Yapton & District Cottage Gardeners Society:
January 2011 Newsletter

1 Elm Cottages, Church Road, Yapton, ARUNDEL, West Sussex, BN18 0EW

Dear member.

Here we are again another New Year and on behalf of the Committee best wishes to you all.

At the Society's Annual General Meeting in December, the weather certainly played a huge part in the attendance figures. Three Committee Members went down to Bournemouth to see Meat Loaf in concert, I shall look at them in a different light, and with the continuous snow that fell during the course of that Wednesday conditions were somewhat restrictive. Anyway for those of you who did manage to get to the meeting a big thank-you. Naturally there were very few changes to the Committee so Business as usual. .

Annual subscription is now due for renewal and to help, a renewal form is attached to this newsletter. By filling this in and bringing it along to one of our forthcoming events you will be helping the Committee to keep your details up to date and this will ensure you receive newsletters and any other information over the coming year. .

Although it is winter the Society is very much active with a programme of events and talks. Our first event is on Saturday 5th February with the Primrose Sale held in the Club Room of Yapton and Ford Village Hall from l0a.m. until 12 noon. As well as primroses there will be other winter plants, herbs and hopefully some early vegetable plants. This will be an ideal time to renew your membership and also purchase some colourful primroses ideal to fill a gap or plant out a pot you may have missed back in the autumn. .

Following on later in the month on Wednesday 23th February at 7.30 p.m. again in the Club Room we have the first of our talks for 2011 when we welcome Mrs. Sandra Dean who will give a demonstration on Floral Art. This should appeal to the novice as well as the more experienced floral arrangers of the Society. Hopefully, this will inspire you to enter some of the Floral Art classes in this year's shows. As is the norm we will have a raffle and refreshments in the form of tea and coffee. .

The first event for March is our Barn Dancewhich is due to be held on Friday 11th March. We welcome back our usual Caller, Ian Kirby who is best described as entertaining which certainly makes for an enjoyable evening. Tickets will shortly be available from Roy Phillips on 01243 552 822 to include a Ploughman's supper. A bar will also be available along with other refreshments. .

Following on from this event, we will have our first show of 2011, the Spring Show. This will be staged in the Janet Phillips Hall on Saturday 19th March. The various classes will cover spring flowers including Daffodils, Tulips, and spring flowering shrubs as well as floral art (which hopefully you will all now be experts at), vegetables, domestic, photography and children's classes. Details and entry forms are in the current 2010-2011 schedule, or for more information contact Roy Phillips on 01243 552 822. Staging of exhibits is from 8 a.m. until 10.15 a.m. with the show opening to the public at 2 p.m. The usual range of stalls will be selling plants, cakes, jewellery and a raffle as well as refreshments tea, coffee and cake etc. .

Although the recent wintery weather looked like we were going to have a re-run of last year's temperatures have now risen and spring bulbs are starting to appear, let's hope that this warm spell continues and we can look forward to getting back out into the garden. .

If you have not already done so, send off for some seed catalogues and have a look to see if there is anything new that takes your fancy. Another important job at this time of year is to take your lawnmower along for its annual service; if the weather stays warm you may need it sooner than you think. .

Should things dry out a little give the beds and borders a light fork over and tidy up any litter that has accumulated. Provided this is not diseased it can be added to the compost heap otherwise burn it or take it to your local household recycling centre. Check any trees and other plants that were set out in the autumn to make sure they have not been loosened up during the recent cold spell and re¬firm if necessary, the same goes for any fences and other garden structures. In the vegetable patch or allotment winter digging is the order of the day adding well rotted compost or manure as you go, this exercise will help fight the flab we have put on over Christmas. Continue pruning fruit trees and planting new additions when we have a few frost free days. .

I have been told by our friends over the water in Littlehampton that there are still a few seats remaining for their three day coach trip to Shropshire, staying at The Park Inn, Telford with a visit to Stratford upon Avon on Friday, a full day at The Ironbridge Gorge and Museum on the Saturday, and a trip to the Cricklade Railway, near Swindon on the Sunday. The date for this long weekend is Friday 20`h May to Sunday 22nd May 2011 and the cost £220 per person to include admission to Iron Bridge and the Cricklade Railway and all tips etc. A few tickets remain so please contact Tony on 01903 714271 for more details or to book.

I'm off to cover my rhubarb with the tin bath and straw to get some early sticks for the spring show, I'll just have to wash in the sink until then, see you all at the Primrose sale on the 5th February. .

Best Wishes

Chairman