Our July meeting was a flower-arranging workshop with Joanne Hobbs, one of the Club’s members and a professional florist who now owns ‘Bwlch Coed Flower Farm’, just outside Pumsaint village. Adopting regenerative practices, Joanne grows a variety of flowers which thrive in our Welsh climate, without the use of pesticides.
We had all been asked to bring flowers and greenery from our garden, but Jo had also generously brought buckets of cut flowers from her own garden to top up our supplies. She started by laying out groups of the individual flowers/foliage on a table to make selection easier as she demonstrated how to build a bouquet.
Jo explained that you start with selecting a core plant that will be at the heart of the bouquet. You then add stems of flowers and foliage one by one, each at a 45o angle. Hold the bouquet in one hand and keep turning, adding one stem at a time. As you turn, the stems will move, even sometimes the central stem. If the stems are quite firm, you may be able to reposition them, but not if the stems are soft.
Once you’ve got a reasonable amount in the bouquet, if you change the fingers you are holding it with, and hold it quite loosely, you allow the bouquet to balance itself. Then, you can adjust shape and stem placement as you go along. If you place some foliage stems around the outside, that gives the bouquet a soft outline and protects the flowers.
When you feel you have a bouquet to fill your container, you cut your stems to match the height of your container. If you cut the central stems shorter than the outside stems, you should have a bouquet that will balance on its own. Jo finished her demonstration by showing us all how to tie a florist’s knot.
Some gems of information that Jo offered along the way:
If your flowers start to wilt once cut, put the stems in boiling water for a couple of minutes, then straight away into cool water. If it is a woody stem, you can strip away some of the bark to help the stem absorb the water better.
If you cut flowers before they have been pollinated, they will last longer.
In summer, purple is an evening light colour – it can look flat during the day; the light in spring and autumn is at more of an angle and so doesn’t have the same effect.
Sweet peas last longer in a bouquet if you cut them with long stems.
Sandy with her bouquetCarol Cook’s bouquetGordon and Leon with their bouquets
At the end, on a slightly more sombre note, Jo told us about the chemicals used in the floristry industry (including those that are carcinogenic) and the search for an alternative to Oasis (the foam that used to be so widely used in flower-arranging). It is encouraging to note that there is a growing movement towards the use of organically grown flowers for events, excluding the use of harmful chemicals and plastics.
Everyone who attended felt that we learned a lot from Jo, and enjoyed the sociability and fun of building our bouquets together. Altogether, a wonderful joy- and flower-filled evening!
Two Jennies (one determined to hide!) with their bouquetsSheena’s bouquetLinda with her bouquet
Cothi Gardeners Summer Social
This year Cothi Gardeners’ Summer Social will be held on Saturday 22 August from 2pm, at Llanllyr, Talsarn, Lampeter, Ceredigion SA48 8QB. Put the date in your diary, with further details to follow by email soon.
John and Helen’s Annual Plant Sale for NGS Charities
Another date for your diaries! This year John and Helen Brooks are holding their annual plant sale in aid of NGS charitieson Sunday 20 September, starting at 2pm. The plant sale will be held at their NGS garden – Ty-r Maes, Ffarmers, Carmarthenshire SA19 8JP. This is a plant sale not to be missed if you want expertly grown plants, many of which will be out-of-the-ordinary. There will be a wide variety of plants on offer, in particular a good range of herbaceous perennials
Liz Zorab is a well known gardening guru, an award winning video maker and food grower. She is an expert contributor to BBC Wales gardening programmes, a prolific You Tube creator and the author of several books. Her home is Byther Farm at the edge of the Brecon Beacons on a thriving 4.5 acre plot, 275 m above sea level some of which is North-facing, where she is passionate about sustaining biodiversity and is self sufficient in up to 60-70% of the food she eats. The vegetable patch is 250m2 including paths. She is very keen to demystify permaculture and to share her experiences far and wide. Her talk was accompanied by pictures, mostly of her garden, describing how a mixture of plant types can work.
The ‘hidden’ vegetable garden idea shows how anyone can, with whatever size plot, grow food alongside flowers and ornamentals successfully. For instance, Kale is an excellent choice, there are various different types available including the dark leaved Cavolo Nero (Liz starts hers early in the year), all of which will grow up to 10 ft, will look glorious and are evergreen up to December or further depending on the weather. Florence Fennel which is a species of the carrot family, is a beautiful plant, also standing tall if left and produces yellow flowers which are enjoyed by pollinators, particularly lacewings. Growing squash up a trellis will look good and doesn’t take up much lateral space and globe artichokes (green or purple) are wonderful for providing structure and produce beautiful purple flowers which pollinators will love.
Oca (New Zealand Yam) is a root vegetable of Peruvian origin which enjoys the cool damp British climate and will overwinter with some protection from frost. It is smaller than a potato and as yet has no real pests, has a slightly lemony flavour and the growing cycle is very similar to a potato.
If possible a pergola is a good addition where climbers and beans can intermingle, and chard which can put up with some shade could be grown underneath. If left it will grow up to head height and will look spectacular in the many rainbow colours available now. Herbs like Rosemary are generally hardy and can be used in so many ways – there are different types available, horizontal, upright and cascading. With the pretty blue flowers, they smell and look wonderful and if left will produce a shrub. Salsify, a biennial, is easy to grow and produces seed heads not unlike a dandelion. The greenery is good to eat in the spring and the roots can be eaten in the winter months because they don’t suffer from cold weather. Comfrey is a good standby for use as a fertiliser for all manner of crops. Parsley if left will flower in the 2nd or 3rd year, producing umbels of fresh tasting flowers. Red Orach, which is a member of the spinach family, will grow 6 – 7 feet heigh and produce yellow/orange flowers which can be frozen for culinary use. Calendula always look cheerful and are good to use in salads or pilau rice.
Fruit production comes high on the agenda, Liz grows peaches which are ripened indoors, some of which are espaliered and last year produced over 200 peaches! Obviously cherry trees (ornamental and fruiting) always look wonderful. Raspberry canes can be planted as a productive hedge, keeping the wind out and helping with any drainage problems on a wet site. Autumn fruiting raspberries produce new canes in the spring and fruit on them in the autumn of the same year. The old stems should be pruned down to the ground in February. There is a Mulberry tree on her smallholding as well, which produces fruit.
Rosa rugosa can also be used for controlled hedging and the hips are excellent for making jelly, juice or wine. The hips should be strained though to avoid ingesting the seeds or the hairs on the fruit as they can cause irritation to the mouth and digestive system.
Liz is keen that a garden should produce sound as well as food and colour and loves the sound of Bamboo, Cannas, Banana trees and grasses. She really enjoyed making a sensory garden for the Royal Welsh show.
At the end of her talk, Liz answered any questions from the audience. Tracey then thanked Liz very much, and reminded everyone about the July meeting, when Jo Hobbs will demonstrate how best to arrange a bunch of flowers. Those wishing to take part should bring with them some flowers, some twine, a pair of scissors and a container (large if the stems are thick, smaller if the stems are finer).
On a rainy morning in mid-May, stalwart members of the Club gathered in Lampeter to embark on a visit to Upton Castle Gardens. Upton Castle is located in Pembrokeshire, with grounds running down to the Cleddau Estuary, and part of a Norman chain of castles, including the larger and more famous Pembroke Castle and Carew Castle. Now a family home with later additions, the original part of the castle dates back to the 13th century.
Our group were warmly welcomed by Prue Barlow, who told us that a trawler owner from Cardiff called Stanley Neale bought Upton Castle in 1927 and determined to make a special garden taking advantage of the sheltered location, ericaceous soil and the benign coastal climate.
Originally many species rhododendrons were used in the planting, supplemented later by hybrids, and as we began our tour we saw large specimens of the scarlet ‘Tally Ho’ and the strong pink ‘Cynthia’, the latter repeated through the arboretum.
Upton Castle Gardens are renowned for the number of champion trees in the Arboretum (15 country or county champions listed with the National Tree Register), and the tour next took us past a very tall Magnolia obovata whose large flower buds were visible, as well as Magnolia delavayi (seen left) and Magnolia sargentiana var. robusta.
As we entered the Dell, the paths were lined with Primula pulverulenta in full flower – a true spectacle, the location providing good shelter to Rhododendron thomsonii and R. sinensis, and a Podocarpus totara.
We passed an enormous Araucaria araucana planted in 1973, as well as a champion Magnolia campbellii. We marvelled at the size that a Rhododendron macabeanum (left) had achieved in just 10 years, and admired the elegance of the leaves of Fagus sylvatica aspleniifolia.
As we moved through the garden, we became aware of astonishing sculptures that at first seemed blended into, and then really stood out from, their surroundings. They were made by James Doran-Webb from driftwood sustainably collected in the Philippines. They seemed a moment of animal movement captured in time, balancing effortlessly despite what must have been a considerable weight of material.
The many champion trees, including a very large Drimys winteri and a Davidia involucrata (left), and other unusual trees including Poncirus trifoliata, Embothirum coccineum, and Crinodendron hookeriana, drew great admiration.
In addition, there are newer plantings, including Magnolia wilsonii and M. watsonii with its amazing scent (right), and recently planted hydrangea beds.
The kitchen garden, built in the 1790s, has a double-walled construction, brick on the inside and stone on the outside. It slopes to the south-east – with a doorway on the southern wall to let the frost out. There is a new mixed border on the west-facing wall – in particular we admired the towering Echiums – not a plant we can contemplate growing in our more inland area of Wales – and the Gladiolus byzantinus growing seemingly almost as a wild flower amongst the grass beneath the fruit trees.
There are some older fruit trees in the kitchen garden – but they have been added to more recently with new planting including apples, damson and cherries.
Emerging from the opposite side of the kitchen garden, we encountered the stone Chapel of St Giles dating from the 12th century – predating the Castle itself. It was a privilege to see the stone effigies and appreciate the atmosphere of this unique chapel.
With the Chapel our fascinating tour of the garden came to an end. Time for a delicious lunch at the Tipi Cafe, with enough time for a further wander around the garden in our own time to revisit things that had captured our imagination or explore the arboretum further towards the estuary. Our group were very grateful to Prue and Stephen Barlow for our guided garden visit with its very special plants and sculptures, and grateful to the heavens that the forecast rain held off. What a fabulous day!
Club Programme Co-ordinator
We are only able to have the fantastic visit to Upton Castle as described above and our entire programme this year thanks to our outgoing Programme Co-ordinator – the Club really needs someone else to step up to ensure that we can continue to provide exciting trips, talks and workshops for our members. If you are the tiniest bit interested in helping out, please email cothigardeners@gmail.com. The current Committee will be there to provide lots of support.
June Talk – Liz Zorab
Our speaker at our next meeting on 17th June is Liz Zorab talking about ‘Creating a Hidden Vegetable Garden’. Liz teaches gardening and self-sufficiency skills and encourages hundreds of thousands of people across the globe to garden, through her YouTube channel Liz Zorab – Byther Farm (over 127,000 subscribers). Based in Carmarthenshire, she runs a smallholding using organic and nature-led gardening practices. Take a look at here Facebook page to find out more.
Plant Sale in Aid of Justice for Wales
Please come along to the plant sale (including plants provided by Cothi Gardening Club members) in aid of Justice for Wales. It is being held on Saturday, 6th June 11am-2pm at Hen Ysgol in Llanybydder. Live music and the lovely cafe will be open.
The Club were very happy to welcome Malcolm Berry back again, to speak to us particularly about how to make our gardens, whatever the size, more biodiverse and ensure that we give all flora and fauna the best possible chance of success, without unnecessary intervention from us.
Malcolm began by explaining how serious the loss of diversity is becoming and ultimately how much more valuable private gardens are now. A few months ago, a National Security Assessment by the British government stressed that biodiversity loss is now a national security issue. If pollinators do not survive in numbers, then food production will become much more difficult on a global scale.
In 2023 the most recent State of Nature report for Wales outlined the current situation via information gathered from a wide range of organisations. It stated that wildlife in Wales has decreased by 20% since 1994 and that one in six species are threatened with extinction. Moths on average are shown to have decreased by around 43% from the same year and the rate of losses for all species is accelerating at an alarming rate. The Botanic Gardens Wales is involved in collecting seeds from rare Welsh plants and sending them to the Millenium Seed Bank to be preserved and hopefully this will result in a sustainable planting scheme.
A recent report noted that the numbers of five butterfly species are massively increasing which is great, but unfortunately the overall picture is on a downward trajectory.
There are four basic needs to ensure biodiversity in our gardens:
Food sources for adults and young.
Water
Shelter and hibernation sites, as simple as putting straw/dried grass in a plant pot under a hedge.
Breeding sites and nest materials.
The types of habitat required are:
Woodland
Woodland edges and hedges
Scrubland
Wildflower meadows with annuals, biennials, perennial herbaceous plants and grasses. Cut a path through meadow planting so that you can walk through it.
Pond with a range of levels with a bog area and a rotten wood pile.
We need to think of our gardens as part of a larger habitat matrix – if, for instance, you have woodland nearby then it’s not necessary to plant lots of trees because what nature needs is diversity and dynamic stability. This encourages a sustainable, naturalistic planting approach to a garden, allowing self seeding and an ability for it to evolve and shift without too much interference from us. We need to think about what might be lacking in the immediate area – diversity of planting will reduce competition between species.
We shouldn’t underestimate the power of observation, just sitting and looking will educate us. There is a natural solution to every garden pest because every insect will have a predator and if we do a bit of research into which plants (dying or otherwise) fit which insects, we can cater for them all and at the very least keep the situation in check. For instance, ladybirds, hoverflies, earwigs and parasitic wasps will all eat aphids, so if we encourage them in they will control the aphid population because everything is food for something else. Sacrificial planting will also provide food for insects and thus distract them from eating plants which we want to protect.
The RHS, together with the Wildlife Gardening Forum, did a “Plants & Bugs” study which gathered information from two sites over a number of years focusing on insects found on near native plants (Northern hemisphere) and exotic plants (Southern hemisphere) planted in replicated plots in different locations. The main conclusion was that (for pollinators) you should plant a mixture of mainly native plants with some exotics mixed in. For instance, winter-flowering Heather will sustain early emerging invertebrates, Pulmonaria will feed the Hairy Footed Flower Bee, Hellebores will feed Bumblebees. There are so many plants to help feed insects through the year, many of which we would describe as weeds (Bindweed, Knapweed etc) but they all have a value – let’s not be too tidy!
Parasitic wasps (originally brought over from South America) were discussed after a question from the audience. There are over 6500 species of these in the UK and there is literally one type to control every known garden pest, so they are our very necessary biological friends in the garden.
Tracey, the Club Chair, thanked Malcolm for his very interesting and thought-provoking talk, with illustrations mostly from his own garden.
Bits and Pieces
Yellow-legged Hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) also known as the Asian hornet
It is not native to the UK and poses a risk to honey bees and all pollinating insects, and can be aggressive if disturbed. A nest of dead yellow legged hornets was discovered near Wrexham in January 2026 – this is the first instance of them in Wales. It is vital that any sign of them should be reported on the government website (gov.wales/yellow-legged-hornet) with, if possible, a photo plus the location. All information can be found on the website.
This group hold regular meetings for anyone with an interest in land management of differing types and sizes, and you can also see events planned on the website.
This will be on 19th May, meeting in the Rookery car park in Lampeter at 9.15 am, with a return time of approximately 4.15 pm. Rob, the Club’s Treasure will send details of payment online, payment can be made on the day. The cost of the coach travel will be subsidised for club members at £10, or £20.00 for guests. Entry to the gardens will be £9, with a further £2 per person for the guided tour if required.
Julian Wormald, one of our members, returned as a speaker in March to talk to us about bulbs, corms and tubers to lift our spirits from October to March – something much needed given our recent experience of the dullest February on record in Wales. Over 30-odd years, Julian and Fiona have created a renowned garden at Gelli Uchaf which incorporates many of the geophytes featured in Julian’s talk.
Putting together the slides for the talk from photographs of the garden taken over many years brought home to Julian a number of things: how essential winter bulbs are to boosting one’s mood and to getting us out into the garden during what are often dreary months; bulb populations aren’t static, and while some survive for ages others can fade away over time; winter bulbs rarely get the attention they deserve in the media, but in our generally temperate part of the world, we’re lucky that gardens can really be full of flowers and colour interest for most months. If we include bulbs, we can cram many plants into the same area to have a succession of interest over many months.
To give some context to the garden, Gelli Uchaf is 250 metres above sea level and 20 miles from the Irish Sea; this usually mitigates really low winter temperatures – which are occasionally, but rarely, below minus 10 degrees C. There is high annual rainfall concentrated in the autumn/winter months (now typically over 2 metres annually), at least 50 % over the average for Wales, and not an awful lot of sunshine. But it is quite a steep sloping hillside site, which means that for most of the garden, even heavy rain will drain away quickly. This is a huge advantage for many winter/spring bulbs.
A common theme in the talk is the interaction between pollinators (generally honey bees) and the geophyte flowers, resulting in the production of seed which is a good way of increasing drifts of flower, as well as providing nectar and pollen for the bees.
Julian began with Lilium speciosum album – an introduction from Japan – which starts flowering before October but goes into October and November. The white flowers go well with autumn leaf colour; it is planted with other members of the understory such as tulips, crocus and bluebells providing a succession of colour.
Julian and Fiona bought about 20 bulbs in 2013 after seeing it in flower in Aberglasney Gardens; since then, however, they have been unable to obtain any more. This can be a problem with bulbs – particular varieties can drift in and out of fashion and disappear from bulb catalogues. The moral of the story is that if you like a particular variety, get your skates on and order more quickly!
Next up – Cyclamen hederifolium. It is one of the most reliably long-lived of any flowering plant in the garden at Gelli Uchaf – tubers can survive for over 100 years, becoming larger over time. Several of the original plants were brought to Wales from Julian and Fiona’s previous garden in Bristol and are still thriving and growing in size.
It’s the best plant for planting beneath deciduous shrubs/trees or even evergreens, doing what many geophytes do – becoming dormant in early spring, as these areas become drier and shadier, and then pushing up their wonderful shuttlecock flowers in early August, continuing into late October in most years. The fact that the flowers hang down mean that they’re always open, leaving the critical parts of the flower always available for pollination in any brief weather window moments when pollinators can reach them. The marbled leaves make excellent ground cover.
C. hederifolium is succeeded by C. coum in November. It is frost hardy and copes with snow, but it may need more light than C. hederifolium. The tubers and leaves (more rounded than heart-shaped) are smaller than C. hederifolium. Both varieties with suitable pollinators will make seed, and once the population reaches a certain size they will freely spread themselves around. Both cyclamens are slug- and disease-free and make excellent woodland plants.
Moving into January, sometimes even in late December, we head into the Crocus season. Crocus, however, have a major flaw, which most gardeners hoping for long-term success will be aware of: the corms are loved by squirrels and rodents.
The least favoured are C. tommasinianus forms. This is wonderful, because tommasinianus forms are also the most appealing flowers to honey bees and early emerged bumblebee queens, and so set masses of seed in a good year when our wet weather has some respite, and flowers can open for long enough to be pollinated. They should be planted where they will catch the sun for best pollination results.
Scattering the seed is a great way of multiplying C. tommasinianus. At Gelli Uchaf there are now Crocus in many areas of the garden, and Julian is even trying to establish them in the wildflower meadow. Crocus sieberi ‘Firefly’ is also not so tasty to rodents – it is early and hardy, although Julian is not sure it sets seed.
Moving on to snowdrops – these were the first flowers planted in the garden at Gelli Uchaf over 30 years ago. It started with a few clumps of Galanthus nivalis, dug from Julian and Fiona’s garden in Bristol. In turn, they’d come from Fiona’s parents’ garden in Shropshire. They, in turn, had collected them from a much older farmhouse on the banks of the River Severn where they were ‘naturalised’. This is what happens with snowdrops, across Europe – people love them so much as symbols of hope in the depth of winter, so will plant a few, and then lift and divide them and give them to friends.
Over time, a few more snowdrop varieties were acquired, coinciding with Julian’s interest in honey bees and the realisation that growing snowdrops (and crocus!) close to honey bee colonies could benefit both.
And so began the Welsh Historic Snowdrop Hunt! This project involved Julian visiting locations associated with pre-1850 properties, where snowdrops are naturalized, and where there is a written or word-of-mouth history associated with the site. Most ‘naturalised’ populations of snowdrops are quite localized into island communities, and many have significant variations in flowering season as well as what they looked like. Some of these different snowdrop types now grow in Gelli Uchaf!
In addition, Julian has added to the collection with various named snowdrop forms, to try to establish which do well in our West Wales climate.
They now grow in most parts of the garden – from woodland areas, with semi/deep summer shade, to near full sun, or even in grass beneath deciduous trees. Good forms will survive in most of these locations. But they undoubtedly seem to do best where associated with deciduous trees or shrubs, in semi or deep shade, which is damp but not waterlogged over winter, and which dries out more during the spring/summer.
Julian had plenty of tips for those wanting to establish drifts of snowdrops at home:
Start planting them when you’re young if you can, but remember it’s never too late!
Avoid the very expensive or new cultivars – if they’re cheaper, or have been around for decades, it’s much more likely that they are vigorous and reliable, and best to plant them in the green. Start with any that have, or come recommended by a local snowdrop fan.
Plant them in optimum conditions beneath deciduous trees and shrubs, where there will be plenty of leaf litter to encourage fungal interactions with the bulb’s root system.
Be prepared to lift, split and move growing clumps, replanting them in twos, threes or more into new locations. This will give quicker and better results than planting singly. Do this any time from when the bulb shoots first emerge, to when the foliage is dying back, if the weather and soil are damp.
Plants that associate well with snowdrops (along with Crocus and Cyclamen coum) include: Scilla mischtschenkoana, Scilla bithynica, Chionodoxa forbesii ‘Pink Giant’, Leucojum vernum.
In the same family as Galanthus/snowdrops/ – the Amaryllidaceae – are Narcissi/daffodils. The latter have a number of unique features. They are the only flower with a corona/trumpet; they have a unique way of preventing self-pollination; and they have a unique stem structure to help them support the comparatively large flower.
Daffodils were popular between the 1500s and the mid 1600s – in a book published in 1629 daffodils accounted for 100 out of the 1000 plants listed. They then fell out of favour for the next 200 years; however, now there are about 32,000 named daffodils (as opposed to 3,000 named tulips).
Daffodils are, of course, the national flower of Wales and can be relied upon (mostly but not always) to be in flower for St David’s Day on 1 March. The earliest daffodil in bloom is always ‘Rijnveldt’s Early Sensation’, and ‘February Gold’, as its name implies, is also early. Another early daffodil is the Tenby daffodil – Narcissus pseudonarcissus obvallaris – and the only one native to Wales. It is a bright yellow and very vigorous, although it can sometimes flower poorly. The other daffodil native to the UK , the Lenten Lily, is Narcissus pseudonarcissus lobularis.
This latter daffodil is a good producer of seed, unlike most daffodils (Julian reckons that less than 5% of the daffodil varieties at Gelli Uchaf ever set any seed). It takes about 5 years from seed to flowering, and has been a successful, if slow, method of multiplying this variety, including on the sloping wild-flower meadow.
With careful selection of cultivars, you can have daffodils in flower in the garden from before March until early May – the last to flower are usually the poeticus varieties (which need a moth to pollinate them). The early variety ‘Brunswick’ is a very good ‘do-er’; the cyclamineus hybrids (eg ‘Jetfire’) do well in wetter conditions. Julian also mentioned ‘Damson’ and primrose-yellow ‘Helford Dawn’ as varieties that he likes.
Like snowdrops, daffodils can be transplanted in the green – although as the bulbs are bigger and deeper, it is harder work – a tub space is very useful for this.
Cotehele Garden in Cornwall is a very good place to see a superb display of daffodils in flower, with many heritage varieties among them. There are two main suppliers of old daffodils – Scamps Daffodils and Croft 16 – but you need to place your orders in spring!
Julian concluded by inviting us to remember the ‘Underclass’ and to enjoy the journey. He had created a display of lots of different varieties of daffodils for us to view, and also brought for sale a range of snowdrops and other plants.
Fiona and Julian’s garden will be open for one weekend each in April, May and June. Details of opening with more information about the garden, and specific guides to snowdrops and daffodils which do well in our part of the world are on the Garden Impressionists website.
Bibliography
Smithers, Peter. Adventures of a Gardener.
Ruksans, Janis. CrocusesA Complete Guide to the Genus.
Kilpatrick, Jane and Harmer, Jennifer. The Galanthophiles – 160 Years of Snowdrop Devotees.
Parkinson, Anna. Nature’s Alchemist. John Parkinson, Herbalist to Charles I.
Parkinson, John. Paradisi in Sole Paradisus Terrestris.
Kingsbury, Noel. Daffodil.
O’Neill, Helen. Daffodil – The Biography of a Flower.
As usual, the Cothi Gardeners’ Annual General Meeting was held in February. The last year seemed to go by very fast, with an enjoyable and interesting programme. Members enjoyed five talks and one workshop, and we held two social events with one garden visit to ‘The House on Stilts’. All were well attended and received positive feedback. John and Helen’s plant sale at Ty’r Maes had generated funds for the NGS charities.
Reports were received from the Chair and the Treasurer. The accounts for the year were approved. Membership of the Club currently stands at 37. Votes of thanks were extended to the Treasurer, Secretary and Web Editor, as well as the Chair all of whom are continuing in post for the coming year. Particular thanks was reserved for Carol Carpenter, our outgoing Programme Co-ordinator, for her sterling work over the last three years in delivering such varied and interesting programmes, and putting together the current year’s programme.
No volunteers came forward at the meeting to take over the role of Programme Co-ordinator (which in the past has sometimes been a role successfully shared between two members). If any member(s) would like to volunteer, Carol can provide a handover and also give you a folder packed with useful information and contacts to get you started. The first task will be to finalise talks for the autumn and the Christmas social, and from there to move on to the programme for 2027. Ideally the role would be filled quite soon because speakers have to be booked a reasonable time in advance. The Club is nothing without its members – thank you all – but it needs the talks, workshops and social events to bring us together. We won’t have those unless someone is willing to take on organising them! If you are at all interested and would like to discuss, please contact Tracey, Cothi Gardeners Chair, or email cothigardeners@gmail.com.
The AGM was followed by an inventive and challenging quiz created for us by guest Roger; the quiz in turn was followed by a delicious assortment of savoury and sweet dishes brought along by members for all to share – chilli, pizza, quiche, vegetarian empanadas, sausage rolls, frittata, rye and almond biscuits, chocolate brownies and marmalade cake to mention just a few!
March Talk – Not To Be Missed
On Wednesday, 18 March our next talk goes by the intriguing title: ‘The Underclass: a Gardeners’ Best Friends. Geophytes (bulbs, corms and tubers) to lift the spirits from October to March‘. It will be given by one of our members, Julian Wormald. Julian and Fiona are well-known not just to members of the club but to gardeners far and wide who have visited their garden Gelli Uchaf in Rhydcymerau through the National Garden Scheme, seen it featured on television or read about it in books, periodicals or on The Garden Impressionists blog.
Gelli Uchaf garden is renowned for its tapestry of flowers planted under trees and shrubs and also in the open. Much of that tapestry is down to thousands of bulbs, corms and tubers. This is a new talk by Julian, created for this meeting of the Cothi Gardeners Club, and is bound to be both informative and inspiring. Julian and Fiona hope to bring some plants for sale.
The September meeting was chaired by our Treasurer, Rob, who greeted everyone and started the conversations by saying that his gardening year had resulted in good and bad results – rust on his garlic, mildew on his onions but a bumper apple crop!
Apple diseases were discussed and some people had experienced scab on their apple trees, for which there is no cure. The leaves need to be removed and disposed of by burning or binning them but definitely not putting them in the compost as it is a fungal disease. Jo pointed out that if, for instance, a tree is transplanted, all the leaves can be removed and it will not affect the tree greatly as the roots will continue to flourish.
We discussed the pruning of apple trees and, as Rob said, if the tree is doing well and producing decent fruit, there is no need to get too excited about pruning – if it ain’t broke,don’t fix it – and don’t prune for the sake of it! Happy news in a way, as some people admitted to being nervous about doing it. If we do prune, there is a need to keep open the middle of the tree (try throwing a hat through it) and taking off water shoots which will drain energy from the tree. Rob pointed out that pruning really needs to be learnt in a practical way, i.e. when we’re in front of an actual tree with a person who has the know-how. Learning on a youngish (8 – 15 years old) tree would work best.
Pressing apples is a way to use excess; juice can be bottled and the bottles then pasteurised, or it can be heated in a large pan and then bottled. This way, it will last for months. There are apple pressing days in the grounds of Lampeter University on 27th September, at Watson & Pratts Lampeter on 28th September, or at Aberglasney Gardens on 5th October. Take your apples and containers for the juice.
We also discussed pear trees; it’s best to pick the pears before they are fully ripe, then ripen them indoors so that they don’t go mushy. The difficulty of netting cherry trees was discussed, but no-one had a real answer on that one.
Sandy told us that she successfully picks redcurrants before they are ripe and then ripens them indoors, and it seems to work. Blueberries seem to flourish in the ground mostly and are happy even in flooded areas as they like their feet being wet, as do cranberries. Tracey wanted to know if anyone has picked Leycesteria (Himalayan Honeysuckle) berries and it seems it might not be worth it, though they do make good jam.
We talked about blossom end rot in courgettes, tomatoes, peppers etc; the cause may be erratic watering. We had general chats about preserving heat in a greenhouse or polytunnel, Rob advises that, although a through-draught is necessary during the day, closing everything up at night (especially when you have in there a water container which will have warmed up during the day) is usually best.
We discussed the use of the formula called Dipel for the eradication of caterpillars on brassicas. Dipel is a natural bacterium which affects the digestive system of the caterpillars and causes them to die. It cannot be purchased in the garden centre or a shop but it is available online. It is a question as to whether the dead caterpillars might be eaten by birds and kill them.
Radish pods (produced when the radish have gone to seed) are delicious and apparently the “Rat’s tail” variety sold by a company called Real Seeds are the very best if you want to eat the pods. In a similar vein, there has apparently been a trial of parsley-style leaves grown on pea shoots which produce good yields.
General information on seeds – Woolmans have now bought up Johnsons Seeds and they also supply seeds to Sarah Raven. Since the prospect of a discount for seeds from Woolmans is possible, this might be worth organising.
Carol asked about obtaining some Yellow Rattle seeds; these can probably be obtained locally from Fiona and Julian Wormald in July or August when they cut their hay.
Tracey pointed out that the posters which had been organised to advertise the club, and hopefully entice more members, need to be distributed and any help with that would be appreciated.
We were all then quite keen to have some of the delicious food on display, which had been brought to share by those present at the meeting.
October Meeting
‘Fritillaries on Four Continents’ with Robert Wallis will be the talk at our next meeting on October 15th. Bob and Rannveig Wallis are well known for their amazing collection of bulbs and their garden, Llwyn Ifan, in Carmarthenshire.. They are seasoned travellers and plant hunters and successful exhibitors for the Alpine Society Shows.
This year’s Summer Social – Pizzas and Plants – was held at Y Plough in Felingwm, a pub now owned by Joseph Atkin, previously Head Gardener at Aberglasney Gardens and Rachael Garside.
The social was very well attended by members and guests, and judging by the photographs a fine time was had by all! There was an imaginative choice of large and delicious pizzas cooked in an outdoor wood-fired pizza oven.
Feeling very full, it was time to listen to Joseph tell us about one of his favourite plants – dahlias, very topical for the time of year. Joseph stressed that he was giving us a gardener’s view of what he thinks is one of the very best plants for the huge selection (4,500 varieties), the range of colours (everything except blue) and their flowering season (from June until the first frosts). The only downside is that they are quite a lot of work! Joseph had two pieces of advice for us – spend some time doing your research to choose ones you really like, and don’t grow too many!
You can grow dahlias in pots, put them in troughs, or grow directly in the ground. They need super-rich, really good soil. Joseph has even grown them in pure manure! A sunny aspect is best, with a bit of shelter. Joseph thinks that the tall types of dahlia are best – as then the flowers are at the right height to be enjoyed – but they will need staking.
Fergus Garrett from Great Dixter plants his dahlias six inches deep, and leaves them in the soil over winter with frost protection. In Wales it is best to either bring the pots in or lift the tubers for the winter, because of the wet we experience and the slugs – although if you want to try leaving them outside then the tubers should be mound-planted.At Aberglasney, they overwinter the tubers inside, and then get them going early in the spring in the greenhouse. In autumn, when you dig up the tubers, cut off the foliage and leave upside down in a dark shed for two weeks. Then shake off the old soil, and plant into compost in crates, pots or hessian sacks (anything with good drainage). Cover with cardboard and they can be left for the whole winter, until late February or early March, but remember to keep the compost slightly moist.
The spring, when they start shooting, is the time to take cuttings. You will find that one shoot, as a cutting, will make a much bigger, better plant than an old tuber. The reason is that there is only so much energy in a tuber, and so that limits the size of the plant; whereas a new cutting will just grow and grow, and only start to make a tuber later. Cuttings are very fast to root (48 hours is the fastest that Joseph has rooted a dahlia cutting!). He uses a fungicidal spray, and puts the cutting into a pot of compost covered with a plastic bag on a window sill (rather than a greenhouse). Once rooted, keep watering the plants steadily in spring until there is a reasonable amount of growth. Cuttings and tubers can be planted out in May, but should be covered if frosty weather is forecast. Add organic matter when planting out, and put three stakes in a triangle around the plant ready to support it later. Slugs are the biggest enemy, so Joseph likes to make sure his plants are as big as possible before planting out, about one to two feet tall. Then just keep them watered, and deadhead them for a fantastic, long-lasting display.
Joseph noted that the popularity of dahlias has grown tremendously since 2008 and that as a consequence dahlia production has become very commercialised, which can lead to inferior plants becoming available, particularly if raised from seed. His strong recommendation is that, as dahlias are so much work, we should only buy really good ones with an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. Make sure to buy named varieties; exhibition dahlias will always give you height, but there are also plenty of good garden dahlias as well. In short, choose any AGM dahlia varieties with shapes and colours that you like, and remember that you don’t need many to fill a reasonable-sized bed or border.
Dahlias are great for combining with other plants. The leaves with dark or bronze foliage are particularly useful in colour schemes, and you can have great fun combining the colours and shapes of the flowers with other plants. The pompom or cactus shapes contrast really well with the spire shapes of other plants.
At Aberglasney, dahlias are grown in with the vegetables to really tighten up the look of the kitchen garden. In the autumn Dahlia ‘Downham Royal’ makes a stunning contrast in a border against a fiery background of Boston ivy. Basically, there is a dahlia for every colour scheme! In a border, they need to be in the middle, or further back, not in the front of a border. They also look good in pots – but it should be a really big pot with rich soil/compost. Raised beds are also good.
Asked about dividing tubers, Joseph explained that trying to ensure you get a growing shoot with part of the tuber is a bit of a nightmare. In his view, it is much easier and better to take cuttings in the spring.
Joseph was thanked appreciatively for both the delicious pizzas and his entertaining and informative talk.
The Club’s autumn 2025 programme has now been updated on the website. Our next meeting on Wednesday, 17 September at 7.30pm will be an opportunity for members to reflect on our gardening year so far – what’s worked and what hasn’t in our gardens, which garden club talks and activities have we enjoyed the most, and what would we like to see in the Club’s programmes going forward? The usual tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided, along with some extra non-alcoholic drink choices. Please bring nibbles to share as well.
The Events page on the website has also been updated and your attention is drawn to the West Wales Country Gardeners’ Autumn Plant Fair on 13 September.
Ty’r Maes Charity Plant Sale
Our very own John and Helen Brooks are holding their annual plant sale for charity on Sunday, 28 September from 1pm at Ty-r Maes, Ffarmers, Carmarthenshire SA19 8JP (but please use SA19 8DP to locate the property with SatNav). Entry to the plant sale is free, there will be tea and biscuits, as well as loads of plants for sale. All proceeds from the plant sale go to NGS charities.
Julietis a mixed media artist who is fascinated by experimental processes. She is keen to pass on to others her skill and collected information about printing, and the workshop today particularly shows how eco printing (using 100% natural materials such as cotton, linen, wool and silk plus the organic materials which provide the patterns) can result in surprisingly beautiful artworks reflecting the diversity of nature, and can be done at home.
The chemicals normally used in printing on an industrial scale are harmful to the environment and thus to ourselves, both to use and dispose of. The fabric can be washed using a soap solution, without losing the colours or patterns and Juliet brought with her examples of blankets, scarves and items of clothing which she had made using her dyed fabrics, many obtained from charity shops.
Juliet first became involved in eco printing through the work of Nicola Brown who is the author of the book “Eco Printing in the Dirty Pot” which describes in detail the processes and endless possibilities of using this system.
In order to give it a try ourselves, she provided a wide variety of plant material, leaves, moss and onion skins etc. which we could use in our artworks. She provided us with squares of dampened paper about 6” x 6” on which we arranged our chosen bits of plants etc. These were then sandwiched, one on top of the other, in blocks of about 5 and placed between two ceramic tiles. At the end of the process, this meant that impressions would be seen on both sides of the paper.
The tiles were then bound tightly together using strong fabric tape.The plant materials vary dependant on where they have come from and the results will depend on how well you know your area. For instance, an oak leaf from your local area will not give the same result as one from further away – weather, soil type and tannin content all make a difference.
A way of providing a different dimension is to wind cloth around a fairly chunky-sized copper pipe and then securing it with string which results in a tie-dyed effect.
We went outside for the next part. In an aluminium vessel (referred to as the Dirty Pot), the fluid which would fix or cure the images was boiling over a gas stove. This fluid comprised of Eucalyptus leaves and bark, with water and vinegar, plus some onion skins and bits of rusty metal. This was happily boiling away, much like a witch’s cauldron – it was a bit like nursery school on steroids. The artworks, which had been named, were then lowered into the pot, still sandwiched in the tiles, and left for one hour to cure.
Whilst we waited, we did some “slow stitching” – using lengths of different coloured wool to create patterns on pieces of eco dyed wool.
At the big reveal, we were amazed at the variety of the different shapes and the diversity of colours in the images and when this system is applied to natural fabrics. The fact that it can be washed and used as we do with the usual factory-dyed items is excellent and gave us all food for thought.
Juliet was thanked for her very interesting demonstration and talk.
Summer Social
Cothi Gardener members are reminded that our summer social this year will be Pizzas at The Plough at Felingwm, which is now owned by Joseph Atkin, who was the Head Gardener at Aberglasney Gardens. This will be on 20th August at 6pm, and Joseph will be giving us a talk on Dahlias. Car-sharing, where possible, is recommended.
Mair firstly explained the differences between Pelargoniums and Geraniums – Pelargoniums are tender and originated in the Southern hemisphere (they are endemic to Australia and New Zealand ), whereas Geraniums are hardy and herbaceous, can be found in borders and come from the Northern hemisphere.
We had a quiz to find out who knew the difference between the two, with Mair holding up different potted plants to see if we knew whether they were Pelargoniums or Geraniums, and quite a few people did know it seems.
The name ‘Geranium’ for Pelargoniums comes from St Helena where the “Valley of Geraniums” can be found; it was given the name by Napoleon when he was exiled there, because it reminded him of the valleys of hardy geraniums in Europe. The land on St Helena was constantly shifting and the plants could be found even in the dunes which would not normally be a favoured habitat for them. They were then almost extinct there, when the trade routes were opened by the British East India and the Dutch East India shipping companies. The ships berthed in South Africa to load provisions, found the Pelargoniums and were keen to ship them back to Europe because apparently they were thought to be a cure for dysentery. In the early 18th century, they would flower in January, February and March, but were nothing like the Pelargoniums we know now and were quite scruffy with a strange scent, growing out of rocks and very tough. The Dutch particularly collected them and took them back to Holland with them.
There are now thousands of different cultivars of Pelargonium and a lot of research is carried out. Trials involving thousands of varieties, the numbers of which are whittled down to about six, are done to ensure that the required characteristics and disease resistance are present in the chosen handful.
When keeping our own Pelargoniums, the plants can get very leggy in the winter so cuttings need to be taken in late summer or early autumn and a puff of sulphur on the cut parts will really help. Mair demonstrated how to take cuttings (sharp intake of breath from the audience when she started happily chopping at the lovely plant which she had brought with her!) and explained that once the cuttings are in the compost, they should root within six weeks. She uses a mixture of coir, garden soil and compost, just fairly constantly damp, but not wet. The coir helps with drainage but obviously makes the mixture dry out quicker so they need to be checked regularly. The best time to take cuttings is September which is the ideal time to be cutting them back, and then they should put on some growth before the winter dormant phase. They can be cut back a little, usually three times between September and January. The theory goes that you need to get your cuttings in pots by the time the Malvern show comes around! Always take cuttings from the healthiest plants and, during either the growing or the dormant period, any dead leaves and flowers should be removed straight away. In the winter, the plants are happy in a cold greenhouse or porch, though if the temperature really plummets they may need to be covered.
It is possible to take cuttings and root them in water, though adding a drop of orange juice will help and the water needs to be changed weekly. The best time to feed with a good all round plant feed from June onwards and potash can be given in December and January.
There are so many different types of Pelargonium; any single variety will do very well outside and the semi-double are happy inside or out. There are also many scented varieties, with scents all through the spectrum, spicy, sweet, flowery, sharp etc. Mair has some Pelargoniums, all of which are home bred and she hand pollinates them with a paintbrush.
Mair explained that she did have a problem last year with cuttings going black at the stem end, which turned out to be the water. A drop of orange juice in the water cured the problem, so the extra acidity did the trick.
Tracey thanked Mair for her talk and for bringing her beautiful Pelargoniums for the audience to buy.
Upcoming Events
At our next meeting on Wednesday, 16 July mixed-media artist Juliet Edgar is running a printing workshop. Juliet takes nature as her inspiration when creating using macrame, eco-printing and painting. It should be a fascinating evening.
Following that, our Summer Social will be held on Wednesday, 20 August at 7pm at ‘The Plough’ in Felingwm. We’ll be sharing the most delicious pizzas, and we will also be treated to a talk by Joseph Atkin, the former head gardener at Aberglasney Gardens on Dahlias.
Cothi Gardeners 