At the end of July, a small group of us went for an interesting “garden experience”. The owner of the property near Stowmarket worked for many decades for the seed company Thompson-Morgan. On retirement he continued his passion for wanting to improve the quality of plant growth, so set up Eazygardeningdirect, an online special compost company. The material is made from coconut coir, dried, compacted and sold in light easy to carry packages. The customer then adds water to reconstitute it ready for use. We were shown around the garden where he has many trials using different compost mixes where at 1st hand we saw the difference in vigour. He is currently looking at different slow release fertilisers. We were all quite fascinated to see how a near perfect growing medium can make such a big difference to the end result. The afternoon ended perfectly with tea and cakes served in a large wooden gazebo.
Our August speaker was George Lockwood on the subject of “Fragrant Shrubs”. He has been an organic gardener for decades and at present looking after 6 private gardens. He went through a comprehensive list of shrubs with illustrations, detailing best growing conditions and type of scent the flowers produced. Each member was given this list so that we could take notes for future reference. George doesn’t use any insecticides, so encourages insects like ladybirds and lacewings in his garden as they feed on ants , aphids etc. When watering, he recommends aiming at the soil. This way the eggs of the predators will not be washed off the leaves. He also thinks that morning watering is better as slugs/snails are nocturnal and are more likely to emerge if this task is done in the evening. He touched on the subject of pruning, giving Wisteria as an example. When buying this plant at a nursery, it’s best to look for specimens that have been grafted. These should flower the same year. With French lavender, deadheading is sufficient for the plant to produce more blooms later on in the season. English lavender, like Hidcote, should be cut right back after flowering but avoid cutting into the woody stems. These flowers can be used in pot pourri, placed on the window sill in bedrooms to discourage insects at night. George doesn’t use commercial fungicides but did mention the use of a weak milk solution(1:9) to spray on crops with mildew. This is best done on sunny days as the amino acids and proteins react with the sunlight to create a temporary antiseptic effect.
George was more than happy to be contacted by members to answer any queries and give advice.
