Ruth Martin, our AHS chair talked about Winter Gardens at the January meeting, in the place of the advertised speaker who had to postpone due to family illness. She began by showing pictures of plants and flowers from members’ gardens blooming during December and early January (before the freeze), emphasising the effects of climate change in our gardens. However, Ruth went on to emphasise the importance of planting particular shrubs, trees and early flowering bulbs to provide colour, interest and perfume in the cold, grey and dismal months. She stated the importance of providing a good winter view from the window. Ruth spoke about the changes in gardening habits and the necessity of keeping dead plants and foliage over the winter, providing feed for birds and insects. In the same way a number of flowering shrubs such as Daphne, Clematis cirrhosa, Hamamelis, & Winter flowering honeysuckle and early bulbs like Iris reticulata, Crocus, Galanthus (snowdrops) & Eranthis provide pollen for early flying single bees. Shrubs which flower in Winter have a strong perfume precisely to attract bees – they also perfume a room if one or two sprigs are brought into the house. A number of sprigs of winter flowering plants were available for members to see and smell. 

Pictures of trees of interest in winter, like Silver Birch and the Paperback maple with stunning trunks were displayed as well as shrubs with coloured stems such as Cornus and Rubus cockburnianus which give winter colour. Ruth suggested that planting a border with one or two evergreen shrubs provides a good background to plants with coloured stems. She recommended identifying an area of the garden which can be seen from a window and in that area planting an interesting tree, with evergreens and shrubs with coloured stems and strong perfume to provide more interest. She also suggested planting up pots with early flowering bulbs such as Iris reticulata and Crocus which can be seen from the window and planting perfumed shrubs by paths and outside doors so they can be appreciated best. 

She concluded her talk with some pictures of the Winter garden at Anglesey Abbey which members of the AHS

At the December meeting of the AHS, Nina Lewis gave a fascinating talk on the folklore of plants. From the story of the mandrake the plant that squeaks when it’s pulled out of the ground to the use of plants throughout the agricultural year, we were reminded of the many customs and folklore associated with plants. Nina took us through the agricultural year from Plough Sunday – the 1^st Monday after Twelfth Night to Candlemas on the 2^nd February, half -way between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox.  Candlemas was an important date in earlier times when the house was cleaned, rushes removed and lingering Christmas evergreen thrown out.  The clean house was decorated with a bunch of snowdrops, although in earlier times people were reluctant to bring wild flowers into the house.  An exception was Mothering Sunday when children would present their mothers with a posy picked from the hedgerow – known as a ‘flourish’.  Nina referred to each of the Saint Days in the UK and the plants associated with them – leeks & daffodils in Wales, shamrocks in Ireland, roses in England and thistles and heather in Scotland.

As the year continues, Lilies are used in church at Easter, the Hawthorn is used on Mayday as a protection from evil, and later in the Summer, Hypericum is also used for protection.  The harvest was not only about gathering wheat, rye and barley but also hops, rushes and bracken for stuffing mattresses. Later in the Autumn poppies have become a symbolic flower to remember the fallen in two world wars.  Nina talked about the use of flowers in weddings and funerals and gave us some examples of what flowers actually represented in Victorian times.  The three favourite Christmas plants were explained – Holly with the red berries flourishing in winter and are said to ward off evil spirits.  The ivy is seen as a more ‘feminine’ plant – but resilient in its ability to cling on.  Mistletoe is said to have huge magical properties – a parasite growing between earth and heaven – it is supposed to bring peace and prosperity and protect from lightening – from Victorian times it has been traditional to kiss under the mistletoe.

At our November meeting members enjoyed an inspirational talk by Suze Hu who told us all about the establishment of a Community Garden in an old laundry yard on the Field Estate in Forest Gate, named the Up Garden.  We first heard about the Up Garden when it won the RHS & BBC Growing Together Award for community gardening and featured on the BBC One Show and some of us visited it as part of the Forest Gate garden trail in June 2024. It is situated in an area of high deprivation behind a block of flats and it was a dark and derelict space full of brambles.  After leafletting local households on the estate Suze found that 240 responded positively to the idea of developing the yard into a garden with over 150 offering to help.  A generous grant was bid for and allocated by the Greater London Authority. 

Despite the money, however, there were a number of major problems on the way – because of inflation the cost of materials rose dramatically; a large area of Japanese Knotweed was discovered and the deep brambles took a lot of clearing.   To make things more difficult there was no water on site, but with a lot of determination, drive and hard work and with the support of local businesses, raised beds were built, a free play area established and donated furniture was painted in bright colours. Water Butts have been erected to hold over 7,000 litres of water, some connected to the block of flats down pipes. A pergola was built by volunteers and a green roof covers the buggy shelter.  A wildflower bed has been a great success attracting bees and butterflies; meeting the key aim of the garden to increase biodiversity. In six square metre planters vegetables are grown, there is a grapevine and wisteria growing up the laundry poles that were kept in the garden.  There are a number of committed volunteers which means that the garden can be open every day and the space is used as a place where members of the community can gather, events are hosted throughout the year including family events during school holidays. Suz was an inspirational speaker – her enthusiasm and drive, together with that of her team of volunteers, has transformed a laundry yard into a beautiful biodiverse green space for all to enjoy.

AGM.

The AHS AGM was held before the talk – Reports from the Chair & Secretary, Treasurer and Membership Secretary were unanimously agreed.  Officers and committee members were re-elected unopposed for a list of Officers & Committee Members please see XX on the website.