New Tips For Old Gardeners, March's recorded talk meeting.

Unfortunately, in March, our first meeting back at the hall after the Christmas break, our booked speaker gave us only a few hours’ notice that he was unwell and unable to attend. It was too short notice for us to be able to find a replacement. However, because of our Membership with Tendershoots Garden Club Network we were able to use one of their recorded talks. We picked a talk, on the topic ‘ New Tips and advice for Old Gardeners’.

The talk was very humorous as well as giving lots of helpful tips that we can use as we get older and can’t manage as much as we used to.

Just as we have more time for our gardens, we are starting to fall to bits (something many of us can relate to). We are looking to make our gardens ‘Easy Maintenance’. The landscapers will happily put in lots of hard landscaping as they can charge us more than creating gardens. But we saw lots of pictures which we agreed were generally boring.

You could create a woodland. This will provide spring colour and lots of greenery requiring some yearly maintenance for any trees but otherwise generally looks after itself. Or consider plants which are easy to care for. Hardy Agapanthus flower for a long time and come back each year without spreading (this can depend on your soil). Phlomis are easy to control, produce flowers followed by interesting seed heads. Diascia Personata – cut it down after it flowers and it will reflower.  Then there are things to avoid, eg. Wisteria is beautiful but requires extensive pruning and the pruning can take longer than it flowers. It will require professional care.

We also heard about taking care of your health, particularly our backs. Standing up straight and hoeing or sweeping sideways rather than bending forward. Leaning forward leaving your back leg straight and bending your other knee so your back remains straight. Using long handled tools to avoid bending. Many of us were interested in a long handled narrow trowel that the speaker said was one of her favorites. Use the no-dig method. It is very fashionable; is good for your soil structure; and requires less work. Only dig where you need to put in a new plant etc. Mulch the soil instead.

Consider employing teenagers, although not your own as they will be surly. If you know someone else’s teenagers they may be able to be bribed to do the work. Although note, they will need supervising.

 

 

February's 2026 Zoom meeting, Alison Marden – How to create a great front garden

 Zoom details are:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4043014750 To download Zoom first time. 
Meeting ID: 404 301 4750
Passcode general : bonsai (this is used for most open meetings) (Note 8pm start time) Picture showing an example. 

 

In February we hold our monthly meeting on Zoom and we share our meeting with all the members of Tendershoots Garden Club Network who we are members of. This allows members of garden clubs from across the country to attend our meeting and share our interesting talk. In return we can attend talks arranged by those other clubs. We do appreciate that not all of our members use Zoom or the internet and that is a shame but the weather is often quite poor at this time of year that members cannot always make it to the hall. It also allows us to have a speaker from further away who would not be willing to travel to Walthamstow.

Our speaker was Alison Marsden and her talk was on ‘How To Have A Great Front Garden’.

Alison gave us a very interesting and structured talk that was very helpful for anyone thinking of redesigning their front garden. I am one of those who is currently replanning my front garden. We all have front gardens of different sizes but the lessons and tips can be used regardless of the size of your garden or even whether it is a front, back or side garden. So think about these things:

1. Where  do you (and others) mainly look at it from

When it is a back garden we mainly view it from the house outwards. Sometimes from your kitchen window. But when it is a front garden you and others will mainly look at it from the street/pavement as you enter. The backdrop is your house.

2. Seasonality

With a back garden we probably go through it less often in the winter. As autumn proceeds we are probably out there less often through the winter and until Spring arrives. We are mainly just viewing it from our house. But with a front garden we are passing through it every time we leave and return home. This will often be most days. So our front garden needs to have interest throughout the year even more than a front garden.

3. What  are your needs

Do you need to have space for parking?, How many bins? How will you access your door – a path? Who else needs access Postman, deliveries, window cleaner.

• The aim of a front garden is to make your house look fabulous. Think about it complimenting the shape and style of your house.

• Think about the planting for interest throughout the year. Colour, flowering, evergreen or deciduous, shrubs for structure. And scent to please your visitors.

• Wildlife – would bird boxes or feeders work? They don’t want to be in full sun.

So whether you have a front or back garden that needs attention think about these things. Take a cup of tea and stand looking at your garden from the aspect where it is viewed most often. Look at it in different lights, in different weathers and ideally at different times of year. Do your planning before you launch into your redesign. But also note that little things can make all the difference e.g. some well placed pots if you are not ready for a full redesign.