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to WHAT WE DO Back to this year's Gardening Group
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The High Lane gardening group is a small group which meets in each others' houses and gardens, and visits nearby public gardens using shared cars. Meetings are held monthly, on the third Wednesday in each month, and occasionally the first Wednesday. Nearer the dates, confirmation details of meeting times/place will be sent to group members by email and letter. Programme for 2019
The gardening year started on a good note with a meal at the Deanwater Hotel.
Abbeywood Gardens, near Delamere. Not as many snowdrops as some places, but loads of well established Hellebores, some rare iris clumps, and many unusual shrubs with winter flowers or colourful stems, even a flowering rhododendron! With the pleasant cafe and interesting garden design, it made for a lovely trip.
The garden group's visit to Astbury combined the impressive swathes of daffodils on the village green and a tour round the well-stocked garden centre. Later in the month warm sunshine greeted us in two contrasting local gardens, each with interest in spite of the earliness in the garden season.
At Deirdre's, we sipped birthday sparkling drinks and admired Deirdre's late tulips and her neighbour's terracing.
May 22nd Three weeks later, in Gamesley, we were surprised how attractive a garden of mainly wild flowers could look.
Early June a few of us travelled to Cholmondoley Castle, which was characteristically large with colour, vistas, lakes and water features in abundance – very impressive.
Later in June and nearer to home were Fletcher Moss Park and Parsonage Gardens – smaller but equally impressive, with plenty to catch our interest and admire. In particular Parsonage Gardens had many unusual trees and plants, well maintained by friends of the garden. Dogwoods, japanese maples and alliums especially caught the eye.
July saw us at Pam's house, which though small had some choice plant varieties, growing well. Clematis, phlox, hydrangeas, and roses caught the eye.
In August we had good attendances, first to Hill Top Avenue in Cheadle Hulme with a huge lacecap hydrangea dominating the front garden. There we were impressed by the luscious planting in the large long narrow garden (over 100 varieties of clematis alone!), and by the comprehensive plant knowledge of the lady gardener. Her secret to a weed-free garden – don't hoe (it raises the weed seeds), and fill the ground with plants!
September saw us at Janet's house, which was looking good and impressively weed-free, even though Janet's recent fall had curtailed her gardening activities. One or two unusual features caught the eye, as did tomatoes, fruit trees, and various late flowers. An unusual shrub prompted a discussion – could it be an arbutus (Strawberry Tree)? Walter presented a draft programme for 2020, with a potential highlight of the then to be newly opened RHS Bridgewater Garden in Worsley, Salford. Now garden visits cease, and we next meet for a meal in January.
ENQUIRIES FOR MEMBERSHIP TO WALTER MASON.gardeninggroupleader@highlaneu3a.org.uk
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