IMPORTANT CHANGE OF DATE DUE TO POSSIBLE BAD WEATHER 

Our next event is on June 12th INSTEAD OF THE 5TH when members are invited to Sarah Studley’s garden at Higher Manor Farm, Littlemead, DT3 5DL from 3pm. Thanks to Sarah for the invitation.

Our Plant Sale on 10th May was a great success raising valuable funds for the Society. Many thanks to all who contributed in any way.

Other events in the County that you may be interested in;

Winfrith Garden Club are holding their Open Gardens weekend on 21st and 22nd June. Entrance is £5  and there will be tea and cakes on Saturday and cream teas on Sunday. Sounds inviting!

• Abbotsbury Early Summer Plant Fair June 8, 2025 10:00am – 3:00pm
  Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens DT3 4LA (Plant Sale)
• Melplash Agricultural Society Garden & Allotment Competition 17th & 18th June June 17, 2025 10:00am – 5:00pm
  The competition is open to all residents within a 12-mile radius of Melplash Village Church (Other)
• Ferndown & District Horticultural Society Summer Show June 21, 2025 1:00pm – 4:00pm
  United Church Hall, Wimborne Road East, Ferndown BH22 9NF (Show)

On May 1st our members enjoyed an excellent talk by Steve Jeffries on pruning. Steve is very knowledgeable and covered all aspects of pruning ,including ‘what’ ‘when’ and ‘how’. He also demonstrated on some of the plants that he brought along. He answered numerous questions from the audience. A very enjoyable and informative evening.

Our Plant Sale takes place on Saturday 10th May at Upwey Memorial Hall from 2pm. Tables can be booked by ringing 01305 813942 or emailing shows@budhs.org.uk non members included.

On Thursday 5th June members have kindly been invited to Sarah Studley’s garden at North Manor Farm, Littlemead from 3pm. Many thanks to Sarah.

There are no meetings in July and August but don’t forget the Summer Show on August 16th, full details on the ‘Shows’ link.

We return on September 4th with a talk by the Gardens Group Gold Club. Please remember to bring the fuchsia and geranium plants for the speaker to judge. There is a prize!

A beautiful yellow Azalea

The April meeting was very interesting when two members of Weymouth Parks Department spoke to us about how the green spaces of Weymouth were looked after. Several members asked questions which were answered in detail.

Our next event is a visit to Poundbury Garden Centre on April 24th. Members should arrive by 6pm and meet in the Engine Room where we will be given a short talk before shopping with a good discount. Purchases can be delivered free the next day if required.

Our next meeting is on May 1st. at St Nicholas and St. Laurence School at 7.30pm. We have had to change the speaker so now Steve Jeffries will be talking about pruning, He is a very experienced horticulturalist who gives very good talks,

The Annual Plant Sale takes place on 10th May at the Upwey Memorial Hall, Victoria Avenue at 2pm. Stalls are free but 20% of takings go to the Society. Plants can also be donated to the Society stall. Refreshments will be available.

Members’ Gardens. Please send your photos to shows@budhs.org.uk

Magnolia in full bloom

HAPPY CHRISTMAS to all our members, past present and future.

Our year ended with a Christmas supper and quiz on December 5th.

Thirty-seven members and guests attended and enjoyed the evening. Our Chairman, Shaun Vallard was quizmaster, asking twenty questions.

Six teams took part.

The team on the left were the winners.

The Mary Middlemass Plate is awarded annually to the winner of the Flower/Plant of The Month competition. This year it was presented to Eve Morris. We would like more members to take part, just bring along a flower or plant, or both, to each meeting. These will be judged by the speaker and points awarded accordingly.

There is no meeting in January but we look forward to seeing you on February 6th when David Ennals will give us a talk entitled ‘Bonsai for Beginners’.

Spring Show Schedules are available from the Show Secretary or by downloading from the ‘Shows’ link.

Christmas Meal and Quiz, 5th December. Please ring 01305 814887, email join@budhs.org.uk or 01305 813942 email shows @budhs.org.uk by 25th November if you wish to attend and have not already put your name down. £8 payable on the night.

On November 7th Fiona Penny demonstrated seasonal floral arrangements. This was an excellent meeting with Fiona giving plenty of tips on creating displays and information about alternatives to floral foam (oasis). She made 6 different designs, using different methods, including oasis, biodegradable foam, chicken wire and a pin holder. We also learnt how to make a wreath frame.

Next Meeting; October 3rd, Pot Plants, an informative talk by Mark Read.

Our Secretary Neil, had great success at the Dorset County Show. He won the Trophy for highest points in the Homecraft cookery.

We entered the Dorset Federation Inter-Society Show at Tarrant Keynestone on Sunday 15th September. We won three trophies this year, the Harry Dawes Trophy for best pot plant, the Joy Collins Shield for best Cactus/Succulent exhibit and the cup for Highest Points in the Homecraft Section. In all, we achieved 16 firsts, 9 seconds, and 8 thirds. Well worth the very early morning start.

Neil’s Orchid, best Pot Plant

Best Cactus/Succulent Exhibit

Homecraft Collective – 5 items

Other first prize winning exhibits;

You may be interested in visiting the following event.

Dahlia Festival Poster ARK v2

Our September meeting was held on Thursday 5th. Steve, from The Gold Club gave us a fascinating talk on ‘Slightly Naughty Plants’. The talk covered carnivorous, invasive and plants with slightly naughty names and features. Very amusing!

Our Chairman, Shaun exhibited at the Melplash Show in August and was very pleased with the outcome as you will see from the following pictures.

Our Summer Show was held on Saturday 17th August. The Memorial Hall looked splendid when all the entries were in place.

We had plenty of visitors in the afternoon who enjoyed inspecting the 280 exhibits  before tucking in to home-made cakes and cups of tea.

A full report and more photos can be found on the ‘Shows’ link.

Our Autumn programme of Talks begins on September 5th at St.Nicholas and St. Laurence School at 7.30pm. A speaker from the Gold Club will present a talk entitled ‘Slightly Naughty Plants’.

Membership fees £8) will be due at this meeting and don’t forget to bring your fuchsias and geraniums provided by the Gold Club in the Spring. They will be judged by the speaker. Please bring them whatever they look like as the Gold Club like to see how their plants have fared.

New members are always welcome.

On October 3rd Mark Read will give us a talk on Pot Plants.

Our Summer Show takes place on 17th August , full details can be found on the ‘Shows’ link. We are hoping for another successful event so please try to enter , there are lots of options.

Following Stella Knight’s funeral, we have received a lovely letter from her eldest daughter, Caroline. She thanks all members who attended the service and who sent cards and messages. Stella will be missed.

We start our programme of talks on September 5th with a talk entitled ‘Slightly Naughty Plants’ given by The Gold Club. This sounds very interesting. We look forward to seeing members new and current. 7.30pm at St.Nicholas and St. Laurence School.

Members’ Gardens.

Clematis are at their best now.

On 6th June members enjoyed a sunny afternoon in Sue and Dave Mountjoy’s garden in Elwell Street. It looked lovely in the sunshine with large lawns and plenty of colour in the borders. The patio was very welcoming with more colour in the pots.

After a good look around the garden we sat in the sunshine. Sue very kindly appeared with cups of tea and and cake. Many thanks to Sue and Dave for their hospitality.

Our Chairman, Shaun, has been busy in his garden using recycled materials to make a potting shed, pot store and wildlife ‘hotel’.

Wrens have decided to nest in the structure.

What a delightful sight.