Simon White of Peter Beales Roses on the A to Z of all things Roses. May's zoom meeting

 Last month we had a very interesting and informative talk from Simon White of Peter Beales Roses on the A to Z of all things Roses.  I am sure you will all agree that Simon?s enthusiasm for the subject shone through.  Simon?s presentation took us through the various groups into which roses fall and the various flower types.  Simon interspersed his presentation with feeding, watering, pruning tips and how to deal with pests and diseases.  Simon told us that an organic method of dealing with blackspot is to use milk and water in 50/50 solution.  A less environmentally method is to spray them with a very diluted amount of Jayes fluid in November/December.  Roses need to be kept well watered to prevent blackspot especially important if they are in pots.  Simon also told us about ?Uncle Toms? plant tonic which he also recommended for preventing blight on tomatoes and potatoes.  It is quite pricey, but the dilution rate is high so it goes a long way.  A good companion plant is a clematis,  flowering group three should be used, especially if you have an old fashioned rose which only flowers once.  

And finally Simon told us that they do tours round the nursery and welcome coach parties, so the committee will consider this as a possible visit once we can recommence our coach outings.

 

Growing perennials. Tom Cole, April's Zoom meeting

 How interesting it was to discover that Tom Cole is now working at Capel Manor, which gave us great link to last month’s talk from Steve Dowbiggin who was the principle there for many years. Once again Tom’s knowledge of plants was in abundance as he talked us through growing perennials. Tom’s talk was full of stunning photographs of amazing plants in wonderful flower beds, many from Capel Manor.

Tom told us how to get he best out of our perennials, by applying fertiliser in early spring (organic being recommended) followed by plenty of garden compost or manure before summer arrives to help retain the moisture in the soil. Tom said that perennials should be divided every 3 or 4 years to regenerate the plant and obtain new plants for free. The majority of perennials should be cut back at the end of February or early March while they are still dormant. 

Tom talked about plants that do well in dry weather, which was most useful taking account of our hot summers over the last few years. Tom recommended Yarrow (Achillea) which thrives in poor soil (not that our member’s have poor soil). Yarrow prefers full sun but does well in shade, and can cope with little water. Yarrow varieties range from 6 to 12 inches up to 3 feet and are found in a large number of colours. Our thanks go to Tom for a most enjoyable evening.