Plympton Gardeners Association

June Meeting Our next meeting is on Thursday 6th June, commencing at 7.30 (Doors open from 7.00pm). The venue is, as ever, Harewood House, Plympton. Our guest speaker this month is Stella Exley, RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medalist, talking on Perennials. Stella replaces the planned speaker who, unfortunately, has had to retire due to advancing years. There will be free tea and coffee as usual, plus the sales/swaps/donations table, and the informal competition (for newer members – see below for more details). Also, please see below regarding the Coffee Bar week.

 May Fair We wish to thank those members who helped at the Community Council May Fair. We are especially grateful to those members who donated and delivered plants to our stall and also to the volunteers who manned the stall. The rota system seemed to work quite well and meant the members could do a reasonable stint without over doing it! The day raised £262, very similar to last year’s total. 

Hestercombe Visit There are still places available for the visit to this wonderful garden in rural Somerset (not too far from Taunton!). The trip is on Wednesday 19th June. There are pick-up points at Plymstock 9.00am; Plympton 9.15am and Ivybridge 9.30am. (Leaving Hestercombe at 4.00pm). The cost is £30 and the trip is open non-members. If you haven’t paid yet, please do so at the meeting on Thursday, or by contacting me – Phil Warren 07892 623991 www.hestercombe.com

 Yelverton Garden Visit Members are invited to attend this visit on Wednesday 12th June, to the garden of one of our members, Andrea Leverett who lives next door to the Long Ash Garden Centre in Yelverton. The event is being run to support this year’s charity – Plympton Community First Responders. There will be a cream tea included in the price of £5 per person. There will also be a collection box on the day in aid of the charity. If you wish to attend you will need to pay the £5 in cash at Thursday’s meeting. There is a limit of 30 people; if there is a high demand Andrea is prepared to run another event later in the summer. There is parking available very close by and members are asked to put a folding chair or two in the boot of their car in case needed. Members will have to make their own travel arrangements and seek a lift where necessary. 

Coffee Bar – a note from Lloyd Just a quick reminder that Plympton Gardeners are running the Harewood House Coffee bar week commencing Monday 8th July. If you can help serving coffees, making sandwiches, or selling tombola tickets on any day that week, we would be delighted to see you. We also welcome any bakes for us to sell that week. If you can't assist at the coffee bar itself then we are grateful for donations of tins of Corned Beef and Tuna, jars of pickle and mayonnaise and packets of biscuits and crisps. We also welcome jars of coffee, teabags, sugar and sweeteners. At our next meetings on Thursday 6th June and Thursday 4th July there will be a box for donations available and lists to sign up to help at the bar and to bake an item. I'll also be available to answer any questions you may have. We will also have a box for bric a brac and tombola donations. The coffee bar raises a lot of money for the Gardeners and our charity so any support you can give it is greatly appreciated. Lloyd Hills

 Summer Show Preparations for the Summer Show, on Saturday 17th August, are well in hand thanks to the hard work of Paul Hutchings. Show day is one of the highlights of our year and is always worth being involved in, either as a participant or a spectator. It’s a great occasion for catching up with friends and chatting to other like-minded gardener folk.

 Plymouth Garden Centre Plants You may remember that earlier in the year, we were advised that we were one of sixty local community organisations to be awarded a garden package from Plymouth Garden Centre. We collected the package, consisting of plants, seeds and compost, earlier in the month. It was decided to use the plants and compost in the planters on Ridgeway that are maintained by our chairman, John Gilding, on behalf of Plympton Gardeners. Also, during the past month, we have had agreement from Patrick Nicholson for us to take over the maintenance of the 4 tree planters, as he wishes it to be a community-led project. If anyone wishes to become involved in this new responsibility then please speak to John or Phil.

 Lamb Feast A reminder that the Plympton St Maurice Lamb feast is being held on Saturday 15th June on Castle Green. We are, once again, going to run a plant stall and we would be grateful for any donations of plants for the stall. We will be setting up from 9.00am so please bring anything you can spare, or have grown, after that time. It gets vey busy around the green so parking can be an issue. Please speak to one of the committee if you require assistance on delivering plants. Any volunteers to man the stall would also be welcomed. If you have not been before it’s definitely worth a visit.

 For Sale Paper flower pot press. One available for sale at Wednesday’s meeting. Why not make your own little paper plant pots with this clever little press. Easy to do and environmentally friendly only £5; much more expensive on the internet. We can take orders for anyone interested. Have a look on YouTube – search for Paper Pot Maker Instructions Free to a good home McCulloch Shredder 450C – weight 28kg. Contact Phil Armson 01752 791373, Buyer collects Trading Hut The Trading Hut in Stoggy Lane will be open on Sunday from 10.00am to 11.30am. This is the last opening for the summer but members can still request items by contacting Phil or by purchasing at the monthly meetings.

 Informal Competition - for information The purpose of this event each month is to provide an opportunity for members to display/exhibit things they have grown or made, for the interest and enjoyment of other members. It doesn’t have to be a brilliant specimen but just something that you’re proud of and has given you that sense of achievement. Or, it might be a mis-shaped vegetable or a freakily coloured flower for example. All entries are displayed anonymously. The intention is that it should stimulate discussion and help members to learn from the skill and experience of others. We would like as many members as possible to take part. In order to add a little interest during the evening, exhibits are assessed by follow members, with a small prize for each category.

March News

March Meeting

The talk on Thursday (7^th March) is Wild Flowers and their Environment, by Ron Smith. There will be no entry charge this month – see below. The Daffodil competition will also be judged – so don’t forget to bring your entry.

Free tea and coffee during the break, also, sales table, informal competition, raffle. Help with cups and plates collection, plus drying-of-dishes help, would also be appreciated.

                      Any special requests for Fertilisers etc please contact Phil (07892 623991) or Sue Bone (07816 652854)

Many thanks to those members who donated items for the last coffee bar and tombola table.

There is free entry this month because of the non-appearance, last month, of the speaker – Caradoc Doy. He did have the good grace to write and apologise and sent a £50 gift token as well. However, as it was the second time he has let us down we have decided not to invite him back again.

Spring Show – Saturday 16^th March

The date is fast approaching and now is a good time to consider what you may be able to enter. The mild winter has done us no favours and many daff varieties have flowered early and may not be available for exhibiting, although there are many more categories you might consider entering.  

If you do not have a show schedule, please contact Paul Hutchings who will get one to you promptly.

Membership

If you have not yet renewed, you can do so at the next meeting or online - £5 per member.

Plympton Gardeners

30-94-58

0093 0198

Quote your surname in the reference field.

Plymouth (Crownhill) Garden Centre

We are pleased to announce that we have been awarded a £60 Garden Package from the garden centre as part of their 60^th anniversary celebrations. We are eagerly waiting to see what is included in the package and we will then  decide what we do with it! Many thanks to those members who took the trouble to support our nomination.

Trading Hut

The trading hut at Stoggy Lane will open on the following dates (the first Sundays of the month)

3^rd March;           7^th April;              5^th May;               2^nd Jun;                                 10.00 – 11.30am

Or by arrangement – call or text Phil 07892 623991

Please see the PGA website for more details of products sold.  Plympton Gardeners Association

Visit to Anthony Woodland Garden.
Plymstock U3A Garden Visiting Group will be visiting Anthony Woodland Garden (Torpoint) on Friday 22nd March at 11:00 am, and enjoying a 1.5 hour guided tour with the Head Gardener, Richard Squires, a recent speaker at PGA. There are some places available if any PGA members are interested.
The cost is £15 pp. Please note – this is not part of the National Trust estate at Antony.
Please speak to Chris Bishop at the PGA March meeting or contact her on 344048, or email djcabishop@aol.com

June Meeting Speaker

Unfortunately, our designated speaker is unable to attend due to ill health, which is a shame as I am sure it would have been a very interesting talk (45 years a seed and plantsman). Carol has, however, arranged a good substitute – Stella Exley with a talk on perennials. She is the Yorkshire lady who entertained us so well at the November meeting. Stella’s Nursery has 3 ‘Open Days’ (weekends) during the year so if you are able to get along it would be a good way of supporting her.

Sat & Sun 13^th & 14^th April;           8^th & 9^th June;       10^th & 11^th August         10.00 – 4.00pm

Hare Spring Cottage Plants, Mill House, Ford, Kingsbridge  TQ7 2LN            Stella mobile:  07792 376805

Please check before you travel as parking area is weather dependent. For more details see:

2024 EVENTS – Hare Spring Cottage Plants

PGA Summer Trips

We have 3 trips organised so far and a possible 4^th later in the year. Details are shown below You can secure your place by paying for the trip/trips either online or at the monthly meetings.

If paying online the PGA bank details are:

Plympton Gardeners

30-94-58

0093 0198

Quote your surname and the appropriate trip CODE in the reference field

TOBY’S GARDEN FESTIVAL            POWDERHAM CASTLE, EXETER  FRIDAY 3^rd MAY

Outward          Depart             Plymstock        08.15

                                                Plympton         09.00

                                                Ivybridge         09.15

Return             Depart             Powderham     16.00 (4.00pm)

Cost     £25                  Code if paying by bank transfer                      TOBY

HESTERCOMBE GARDENS            NR TAUNTON                    WEDNESDAY 19^th JUNE

Outward          Depart             Plymstock        09.00

                                                Plympton         09.15

                                                Ivybridge         09.30

Return             Depart             Hestercombe   16.00 (4.00pm)

Cost     £30                  Code if paying by bank transfer                      HEST

TAUNTON FLOWER SHOW                           FRIDAY 2^nd AUGUST

Outward          Depart             Plymstock        08.00

                                                Plympton         08.15

                                                Ivybridge         08.30

Return             Depart             Taunton           16.00 (4.00pm)

Cost     £30                  Code if paying by bank transfer                      TFS

February’s Newsletter

Our regular meeting will commence directly after the AGM (which will hopefully be very short). The guest speaker this month is Caradoc Doy on “Plants Behaving Badly” – sounds intriguing! There will be the usual tea and coffee, raffle, sales table and informal competition. There will also be the opportunity to renew your membership (£5).

The committee would be grateful if you would return cups and plates to the servery to assist the volunteers in the kitchen – also if anyone would be kind enough to help with washing and drying, please see Lloyd or Jennifer.

Items on the Sales table will be pretty much the usual. However, if anyone has any special requests please get in touch. Phil (07892 623991) or Sue Bone (07816 652854)

Annual General Meeting

Election of Officers and committee.

 It was recognised that there was a need to streamline the committee and following discussion and agreement at the last committee meeting, it was agreed that a recommendation be submitted to the AGM for ratification. The proposed committee structure is shown in the attached link. Also shown are the names of the members currently occupying those positions along with some names of members who have indicated their willingness to join the committee. This does not prevent any other member from standing for these positions – they should contact the Chairman, John Gilding (07436 001882)  prior to the formal election of officers.

Also included in the link are some of the additional support roles which help the association to function smoothly. There are also details of the members who make up the Show committee.

Treasurer’s Annual Report

There are two links below containing the Balance Sheet and a Summary of Accounts

Constitution

As a result of the proposed changes above, it has been necessary to make some alterations to the Constitution. At the same time some additional, minor, amendments have been made to update the Constitution. The proposed Constitution is shown in the link below.

Charity for 2024

There have been 6 charities nominated, by our members, for this year. They are shown in the link below, with a brief description. There will be a show-of-hands vote on the evening to determine who we support. It is possible that if it is a close thing we may decide to select more than one charity.

Spring Show – Saturday 16^th March

Schedules

Schedules for the Spring Show will be available for collection at Thursday’s meeting. Anyone not able to attend the meeting but would like a schedule, should contact Paul Hutchings who will ensure one is despatched promptly. Due to increased printing costs, we will not be distributing to all members as we have done previously.

If you require a schedule, please contact Paul on 07974 406179.

Tombola Donations

We would be grateful if members can bring along a small item for use on the tombola table. This could be a tin or jar of something from the store cupboard, or maybe an unwanted Christmas gift.

Coffee Bar

The coffee bar held in early January made over £590, including tombola and bric-a-brac takings. We are extremely grateful to Lloyd and Jennifer for their commitment throughout the week. We are also indebted to the many members who volunteered to man the coffee bar and make cakes. We would encourage more members to get involved and help where they can – even an odd hour’s help over the lunch period would allow the others to have a bit of a break. It can be very tiring work and some of our helpers are not as young as they used to be. Please contact, or see, Lloyd if you would like to help. A substantial part of the money raised goes towards our nominated charity/charities.

Lloyd Hills tel. 336313

Plymouth Garden Centre

“Here at Plymouth Garden Centre, we are celebrating our 60^th anniversary this year and as part of these celebrations, we are donating £60 worth of gardening supplies to 60 different local communities. We have received a nomination for Plympton Gardeners Association to receive one of these gardening packages. The package will consist of compost, tools, flowers, seeds and everything needed to help create or expand upon a garden space.”

If you are agreeable and it is convenient, would you please email marketing@plymouthgardencentre.co.uk

indicating that you wish to support the nomination for Plympton Gardeners Assn. re 60^th Anniversary celebrations.

Membership

If you have not yet renewed your membership, (and it’s only £5) please do so either at February’s meeting or online – details below.

Bank details

Name                    Plympton Gardeners

Sort Code            30-94-58

Account No.       00930198

Please include your surname in the reference field.

Trips for 2024

We are still finalising details for the coming year and will publish more details next month.

Phil Warren

On behalf of the PGA committee