Garden Club

THE Garden Club met on Wednesday, 1 June; all those attending were welcomed by the chairperson. Apologies were received from seven members. Various items of business were discussed. The Plant Sale held in May had been a success though the weather had not been helpful. The club is celebrating its 70th anniversary year and suggestions as to how this should be marked were discussed. The monthly outing was set for 14 June, but was subsequently changed to Thursday, 23 June. It was agreed that containers should be planted up as requested for the sheepdog trials. Our speaker for the evening needed no introduction as Christine Mark is one of our own members. Although not professing to be an expert, Christine is a great enthusiast for growing Bonsai. She detailed the variety of pots and shallow containers used, and described the most usual varieties of plants used for this purpose, including pieris, Chinese elm, Alpine lilac, field maple and yew. Christine demonstrated the method used to prepare the pot and wire-in the plant, trim the roots, replace the specialist compost, secure, and top with a layer of grit. The art comes with depleting the foliage and shaping the form to give an aged effect. Christine cheerfully answered the many questions put to her and thanks were given by Marsha van de Bogaard.