Life has been hectic and with the very mild autumn there has been lots to do in the garden and even more that could have been done.

Of Various visits to gardens

Sissinghurst (National Trust) in Kent – over the years I’ve been many times but it has so much to enjoy. The perfection of the hedge cutting can almost be overlooked whilst one enjoys the plants.

An exciting entrance - lots to anticipate ahead.

Hever Castle – in Kent – This makes a superb visit – expensive with a family but the castle, the guides, artefacts & history and the gardens are magnificent.

The gardens are huge but in the sheltered pergola walk there are gems as indeed everywhere else.

www.hevercastle.co.uk

The gardens of Hadlow College - in Kent

There are lots of 'gardens' created by students - labelled interesting and attractive.

The Gardens of Polesden Lacey (National Trust) - Surrey

It was late for the roses but there was plenty to enjoy. There were some late dwarf Zinnia as bedding which were colourful.

An attractive deceptively simple feature.

Walmer Castle (English Heritage) - Kent

These gardens are right by the sea - sheltered by the walls and with some lovely plantings. These gardens have been in the care of a former HCC member and the whole visit is relaxing and pleasant. Some lovely features. It was a favourite place of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother - then Warden of the Cinque ports.

Stourhead (National Trust) - Wiltshire

As a member of the Institute of Horticulture I was priviledged to be in the party taken around by the Head Gardener Alan Power and in the afternoon to attend a talk by John Sales the former National Trust Gardens Advisor, he spoke of the history of the Gardens, how it has developed and how the 100 year management plan was created for the Stourhead House & Estate. A huge influence has been numbers of visitors to the gardens 356,000 was mentioned for last year. It is difficult to imagine the addition of paths "in the shades" - the trees, have helped to retain the views of the landscape across the main lake without having to see the crocodiles of visitors wending their way. Alan Power said the keys to the success of the great historical garden was to provide "surprise, variety and concealment". One turns a corner and there is the drama of the revelation crocodiles. Stourhead does have the theatrical setting for plenty of 18th century drama. The Temple of Flora, the Temple of Apollo, the Pantheon and the Stone Bridge.

New Offers

We have been under considerable pressure to produce the products that will be most attractive in the market place and we have evolved a different pricing strategy.  This should make our products more accessible and will also increase our sale of discounted books.  A separate list of our books appears in our products for sale. 

In thinking about the competition from suppliers price undercutting our services I think it would be true to say that our tutor qualifications and the number of them exceed in every way the staff list of every horticultural college in the land. (excluding University colleges). We offer horticultural courses which we would claim are as good as they come from anyone and with some students from the great institutes as an occassional purchasers I can remain assured that our products are exceedingly useful throught the whole range of the RHS syllabii.

The Masters of Horticulture syllabus has at last been published and it does seem to be "reasonable" - from our point of view and it will be possible to continue to provide a question led tutorial service.

News of the tutors

Gerard Henry has restablished himself in New Zealand. He is under way with his garden design business www.gerardhenrydesign.com. He mentions the heavy rain with servere flooding in Poverty Bay. Over 10 inches of rain in 36 hours.  All is well and he wishes us "all the best".

I dread to imagine 10" of rain here in our Avon Valley situation while we "might" be ok - I suspect that the problems would be immense.

Clare Sandy has married and is now Clare Lewis. Happy Days.

Dr Paul Derby has become a grandfather, "a little rooster" he says.  This does not seem to be quite the appropriate gender as the arrival is a granddaughter!

News from our student members

There is lots to report and all with very good news and appreciation of the care and of the quality of their courses.  So I will write only very briefly.

SB - Pass in Module E RHS Advanced

DP - Very appreciative of the Anne Menhinick Memorial prize "absolutely thrilled".

AW - Recipient of the Institute of Horticulture prize - free membership for 1 year (worth £80.00). She writes "My fervent enthusiasum for horticulture has been supported and greatly increased by the continual assistance of the HCC team, and I would strongly recommend the HCC to any person intent on pursuing the path to academic excellence in this field"

AY - A superb soil study.  Quite exceptionally good.

RC - Who studied Sheep Farming. "without this course I would have been uable to do something specfic to sheep - other colleges could not help. I cannot thank you enough..."

KW - Has passed her RHS Advanced and now on module F of the Diploma, "very pleased"

KM - Passed modules A, B & D awaiting result for C.

LB-B - Of the GLADD - the garden design course ... my work for GLADD I really have enjoyed this course and look forward to continuing when I complete lesson 10.

KS - Of the RHS General 3G course - the course is excellent and I can't recommend it enough - (This course has now been updated and is our new Principles of Gardening Course).

PW - Who studies Herbs for Pleasure and Profit thanks the HCC for supplying what turned out to be a most interesting and demanding course .....

RB - Who has studied Agriculture - Mixed Farming ... The college did send the sheep info for me so by the end of the week I hope to enrol on the next one.

NC - from France passed her RHS Advanced and took her practical exam succesfully at the Chichester College.  Now on to the Diploma.

Career Development Loans

We had a helpful contact from Jane Bailey concerning The Cooperative Bank and its Career Development Loans Scheme.  This is already helping one of our members.  The contact address is Career Development Loans, The Cooperative Bank Plc. PO Box 200, Skelmesdale,

WN8 6GH

We had an enquiry concerning our mention of Acacia heterophylla (see picture below) which we mention in a lesson as an example of a plant which bears two types of leaf.  The tree is not in Hilliers, the Plant Finder or apparently commonly available.  With google to the rescue and there are lots of references, also The Kew Royal Botanic Gardens www.kew.org/searchepic.  The leaves of this tree show transition stages from the juvenile phase with pinnate compound leaves to the adult phyllodes - specialised structures of flattened petioles in place of the leaf blade.

Well it is time to wind up. The weather has been good for planting in the garden and it seems a shame to have such short evenings - luckily it has been very mild and we have had our first killer frost - Nov 13th - almost a month after our most usual time Oct 16th. The water boards are saying that at least in the South East it will take ages to fill their reservoirs but here our very small stream - the West Brook Water Course - would fill many cubic metres from the last week alone.