King's Lynn Horticultural Society klhs.co.uk
KLHS News
January/February 2018 Volume 5, Issue 1
Brightening up the winter scene are tiny yellow aconites (eranthis hyemalis).
Enjoying the Christmas meal.
CHRISTMAS DINNER By STEPHEN FAIRWEATHER
The KLHS returned to the characterful Stuart House Hotel in King’s Lynn for the 2017 meal. It was attended by 15 members and non members. The meal, prepared and served with care and kindness inside the cosy dining room, was marvellously presented and tasted equally fine. The vegan stuffed pepper was especially delicious. (Special mention ought to go to the fairy lights in the fire hearths: these gave a wonderfully warm atmosphere!) Following the three-course meal, which took place on Dec ember 3rd, Chairman Steve Barker briefly reviewed the Society’s experiences throughout 2017.
klhs.co.uk
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Hedges
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AGM
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Kew Gardens Visit
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New Schedule 3 Water, water everywhere!
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HEDGES By Nolan Mills A hedge is simply a close row of bushes or small trees usually on the boundary of a property, it can also be a feature in a garden. Hedges go in fashions like everything else. In the 1950s I remember the standard hedge was privet (ligustrum). Now new privet hedges are rare, most of the ones still there have been planted many years ago. It is testament to their durability that they seem to go on growing for ever. Privet thrives on being cut.
Then the fashion in the 1960s and 70s was the conifer known as leylandii (cupressocyparis leylandii). It is easy to see why it was so popular, growing one metre in a year. This was also its downfall – on a boundary reaching 30m (100 feet) in height – blocking out light and causing “hedge wars” with neighbours. We had a leylandii hedge at the bottom of our garden when we moved here in the 1980s; it had been cut to about 3 metres high. It was difficult for
“It seems to have a definite life of about 30 years” us to trim so I considered investing in a suitable large set of platform steps. Then I thought it was far wiser to spend the money on a contractor reducing its height to 2 metres (so that in future I could trim it from standard steps.) Unfortunately after that parts of the hedge started to die off, this was becoming a common feature with other similar hedges on our estate. So unlike privet it seems to have a definite life of about 30 years. All you can do when it dies is pull it up and plant a new different hedge or as most people do erect a fence! When you look around it is quite surprising how many species can be used for hedging. My favourite hedge is another conifer – yew (taxus), not as fast growing as leylandii but gives a dense dark green evergreen hedge which thrives on cutting. At Houghton Hall yew hedges are used as a feature to divide up the walled garden. Laurel or bay can be used providing a broad leaved evergreen hedge. The police recommend a thorny hedge on a property boundary to deter burglars – such as holly (ilex), hawthorn (crataegus) or pyracantha. There are attractive pyracantha hedges at South Wootton Village Hall – they have white flowers in the summer and red, yellow or orange ber-
ries (depending on variety) in the autumn. The standard farm hedge is usually based on hawthorn – a typical example of this is the hedge along the Green at South Wootton bordering Nursery Lane (this particular one is cut in November so as not to disturb nesting birds). All hedges need regular trimming at least once a year to keep them in shape and control their height and width. Fortunately with modern electric hedge cutters this task is now much easier. You can now get rechargeable battery powered hedge cutters so no cable to worry about cutting through. Yes I have done this, fortunately there was a circuit breaker at the plug!!!
ANNUAL MEETING An important date for your diary is Wednesday, March 28th, which is when the Society’s annual meeting will take place. This is when officers are elected and the committee chosen for another year. The venue is the Royal British Legion Club, in Tower Street, King’s Lynn and you need to be there by 7.30pm if you wish to take part. Membership fees— £5 for adults and free for under 16s— are also due for payment in March.
SOCIETY TO VISIT KEW GARDENS The Society is planning a real treat—a bus trip to the prestigious Kew Gardens in London—in the spring. Scheduled for Saturday, May 12th, the outing will cost £33 for members, £38 for non-members, but groups of four non-members can travel for £35 each. Further details will be available in the April edition of the newsletter, or you can take a look at the website— klhs.co.uk.
NEW SCHEDULE We have launched a new three year schedule, taking effect this year. This renders all older copies obsolete so check our website, issuu.com/klhs or contact us for a physical copy. So if you enjoy baking and fancy jam tarts (class 80), American muffins (class 90) or madeira cake (class 112) it’s time to prepare; there are classes for all ages and abilities! The date of this year’s show is 11th August 2018.
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE! Maintaining an allotment in the winter months can be a daunting task, as Society Publicity Officer, Kelvin Fairweather, can testify. He has found his plot in Grimston Road, King’s Lynn, under water yet again this season.
length of time.” Moreover, the ground will not be workable until April, he continued. Kelvin is also concerned about his plants such as sweet Williams and lavender, which are under water. “It’s an annual occurrence,” he said.
The rain gauge in the garden at Kelvin’s home collected 33mm (1.3 inches) from 3pm on Tuesday, December “Water, water everywhere”, is the cry 26th to 9am on Wednesday, Decemof most of the allotment holders here, ber 27th. Kelvin said. The problem started in That amounted to more than half the December, 2017. usual amount for December—54mm “Once you find the car park area un- (2.1 inches). der water, you can be fairly certain In December 2016, total rainfall for most of the plots have suffered the the month was 30mm (one inch). same fate,” he commented. “The problem is the lack of drainage. The field is lower than the road and the dykes that used to surround it have been filled in.”
“This is an ideal time for the Parish Council (who own the land) to do an inspection”, said Kelvin. “The land is not workable for four months, from “From my own plot, which is towards mid December to April”. the middle of the site, I know it is no use growing winter veg or setting items such as broad beans as they would never survive.” “I now wonder if fruit bushes such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and jostaberries will survive as some do not like having their feet in water for any