Cropwell Bishop Village Parish Plan

Gardening Club AGM 2012 (16-4-12)

The Gardening Club was one of first of the 'new wave' of clubs that were established following the Village Plan four years ago and it remains as poplular, if not more so, as when it started life at the Memorial Hall.

This evening its monthly meeting was held at the School, the real School that is, since the 'Old School' is currently in the hands of builders.

It was the AGM of the club and a photo-slide presentation by Chairperson, Judy Thomas, enabled members to enjoy another look at club events and trips over the last 12 months. It is only when you see the numerous photographs that you appreciate how much has been achieved.

Treasurer, David Purcell, presented the healthy Balance Sheet for the past 12 months and it is clear that the club is being managed very well.

Many people work together to provide the activities at each club meeting and also the many trips near and far throughout the year. These things don't just happen, they are the result of some hardworking and imaginative people pulling together.

At the interval, wine and nibbles were available for everyone: then it was time to enjoy the a presentation by Kate Barlow of the village. Kate showed how easy it is to put together a wonderful flower arrangement: but then, no doubt Monet and Renoir found it easy to dab paint onto canvas after many years of practice!

Elaine Robinson had the winning ticket for the raffle and was very pleased to take home the flower display that had just been created. I expect Elaine will study the display carefully and will soon be creating her own masterpieces: keep a lookout at Elaine's window sills!

Tony Jarrow

Barnsdale after Geoff (19-3-12)

Probably the kids thought their Dad was kidding when he warned them that there would be no great inheritance when he died – simply 8 acres of garden in varying degrees of development. But that was the reality of the legacy – lots of plans but little cash to bring them to fruition.

The gardens and nursery had always been run on a shoe-string – the planted areas kept to a level which could be 'tarted up' for TV with a minimum of fuss and the remainder of the site open to the public in a fairly haphazard way, using an honesty box at the gate for donations.

The first winter was very hard but Nick kept in mind his Dad's ethos of realism and achievability. By April 1997 he was able to open the TV gardens to the public but now it incorporated a Geoff Hamilton memorial garden complete with wooden bench specially commissioned and funded by staff of Barnsdale together with a bronze bust of the man himself, sculpted by Nick's younger brother Chris.

Barnsdale now boasts 38 individual gardens and has been organic and peat-free for over 20 years. There are 8 miles of hedging and 4 miles of lawns to edge – all trimmed by hand using shears – and not a ride-on mower in sight! It's become a thriving visitor attraction, winning the Enjoy England silver award in 2010.

Because Nick cannot acquire more land, he has developed the site by re-modelling some of the older gardens whilst appreciating that, for many visitors, Geoff Hamilton's paradise gardens are still the major feature. The nursery and shop have been developed as has the splendid Café (it's a crying shame that Nick is forced to sample all the cakes and pastries before inflicting them on the paying public!). Nick very much enjoys sharing the gardens, hosting many special events for artists, cooks and photographers. He views the whole project as an educational facility and involved local school children in a competition to design a new garden – astonishingly, he received over 800 entrants.

There will be a Barnsdale presence at Chelsea, Gardeners' World and Hampton Court this year incorporating the new branding which Nick hopes will refresh the image. But, new logo aside, Geoff Hamilton can rest assured that his legacy lives on in the capable and proud hands of his family.

Margaret.

Felley Priory (6-3-12)

It was an absolutely perfect day for our first garden visit. The sun shone, the sky was blue and even the coach driver was a cheery chap.

OK, so the snowdrops may have passed their prime and the daffodils still a little shy - but the hellebores were heavenly, the scillas scintillating and the crocuses colourful. Plus, we got the opportunity to exercise our imagination and focus on the promise of things yet to come. As one member said, "you don't often have the chance to see the bones of a garden—the form and structure that garden designers are always going on about".

So we delighted in the fabulous topiary: the castles, peacocks and swan which, to be honest, will fade into the background once the herbaceous borders are at their dazzling peak. Also of interest were the various types of plant support in use throughout the gardens—another thing you won't be aware of in high summer.

And then there was the Tea Room! What a feast of goodies to sustain us for a stagger around the well-stocked nursery.

All in all, a fabulous start to the gardening year and our thanks to Debs and Sue for arranging such a wonderful jaunt to uplift our spirits.

Margaret Paul

Photographs by Elaine Robinson and Judy Thomas

Can our gardens cope with climate change? (20-2-12)

The argument over whether climate change is, or isn't, happening has ended: it is undoubtedly already with us. We all should still strive to reduce the causes of global warming but it is already affecting our countryside.

Facing up to the problems it will cause in our own back gardens was the focus of this evening's meeting of the Gardening Club.

Over 40 members gathered in the Old School to hear Rosamund Aubrey describe the causes and effects of climate change and also suggest ways of meeting the challenge.

The historical evidence for global warming is clear—ever since the start of the Industrial Revolution our atmosphere has been increasing its concentration of carbon dioxide.

Now that we (earthlings) know the causes and destructive effects of global warming, you might have thought that we would be reducing our output of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, but we are not; we are still increasing it!

We might be able to look forward to growing peaches and grapes in our back yards but the many disadvantages of a warmer climate are worrying.

Tony Jarrow