2022 in Review 

The Chairman's Report from the AGM

Our first in-person AGM since February of 2020, and what a few years it’s been.  At that time, there were concerns over the apparent spread of some new virus, but there was also a lot of optimism and anticipation for the Club year ahead.  Indeed, we were just about to host Gardeners’ Question Time, and were looking forward to some excellent speakers, our coach trip, barbecue, and garden visits.   Three years on and we have all been affected by Covid in ways we could not have anticipated, but we still can all have that same optimism for the Club year ahead, because it is built on the successes of the past, so let’s just remind ourselves of our year in 2022.

We started small, with ‘The History of Small Hostas’ with Jonathan Hogarth, the first of four talks from plant specialists through the year.  This was followed by our Zoom AGM and the second specialist talk from Lyn Miles on ‘For the Love of Snowdrops’.  This was an opportunity to see late Winter through the eyes of a Galanthophile and to learn more about the diverse cultivars that can change hands for some impressive sums.

Pamela Holt added a bit of early summer sunshine in March with a perspective on the ‘Lakeside Gardens of Northern Italy’ with their impressive terraces with fountains, ponds, and statues, overflowing with rare and exotic plants creating a garden paradise.  The terrace at Gorse Hill Hotel in March may not have been overflowing with exotic plants, but it did provide a very appropriate backdrop to our Club Lunch which was well attended and much enjoyed.

April was to have seen the eventual return of Neil Miller to present his talk on Hever Castle, originally scheduled for April 2020 and postponed because of the start of lockdown, then postponed last-minute again in 2021 because of internet troubles, and then sadly, cancelled in 2022 because he had tested positive.  Thankfully, this last cancellation occurred a few days before the meeting, and gave Keith and me time to prepare a hopefully adequate alternative talk on ‘Seeds’ instead, complete with the legends and the ‘naughty’ pictures of the ‘Coco De Mer’.

We were back on track in May with an excellent talk by Ben Pope who had recently featured on Gardeners’ World, and who had just completed his first book.  His talk on ‘How to Grow a Little Greener’ took us expertly through many aspects of the planting and design of the 14 years he has been managing and developing a private garden in West Sussex.

With over 1000 photographic contributions from members across the year, we are already well versed in capturing the wonderful diversity of nature around us.  A picture-perfect view for our June meeting was also thanks to the talk by Mark Saunders on ‘Garden Photography’.  Mark is a fantastic speaker, photographer, and gardener and gave us lots of pointers on how to change the way we think about taking photographs, both with our phones and with digital cameras. 

Another specialist talk in July brought Chris Rhodes and Brian from Surrey Heath Bonsai Society, together with a fantastic array of their own trees, and showed us the passion and dedication they have invested to create these horticultural art forms, with ‘Little Trees and Misconceptions About Bonsai’.  A really interesting talk and one that means I can no longer use the joke, “What do I know about bonsai trees?  Very little.”

Our annual Summer Show in August received wonderful support from exhibitors and spectators alike, and 164 exhibits from 36 members adorned the show benches.  A lot of effort is required from a lot of people for this to happen, but the success and enjoyment of others makes it all worth it.

As we moved from Summer into Autumn, Marina Christopher presented us with a topical reminder of some of the many flowering perennials and ornamental grasses that are really at their best in the late summer with her talk ‘Late Summer Flowers and Grasses’.  Little did we know that the Autumn of 2022 would extend right the way to the end of November and would allow us to enjoy so much for so long.

The last of our specialist talks for 2022 was in October with a talk by Jim McDonald on ‘Growing Sweet Peas’.  The autumn and winter are a great time to be sowing these hardy annuals and Jim treated us to a Masterclass on how to grow and show these garden favourites.

For our last speaker talk of the year, David Standing returned to the Club to present on ‘Gilbert White the Gardener’ in an informative and entertaining look at the horticultural life of the Reverend Gilbert White.

And so we come to our December meeting.  As always, a social evening, and an opportunity to chat and play some silly games and be frustrated by obscure photographs of common objects.  Whilst this was our last meeting and social event of the year, it was by no means our only social event.  The Club lunch was followed by our Plant Sale in May, our postponed Coach Trip to Longstock Park Water Gardens and Sir Harold Hillier Garden in June, the incredible barbecue at Gill and Mel’s in July, the Members’ Gardens Open Day at the end of July, and the NGS Garden visit in October.

I hope that you have enjoyed the Club meetings, the social activities, the website, or the Newsletter.  All these things take considerable time and effort to produce, and my sincere thanks go to everyone who helped to make them a success, but especially to Mel and Gill for their generosity in providing us the barbecue, and for Katie Lewis and Pam Cridland for allowing us to relax and view your gardens in the summer.

I would also like to give special thanks to all the Committee for their help, as well as to Jennifer Collins for providing the supplies for our tea breaks on Club nights, and all the members who help serve those refreshments, or who bring the raffle prizes each month, or help fill the plant stall.

We sadly said goodbye to Gwen Graham, a member since 1991 and long-time secretary for the Club, and we also had several members retire from active participation.  However, with a membership of 75 last year, I am very pleased to say that the Club remains vibrant and healthy, and I am looking forward to the year ahead.

Tim Bonnert, Chairman  14th February 2023