presentation – Thornton Cleveleys Horticultural Society

The Making of Lancaster Canal

Oct 1, 2019Oct 1, 2019 by thorntoncleveleyshorticulturalsociety41, posted in Talks

Last month’s talk, although not the usual gardening talk, turned out to be extremely

Bill Froggatt1 — Bill Froggatt, Canal and River Trust

interesting. Bill Froggatt, Canal & River Trust North West Adviser, gave us an insight into the history of canals in the North West from the 1700’s to present day. He showed us the damage caused by recent storms and what the teams were doing working to repair them. A very enjoyable evening.

If you missed our talk and would like to know more about the Lancaster canal visit the Canal and River Trust and, if you are a keen photographer, you might like to check out their bicentenary birthday celebration photograph project.

Lancaster Canal - Lune Aqueduct — Lancaster Canal – Lune Aqueduct

Our talks, gardening related or not, happen on the third Wednesday of each month. Details of what is coming up next are on the talks pages of our website here

OUT AND ABOUT, ME AND MY CAMERA

Mar 25, 2019Mar 25, 2019 by thorntoncleveleyshorticulturalsociety41, posted in Talks

Queen-Butterfly-Male-2-889x1024 Paul King from The North Fylde Photographic Society gave an illustrated talk to our members at our March meeting.

Paul, who is Chairman of the North Fylde Photographic Society and a photography judge, showed us some of his excellent work.

His portfolio includes fabulous monochrome pictures and some impressive nature action shots of wild animals and birds.

He also has a great knowledge of photograph composition and digital editing for the best presentation.

Paul talked through a series of short photographic shows and passed around several large prints on many topics including animals, people, planes and landscapes. The picture above is Paul’s photograph of a Queen Butterfly.

DON’T GO TO SLEEP DURING WINTER

Nov 30, 2018 by thorntoncleveleyshorticulturalsociety41, posted in Uncategorized

kevin pratt2 Such an intriguing title! Kevin Pratt from Village Plants Nursery, Hazel Grove, came to talk to our members about winter colour from trees and shrubs. His talk was backed up by excellent photographs of some beautiful plants and Kevin ably answered a range of questions from the audience. Kevin had brought with him a range of plants from his nursery which were for sale after the talk. Members took great interest in his knowledge of each plant and took heed of his suggested planting locations.

Kevin is qualified in botany, soil science and horticulture with thirty years gardening experience and two RHS Gold medals in the floral marque and Gold medal at Southport Flower Show. He has worked daily, self employed as a landscaper and maintenance gardener in some very beautiful gardens in Hale and has worked with ‘Raymond Blanc’ at Le Manoir.

Chairman John Horrocks said, ‘Kevin certainly knows his stuff. His talk was very interesting and informative and he brought an excellent selection of plants from his nursery’.

Our next talk is in 20th February and will be on Summer and Autumn Flowering Bulbs.

Cartmel Peninsula and Holker Hall Gardens

Oct 22, 2018Oct 22, 2018 by thorntoncleveleyshorticulturalsociety41, posted in Talks

Holker Hall 21.4.2016 248 - Copy Steve Halliwell from Preston, gave us a fantastic tour of Holker Hall gardens through a series of outstanding photographs at our talk last week.

Holker Hall is a magnificent Victorian stately home with 25 acres of stunning gardens and an ancient deer park. Steve showed us pictures of fantastic trees and shrubs from the garden including many from the Asian sub continent as well as native UK trees. Steve Halliwell Holker Hall Gardens Talk His knowledge and photography was awesome; we will definitely look to invite him back in the future.

Steve Halliwell is an author, public speaker and biographer, who has a depth of knowledge of local history and large gardens in the area. He is also known for his guide to Preston pubs!

Our next talk is DON’T GO TO SLEEP DURING WINTER on Wednesday 21st November 2018 at 7.30pm, given by double RHS gold award winner, Kevin Pratt from Hazel Grove.

Artistic Planters with Attitude

May 18, 2018May 19, 2018 by thorntoncleveleyshorticulturalsociety41, posted in Talks

This months gardening talk on 16th May was the first in our new venue at Christ Church, Thornton. We were made very welcome and enjoyed the bright space for our meeting.

Tim Smith - planter demonstration Tim Smith of Lythan St Annes, a regular on the talk circuit, gave us a demonstration which he entitled ARTISTIC PLANTERS WITH ATTITUDE. He talked about colour combinations and planting design, as well as suitable plants for the containers he was demonstrating.

John Horrocks Bowl Planters

Our Chairperson, John Horrocks followed Tim’s talk with a practical demonstration of making a bowl garden. Using a selection alpines and succulents, he put together small bowls and talked through soil types and drainage solutions.

Our next gardening talk is Wednesday 20th June 2018 at the usual time 7.30pm. Marguerite Hughes from Bretherton is talking to us about SCENTED PLANTS FOR ALL SEASONS

Marguerite Hughes is a well known Lancastrian horticulturist, broadcaster & experienced garden speaker. There will also be plants for sale by Sue Gillon from Meadow View Plants.

There are no gardening talks during July and August as you will all be too busy enjoying your garden! Gardening talks will recommence in September, keep an eye on this page for details as we get them.

Alpines for Sinks, Troughs and Raised Beds

Apr 19, 2018Apr 19, 2018 by thorntoncleveleyshorticulturalsociety41, posted in Talks, Trips

Our gardening talk this month was given by Peter Foley of Waddow Lodge Garden who eloquently engaged his audience with his knowledge of Alpines.

Peter is of Holden Clough Nursery fame which is currently run by his son John. Established in 1927 by Richard Milne-Redhead, Holden Clough Nursery became one of the country’s leading Alpine nurseries. Based in the Ribble Valley, the nursery has won awards at RHS Tatton and at Southport Flower Show. Waddow Lodge Garden

Peter talked about the best plants for troughs and planters using slides to demonstrate how they can be used. A keen audience asked a number of questions, the answers to which Peter was happy to give. He also brought along a number of plants for sale so we could indulge in alpines for our own planters. alpines

The evening also saw a presentation to the staff and Friends of the Little Theatre for all their help over the years. This of course was our last event at the Theatre after almost 70 years of use.

All future talks will be in the nearby hall at Christ Church, on Meadows Avenue, Thornton. We’d love to see members and non-members at any of our talks.

Also this month, members were disappointed when the trip to Gordon Riggs had to be cancelled on the day. We had no coach to take us, due to a misunderstanding at the coach company. This was disheartening as the garden centre is a gold mine for gardeners and across the way there is the Fancy Goods Emporium and Cafe. Ah well maybe another time!

For details of other talks and trips, please see the events pages on our website.