Seasons Greetings to everyone

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This is the wonderfully decorated Lowdham Horticultural Society Christmas tree which was one of the trees in the St Mary’s Church Lowdham, ‘Community Christmas Tree Festival’ held on the 7th & 8th December 2013. The church looked magnificent, filled with Christmas trees entered in the festival which was supported by local people, groups, societies and businesses.

We would like to thank all those who have supported and attended our events this year and we wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy, peaceful and healthy New Year 2014.

Fantastic offer – massive 50% discount off plants and seeds

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To ‘reap’ the benefits of this offer you must be a member of the society. However, it is so easy to join the society to obtain this and many other benefits such as subsidised coach trips, evening visits and free evening talks.

We offer all our members a 50% discount off plants and seeds ordered through the society which we then order from Suttons seeds. Additionally, we offer a 10% discount off other gardening items and equipment in their catalogues.

If as a member you placed an order last year, we will be sending you the catalogues and order forms again this year. If you have joined the society and have not previously ordered through the scheme and would like to do so, please let us know and we will send you the catalogues.

We would appreciate your orders being placed with us by Monday 02nd December 2013.

So, strictly speaking, keep planting and sowing………………………………well, I think that’s right!

Saturday 12th October – The Great Outdoors

At Lowdham C of E Primary School, Main Street, Lowdham, Notts
A day of events run by ‘The Bookcase’ in partnership with Lowdham Horticultural Society celebrating gardens and gardeners through the ages.

10.30 – 11.30am – Gardeners Question Time Chaired by BBC Radio Nottingham’s John Holmes, and with panellists Stuart Dixon, Mike Poyzer of the Nottingham Organic Gardeners and Geoff Burton from Lowdham Horticultural Society – ask the experts to help solve your gardening problems! Tickets: £5 full, £4 Festival Friends and Lowdham Horticultural Society Members

12 – 1pm – Stuart Dixon – The Garden of Hebbs Farmhouse
Horticultural lecturer, writer and broadcaster Stuart Dixon will share the story of the restoration of his own garden at Hebbs Farmhouse in Stoke Bardolph. The derelict garden contained two ancient Bramley Apple trees and about 1,000 brambles and nettles. It now contains over 1,000 perennials, 150 old roses, and clematis, in a traditional country garden which will be open to the public in summer 2014.  Fully illustrated.
Tickets: £4 full, £3 Festival Friends and Lowdham Horticultural Society Members

2.30 – 4pm Ursula Buchan – A Green and Pleasant Land: How England’s Gardeners Fought The Second World War.  Fired by enthusiastic patriotism, the British people tackled wartime gardening with thrifty ingenuity, invincible humour and extraordinary fortitude. However, as Ursula Buchan reveals, this simple act of turning over soil and tending new plants was also a powerful factor in mitigating the psychological shocks endured by the population. Gardening reminded Britons that their country, and its more innocent pursuits, were worth fighting for. Gardening in wartime Britain was a fight for freedom.. Ursula Buchan studied modern history at Cambridge University, before training as a horticulturist at the RHS Gardens, Wisley and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. She wrote a gardening column for a succession of national newspapers, including the Observer, Sunday Telegraph and Daily Telegraph, as well as The Spectator, for more than twenty-five years. She has published fifteen books and won two major writing awards from the Garden Media Guild. She was recently awarded the Garden Media Guild’s Gardening Columnist of the Year 2011.  Tickets: £6 full, £5 Festival Friends and Lowdham Horticultural Society Members

4.30 – 5.15pm – Poems about Gardens
We close the day over tea and home made cake with readings from the lovely Candlestick Press book Poems about Gardens.
Tickets: £3 full, £2 Festival Friends and Lowdham Horticultural Society Members

Day ticket: £15 full, £12.50 Festival Friends and Lowdham Horticultural Society Members

All tickets on sale now from ‘The Bookcase’ Lowdham.

Waddesdon Manor and Gardens

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Last Sunday, 15th September was our coach trip to Waddesdon Manor and Gardens, Buckinghamshire.  The forecast had not been good, but we luckily escaped the showers!  We had a very interesting day walking around the gardens, then enjoying an excellent lunch in the Manor Restaurant, before going on a tour of the house and viewing the very impressive ‘Rothschild Collection’.

I think everyone who went, enjoyed themselves and would certainly recommend a day out there.  Maybe when the weather is a little warmer!

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Our next planned visit is to Cambridge University Botanic Gardens and Anglesey Abbey on Sunday 2nd March 2014.

Gorgeous weather for the annual August Show – 2013

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Well, sorry for the delay in uploading this ‘blog’, but we’ve been trying to reinstate our home after the ‘never to be forgotten’ awful storm which occurred here in the village on Tuesday 23 July. So, moving on, what a show, the sun shone, the crowds came and created a wonderful village atmosphere which we hope was enjoyed by all who attended. Thank you to all those people who made the show a success by participating in some way and coming along to relax, see the entertainment on show and even join the continuous queues for ice cream!

The marquee looked and smelled fabulous. The young people excelled themselves again, with imaginative and creative entries. Our handicrafts section demonstrated people’s skills and talents. The photographic section, growing in entries each year was as popular as ever. In fact the village hall seemed to be full of chatter all afternoon as visitors enjoyed teas, cobs and homemade cakes. We also had a ‘hog roast’ this year to tempt visitors.Numerous attractions included the following; Carlton Brass, punch and judy, the amazing Dako Flying Angels (see photo to this blog), many stalls and exhibits and this year, the popular pony rides.

The presentation of trophies and awards was followed by the ever popular and lively auction with our fantastic auctioneer doing a great job.

We would love to hear your views of the show and any suggestions as to how we can continue to improve it in the coming years. Please send us your comments.