A short reminder that the HHS Summer Show will be taking place at Hermitage Village Hall in the Large Hall (Pinewood Hall) this coming Saturday 9th July.
As for the previous show, times will be a little later than normal, with doors opening at 3.00 pm.
Timings for exhibitors will be as follows:
1.00 pm – 2.00 pm – The Hall will be available for staging exhibits
2.05 pm – 3.00 pm – Judging – all exhibitors to leave the Hall
3.00 pm – Doors will open to the public
No exhibits are to be removed from the Hall before 4.30 pm without the permission of the Show Secretary.
The HHS contribution to the Hermitage Jubilee Event was considered a big success.
Planting Dwarf Beans
Heather Whetter and her daughter Amber were kept very busy, Amber making origami newspaper flower pots (and demonstrating the method) and Heather sowing dwarf bean seeds with the visitors. An estimated 50 young people and adults visited the stand. As dwarf beans are very easy to grow, the idea was that everyone take their planted beans away, watch them grow and hopefully harvest some beans before too long. This provides a very simple introduction for young people to growing plants from seed.
Heather also provided visitors with information on recycling plastic pots and guidance on gardening for wildlife together with a list of bee friendly plants, which can be viewed below.
New Memberships
Three new Members were recruited to the Society at the Jubilee event and several other visitors expressed an interest. Together with new recruits at the Plant Sale and elsewhere, a total of eight new Members have joined the Society recently.
Herbaceous: Aster Aquilegia (Columbine / Granny’s bonnet) Bluebell (English not the Spanish) Campanula Canterbury bells Coreopsis (Tickseed) Cosmos Dahlias (Single flowered. Easily grown from seed and if left in the ground over winter they will come up again. If doing this, cover with a fleece) Echinacea (Cone flowers) Foxglove Forget-me-not Geraniums (Perennial) Globe thistle Golden rod Heathen Honesty Lavender Lungwort Common marigold (Calendula officinalis) Nasturtium Night scented stock* Penstemon Phlox* Common Poppy Sedum Snapdragon Sunflower Red valerian* Teasel** Verbascum Verbena bonariensis (Purple top)
*Also good for moths **Seeds good for birds if left over winter e.g. gold finches
Shrubs & trees: Crab apple Buddleja Hawthorn Honeysuckle Jasmine Lilac Mahonia (Oregan grape) Willows Fruit trees
Avoid double flowered trees / cherry
Lawns: Try and leave the grass height longer using a higher or later cut. Even leaving one, small area uncut is beneficial. Or try creating a meadow, cutting in late summer (August / September) remembering to remove the cuttings. Mow paths through if required. This allows ‘herbs’ other than the grasses to flower, such as red and white clovers. Add yellow rattle (seed) to reduce the grass vigour and help any added wild flower plant plugs / seed to establish e.g. cowslip, knapweed, ox-eye daisy, scabious.
Lynda Warren – “A Spoonful of Herbs”. Lynda will give a practical presentation about “Herbs – Sowing, Growing, Harvesting and Preserving.” Lynda has a background in television and theatre and writing and producing educational events internationally. She now specialises in giving talks and workshops on horticultural topics.
Please note that the RHS Garden Entry card for 2022 is now available for Member’s use. This provides a 30% discount on entry for two people visiting any of the five RHS gardens. If you wish to borrow it, please contact us at info@hermitagehortsoc.co.uk or phone Heather Whetter on 01635 202360.
You will be well aware that this is the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Year and that celebrations will take place over a four day bank holiday weekend from 2nd to 5th June.
The parish council would like to enable everyone in Hermitage to take part in a local celebration and has given some early thought to how this could happen, which is why I’m writing to you.
The idea is to hold a family fun day on Sunday 5th June with every Hermitage organisation or club involved by holding its own event, all at the village hall or on the recreation ground. Things could include fun races such as egg and spoon or fancy dress or make a crown – you get the idea – with teas being served throughout. While many events might be run for children, teenagers and adults would need to be catered for too.
The reason for choosing Sunday 5th June is that it is the last day of the school half term so holidaying families may have returned making it the day most people are likely to be at home.
HPC would be responsible for overall planning and helping with communication, holding the ring effectively. A modest amount of money has been allocated towards this event, sufficient probably for teas and for printing costs.
Please share this idea with your membership or management group as appropriate and let me know if you think you could contribute to this event which is designed to bring the whole village together.
We would be delighted to welcome you and your group here at Keyneston Mill.
We would suggest that we arrange a private Scented Garden Tour which will take you through the formal garden areas which are dedicated to scented plants and perfumery. The tour is intended to give visitors a good understanding of the range of plants used to create natural perfume ingredients and to introduce them to some unusual cultivars. The distillation process and other methods used to extract high quality essential oils from flowers, seeds and foliage is also explained during the tour. Our aim is that it should be informative but also fun and interactive – we encourage everyone to sniff!
Depending on numbers, we may divide your group into 2 or 3 smaller groups for the tour which takes approximately one hour, and we also provide refreshments and/or lunch in our bistro. After your tour, you are welcome to relax in the gardens or explore the remainder of the 50-acre estate in your own time. In addition, there is an on-site plant and gift shop.
You can choose from the following options:
Per Person (based on min. 15 people)
OPTION A
10.15 Refreshments – Coffee/tea & biscuits
£4.00
11.15 Scented Garden Tour – one hour (includes garden entry)
£13.50
OPTION B
11.15 Scented Garden Tour – one hour (includes garden entry)
£13.50
12.30 Lunch – 2 courses (see sample menu)
£14.50
OPTION C (full day)
11.15 Scented Garden Tour – one hour (includes garden entry)
£13.50
12.30 Lunch – 2 courses (see sample menu)
£14.50
14.00 Secrets of Scent – one-hour perfume workshop
£13.50
OPTION D
14.30 Scented Garden Tour – one hour (includes garden entry)
£13.50
15.45 Refreshments – Tea & choice of home-made cakes
£7.50
We can accommodate bookings Monday to Thursday, subject to availability, outside the months of July and August, for a minimum of 15 people (maximum 52).
In order to confirm a booking, we require a non-refundable deposit of £150*, with the balance payable one month prior to the visit, and we shall be happy to provisionally hold a date for a short period in the first instance. Finally, we would just like to point out that we do not have suitable parking for coaches, so if applicable, the coach driver would need to drop you off at the entrance on arrival, and collect you at the end of your visit. Please advise us at the time of booking if this is the case.
We hope that this provides the information you require in order to make your choice, but if you have any further questions or requests, do let us know. We look forward to hearing from you shortly, and arranging your visit.
