For years I’ve wanted a collection of cacti to tend. Now we have one, located on the windowsills in our conservatory. The warmer winters have meant that we haven’t lost one yet.
The majority of the cacti have been acquired from Paul Barrow and Carolyn Hawkes charity plant sale days. Paul and Carolyn’s open garden and plant sale day is a mustn’t be missed event for local gardeners.
The next charity plant sale is on Sunday 4th May from 1.0pm -4.0pm. See advert, click to enlarge.
Paul was chairman of Lightwater Gardening Club for 24 years. There’s much it’s possible to learn from super keen gardeners. I’m compiling a list of questions for Paul and Carolyn. This year I’m hoping to add to our stock of cacti, but also some alpine flowers for our rockery and outside kitchen window boxes. Better get there early.
I imagine I’ll see many Lightwaterans there.
Guess it couldn’t happen twice, that’s a gloriously sunny weekend. And so it proved at Saturday’s Lightwater Fête.
A couple of sharp showers didn’t dampen the spirits of the visitors, who watched football skills from Hammond School, Sport4Kids obstacle race, dancers from the Terri-Jayne School of Dance, and a rugby demonstration from Lightwater Rugby Club.
The Fete is organised by Surrey Border lions, 1st Lightwater Scout Group, All Saint’s Church, Lightwater Business association and the Lightwater Society, therefore, definitely a Lightwater community event. Even Lightwater’s Red Kites paid a visit, wheeling overhead [pictures to follow in next blog post]. Here’s a photo montage of the event.
Carolyn and Paul Barrow’s decision to open their garden in Lightwater and to hold a plant sale for their chosen charities, RSPB and WaterAid, resulted in raising £650.
Well done, Carolyn and Paul. Maybe this is the start of a Lightwater Gardens Open day. Something I think I’ll discuss with others.
At Windlesham Fête on Saturday 8th June, Lightwater Gardening Club will be selling plants from their stand. The cacti and succulents collection in pots on our conservatory windowsills are all from the Gardening Club and the Barrow’s. I’ve wanted such a collection for years. Now I’ve got one, I couldn’t be happier, especially as they’re all grown in Lightwater.
Photo is of part of our pots.
Before I tackled the our gardens, I commented on the flowering of plants bought from the Lightwater Gardening Club’s stand at last year’s Windlesham Fête, and how I thought that they needed re-potting. Today I completed that re-potting, into attractive new containers. In doing so I noted the difference in the compost I used and the original compost.
Where’s all this leading? On Saturday 4th May, from 1.00pm to 4.00pm, we’ll be visiting Paul Barrow’s – chairman of Lightwater Gardening Club – garden and plant sale at his home, 1 Wayside, Windermere Road, Lightwater, GU18 5TH.
I’ll be asking Paul if I did Ok with the re-potting of the cacti and succulents. Maybe, I’ll see you there. I imagine I’ll not be able to resist buying some of Paul’s choice plants.
Congratulations to Lightwater Gardening Club for winning a Gold Medal, topping the Best Inspiring Spaces category, at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Hampton Court Palace Flower Show last week. I know, from personal experience, just how much hard work is involved in exhibiting at a major flower show.
Lightwater 