Welcome to Church Crookham Garden Society

16th December 2016

Church Crookham Garden Society, Fleet, Hampshire UKA vibrant garden society active in Church Crookham, FLEET, Hampshire. We hold several annual events and shows and run a comprehensively stocked stores hut with discounts for members.

HISTORY

Church Crookham Garden Society was formed in 1954 as the Ryelaw Garden Society. It was founded by residents of Ryelaw Road as an outlet for their interest in gardening.

At some time in its early stages, the Society began marketing garden supplies and until 1997 traded from sheds located in Moore Close.

The name of the Society was changed to Church Crookham Garden Society to reflect the wider residential location of its members.

Shows were organised and now two shows per year are held, one in the spring and one in late summer.

In 1997 the ground occupied by the Society’s sheds was subject to planning consent for residential building and the Society moved to a purpose built concrete structure located in the car park of the Crookham Memorial Hall in Sandy Lane, Church Crookham.

The Society is run by two committees:

  • Main committee
  • Show committee

Each committee is made up of elected members, and is chaired by the Society Chairman.

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Gardening Tips for March

24th February 2020

Items obtainable from the trading shed are highlighted.

 

We have reached March and spring flowers are at their stunning best to cheer us through, perhaps, the busiest part of the gardening year.

Jobs to do

  • All beds need a mulch both to retain moisture and to suppress those annoying annual weeds that need light to germinate.
  • Remove the top 1 to 2 inches of old compost from permanent pot plants and top-dress with fresh multi-purpose compost. The old compost could be used as mulch.

In the ornamental garden

  • Cut back Cornus, grown for their coloured stems, to 2-3 inches from the base because new growth has the best colour next winter. If that makes you nervous, cut a third of last year’s growth back and leave the rest until next year.
  • Cut down perennial grasses to make room for new growth.
  • Prune bush and standard roses and feed with proprietry rose food, fish, blood and bone or Growmore
  • Prune last season’s growth of Hydrangea panniculata to the lowest pair of strong buds – they flower on this year’s growth; but prune mop-head hydrangeas by removing dead heads back to the next pair of strong buds – they flower on last year’s growth; cut out a third of old growth at the base to encourage more stems to grow for next year’s flowers.
  • Prune Buddleia to a low framework; this will encourage the new growth that bears the flowers

    Euphorbias give texture and colour but the sap can irritate skin.

  • Divide Hemerocallis, Astrantia, Hosta, Heuchera and Bergenia as new growth begins.
  • Start mowing lawns, but keep the blades high to start with.

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Gardening Hints and Tips February 2020

16th January 2020

by Liz Kirton.

Welcome to the start of the growing year, when seeds can be sown, potatoes prepared by chitting and the first
flowers: daffodils, snowdrops, primroses, winter aconites and pulmonarias show some colour.
February involves pruning many late flowering shrubs to encourage new flowering shoots, for example:
A useful tip for Wisteria – 7 & 2. In the 7th month prune back new growth to 7 buds and in the 2nd month (now) prune these shoots back to 2 buds; you can also cut out some tangled old wood.
Winter jasmine can be cut back after flowers have fade to 5cm/2” from a main stem.
Late-flowering clematis can be cut down to a strong pair of buds about 30cm/12” from the ground. This will
stimulate the new growth that bears the flowers.
Hydrangeas: leave mophead hydrangeas until March before dead-heading, they flower on last year’s growth, but
prune Hydrangea paniculata to an open framework now because they flower on current season’s growth.
Bush roses can be encouraged by pruning back to outward facing buds late in the month
Fuchsias should be cut hard back to 15cm/6” and Santolina and Lavatera to low, well-placed branches
After pruning, a top-dressing of compost or general fertiliser should be applied.
Sowing seeds
Under cover, sow tomatoes, lettuce, sweet-peas, chillies and peppers.
Under cloches, broad beans, cabbages, parsnips, beetroot.
Plant shallot sets and garlic cloves, if you did not do so in the Autumn.
Tidy up
Cut down the top growth of herbaceous perennials and ornamental grasses to make room for new shoots.
Fruit
Feed your fruit bushes and trees with a high potash or general fertiliser.
Autumn-fruiting raspberry canes can be cut to the ground and summer-fruiting canes thinned out.
Places to see snowdrops
Open for charity through the national gardens scheme (www.ngs.org.uk)
23rd February Chawton House near Alton GU34 1SJ
9th February, Bramdean House, Alresford SO24 0JU
16th February, 22nd March Manor of Dean, Petworth GU28 9AP
Events
15th February Church Crookham Garden Society trading shed opens for gardening supplies and plant sales. Car park at the Crookham Memorial Hall.
28th February Church Crookham Garden Society AGM, social evening and quiz. Everybody welcome: members free, guests £3 entry. Willis Hall, Sandy Lane.

Archive
Tel: 07801 714662 Email: chairman@ccgsoc.org.uk