Tonight we will welcome Margaret Arnott who will be talking about the National Garden Scheme in Surrey. Since its foundation, the National Gardens Scheme has donated over £42.5 million to nominated beneficiaries, of which nearly £23 million has been donated within the last ten years. The continuing support means that for most of the beneficiaries the scheme is the largest cumulative donor in their histories.
As with all Gardeners’ Club meetings there will, of course, be the usual plant sale where members bring spare plants along and sell them on the night with part of the proceeds going to the club.
Several members already open their gardens for the National Garden Scheme and maybe Margaret will inspire more of us to do so!
Another great Gardeners’ Club meeting last night. Bren Davis, Vice Chairman, stood in to Chair the meeting as Sylvia had a prior engagement elsewhere. The beginning of the meeting began, as always, with a variety of notices and announcements. Bren did point out that the vast majority were in the Newsletter and on the Website, but a reminder is never a bad thing. We welcomed a new member, David, to the club last night and had a visitor from Hong Kong who is in the process of restoring a temple! Interestingly, she was telling us that in her local Gardeners’ Club in Hong Kong, the gardens that they visit are rooftop gardens and balconies because, of course, there is no room for a traditional garden there! We’ve asked her if she will send us some photos of the temple and gardens that we can add here on the website. Watch this space!
A brief overview of the website was given. The website offers members an opportunity to share photographs and experiences of gardens, it has a calendar of open gardens and other relevant events, details of the Annual Summer Show, (the Spring Challenge will be added in due course), and other information relevant to the club. Members are encouraged to comment, to contribute photos and to use the website as much as they can. If any member wants something added to the website or thinks that something is unnecessary, they are very much encouraged to suggest it.
Finally, a little later than planned, we got to the main event. Margaret Arnott from the National Gardens Scheme in Surrey gave a very interesting talk about the history of the scheme, some current gardens and what one might expect. Without taking too much away from her talk, (others may want to book her!), did you know that District Nurses originated through the National Gardens Scheme, or that there exists a recipe for chocolate and cola cake? Did you know that the National Gardens Scheme gives you the opportunity to visit not just traditional gardens, but some very modern gardens, gardens with quirky sculptures and other artwork, and even allotments! A very interesting history and overview of the National Gardens Scheme and, if you’re looking Margaret, thank you!!