Garden Club

On Thursday 18th February members enjoyed a talk by Sue Burns on our local Batsford Arboretum and Garden Centre. She reminded us that, although the colours of the Autumn foliage at the Arboretum were rather special, every season had spectacular showings that were well worth a visit. Members were shown a succession of beautiful slides taken month by month throughout the year that bore this out.

The importance of Batsford lies in the unique horticultural and historical heritage of the gardens developed over the last 110 years. There are 55 acres that the public can enjoy with specialist collections of Magnolias, Oaks, Mountain Ash and Maples. The Arboretum holds the national collection of Japanese Cherries. In the natural course of events there is always a certain mortality rate in an arboretum; to maintain continuity and a varied age structure, new plantings are carried out each year. One of Sue’s jobs has been to label and record the location of any new specimen shrub or tree, but she also takes a keen interest in the wide range of native flora at the Arboretum and its impressive number of bird species.

Batsford Arboretum with its relatively new Visitor Centre and Garden Terrace Café is open every day from 9.00am to 4.45pm. Many of us who hadn’t visited Batsford in the recent past were inspired by Sue’s talk to pay a return visit in the very near future.

At the AGM on Thursday 17th March the undersigned chaired the proceedings and gave a report on the past year’s meetings, visits and highlights. The coming year’s programme of events is well under way with excursions scheduled to Batsford Arboretum and Tyntesfield Gardens near Bristol including a visit to the SS Great Britain. Starting September, it is intended to move the meeting date from the third to the second Thursday in the month so as to avoid an historic clash with Brailes Gardening Club and as part of a drive to attract new members from Tysoe especially.

The Treasurer reported that the Club’s finances are in good shape and neither the £10 annual Membership fee, nor the £1 meeting fee need to be increased. All Batsford Arboretum, Batsford Park, Moreton in Marsh 14 village residents are invited to join the Club at this start of the new gardening year – no experience necessary! A glass of wine (£1) to start the evening, tea / coffee and biscuits (gratis) to finish – sign up now! At the point in the proceedings when it came to elect a new committee it was decided, nem con, that these appointments be made at a special meeting at a later date. The evening finished with a lovely cold buffet and, with the fare at the Summer Garden Party and at the Christmas dinner, three more reasons to join!

The Garden Club’s annual Plant Sale is scheduled for 19th May. Sow seeds, pot on, transplant, take cuttings etc. accordingly – and take the opportunity to pick up a bargain!

With the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations taking place in the village over the weekend of 11th & 12th of June, the Garden Club will be promoting front garden and hanging basket displays in red, white and blue. Hopefully Oxhill residents will support this venture and plan their planting now with this floral colour scheme in mind for mid June.

The next Garden Club meeting is on April the 21st when Diane James of the Warwick University History Department is giving a talk on the Historic Gardens of Warwickshire. All are welcome.

Douglas Nethercleft

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Last modified: April 19, 2016