SCOTTISH GARDENERS’ FORUM

SCOTTISHGARDENERS’ FORUMNewsletter Vol 10: Issue 3Autumn 2012www.scottishgardenersforum.org.uk

AUTUMN 2012EDITORIAL SEPTEMBER 2012Dear Fellow Gardeners,Here we are again, with Autumn nudging at the door, reminding usthat the most colourful and dramatic of the seasons will soon beupon us. Something to look forward to? Yes, but it would have been niceto have had a proper summer, instead of a garden lushly overflowingwith luxuriant vegetation after all that rain.We hope you enjoy this newsletter. Our aim is to interest and entertain.Gardening with a human face, recognizable as part of our daily lifestyle.But we also want the SGF to function as a forum, where views andideas are exchanged. We welcome your feedback, comments andobservations. Come to the AGM and make your wishes known to us.Meantime, Happy Gardening!Christopher DaviesCONTENTSEditorial 2 SE Scotland Fuchsia Society 15Chairman’s Letter 3 Gardening in Arizona Desert 15SGF in Action 4 Polmont HS & Rotary 20Annual General Meeting 7 The Delphinium Society 21Pallet Gardens 9 Exchange of Experience 22Dalgety Bay HS 10 Writing a Business Plan 22North Berwick 11 Ann’s Diary 26Nairn and District GS 13 What’s On 30SGF Schools Awards: Broughty Ferry 14 Who’s Who 32Barnhill After-School Group 14The Scottish Gardeners’ Forum exists to provide the communication linkbetween Scotland’s many horticultural organisations. The Council (see backcover) meets regularly to discuss matters of interest, either to horticulture asa whole, or members in particular. One of our concerns is that individualclubs should flourish in their local context, benefiting from the experience ofthe SGF as a whole, and in turn responding to the requests for informationfrom other members. Please send your questions to the Secretary (or to anyCouncil Member): Roger Evans, Lilyvale, Quothquan, Biggar. ML12 6ND: Tel01899 308 695 email secretary@scottishgardenersforum.org.ukOur cover picture: the glorious dahlia with its variety of rich colours, its symmetricaland progressive geometry is nature at its most confident.2

OUR CHAIRMAN’S LETTERDear FriendsAfter the excitement of the last few weeks watching theOlympics I now have my own challenge; trying to catch up withall the tasks needing done in my garden. I guess we’ll all have hadour own challenges this year with such unpredictable weather.There has been so many blooms spoilt with the rain, however, otherplants have flourished. My bamboo, which now needs majorpruning, seems to have put on two years growth in just onesummer.It seems such a long time ago since Gardening Scotland and onceagain what a fantastic show it was. I thoroughly enjoyed catching upon the news from our members who attended. I would just like tosay a big well done to all those who took part and to John Smith forhis first show as Pallet Garden coordinator.Our AGM on Saturday October 27 th will soon be upon us. We havedecided to return to Oatridge College again this year as they reallycater very well for all our needs. There will be guest speakers and aquestion time so please come along and share in this great day.Further details will be sent out to you all shortly about the AGM.I hope you enjoy reading our latest newsletter and I look forward towelcoming you at our AGM in October.Best wishes.Jim3

THE SGF IN ACTION……MEMBERSHIP & BENEFITSThe SGF membership is uniquely focused on Societies rather thanindividuals – the latter focus which RCHS (“The Caley”) alreadymanages with excellence. The Forum’s objectives as expressed in itsConstitution are:• to advance education in the knowledge and best practice of allaspects of gardening and horticulture for the public benefit inScotland.• to foster co-operation among general and specialistHorticultural and Gardening Societies/ Clubs/ Associations/Branches for their mutual benefit.• to encourage the retention and development of existing andnew Societies.• to provide a voice for the non-professional sector of gardeningin ScotlandMembership of the Scottish Gardeners’ Forum includes: -• Register of Judges – updated regularly• Register of Speakers – updated regularly• Register of Societies• Access to Public Liability Insurance• A Quarterly Newsletter• Access to a nationwide network of like minded enthusiastsREGISTER OF JUDGESThe latest update of the Register of Judges is about to go to pressand will be distributed at the AGM on 27 th October. If you cannotpick up your copy there, we will post it to you.4

Please contact Margaret Drummond on 01968 674046 or email emailregisters@scottishgardenersforum.org.uk if you know of someonewho has judged at your horticultural show and she will approachthem.REGISTER OF SPEAKERSWe recently compiled an updated edition of our Register ofSpeakers and are always keen to add new names to that as well.Perhaps you have attended a meeting where someone was giving atalk on a subject of interest to gardeners, and feel that we shouldinclude him or her in our register – we would be delighted to hearabout them! Please let Margaret know by phoning 01968 674046 oremail registers@scottishgardenersforum.org.ukSGF WEBSITEOur website has been redesigned and is being kept regularly up todate, so that it is an efficient source of information, not only formembers, but for anyone enquiring about the SGF.Please inform your members about the availability of this site andencourage them to visit it.www.scottishgardenersforum.org.ukSGF NEWSLETTERThe newsletter is published four times per year, in March, May,September and December. We are taking care to make it topical,easy to read and entertaining. We would like the circulation to be aswide as possible.5

You can help in three ways:Firstly: contact us, give us feedback, reactions and comments sothat we can gear the content to your expectations.Secondly: Please let us have relevant details of your events, topicalstories of human or gardening interest, club happenings, articles onaspects of gardening in Scotland: basically, things you would like toshare with others. The Newsletter is a resource at your disposal!Use it!Thirdly: by circulating the printed copies, or better still making yourmembers aware that they can read the Newsletters on line.Finally, let us know if you would like receive the Newsletter by email(as a pdf file).NEXT ISSUE – NOVEMBER DEADLINEOur newsletter is gaining in readership and popularity. Thank youfor your articles, and for reading it. Let’s keep up the good work.Just to remind you that the next issue “Winter” will be publishedin December. Please let us have articles for publication any timebut latest mid November. We depend on members sharing theirexperiences and ideas for our interest and topicality.I will send round the usual reminder by email.Items for the newsletter should be sent to me: Christopher Davies,7 West Carnethy Avenue, Edinburgh EH13 0ED: Tel 0131 441 2152,Email: editor@scottishgardenersforum.org.ukChristopher Davies6

SGF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGSATURDAY 27TH OCTOBERNOTICE OF MEETINGThe Twelfth Annual General Meeting of the Scottish Gardeners’Forum will be held on Saturday 27th October 2012 at OatridgeCollege, Ecclesmachan, Broxburn, EH52 6NH at 10.00amRoger EvansSecretaryOUTLINE PROGRAMME10.00am: Registration and coffee10.30am: Annual General Meeting11.45am: Stella Rankin – “A hobby that got out of hand”12.45pm: Lunch14.00pm: Jenny Foulkes & Ben Dell - “Edible Gardening at theBotanics; why, how and what’s next.”15.00pm: Horticultural Question Time16.00pm: CloseDelegate fee of £15 per person includes tea/coffee and buffet lunch.If you have any questions about the event please contact theSecretary, Roger Evans.email: secretary@scottishgardenersforum.org.uk7

THE SGF AGM – SATURDAY 27 th OCTOBERMEET LIKE-MINDED PEOPLEEXCHANGE VIEWS AND IDEASLast year’s AGM attracted a large number of members many ofwhom had very little previous contact with the SGF. They came tohear talks by two very entertaining speakers and enjoyed goodhospitality and a good day out at Oatridge College. The meetingincluded a broad ranging discussion about how to attract youngpeople into horticulture and garden clubs which because of thenumber of new faces was both interesting and informative and ledto the format for this year’s SGF Grant Awards to Schools.It was just the sort of exchange of ideas between clubs which we areset up to promote and was all the more powerful in a face to facemeeting where members were able to influence the running of theForum directly. In short the Council wants to replicate the success oflast year’s meeting in this year’s AGM and if anything make it biggerand better.The AGM Notice appears elsewhere in this Newsletter. We have twoexcellent speakers; Stella Rankin who will talk about thedevelopment of Kevock Plants and bring some of her choice alpine,woodland and bog plants for sale and Jenny Foulkes who will talkabout the achievements of the Edible Gardening Project at the RBGin Edinburgh and its objectives for the future. We will send the callnotice directly to member clubs shortly along with a booking form.Please consider arranging a day out for your members. It will be aninformative day but more importantly an enjoyable one with achance to meet people with similar problems and interests to yourown.Roger Evans8

THE SGF PALLET GARDEN COMPETITION ATGARDENING SCOTLAND 2012.The weather for the build-up of the Pallet Gardens at June’sGardening Scotland was as usual mixed with the rain and windarriving on the Wednesday and Thursday just at the busiest time forthe majority of schools and organisations building their PalletGardens before Friday mornings judging. Little did we realise thenthat our wellies were only out for their first airing of the summer!This year the Pallet GardenCompetition had been moved toan area which gave theopportunity to have more spaceboth between Pallets and alsobetween rows of exhibits. Theincreased space not only allowedmore space around each pallet forbuild up but also seemed toencourage the public to spendmore time viewing the gardensdue to less congestion. Althoughthe numbers for GardeningScotland were down any onelooking round the Pallet Gardenswould have thought the numbers attending had increased such isthe continuing popularity of the competition. One of the mostmemorable visitors, besides the cast of Beechgrove Garden, wasEdinburgh’s new Lord Provost with his wife who both spent a longtime perusing all of the fifty plus Pallets and had high praise forevery one of the exhibits.This year not only saw an increase in the number of Pallet entriesbut also in the total number of Gold Medals awarded by the judges(a foretaste of the Olympics perhaps). It never ceases to amaze methat so many different and original design ideas can be generated9

for a tiny area of only one square metre considering the number ofyears that the Pallet Gardens Competition has now featured atGardening Scotland.It was also very encouraging this year to welcome so many first timeentrants from the schools section; we had worries early on when anumber of old stalwart school s pulled out due to other projectsinvolving the Olympics and the Queens Jubilee.We had a tremendous amount of help throughout build up,manning the show itself and breakdown from a wide cross sectionof volunteers from the Scottish Gardeners Forum, SuntrapGardening Club, and other local societies for which Jim and I arevery grateful. As usual we had an enjoyable few days working witheach other, the competition entrants and meeting the public.I am delighted to finish by reporting that the week after GardeningScotland I was contacted by ten new schools who have not enteredthe Pallet Garden Competition before all asking for applications fornext year!John SmitthDBHS – POST GARDENING SCOTLANDWell, remember Dalgety Bay Horticultural Society (DBHS) builta garden at Gardening Scotland in partnership with theBritish Thyroid Foundation (BTF)? Well we was there as they say andwe won a silver giltaward for or efforts. Itwas such a buzz beinginvolved from start, allthrough the build, themoment we found outwe’d won, the public bitof it all and theaftermath, taking it alldown again. Everyminute was so enjoyable.Peter Foley, who helped10

with the design was a judge in the pallet gardens so I brought him inearly on Friday morning. We had been at a reception for the gardenthe night before but the awards had not been put out then. Wewalked through the hall from the back and reached our gardenhaving passed many with awards. A silver gilt, excellent, what afantastic start to the day.My thanks to everyone who was involved in the garden from startto finish. Once again it was a fantastic experience. I wouldencourage any other horticultural society to go for it. Just do it. Willwe be there next year? Who knows? Just watch this space.PPERENNIAL PALLETS?Michael Gourlay, Chairmanerhaps hardy annual would be more accurate. The photo showsNorth Berwick in Bloom’s winning pallet from GardeningScotland 2012 in the town’s High Street along with the local primaryschool pallet which also achieved a gold medal. We have enteredthe SGF pallet challenge at Ingliston every year since it started in2005 and have always followed up the show in this way. Wewonder why other societies do not do the same.11

If you have put thought and effort into your pallet why break it upafter only three days? We find that local people who did not get tothe show enjoy seeing the pallets while visitors to the town oftencomment that it is nice to see something they saw at Ingliston stillon display. We are fortunate in getting the use of a gravel area infront of a church which means the pallets sit behind a small fence.We copy and laminate the medal card and fix it onto on a smallwooden board so passers-by can read it. Watering is done alongwith our hanging baskets. Some parts of the display are simplified.The petunias in the shower heads of the floral bathroom will notlast the summer upside down while in the children’s pallet the fiveOlympic rings filled in so are now Olympic circles. We havesimplified the text on the display to allow bigger letters legible fromthe pavement. This year’s theme was water conservation which hasled to more than a few humorous comments given this summer’smonsoon.We show the pallets to the Beautiful Scotland /Britain in Bloomjudges in August and remove them by early September when visitornumbers drop off. By that time the theme for next year’s pallet willalready be decided. We shall avoid anything to do with the weatherfor 2013!Stan da Prato12

NAIRN AND DISTRICT GARDENING CLUBFor the last four years, Nairn and District Gardening Club have runa Pallet Garden Competition for our local primary schools. In thefirst year 2 schools entered, in year two 6, in year three 6, year four5 and this year 4. This year we applied to Scottish Gardeners Forumfor funding and we were delighted to be awarded £100, which wedecided to divide equally between the six now eligible schools.Unfortunately, as only four took part, they were delighted to receivea larger share of the money. We decided not to buy things for eachschool but to give them garden vouchers as they all had differentideas on how they would spend them e.g. veg plants, compost,seeds, tools, etc.As before, the standard was excellent and the enthusiasm of thechildren is very heartening and the variation in the themes theychose was also good.1st went to Cawdor Primary Special Needs Group with the idea ofthe Olympic Games, complete with the Olympic Flame. Stands withdifference flowers representing the various people who wouldattend in each corner, a running track with red, white and blueflowers around it. We had to make allowances for the cold weatheras many of the plants were still not in full flower.2nd went to Millbank Primary with a very fill and colourful JubileeGardenJoint 3rd went to Croy Primary with a very good rock garden andAuldearn Primary with another very good Jubilee GardenThe children were presented with their vouchers for one of our localgarden centres, certificate and rosette at our Annual Show heldearlier this month.Sheena Maclean13

SGF GRANT AWARDS TO SCHOOLSBROUGHTY FERRY IN BLOOM“ - for the purchase of tools for senior pupils from Grove Academywho will help maintain a planter and its surrounding area at theCamphill Shopping Centre”We purchased the following tools and gloves: Hand trowels andforks, Gardening gloves, Strong disposable gloves, Fork & Spade.There was a delay in actually using this equipment - we had hopedto obtain a replacement planter for the Campfield Shopping Centreas the current one is a little the worse for wear – in the event thisdid not happen but we did manage to arrange for some of theGrove Senior pupils to assist with replanting and tidying up the areaaround the planter before the end of the school term making use ofthe new equipment.We are very grateful to the Scottish Gardeners’ Forum for thisAward and expect the tools to last for many years. It is also ourhope and intention to work with the Grove Academy pupils on thisand other ventures in future years.Mary Saunders, Vice Chair/Treasurer, Broughty Ferry in BloomChildren from the Barnhill AfterSchool Group returned to the BarnhillRock Garden in July for a morning ofactivities including helping withsummer planting (using the gloves andtools bought with the SGF Awardmoney), searching for tree leaves andthen taking leaf-rubbings in the GeddesGlasshouse.Mary Saunders, ChairmanFriends of the Barnhill Rock Garden14

TSOUTH EAST SCOTLAND FUCHSIA SOCIETYhe South East Scotland Fuchsia Society was going for Gold withtheir Olympic themed stand at Gardening Scotland and theycame up trumps winning a Gold Medal.Boats were filled with fuchsias, targets were made from circles offuchsias to represent archery and shooting, bikes were covered infuchsias. Pillar fuchsias were used at each side and joined togetherwith red and white poles for the horse jumping and even trainershoes were filled with fuchsias to represent the athletics. In thecentre stood the large cone shape stand which was filled withfuchsias representing the Olympic Torch. The podium in front of thetorch featured the bonsai fuchsias which were featured on the BBCBeechgrove Garden programme. The stand was much admired bythe Judges and the public.Irene Birse, Secretary, South East Scotland Fuchsia SocietyAGARDENING IN THE ARIZONA DESERTfter retiring in 2000, my sister in law, Rita and her husband,Tony, moved from Chicago to Tucson in Arizona, to escape thecold winters. They bought a large 3 year old burnt adobe (Mexicanclay block) house on the west side of the town, on the lower slopes15

of the Tucson Mountains. The plot area is 4.25 acres, including anestablished walled garden of about an acre. The patio and maingarden at the rear, has a wonderful view, looking east over the cityto the Catalina and Rincon Mountains beyond. The rest of the plotoutside the walled garden was largely uncultivated except for thedesert vegetation. The annual rainfall averages 12 inches, halffalling during the monsoon season in July and August and theremainder in November to February. As in most desert climatesthere are big swings between day and night temperatures. Summertemperatures are often above 100 degrees F during the day anddrop into the 70’s at night. In Winter the daily highs are in the high60’s or low 70’s with night time temperatures in the upper 30’s andlow 40’s. Cold snaps do occur and last year there was one nightdown to 13 F.At an elevation of the 2600 feet, the house and garden issurrounded by the Sonoran Desert which supports more vegetationthan you would imagine with a mixture of a variety of cacti, paloverde trees (cercidium mycrophyllum), jojoba bush (Simmondsiachinensis), creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) and many mesquitetrees (Prosopsis velutina) along the washes (dried river beds). Anabundance of wildflowers bloom in spring, we counted more than20 species on a short walk especially California poppies(Eschscholtzia californica) and wild lupins (Lupinus arizonicus).There are many species of cacti but the most outstanding is thesaguaro (Carnegeia gigantea), a branching, tree- like cactus, up to40 feet tall, seen in many cowboy films. It is very slow growing,averaging about 70 years before the first side branches start toappear, and they can live for more than 200 years. They flower inMay/June with blossoms on the top of the leader and the branches(see photo). They are only endemic in a limited area of southwestUSA, mainly in Arizona and California. Due to unauthorizedcollecting, these and most other cacti are protected species andcannot be taken from the wilds. Protection is strongly enforced.Most of the new houses in the desert areas have installedautomatic irrigation systems to allow a larger range of tropical16

plants to grow. With the favourable climate, gardens tend to beused as an extension of the living space with paved patios foreating, relaxing and exercising. In Rita and Tony’s garden, therewere already such areas with the bonus of a large swimming pool atthe back of the house and the land around already had a wateringsystem installed to allow a selection of flowering shrubs to flourishincluding oleander (Nerium oleander), lantana (Lantana camara)and Texas Ranger (Leucophyllum frutescens ). There were also anumber of Mediterranean fan palms and olive trees. The entrancecourtyard contained several climbing shrubs and planters withflowers and a pomegranate tree (which was one of the first treesbrought in by the original Spanish settlers.) Tony added a largecentral fountain and raised pool to make this a pleasant place to sitand enjoy a cool drink during the heat of the day. There was also afront garden area with a number of citrus trees, including oranges,tangerines, lemons and grapefruits.After settling in, Tony invited us to visit and knowing my interest ingardening, suggested I might like to help develop the rest of theplot. He had planned to plant several trees that he had seen grownin other local gardens but the major planting should be of cacti thatcould cope with the low rainfall without needing an irrigationsystem. Preparing a wish list was easy and was followed by visits tolocal nurseries. I was immediately struck by the high cost of most ofthe plants that I felt should be inexpensive to propagate in thewarm climate. Two to three year old, fairly common cacti werepriced from $30 upwards. We managed to find some large yucca(Yucca aloifolia) on sale and we also purchased some hedgehogcacti (Echinocerius engelmanii), golden barrel cacti (Echinocacusgrusonii) and some agaves (Agave americana). Further buysincluded blue sage (Salvia ballotaeflora), red bird of paradise(Caesalpinia pulcherrima) and a trumpet vine (Campsis radicans).There were also several trees including an ironwood (Olneyatesota), acacia (Acacia willardiana), Texas ebony (Pithecelloflexicaule), desert willow (Chilopsis linearis) and both local andChilean mesquite (Prospsis velutina and C. chilensis), that we were17

advised, should flourish if linked to the irrigation system. Thenursery carefully wrapped the cacti in several layers of stout paperand card so that they could be handled without damage to the skin.Getting the original two dozen or so safely home required carefuldriving on the unmade roads that climbed to the house. Weunpacked them carefully and placed them in the courtyard untilthey were ready to be planted.Now comes the fun bit that I had not anticipated!Selecting a spot in the front of the house for a group of 4 or 5cacti, we started to dig the first planting hole. The sand was only acouple of inches deep before we hit rock. It was not particularlyhard and we thought it would be a thin crust giving way to moresand. Sledgehammers were brought out and we began to drivesteel chisels into the surface,. The first couple of inches was not toodifficult to penetrate but after labouring for about 4 hours in the hotsun, we were exhausted and had only managed to cut a hole ofabout 24 inches square and less than 6 inches deep.Time to retire and come up with a new plan!A visit to the local tool hire depot resulted in the hire of a largeelectric road-breaking hammer that took the two of us to lift intothe car. Back on site, I quickly realized that I was not strong enoughto control the breaker, which bounced all over the place so Tonyhad to take over. He found it hard work too and after a couple ofhours had only completed the first hole to a depth of about 15inches. Before planting could begin, it is necessary to establish ifthe hole would drain through fissures in the rock, for withoutdrainage the plants would die if left standing in the irrigation water.Fortunately, the first hole did drain but over the next few days, wehad to abandon 4 or 5 holes that did not. Eventually, after a weekor so of hard labour, all of the plants were successfully planted withthe addition of copious amounts of imported topsoil. Handling thecacti proved tricky as even with several layers of stout paperwrapped around them, sharp spines still managed to penetrate, orscratch the skin.18

On returning several times over the past 10 years, we found thegarden well established and looking beautiful, particularly when thecacti and yucca are in flower. The native plants growing around thehouse add to the colour, the brittle bush (Encelia farinosa) flowersprofusely in February and the agave are now quite large and thisyear they will have the first “century plant” blossom flowers. Overthe years most of the plants that we put in have flourished butseveral of the trees died due to blockages in the irrigation pipes thatwere not discovered before it was too late to save them. Therehave also been problems with local critters, like ground squirrelsthat like to dig in the soft soil and feed on the roots. However, sometrees have grown very well, especially the native mesquite. Aroundthe back patio (see photo), in the entrance courtyard and on thestaircase leading up to the roof, mixed cacti and flowering plants arearranged in pots, they are planted in late September as the flowersdie from the heat in the summer, despite the automatic irrigationsystem.Wildlife is plentiful and regular visitors to the garden include deer,coyotes (wild dogs), javalina (wild pigs) and a family of bobcats(large wildcats). Birdlife is plentiful and attracted near to the houseby feeders, regular visitors include gold and house finches, quail andhumming birds. Some of the feeders did cause concern and had tobe eliminated when Tony found that rattle-snakes were attracted toshrubs nearby, waiting to strike whilst the birds were feeding, onevery large diamond back rattler took up residence for a while.I paid a further return visit to the garden a few weeks ago, andfound time to plant a few more shrubs and cacti as well as replacingthe trees that had died. Overall, the garden continues to prosperand is looking quite mature, a colorful oasis in the desert setting.Around the pool, the lantana and other shrubs bloom copiously formany months but the oleander has suffered from the recent lowwinter temperatures. Nearer to the house, additional colour isprovided by pelargoniums, stock, carnations and other plants inpots. But it is hard work to keep these flourishing, for containers offthe irrigation system need regular watering, sometimes twice a day.19

The watering systems need regular checking to ensure they havenot become blocked or feeding nozzles are disconnected. Duringthe visit we went away for a few days and on return found many ofthe plants looking very dried and sagging but fortunately they didrecover after a good soaking of the soil. There were also brokenpots and upturned garden furniture due to a dust storm and strongwinds.Yes, gardening in Arizona is obviously very different but it is alsomisleading think of this as a typical desert for it is really oneenormous rock garden that bursts out in a kaleidoscope of colourduring the spring and early summer. The results of all the hard workof making and maintaining a garden there can be very rewarding asthe photos show.Albert Heasman & Tony Vickers.March 2012POLMONT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY & ROTARYPolmont Horticultural Society has once more helped the local Rotaryby planting this flower-bed on the Station Rd , Polmont. The coloursare those of AgeConcern.Each season, oneof the local groupswill be chosen tohave its presencein the villageknown by using itscolours as thetheme for the bed.Here is the result.Janet Anderson20

OPEN LETTER TO MEMBERS OF THE SGFThe Delphinium SocietyRegistered Charity No: 259202Hello Everyone July 2012The first effective steps towards the formation of a Scottish Group weremade in Year 2000 at the Ayr Flower Show. Prior to that, Roger Beauchampand I had started discussions about the publicity needed to be set up to worktowards that goal. We have now been working together for twelve years.There has been significant progress as well as set backs which are inevitablein such work.To cut short a long story concerning the events of those twelve years, wenow have an established site at Coalhall near Drongan which is beingdeveloped as a display garden and educational centre, our showstandequipment has been upgraded significantly by contribution from theSociety's central funds and negotiations with the authorities at DumfriesHouse have resulted in the establishment of a delphinium border which isbeing developed by the Group.The Delphinium Society is an international society established in 1928. It isprimarily an educational organization and incorporated under charity status.Currently, we have four established, incorporated, groups which are theScottish, the Yorks & Lines (the 'Northern Group'), the Eastern Group whichencompasses the general area of East Anglia and the Kent & East SussexGroup whose main role is the delphinium display garden in the walled gardenat Godinton House, Nr Ashford, Kent. This last Group was the first to beestablished in the mid-1990s and represents what we hope will be similardisplay gardens throughout the UK. Hence the significance of the Coalhallproject.We are sure that there is considerable potential in Scotland for membershipof The Delphinium Society and recently evidence has been coming to thefore that a lot of people grow delphiniums in Scotland and that they aremembers of local societies. This is why we have written this letter andeither, or both, of us would be glad to hear from you. We are looking forsupporters and active workers for the Society in Scotland. Not everyone is aworker but can be a supporter. That is in the nature of all societies.We hope to hear from you.James McMaster Chairman, Scottish Group,Pinaulton Cottage, Littlemill Road, Drongan, Ayrshire KA6 6NG.T: 01292 590757: E: jamesmcmaster0596@btinternet.comRoger Beauchamp, Membership, Promotions & Publicity Secretary21

EXCHANGE OF EXPERIENCEWe suggested in the Spring newsletter that the SGF might providemembers with valuable advice by sharing experience on questionsof organising, running and promoting their organisations.. After allwe are not competing directly with each other and we all have aninterest in having a vibrant Garden Club scene.We have previously published articles offering advice (for those whomay feel they need it) on everyday issues of running a club. Forexample: “The Importance of your Newsletter” (Winter 2010) and“Effective Presentations” (Spring 2011), “Developing aWebsite”(Winter 2011 and Spring 2012) and “Creating a Road Map”(Summer 2012). These articles are still available on our website.Our idea is that within the SGF there is so much experience that byputting people in touch with each other, advice can be found onpractically any topic. In addition, the occasional articles we publish,which in no way lay claim to being the last word, may act as astimulus to doing a ‘health-check’ or finding the way forward.No-one took up our invitation to let us know what you think of thisidea or, indeed, to tell us what topics you would like to be handled.However, I undertook earlier in the year to write on the followingtheme “Membership numbers are falling, costs are rising. What canwe do about it?”. The first article, “Creating a Road Map” appearedin the summer newsletter and is followed up in the current issue by“Writing a Business Plan”. We hope you find these afticles ofinterest.Christopher DaviesWRITING A BUSINESS PLANIn the last newsletter (Summer 2012), we spoke about “Creating aRoad Map”. The rationale of this is to gain an understanding of theenvironment we are working in, its background and assumptions, so22

that when putting together a proposition, we can focus on a“package” that addresses real needs and therefore has optimumchance of success.The Business Plan approach may well appear to be oversophisticatedfor an informal organisation such as a Garden Clubwhere volunteering and goodwill play a vital role. However thetechnique and discipline do not go amiss, providing a framework forputting a plan together. And unless you have a concept and plan,you will not be able to communicate with members and obtain theircommitment.A Business Plan will go through three stages:1. The Idea/Vision (Words)2. The definition of the Idea (Mainly Words)3. The Operating Statements (Mainly Figures)This article concentrates on stage 2. The definition of the idea – howto analyse and arrange the options into a coherent proposition.The “4 P’s”: The business idea needs to be broken down intoheadings and the various components analysed and defined. Thisstage is mainly narrative. Under each heading it involves researchingthe market to see what other competing organisations are doing,and how our proposition matches up to competition. Can we find aniche we can successfully occupy? It is helpful to use the 4 P’s asheadings under which to draw up our plan and analyse competitors.P 1 ProductP 2 PriceP 3 PlaceP 4 PromotionWhat are we offering?What does it cost?To whom are we primarily offering?How do we promote/publicise our offer?P 1 Product: What range of benefits or services do we offer ourmembers? (Talks, visits, implements, shows etc.) What is the needor level of interest amongst members, or future members (see“Place”)? If we look into social trends can we spot needs which arenot being adequately satisfied? Bear in mind that some aspects of aproduct are intangible, e.g. to meet (right) people, exchange news,express identity. The product (package of benefits) must correspond23

to real needs. It will then appeal to consumers (members) andcompete successfully with alternative claims for their attention.What changes should we make to our current product to make itmore suited to a changing membership profile as concerns age,assumptions, preferences and tastes?This is the first and most fundamental step. The quality of thedecisions depends directly on the depth of understanding andcorrectness of interpretation of the underlying research (see “RoadMap”). Once the product is defined, the other steps follow.P 2 Price: next, one can consider what members will be willing to pay.This will depend partly on expectations (what they have paid in thepast) and on what the market can bear. Converting the benefits intomoney immediately introduces the concept of “value”. An excellentproduct can demand a higher than average price, but such pricesmight need supporting by vigorous promotion, or clear focusing ona more restricted target group. There is thus a link between“product” and “price” and the quantity sold (number of members).But though “good value” is an important factor, the price in itself atthe accepted level of garden club subscriptions, say £5 - £20, isunlikely to be a critical issue.P 3 Place: this is shorthand for target customers, that is, members.These are not only existing known members, but should take intoaccount groups that may have been by-passed. Newcomers to thearea, new housing developments, new age-groups with different lifestyles. Buy a 1:10.000 map and plot the whereabouts of currentmembers. This will show where the gaps are. Then you need to findout the preferences of potential new members so that the productoffer and price can be adjusted correspondingly. See what theirview of the club is at this moment – perhaps that of a “closedshop”? Understanding your “customer” is basic to successfulmarketing. Asking the right questions and listening to the answerswill show the way forward.P 4 Promotion: finally you can consider publicity – telling peopleabout your proposition. Members need to be fully involved in the24

launch/re-launch of the club as they are the best and mostimmediate promoters by word-of-mouth. If each brings one newmember, you have doubled! A simple brochure for handing out,letter-box drop, posters advertising topics and meetings, anewsletter, local PR, features in local Press, community magazinesand so on. It is important that the proposition P 1 – P 3 is clearlydefined, as in order to be effective, the promotional message mustbe consistent.The essence of successful marketing is getting the 4P’s in the correctbalance, amongst themselves and in relation to the market andcompetition. It is not an exact science, but it is easy to understandthat there is a dynamic relationship between the 4P’s. The oneinfluences the other and together they have a cumulative effect. Forexample:The essence of successful marketing is getting the 4P’s in the correctbalance, amongst themselves and in relation to the market andcompetition. It is not an exact science, but it is easy o understand thatthere is a dynamic relationship between the 4P’s. For example:• An above-average product may command a price premium• Above average benefits should attract more members• “Value” – benefits – is a more effective weapon than price• Promote to reinforce positives, not cover up deficiencies• Give the plan time to workThe marketing plan (narrative) is a balanced composite of thecomponents behind the 4P’s. You will probably have to go round theloop several times before you arrive at this equilibrium. Don’t beput off by the seemingly abstract process. It’s a way of thinking andmostly commonsense.Once you have the story, or the narative as I call it, you canencapsulate the whole thing in a financial statement, which will bethe subject of my next – and final – article.Christopher Davies25

ANN’S DIARYSeptember in the garden - Choosing bulbs for Early Spring interest.Autumn tints are slowly creeping into our gardens and many of ourlate summer flowering plants are in their final flush of flower – sowhat’s next? Winter and early Spring can be long dreary months inthe garden if we don’t plan for flower and a bit of colour. ‘PlantBulbs Now for Spring’ the banners at the garden centre tell us andwith a bit of careful planning we can use bulbs to give very earlyinterest. Choose more unusual varieties of crocus, daffodils andtulips to really extend the season;• Crocus ancyriensis, C. biflorus, C.chrysanthus, C. sieberi. All ofthese crocus flower as early as February.• Narcissus cyclamineus ‘Kaydee’ , ‘Little Witch’, ‘February Gold’and ‘February Silver’ and Narcissus ‘ Rip Van Winkle’. Thedaffodils all flower in late February and early March.• Many species type tulips tend to flower much earlier than theirtaller counterparts and a number of these have the addedbonus of producing multi stemmed flowers, March floweringtypes include; Tulipa bakeri ‘Lilac Wonder’, T.polychroma, T.sylvestris, T. turkestanica, T. wilsoniana.Other more unusual bulbs all flowering in March include;• Anemone blanda ‘White Splendour’.• Chionodoxa forbesii, luciliae and sardensis.• Muscari azureum, Puschkinia libanotica, Scilla ‘Spring Beauty’.Of course Winter Aconites and Snowdrops are the real heralds ofthe Spring bulb world but both of these are best bought and plantedin the Spring when they are in the ‘Green’, in other words whenthey are in leaf and growing. Dry bought bulbs of these do not tendto do as well.Whichever bulbs you choose to buy and plant make sure that youfollow planting instructions carefully, if you don’t you may find that26

your bulbs do not perform well after the first year. Some bulbs havevery particular planting requirements;• Daffodils should always be planted at three times the depth ofthe bulb – if you plant them too shallow they will refuse toflower in subsequent years.• Tulips should be planted 2-3 times their depth and always in apart of the garden where they will get lots of baking in summersun. This heat is what encourages future flowering.• Crocus corms should be planted 2-5cm deep, any deeper andthe flowers will refuse to reappear.So ‘Plant Bulbs for Spring’ and see just how far you can stretch theflowering season in your garden!Reinvigorate your planting in September;My garden is starting to look distinctly ‘over’ at the moment, fewplants are still in flower and autumn colours and berries are few andfar between. It’s very easy to concentrate all the colour interestinto the earlier part of the year when purchasing plants from thegarden centre as the majority of plant types such as alpines andherbaceous perennials tend to look their best in spring and summer.We tend to always concentrate on spring flowering bulbs whenthere are many wonderful autumn flowering ones. So have a lookat the following suggestions for a bit of autumn enchantment andremember this is one of the best times of year for planting while thesoil is still nice and warm.• Autumn Flowering Herbaceous Perennials; include theJapanese anemones, Anemone hupehensis and Anemonehybrida. The orange and yellow daisy flowers of Heleniumssuch as ‘Moorheim beauty’ and ‘The Bishop’ are well worthspace in a border. Keep the late bees and butterflies busy withthe structural flowers of Echinops ritro, these flowers aretough enough to stay on all winter to give added structure tothe garden.27

• Bulbs that flower at this time of year include the magnificentNerine bowdenii for best results grow this one in free drainingsoil in a south facing bed, it also makes a great cut flower forthe house. Under trees and shrubs in areas that are unlikely tobe disturbed try planting the autumn flowering hardyCyclamen hederafolium, its 1-2inch wide corm will grow todinner plate size over the years and reward you with hundredsof flowers if you can leave it undisturbed.• Grasses don’t spring readily to mind when talking aboutautumn colour in the garden but they flower just the same asall our other plants and one or two of them are spectacular atthis time of year. Try Miscanthus sinensis ‘Flamingo’ andCalamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Carl Foster’, which is reputed towithstand 100mph winds, if you are looking for height.• Alpine and low growing plants that look fantastic at this timeof year include one of my favourite plants; Persicaria affinis‘Donald lowndes’ with its spires of pink flowers this is a musthave plant. Others include little Aster linariifolius with itsbeautiful blue daisy flowers and of course a number ofGentians.So there’s the excuse that you have been looking for to go to thegarden centre this weekend to spend some money and of courseyou’ll have to have a coffee and some of that nice cake while you’rethere……………….September Buzz in the GardenAre your Buddlejas and Sedum buzzing with busy bees as theyshould be at this time of year as final stores of nectar and pollen arelaid down for the winter ahead? Although most keen gardenersnowadays ensure that they have a good selection ‘wildlife friendly’plants in their gardens most of us are noticing a decline in bumblebee numbers. According to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust atthe University of Stirling, Britain once boasted 25 native bumblebeespecies. Three have disappeared in the last 50 years, 10 arecurrently "severely threatened", and two are "are teetering on the28

edge of extinction and could be gone in five to 10 years quiteeasily". The reason is thought to be that there "just aren't enoughflowers around". As hedgerows disappear, so does the bumblebees'food source, possibly resulting in a vicious circle where there aren'tenough bees to carry out essential pollination work?So how can we encourage bees into the garden and what are theirfavourite plants? Different bumblebee species have varying lengthsof tongues, and as a result prefer different flowers, so it's importantto grow a wide range of plants.• Bees feed from March through September so ensure that youhave flower all the time during these months. Start with Erica,Bluebells, Pulmonaria in early spring, progressing to Broom,Aquilegia and Alliums. For early summer plant Foxglove,Lupins, Monkswood then later Snapdragons, St. Johns Wortand Teasel. Buddleja, Echinops and Loosestrife last well intothe autumn.• When planting hedges or screens remember the bees andinclude favourites such as; Escallonia, Cotoneaster, singlebloomed roses such as ‘Canary Bird’.• Leave some of your lawn grass to grow long, allow lawn weedssuch as clover, buttercup, knotweed and speedwell to flower.This is a lot easier than trying to establish a wild flower area. Ifyou want more diversity in the area try buying wild flowerplugs and planting these into the grass in the spring.Summer wouldn’t be the same without the lazy droll of busy bees sospare them a thought the next time you’re choosing plants. Somesuggestions for suppliers are; www.scotiaseeds.co.uk for seed andwild flower plugs, a garden centre with a fantastic range of wildlifeand bee attracting plants is Dougal Philips New Hopetoun Gardensnear South Queensferry (www.newhopetoungardens.co.uk).Ann BurnsAnn Burns is Team Leader, Horticulture and Landscape Construction, at OatridgeCollege29

“WHAT’S ON:” This feature is provided for the interest and convenience of members. The information is given in good faith, depending on taccuracy of those who supplied it. In the event of your acting on it, we suggest you double-check. The events are arranged in datal order.SOCIETY EVENT VENUE DATEDalgety Bay Horticultural Society Annual Plant Sale Dalgety Bay Community Centre 19th May 1-3pmBanchory Horticultural Society Annual Plant Sale Banchory Scout HQ 26th May 10-12noonGreenfaulds Community Centre,Cumbernauld Gardening ClubGardening Club SaleCumbernauld6th JuneLorn Garden Club Visit to Local Gardens Da-na-eas, Dalnaneum, Kilmore, by Oban 17th June tel 01852 300563Various venues, details fromBanchory Horticultural SocietyOpen Gardens Weekendwww.banchoryhorticulturalsociety.com 4th & 5th AugBuckie & District Flower Show Buckie & District Flower Show Buckie 4th AugGirvan and District Horticultural Society Girvan Flower Show North Parish Church, Girvan 11th AugNairn and District Gardening Club Annual Show Nairn Community & Arts Centre IV12 4BQ 11th AugPerth and District Fuchsia Group Fuchsia Show North Church Hall, Perth 11th AugSouth West Scotland Begonia Society Annual Show Dobbies Garden World 12th AugFenwick Church Garden Club Annual Produce and Garden Show Fenwick Church Hall 16th AugRoyal Horticultural Society of Perth Summer Show The Institute, Bridge of Earn 17th & 18th AugLargs and District Horticultural Society Flower Show Dunn Memorial Hall, Church St. Largs 17th & 18th AugGifford Horticultural Society Gifford Flower Show Gifford 18th & 19th AugNorth Berwick Horticultural Society Summer Flower Show St Andrew Blackadder Church, N Berwick 18th Aug 2-4pmFife Fuchsia Society Annual Show Rothes Halls, Glenrothes 18th Aug 2-4pmOrmiston Horticultural Society Flower Show Cockburn Halls, George St, Ormiston 18th AugKippen Horticultural Society Kippen Flower Show Kippen Village Hall, Fore Rd, Kippen 18th AugWest Kilbride Horticultural Society Summer Flower Show West Kilbride Village Hall 18th AugPitlessie Horticultural Society Pitlessie Flower Show Wilkie Hall & Marquee, Pitlessie 18th & 19th AugHurlford Garden Club Annual Flower Show Hurlford Community Centre 19th AugBroughton Horticultural Society Annual Show The Village Hall, Broughton 25th Aug 2pmCurrie Horticultural and Industrial Society Annual Show Balerno High School 25th AugWest linton Horticultural Society West Linton Village Show Graham Institute, West Linton 25th AugSkye Gardening Society Summer Show Portree Community Hall 25th AugMusselburgh Horticultural SocietyAnnual Flower ShowOur Lady of Loretto Chuch Hall,Musselburgh25th Aug

Killearn Cottagers Society Annual Flower and Produce Show Killearn Church Hall 25th AugThe Badenoch Gardening Club Annual Flower and Produce Show Village Hall, Newtonmore 25th Aug, 2pmStonehaven & District Horticultural Society Annual Summer Show Stonehaven Town Hall 25th August 10.30amPeebles Horticultural Society Peebles Flower Show Community Centre, Walkershaugh, Peebles 25th & 26th AugKilwinning Horticultural Society Annual Flower Show Abbey Church Hall 30th AugBanchory Horticultural Society Annual Show Banchory Town Hall 1st & 2nd SeptPolmont Horticultural Society Annual Show Meadowbank Sports Centre, Polmont 1st SeptDollar Horticultural Society Flower Show Burnside Hall, Dollar 1st SeptDuddingston Kirk Horticultural Society Annual Show Duddingston Kirk Hall, Edinburgh 1st & 2nd SeptPenicuik Horticultural SocietyAnnual Show of Flowers, Veg andFloral Art Ladywood Leisure Centre, Penicuik 1st SeptPaisly Florist Society Gardening Club Annual Show St Mirin's Cathedral Halls, Paisley 1st SeptKilmalcolm Horticultural Society Kilmacolm Flower Show New Community Centre 1st SeptBusby & Clarkston Horticultural Society Annual Flower Show Clarkston Hall, Clarckston 1st SeptDalgety Bay Horticultural Society Annual Show Dalgety Bay Community Centre 1st Sept 2-5pmLivingston & District Horticultural Society Annual Show Howden Park Centre, Livingston 1st SeptMauchline Horticultural and AgriculturalSociety 71st Annual show Mauchline Parish Church Halls 1st SeptCowdenbeath and District HorticulturalSociety Annual Flower Show Trinity Church, Sinclair Dr, Cowdenbeath 8th & 9th SeptHarthill, Benhar & District Horticultural Society Annual Show Alexander Peden Primary 8th SeptEast Kilbride Horticultural SocietyS Flower Show Old Parish Church Hall 8th SeptDalkeith Horticultural Society Flower Show Dalkeith School Campus, Cousland Rd 15th &16th SeptSouth East Scotland Fuchsia Annual Show Dalkeith School Campus, Cousland Rd 15th SeptStrathclyde Leek and Onion Society Annual Show Cardwell Garden Centre, Luderston Bay 22nd & 23rd SeptSt Andrews Gardeners Club Annual show Town Hall, Queens Gardens, St Andrews 29th Sept31

YOUR COUNCILHonorary President: Professor Fred LastChairman: Jim Dickson (Suntrap Gardening Club)52 Allan Park Drive, Edinburgh EH14 1LP,0131 443 6315chair@scottishgardenersforum.org.ukVice Chair: Ann Burns (Oatridge College)Ecclesmachan, BROXBURN, EH52 6NHvicechair@scottishgardenersforum.org.ukSecretary: Roger EvansLilyvale, Quothquan, Biggar. ML12 6ND01899 308 695secretary@scottishgardenersforum.org.ukTreasurer: Dr Shiona Mackie (Suntrap GC)Braeburn Stable Cottage, 16, Braeburn Drive,Edinburgh. EH14 6AQ, 0131 449 7239treasurer@scottishgardenersforum.org.ukMembership Secretary: Mike Rossi98 Main Street, Coaltown of Balgonie, Glenrothes, FIFE, KY7 6HZTel: 01592 771541membership@scottishgardenersforum.org.ukRegisters (Speakers and Judges): Margaret Drummond (Penicuik H S.)Pomathorn House, Penicuik EH26 8PJ, Midlothian.Tel: 01968 674046 or email registers@scottishgardenersforum.org.ukCouncil Members:Ann Cross (Kirkintilloch HS)Christopher Davies (Colinton GC)Mike Gourlay (Dalgety Bay Horticultural Society)Hazel Main (RHS Aberdeen)Alison Murison (Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society)Alistair Simpson (National Bonsai Collection of Scotland)John Smith (Pallet Garden & Planter/Gardening Scotland)Newsletter Editor Christopher Davies7 West Carnethy Avenue, Edinburgh, EH13 0ED, 0131 441 2152editor@scottishgardenersforum.org.ukwww.scottishgardenersforum.org.uk