing conditions they all prefer. She also…
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Christmas Social Evening 2022
This year the weather was looking a bit touch and go but luckily although it was bitterly cold there was no snow. We kept our members and guests Christmas social event very local, starting with Ted’s Baked Potatoes to warm us up, with a choice of six tasty fillings and side salads. Ted has an…
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2nd time unlucky!
Our November meeting didn’t quite go to plan as unfortunately our speaker Nigel Hopes, Head Gardener at John Massey’s Garden Ashwood Nurseries was ill and unable to attend so we wish him and his family a speedy recovery. We’re pleased that quite a few of our members still came along and we agreed to have…