Firstly, a very warm welcome to Sandra Ellis who joined us last Friday.
I was asked to clarify what the Chairman’s and the President’s Challenge were and when. The CHAIRMAN’S CHALLENGE is any RED and WHITE fuchsia to be presented at the August meeting.
The PRESIDENT’S CHALLENGE is a RED and BLUE OR BLACK in a 20cm pot to be presented at our September meeting.
It is sad news that Friday night was the last night Jackie Stokes spent with us because she is moving to Lincolnshire. We all wish her and her husband the very best. We shall miss her entries in our show and also the fabulous Faberge eggs that she made.
Once again Terry managed to make the Back to Basics class interesting and great fun - thanks a lot!
Surprise, surprise, Derek our President was 83 years young at our last meeting which he managed to keep really quiet. We would all like to wish him a very happy belated birthday!
This is what I am going to do over the next month. If you are not sure of what to do we certainly do not mind being asked and hopefully we can help. With all the hot weather recently we need to get some kind of shade on the greenhouse. You can either paint a white sun screen (which reminds me of the white distemper that my parents used to put on the ceilings) or a fine green netting. This needs to be weighted down so as it does not blow off at the first big blast! I am also taking my show plants out of the green house and putting them under shade. Then the leaves do not get burned or dry out too quickly and start to look sad. Yes they can get sun burnt just as we do! I am using full strength Chempak 3 on my plants and they are beginning to look good. I gave my doubles the last nip two weeks ago and the singles next week so my plants should have a good display of flowers. Do not forget to give them a quarter turn each day. It certainly helps with having a more even plant and not so lop-sided. Keep an eye out for the dreaded bugs you can see namely whitefly, greenfly etc. However, you do not always see the dreaded vine weevil so a dose of Provado will take care of that pest. If I do see any of the aforementioned flies a dose of Rose Clear 3 normally does the trick. If you cannot find that, the Eco green washing up liquid will do using one part Eco to 10 parts water. However if you do use this you will need to give your plants a spray with clean water about 10-15 minutes afterwards or you will get white patches over the leaves. Also clear all dropped leaves and flower heads - we do not want botrytis killing our plants. Good Luck!
Hi there everyone! I hope that you all enjoyed your evening with John Mead at our last meeting. He certainly gave us a most interesting presentation with his treatment of fuchsias.
I would also like to say a big hello to new member Sandra Ellis who joined us on the night. We also had a guest, Lee Seaman, who is also thinking of joining us. They would both be very welcome to join our Society.
It looks as though spring is finally coming our way; everything is in bloom. Our first visitor proving it was Spring was our old friend the Cuckoo that I heard on the 15th of May.
Our next Speaker to visit us is Carol Gubler who always gives us some very interesting talks on preparing your plants for the Show. She will probably bring some of her Nursery plants for sale so bring a little extra cash along just in case there is a plant or two you fancy buying. She recently sent me an article on Gall Mite and Red Spider Mite, which can attack your Fuchsias. I have sent details to Allan who may possibly include them in future Newsletters.
Well how about our day out to Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens that Maurice and Doreen fixed up for us? One of the best trips we have had and what a comfortable Coach! It was lovely trip, all the plants where in immaculate condition with profusion of colour and flower.
See you all at the next meeting.
Here we are once again, another addition to the Newsletter! By the time you read this it will be June. Where has this year gone? It seems the older you get the quicker the years go by.
Firstly though, I would like to thank all those Members and friends who joined us last Sunday on our trip to Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens. We had a lovely day out, although there were only 33 of us on the coach, everyone seemed to get on well and thoroughly enjoyed the most spectacular gardens. With all the rhododendrons and azaleas out in bloom in all their glorious colours, it was a truly wonderful sight to see and many photos were being snapped here and there. Although the weather wasn’t as good as some of our other trips out, we were lucky enough that the rain kept just to a few tiny showers, but because of the tall trees and bushes around, you were able to duck underneath them for shelter whilst the clouds blew overhead. Then on the journey home the skies opened and down came the heavy rain, which meant leaving the coach at the Community Centre with very hasty goodbyes to everyone before we all got soaked.
Firstly, we are starting to get things ready for our Tombola Stall again this year. We would like to thank all those Members who have already kindly given us prizes for the stall. However, we are still in urgent need of many more items. So please, turn out your cupboards of unwanted things and pass them on to us at the next Meeting. Many thanks.
Secondly, please don’t forget to help Doreen and Pauline and supply them with plenty of cakes, pies, crumbles or jams for their Cake Stall. This is a very popular stall and draws lots of people into the hall. So please, PLEASE get baking as much as you can, cakes can now be frozen once cooked and brought out nearer the time of the Show. We would prefer to have larger cakes if possible to sell, as the canteen are not so keen on us selling small cakes because people tend to eat them in the hall, rather than buying items from them.
Finally on the subject of Stalls, Doreen would appreciate any unwanted toys, games or books for her Children’s Lucky Dip again this year. Believe it or not, we did have quite a few children through the doors last year and they love to choose something from that stall. It’s like their grown-ups buying a ticket and winning a prize on the Tombola Stall.
Those people who attended the last Meeting will remember that I had three suggestions put out on the table for you to put a tick against the place you would prefer to go to in October. Well the majority of you went for the Pensthorpe Natural Wild Life Centre in Norfolk, followed closely by Leeds Castle and finally Wisley. At the Committee Meeting the following Tuesday we put it to Members attending. The majority thought that although Pensthorpe was the first choice it might be better to go there next year, say May/June. The weather would then likely to be much better rather than trusting it to be okay in October as there is no cover should it pour with rain. I know this could happen at any time of the year, but it wouldn’t be so cold or be darker in the evening. Anyway, we’ve decided to go to Leeds Castle Golden Flower Show on Sunday 10th October. The cost will be Members £23 and Guests £24. I know it seems a lot more this time but this does include entrance fees, which always seem to be going up over which we have no control. However, I do hope many of you will come up to the desk and put your names down. This will be the last trip for the present year and your support is needed. Unfortunately, the last trip ran at a loss. I will have more details for you at the next meeting regarding this trip.
That’s all I have to say now so Cheers! Maurice
Everybody who won trophies last year please return them to Chas as soon as possible and definitely by the July meeting at the latest. Your Show Committee has decided that this year ALL ENTRIES for the show must be submitted by Thursday the 8th July 2010. Eddie Haley will be at the bar area of our meeting place from 7.30pm till 9.00pm after that it will be too late, better still just hand them to Eddie on our meeting evening. If by any chance you think “I will slip mine in” without prior booking, your plant will not be judged but put onto a display table for everybody to enjoy.
(Updated: 03/06/2010)
It is with great sadness I have to tell you that George Smith has passed away. George worked tirelessly on the Committee for a number of years and he also made some of our trophies. He will be sadly missed. Also wishing June’s husband Henry well as he is in hospital and waiting to have an operation. Our thoughts are also with Mike Joseph who has not been well for a long time. We wish them both a speedy recovery.
For those of you that received the allocated plant this year it is a single hardy - they looked really good this year.
I would like to thank Terry for his enthusiastic Back to Basic session at our last Meeting. From what I heard he passed on lots of tips that makes you want to have a go. If you followed his instructions we will get lots of cuttings at our show this year!
This is what I am going to do over the next month. If you are not sure of what to do we certainly do not mind being asked and hopefully we can help. What a great plant our allocated is! I have already potted on - that is to say - put them into the next size up. I am now on full strength Chempak No 2 and will continue with this feed for the rest of April. From 1st May I will switch to Chempak No 3. We should also be taking lots of cuttings to grow for next year’s plants, and hopefully some for sale at our Annual Show in July. Taking cuttings not only gives us lots of more plants, it also helps to shape our plants. After some time you should be getting a reasonable shape although, personally, I still get the odd one or two that never seem to get any shape whatsoever! We also need to have good ventilation in our green houses so make sure the door is opened during the day. If, like mine, yours is in the full sun all day you will need some shading to protect the new tender growth as the sun will burn the plants. The mothballs seem to have worked so far! When I go into the green house it is like stepping back in time. We will all be having the best smelling plants this year but please keep an eye out for the odd bug that always manages to get past your best defences. It is an uphill struggle sometimes. Do not forget to remove all fallen leaves and any yellow ones on your plants, which may have been caused by uneven watering. Also check out your dates for the last pinching out so you have flowers on your plant on show day. Good Luck!
Hi there everyone! I hope you enjoyed your evening with Ray Reed at the last meeting. He certainly gave us a lot of tips on how to look after your Fuchsias making it a very interesting evening, which was even better when I insisted that he used our microphone system.
Our next speaker is John Mead who comes from Billericay. He will be talking about preparing your fuchsias for growing and showing in baskets. John has been with us before and I am sure you will enjoy your evening with him. Why not bring a friend along you think may be interested?
Here are a few little tips you. If you want to put some cuttings in a “miniature greenhouse” why not try putting them in a plastic egg container box? I find they are ideal to start cuttings off. Did you know that Banana skins make a good fertiliser? They contain a rich source of phosphorus and potassium. I eat them daily and chop the skins up and put them in my compost. You can also put them around your plant roots in the garden. So if you see any Fuchsias at the show with small bananas on then you will then know to whom they belong! Here is another interesting tip I saw in an Australian magazine about the use of Charcoal that you might find interesting. It should be noted firstly that charcoal has no food value in itself. However, it does have several important uses to plant and potting mixes. One of the most important uses is that it acts like a magnet and a sponge, collecting and conserving ammonia. If pieces of charcoal are in the soil it will be found that roots will cling to them to absorb the collected ammonia. Further benefits that plants receive by incorporating some charcoal in your potting mixes are: It checks damping off of seedlings; when cuttings are started in water it encourages root growth as well as keeping the water fresh; it sweetens the soil and saves fertiliser, and lastly it helps to open up the potting mix as well as helping in the drainage. If you are using Perlite or similar in a potting mix, why not substitute some of it with some small pieces of charcoal? After purchasing charcoal break it into smaller pieces with a hammer. I purchased a box of powder from the Horticultural Society I belong to and I am now waiting see how it performs!
That’s it for now. Best wishes Derek. President.
Well here we are again time for another report. After a few nice sunny days the garden is starting to look as though summer might be on it’s way – and about time too I hear you all say!! Lovely to see all the Spring Flowers coming out in bloom and all the birds singing loudly in the garden. It’s good to get outside once again.
You’ll be pleased to know that although our numbers are down considerably for our next trip in May to Leonardslee Gardens and Lake, the Committee Members have all thankfully agreed that it should still go ahead this time, due to the fact that this beautiful place will no longer be available for the public to see after June of this year. As I have already said many times recently, if there are still any of you out there who would like to change your minds and come and join us for this trip or have a friend who might like to go, then please give us a call as we still have a lot of seats still available. We will be leaving the Collier Row Community Centre at 8.45am and back around about 5.30pm as usual.
Once again, don’t forget to see Derek for your £1 parking ticket either at the next Meeting or on the day.
Unfortunately, due to Health & Safety Regulations, it will not be possible for us to sell raffle tickets any more on the coach whilst it is moving. So on the next trip we shall be selling the tickets as you get on to the coach. The Committee have agreed that only one ticket will be issued this time to each person for £1. So if you want to purchase a raffle ticket then please would you have your money available at the beginning of this trip. We will then draw the raffle when we board the coach for our return journey home. Those people who are lucky winners can collect their prizes when we arrive back home at the Community Centre. The procedure for future trips will be decided later. Sorry about this, but we have to comply with Health and Safety and move on with the times!
We hope to arrange another trip in September or October.
Over recent years we have experienced a growing problem on the morning of our Annual Show. Unfortunately, not all members remember to submit their Entry Forms prior to the Show.
The space required for each Class is calculated and allocated on the Friday evening when we set up the Hall. Extra, unexpected entries on the morning cause a great deal of upheaval and pressure on our already hard-pressed Stewards.
This year, and in the future, the Show Committee, with the full support of the Main Committee, has ruled that any entries not registered by the DEADLINE OF THURSDAY 8TH JULY WILL NOT BE JUDGED and removed to a display table. Every facility will be provided for you to easily submit your Entry Forms by the deadline (details nearer the Show).
We trust that you will help us and abide by the new ruling. If you find that having entered your plants and on the morning of the Show some are not suitable, this will not be a problem. We would rather have too much space than not enough!
(Updated: 04/05/2010)
Please note that we shall be having our monthly meeting on Friday the 9th April and not the 2nd of April which is Good Friday. Hopefully this change will not cause any problems.
For those of you who heard that Chempak had gone bust, we have the good news that Thompson & Morgan, the seed people, have taken it over and will soon be back on the shelves. Meanwhile, we have managed to get hold of Vita Food, which I understand, is what we used before Chempak.
For those people who have been asking whether we are having our Annual Show this year the answer is YES! It will be organized by a Show Committee to ensure that it goes ahead as usual. It is a great pity that nobody came forward to take up this position because if we had to rely on a volunteer (YOU!) there would be no Show! Thank goodness I have a very hard working and dedicated Committee who HAVE volunteered to do the job!
This is what I am going to do over the next month. If you are not sure of what to do we certainly do not mind being asked and hopefully we can help. By now our fuchsias are growing well I'm taking lots of cuttings not only for myself but also for our Annual Show. We do need lots of good cuttings and plants to sell. By doing your cuttings it gives you a chance to get the plants into a better shape. After all it is important, especially if you are showing. If not why not? We can only try and it is surprising how many times they achieve a place. You will also have better plants in your pots and garden - the more times you nip out the more flowers appear! I am still using Chempak No 2 for another two weeks, thereafter I will switch over to Chempak No. 3. When watering encliandrias I prefer to make the strength a quarter more because they seem to like it and you get better plants. Don't forget that fuchsias are hungry plants! It is also time to give a good dosing of Provado which helps to keep the vine weevil away together with other pests. Talking of pests I read recently that white fly do not like moth balls so I am going to try a couple in a muslin bag and hang them close by. If you cannot find any moth balls then Eco washing up liquid is also good mixing one part liquid to ten parts water. After spraying you will need to wipe the plants afterwards as a white stain is left behind. I think it is better to wipe and have no aphids etc than be inundated with pests. Husbandry is something that I always seem to be going on about. However, if you want to keep your new cuttings and older plants it is very important to remove any debris that you find on the soil. Also, give your plants plenty of light and open the greenhouse door during the day as air circulation is also very important. Some of my plants need potting on so I am just going up to the next size. If the pot used is too big it will slow down the growth and I find it never produces a good plant. Good Luck!
Hi there everyone! Doesn’t it feel better now the sun is out most of the day? With the clocks going forward now is the chance to get under control most of the jobs you need to do in the garden. I think Doreen and Maurice started it off the day we went to the Nurseries! Wasn’t that a great day? The meals at the “Wooden Fender” were brilliant; I don’t think you could have got anything better wherever you went. I know you will join me in thanking them both for a great day out.
I hope you enjoyed your evening with our last speaker; he certainly gave us plenty of information on the Essex Wildlife Trust. He seems to have put a lot of effort into boosting up finances to get new projects established.
Our next speaker is Ray Reed from Suffolk. Ray has been with us on many occasions and always gives us a good talk. His wife Joan will accompany him and they both think that we have a very friendly Society. Ray will be speaking on “Growing and Showing your Fuchsias” and is the Judge for our Annual Show this year, so you will know what he is looking for on the day!
Here are a few little tips on different ways of helping your plants. Don’t throw away those eggshells - break them up and place around your plants in the pots. This will prevent grubs and other creepy crawlies from getting onto your plants. They also give a rich source of nutrients to plants and you don’t have to remove them - just cover with fresh compost before the Show. Coffee grounds around your plants will stop ants crawling all over them. Another little trick to ensure your plants don’t dry out in the greenhouse. Take some pieces of string or wool, put one end of it into your feed and the other into your plant pot. All you have to do then is keep an eye on your feed container, topping up when it gets low.
Well here we are again, I must say the months are flying by! I cannot believe we will soon be into April and looking forward to getting out into the garden with the warmer weather to boost us all up. Anyway, many thanks to all those that came on our trip to the two Nurseries with a Pub lunch in between. Weren’t we lucky once again with the weather? It was lovely and sunny and kept that way all day. Everyone seemed to enjoy their day out and I hope they were able to find some nice plants to grow on for the Show. The Pub lunch was excellent again and I was glad to get feedback that everyone enjoyed the food and there was plenty of it.
The new Nursery was quite pleasant to walk around but because it was so early in the year, like most places, they didn’t have so much of a selection of plants to choose from. However, it was somewhere different to go and also enjoy a nice cuppa before boarding the coach for the homeward trip.
As I mentioned at the last Meeting, we have been informed that unfortunately these beautiful gardens have been sold and are closing to the general public as from 30th June. Even if you have been before and would like to go one more time, then this might be your last chance. Please give it a lot of thought and perhaps add your name to our list. We have booked a visit on Sunday 16th May and it will be the last time we can go there for an organized outing. The cost of the trip is £18 per Member and £19 for Guests. We still have quite a few seats on the coach to fill if this trip is to go ahead so why not bring a friend? So please, please come along and join us. As you know we are a lively crowd once we all get together. It would be such a shame if we have to cancel and tell those people that have already booked that they won’t be able to go after all. Hopefully, if at all possible, it is my intention not to let this happen. Will those people who put their names down and haven’t paid a deposit please let me have some money (or all the money outstanding) at the next Meeting. Many thanks.
At the moment we are still trying to organize another trip later in the year, possibly September or October, or perhaps later, depending what we come up with. We will keep you informed.
Nothing more to add to this report except to thank you all, once again, for your loyal support. Cheers!
Will ALL members please note that entry forms for our Annual Show must be received by the latest Thursday 8th July. There will be adequate methods in place to allow members to get them in by that date.
Table space allocation for each category is gauged when the tables are set up on Friday night. It is confusing when a category is given space for six notified plants and twelve turn up on the day. This happened when 100 entries were officially received and 180 arrived.
This year, the Show Committee, having the full support of the NRFS Committee, will mark any such entries “DO NOT JUDGE” and remove them to an exhibition table. There is no excuse for not submitting entry forms on time so please abide by the rules. However, if you enter eight items and find that only six are showable – no problem – as too much space is better than not enough!
This little beauty, classified as an eriophyid mite has caused untold devastation in California. It is less than 0.3mm in length has a whitish-yellowish elongated wormlike body with two legs at the front end and both adult and young can over winter in bud scales. Wind, bees or most flying insects can spread infection. Eggs are laid on flowers and leaves and hatch in approximately two weeks dependant on temperature. The young mature in four weeks. The mites infect the plants with an hormonal type substance which is injected into the plant as they feed, with subsequent growth becoming swollen, blistered, twisted and stunted with the plant tissue often becoming reddened. When spring arrives they begin to feed on the buds and the new shoots. The mites breed from spring right through to autumn, producing many broods during that time. The initial indication of the mite being present is similar to damage caused by Aphids, but on closer inspection the damage is much more pronounced. Practical control is dependent on the thorough removal of all damaged plant material, which must be burned. Some varieties are more susceptible than others. There is a predacious mite, Amblysoius californicus that does have some effect on the eriophyd mite, not available in the UK. At this time there is no known chemicals to eradicate this pest, THANKS TO THE MINDLESS MORONS IN THE EU. It is a highly contagious pest, which could already have found its way into the UK. If you think you have seen the symptoms, be very vigilant and wash your hands thoroughly after touching any plants. This article has been compiled from information given by the University of California and BFS Annual. By the way, the common name of this pest is the FUCHSIA GALL MITE.
The following are varieties that seem to be at more risk than others, compiled by the University of California.
High RiskAngel’s Dream, Angel’s Flight, Bicentennial, Capri, China Doll, Christy, Dark Eyes, Display, Bell Firebird, Golden Anniversary, Hula Girl, Jack Shahan, Jingle Bells, Jubli-Lin, Kaleidoscope, Kathy Louse, Lisa, Louise Emershaw, Pepper, Pink Jade, Raspberry, Red Spider, Southgate, Stardust, Swingtime, Tinker, Troubadour, First Love, F. Magellanica, Golden Anne, Marinka, Novella, Papoose, Vienna Waltz, Voodoo, Westergeist.
Medium RiskCoquet, Dollar Princess, Englander, Golden West, Gordon’s China Rose, Indian Maid, Joni, Lena, Little Ronnie, Machu Picchu, Pink Marshmallow, Postiljon, Psychedelic, Snowy Summit, F Arborescens, F Denticulata, G Gehrigeri, F Macrophylla, F Procumbens, F Triphylla.
Low RiskBaby Chang, Isis, Mendocino Mini, Miniature Jewels, Chance Encounter, Ocean Mist, Space Shuttle, F Boliviana, F Macrophylla subspecies Hidalgensis, F Minutiflora, F Radicans, F Regia var Alpestris, F Tineta, F Thymifolia, F Venusta.
(Updated: 31/03/2010)
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(Updated: 11/03/2010)
A big thank you to Alan Leverton for doing the back to basic's class. He gives such an informative session with lots of tips. Like everybody this year his fuchsias have suffered just like ours so it is nothing that you are doing is wrong – it’s just hard luck this year. It was lovely to see such a lot of our members at the first meeting of the year and what a good one! I for one learned something new about Romford market.
Did anybody hear me talk about our Society and fuchsia's on our local radio station Link FM on Thursday 25th February - if you did what did think?
This is what I am going to do over the next month. If you are not sure of what to do we certainly do not mind being asked and hopefully we can help. After the coldest winter for some time my plants are a little slow to get going but I am nevertheless potting on all the ones that I managed to over winter. That means those in 3" pots will be placed into 4" pots with new compost, giving them a dose of Provado which will help stop green fly, vine weevil etc. I now start to give my plants Chempak No 2 but only half the recommended dosage for the first couple of weeks, then increasing the full dosage. Remember not to soak your plants! They do not like it if you give too much of a soaking and you could lose your plants. Some of the cuttings that I have managed to keep will be potted into 3" pots to give them a good start. I also start in earnest to take cuttings and I feel you can get quite a few in the first couple of weeks. It also gives you a chance to shape your show plants a bit more. Give the plants that have not started to come into leaf a spray with warm water to encourage growth. If you have standards turn them onto their sides after watering and give a quarter turn each day for two weeks. This will encourage the plant to start to grow at the crown. Remove all dead leaves from your pots and baskets because you know what will happen - that’s right the dreaded botrytis will set in very quickly and we do not want that. Also check to see if any slugs, snails etc have over wintered in the bottom of your pots - you may laugh but they are not always easy to spot. Do you know the cure? That’s right place on the deck and squash under foot! Don't forget to open up the green house during the day so you have good ventilation - your plants will like it and it also helps to stop the botrytis from spreading their spores everywhere. Good Luck!
Hi there I hope that you enjoyed your evening with Norma Jennings and her talk about the women of Romford. I thought she gave a splendid talk that went way back to the 1750s. I don’t go back that far but it certainly brought back a few memories to me! I moved from Birmingham in 1929 aged two when my father came down to work in Fords. There was a big recession on at that time and my family and I have lived in North Romford ever since. Norma does another talk titled " The Day I Met The Queen" so the Committee said we would like to have her back to hear all about it. I have booked her for next February 2011.
On a sad note we lost one of our elder members at the beginning of February. George Humphries had been very ill for a number of years, and had been in hospital for many operations. I sent a sympathy card to his Family and we had representatives at his funeral from the Fuchsia Society and the Bowls Club to which he belonged. Our next speaker is Cliff Moore from Benfleet who represents the Essex Wildlife Trust taking us though their current projects.
Our next intended talk for April, which is usually the first Friday in the month, unfortunately falls on Good Friday. At our last Committee meeting this was discussed. It was felt this would infringe on the holiday time when members would like to see their Families. So please take note that our meeting is on the second Friday the 9th April.
The President’s Challenge Cup in September will be requiring a Red and Blue/Black variety in a 20 centimetre hanging pot. You will all be the judges to select the winner! To do this, place one coin in front of the plant that you consider to be the winner. The plant with the mody coins in front of it will be the winner, not the one that has the highest coin value.
Don’t forget our trip out on Sunday March 7th. If you are using the Community Centre car park and you are not a Community Centre member I will have parking tickets for sale at £1.00 each per car. That’s it for now.
Here I am back to writing another report for the March Newsletter! I’m sure those of you who attended the February Meeting thoroughly enjoyed listening to the lecture on “Women of Romford Market” as much as we did, it was full of interesting information and very enlightening.
First of all I would like to thank all of you who came up to us to finalise payments for this trip. Also, it was great the way all of you had your choices of food ready so promptly for Doreen to write down on the list.
The coach will be leaving the Collier Row Community Centre at 8.45 am sharp and hopefully returning about 5.30 pm depending on the traffic. As usual we will be visiting two Nurseries, the first one being “Craft Nursery” where you will be able to wander around looking at plants that you can purchase for the Show. You may also want to stop for a nice cup of coffee in the cafeteria. We shall be leaving at 11.45 am for our nice lunch at “The Wooden Fender Pub” at 12 o’clock. After our lunch we intend boarding the coach at 1.30 pm to travel on to our next destination which is a new nursery called “The Poplar Nursery” near Marks Tey. This will give you another chance to browse around and choose more fuchsias or other plants. This Nursery closes at 4.00 pm so you may also choose to have a nice cup of tea and slice of cake in their Restaurant before finally boarding the coach for our journey home.
Finally, if you are coming on this trip and wish to park your car in the Community Centre Car Park, then don’t forget to get your £1 parking ticket. These can be obtained from Derek either at the next meeting or on the day itself before boarding the coach. This, of course, only applies to people who are not Members of the Community Centre.
Lastly, don’t forget to bring along a BOX of some sort with you, with your name on it, to put your purchased plants into so that they don’t get damaged on the return journey.
PLEASE NOTE – If for any reason, nearer the time OR on the morning of the trip, you are unable to go, please phone us as soon as possible and let us know so the coach will not be held up on the day waiting for you. It also gives us the opportunity to phone the Pub ahead and try and cancel your meal. Anyway, let’s hope this doesn’t happen and we look forward to seeing you at the next Meeting or on the following Sunday on the coach.
The cost of this trip will be £18 for Members and £19 for Guests. We have already collected some names for this trip but we still need a lot more if it is to go ahead. If you were not at the last meeting and couldn’t put your name down, please let us know if you are interested in joining us, when you come to the next meeting or by phone. Why not bring a friend along with you on this trip if they would like to join us on an exciting day out. I hope to have more details at the next meeting. Cheers!
Hi All! After a lot of pressure from “Big Al” threatening serious harm to yours truly if I didn’t put pen to paper so to speak (I jest of course). It was just an email asking very nicely if I would care to contribute a short piece (he must be joking whenever have I done any thing short?) so hence the title What No Title? As this is the year of change, I thought a new heading was in order. Now that the library is up and running I am sure with one or two hitches on the way, what about a heading - Book Worm? no? Then going through all the possibilities - I came up with some real corkers believe me - I have now settled with Terry’s Tales. Why that, do you ask? Well! I am a Terry and I don’t stop talking so why not? Before I forget, Carole and I will not only miss the March Meeting but also my most favourite trip - the cuttings outing. When I am unleashed I buy too many plants for my own good, but never mind Eh? A message to our new members - if in doubt - ask any of our senior members for help. I am sure they will oblige with advice etc.
I will have the pleasure of taking the April Back to Basics so I hope to talk about cuttings. I suggest that you look for a cutting that is quite bushy. DON’T pinch it out until the April meeting when hopefully I will show you how. Again just ASK! Have a really good day out and enjoy yourselves.
Lastly I am sorry to say that there will be no library this month. Those of you that have books, keep them till next month and hopefully I will have our Brian as a stand-in. If not you might have to put up with our Chairman (I jest of course).
That’s it, I could go on but you might lose the will to live. To all our members and spouses that are unwell, get well soon; it will be so nice to see you again. As always “may your bit of England be as ever as good as mine”.
(Updated: 26/02/2010)
Hallo and welcome to 2010. I hope that you all enjoyed the Christmas festivities and we wish everybody a Happy New Year. I would like to thank Maurice and Doreen for doing such a great spread of food for all of us to enjoy and also Terry and Carol for laying on the horse race stakes. I did not realize what a competitive and rowdy lot you all are! I am sure there should have been a few more reruns, and how many six's can one team get?
I would like to thank Brian Morrison for donating to us a great trophy that he made. We have decided to make this the President’s Challenge next year being along the same lines as the Chairman’s Challenge except that it will be held in September. We will let you know what his challenge will be as soon as possible.
The Chairman’s Challenge this year will be a red and white fuchsia it can be either a single or double flower to be presented at our August meeting for you all to judge. Just to let you all know Wanstead Fuchsia Society has closed because nobody volunteered to help out, so I think that when we ask for help like Show Secretary etc bear this in mind. We have a great Society and it would be a crying shame if we were to fold, just because nobody wants to help. So come on, there must be someone out there who would like to take on the Show Secretary’s job or even head a team to tackle the job. Remember, you would not do it alone we as a Committee will help out. Good luck!
This is what I am going to do over the next month. If you are not sure of what to do we certainly do not mind being asked and hopefully we can help.
Now is the time that I start to increase my feed Chempac No 2 starting of with half the recommended strength and increasing to full strength by the end of the month. You should also start to take cuttings in earnest now that our beauties have started to grow (don't forget to save some for our plant stall at the show). I also give them a dose of Provado to help stop green fly, vine weevil etc. Make sure you remove any dead leaves and debris from around your plants. Plants that I down-sized over winter I start to repot into the next size to give them a good start for the growing season. You will also need to sort out what plants you might need for showing this year maybe a little bit of shaping etc.
Good Luck!
I would like to extend my best wishes for the New Year and hope you are all OK. We have been having some terrible weather and it makes you wonder what all this talk on global warming is all about. Some people must be living on a different planet.
Here is our programme for the New Year.
February we have Norma Jennings talking about the Women and History of Romford Market, which I am sure you will find very interesting. In March Cliff Moore will talk on the Essex Wildlife Trust and current projects. In April Ray Reed will talk on Growing and Showing Fuchsias. May is John Mead speaking on Fuchsia Baskets. June will be Carol Gubler on Preparing your Fuchsias for the Show. July is Jim and June Carter who will give information about their Nursery and have houseplants for sale. On 10th of July is our Annual Show - Judge Ray Reed. August 6th are Show Cup Awards night. September 3rd will be Christopher Honeyman speaking about The Adventures of Beekeeping. October 1st Fran Smith will give a talk representing the Remus Horse Sanctuary. November 5th is the date for our Society AGM. December 3rd is Our Society Christmas Party.
I have received some leaflets from Tim and Jean Carter, our speakers in July, stating that their nursery Long House Plants at Noak Hill will be open on Saturday and Sunday the 13th and 14th February 2010 from 10.00 am until 4.00 pm for new winter flowering plants and new introductions. There will be free tea and coffee laid on and a free Newsletter for 2010. I will have some of their leaflets at our February meeting.
Carole and I wish you all A HAPPY and HEALTHLY NEW YEAR and hope you all had a good Christmas. I am pleased to report that with a little (actually quite a lot of) help from Carole that the library will open at our next meeting. Although I shall be set up at the start I do not expect you to come over until the interval. I expect that you all will be at the Beginners/Improvers table picking up a tip or three. So please make sure that you are in good time to grab a chair and get comfortable for the start at 7.30pm and I will see you all in the interval.
Just a small tip before I go, now is the time to gently spray your Fuchsia plants branches with WARM water to soften same and encourage fresh growth. Cheers!
Hi everyone hope you all had an enjoyable time over Christmas and kept away from those beastly bugs that were going around, unfortunately we both succumbed to them but managed to feel a wee bit better on Christmas Day. Anyway, Doreen and I would like to take this opportunity of wishing you all a very Happy and Healthy New Year. We would like to thank all those Members who came to the Christmas Party and made it such a success. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves throughout the evening. I think the choice of menu went down well and hope you all went away feeling full at the end. Thank you to Carol, Terry, Trish and Donald for helping Doreen and me prepare the food for the buffet table and the laying up of tables and chairs to make it look pretty and Christmassy! We did eventually manage to finish on time.
I think the magician/entertainer went down well and hope you enjoyed watching him do his tricks throughout our meal.
Finally a big “THANK YOU” to Terry and Carole for their hard work arranging the Horse-race game, it was a great laugh and everyone entered with much enthusiasm. The laughter echoed around the room from all the tables playing, albeit a lot of cheating went on, but that just added to the fun. Well done to everyone. I think we can say the evening was a great success all round!
I do hope that after the January Sales those people who paid a deposit for this trip will have enough money left to pay the remainder! This also applies to those who have the complete amount outstanding to pay! I have mentioned on several occasions in the past that I must have this money paid at our next Meeting the 5th February. If for any reason you are unable to attend the meeting, please let me know before the trip in March and send me a cheque through the post. It is important to have all the monies beforehand as I have to pay the coach driver on the day and the Pub for our meal. If any of you that find you are unable to go on this trip and have booked a seat please let me know immediately as I may be able to sell your tickets on to somebody else.
We shall be leaving Collier Row Community Centre at 8.45am and hopefully return approximately 5.30-6.00 pm. As I have previously explained to you all we hope to go first to the Craft Nursery. Here you can select some of your plants and stop for a quick cup of coffee before boarding the coach for the Wooden Fender Pub for 12 o’clock lunch. We will then try to get away quite sharpish by 1.30pm and head towards our next destination which is The Poplar Nursery. This is a new place for you to explore and buy plants and perhaps if you have time, have a nice cup of tea and a piece of cake before boarding the coach for our return home. Don’t forget also to get your parking ticket from Derek if you are not a Member of the CRCC. Finally, remember to bring a box with your name on for your purchased plants safe homeward journey.
We are planning to do a trip to Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens on Sunday 16th May. The cost of this trip will be £18 for Members and £19 for Guests. We will have further details for you to see at a later date. This is, of course, if you would like to go. We tried to organise this trip a couple of years ago and unfortunately due to lack of numbers we had to cancel it.
(Updated: 28/01/2010)
Once again I would like to thank everybody who turned up for our 22nd AGM. Although we only had two stalls, Cakes and Flowers, it really looked great. I received a Christmas cake that I know is going to be good! Many thanks to Jan Haley for the cake decorating demo - I am sure we will all be getting cakes that are artistic this year. Thanks also to Doreen for her magnificent Flower Stall. The only disappointment was the lack of volunteers coming forward for the positions of Show Secretary (or Committee) and Advertising Secretary. If we cannot fill these positions we do not have a show. So come on, don’t be shy - your Committee is there to help you. Also, we have two volunteers to help out with Back to Basic's - what about the rest of you sharing your knowledge? Our beginners are thirsty for your input. We have Alan Leverton kick starting your fuchsia's at the February meeting and Brian Morrison at the March meeting covering pests and chemicals that will help us defeat the bugs etc. Thanks to you both it will be much appreciated.
Hopefully, Pauline and I will be able to come to our Annual Party this year but if we do not manage to get there in time we wish everybody a very Happy Christmas and a great New Year. Looking forward to seeing you all at the February Meeting.
This is what I am going to do over the next month. If you are not sure of what to do we certainly do not mind being asked and hopefully we can help. Not much doing this month just keeping an eye on our plants to make sure they do not dry out too much. They still like a drink and feed now but not too much, we do not want loads of growth. We just want to keep them ticking over, not growing through the cold winter months. Keep an eye on the temperature in your greenhouse. We do not want too much heat - no more than 45-46ºF - and we still need to be vigilant removing all dropped leaves because you know what will happen! That's right, botrytis will set in and all the hard work that you have done will be lost passing it on to the closest plants. It is surprising just how far botrytis spores travel. So remove all dropped leaves that you see and your plants should survive. I am checking some of the cuttings to see if any have roots coming out of the bottom of the pots. If there is I shall put pot them on into 3" pots giving the roots a chance to grow. Good Luck!
Hi there everyone! I thought our AGM meeting ran very professionally and it was very nice to be able to wander around and chat with everyone. This is something that we cannot always do on a speaker’s night. There were so many things to look at and purchase. It must have taken a lot of hard work to set up the tables, display plants, cakes and all the other items for us to look at and admire. Many thanks to all of you - it was a wonderful night.
Our next meeting is our Society Christmas Party, which I am sure you are going to enjoy. Don’t have too much to eat before you come along! From the discussions at our last Committee meeting Doreen and Maurice are preparing a mouth watering layout. The bar will be open on our side of the hall to get your drinks so don’t bring in any bottles as we don’t want to upset the staff. I know we are in for a very enjoyable evening.
Our first meeting in the New Year is on the 5th of February - there is no meeting in January. I would like to take the opportunity on behalf of the Committee to wish all our members and guests "A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR". Best Wishes from Ivy and myself
SO! Where are you then? Hoping that someone else will do it? Then NOBODY will do it and you have NO Show. So if that’s what you want then just sit there and do nothing. With no show I think that our Society will close within two to three years. That’s what happened to other Societies with no Show. I accept that I may have upset someone out there but I don’t care. Your Committee work very hard on your behalf throughout the year and are fully behind the Show Secretary. You only have to look at the support on the Friday evening and again on Saturday. They not only grow plants for sale, they set their own plants up for the Show and if that’s not enough they man the stalls for the rest of the day and clear up afterwards. So they really deserve your 100% support. That’s it! I've got that of my chest and feel a lot better for it!
Here we are again another write-up for the Newsletter! My goodness it does seem to come around so quickly. Well the nights are drawing in now and day-by-day the gardens are getting wetter and wetter. It gets to the point that it is no use doing anything outside now unless you have all the necessary gear on like wellies and raincoats - so as far as I’m concerned, it has to improve and get a bit better before I’m venturing outside for a while, well perhaps maybe to my greenhouse!
The AGM Meeting last Friday went very well and it was lovely to see so many of you turning out on such a terrible night. I hope that everyone covered all the necessary questions and that Members were pleased with the talks. The stalls seemed to draw a lot of people and I feel it proved quite entertaining to watch Jan icing her cakes so beautifully. Doreen also did quite well on her stall, and would like to thank all of those who bought items from her. I felt the evening was a great success and made a change.
As you all know, the Committee will be doing the food for the evening and lots of you kindly put your names down on a list saying that you and your spouses would like to join us. So far we have got about 63 people coming! If you haven’t put your name down and would like to come along please give us a phone call and let us know. This helps us with the catering numbers of how many people are actually coming on that evening. The evening starts off at 7.0 pm, food will be ready at 7.15 - 7.30 pm and the Entertainer will start at about 8 0 pm. We anticipate the party going on to 10.30 pm but we actually have the hall to ourselves until 11.00 pm - so stay as long as you like if you are enjoying yourselves. As we have already stated, we will be having a Ploughman’s type meal where you can help yourselves. During this time of eating, our Entertainer/Conjurer will mingle around the tables doing various tricks. There will be a break after this when you can stop for a cup of tea or coffee or get a drink from the Bar. We will then be serving the desserts on the buffet table. Afterwards Carole & Terry will be explaining a Horse Racing game to you that we will be playing next. We will be using Monopoly Money only. This should be a lot of fun to end the evening’s entertainment - SO PLEASE COME AND HAVE A GOOD EVENING AND JOIN IN ALL THE FUN.
As I have already mentioned in the last Newsletter, the next trip will be in the New Year and will be to two Nurseries plus a lunch on Sunday 7th March. Thank you to all those Members who have already put their names down on the list to go on this trip. We only have a few seats left on the coach so please, if you want to come and haven’t put your names down then give me a call before it’s too late or you could end up on a reserve list. For those Members who paid me a deposit, thank you, but I will need the rest of the monies at the February Meeting. I will be bringing along a menu for you all to see and to write down your choices for the main meal and desserts. This will enable me to pre-book your meals in advance.
The first Nursery we will be going to is the Craft Nursery, followed by lunch at the Pub and then on to a new Nursery called Poplar Nurseries on our way home. Hopefully everyone will have a great day out to get plants for next year’s Show. Finally, for those Members unable to attend the Christmas Party (which is our last meeting for this year) we will be sorry not to see you there. However, we would like to thank you for your support throughout the year and wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year.
I think that’s my lot for now - so see you at the Christmas Party. Cheers!
(Updated: 30/11/2009)