Brailes Gardening Club

Somebody once said “Nurturing a garden is one of the most important things we can do as a person”.  Quite an assertion, a bit of a sweeping statement with some philosophy thrown in!  What did this person mean?
 
A gardener looks after their patch and enjoys the beauty, feeling of well-being and sometimes the produce it delivers.  It is easy to forget that the patch is being shared by a whole host of other living organisms too and is, by definition, an ecosystem or collection of ecosystems in itself.  Lucy Hartley explored this theme when she returned to Brailes Gardening Club to deliver her talk with the intriguing title “Not just my garden”.
 
Lucy spoke about how we could change the way we create and maintain our gardens, and in doing this thinking about driving diversity in the garden ecosystem, also bearing in mind what she described as keystone animals.
 
Diversity can be achieved by not only having a wide range of plants growing, but also by the way a gardener nurtures their patch to support this biodiversity through the way they garden and the choices they make.
 
Simple examples of ecosystems shown were a dry stone wall which supported a multitude of living organisms and an apple tree which apparently has been shown to support 93 different living organisms/species!  Less surprisingly, water in nature contains many micro-organisms as does soil and compost.
 
Even mowing the lawn at different heights and in different areas over the season creates far more opportunities than normal mowing patterns for the ecosystem to evolve.  Lucy finished by talking about the keystone species which, if removed, might have dramatic unplanned consequences in ways which we don’t yet entirely understand.
 
Members left the meeting with much food for thought and perhaps wondering what changes they might make to their own gardens.  
 
There is no meeting scheduled for August, as we will be taking a short summer break.  Our next garden visit is scheduled for Thursday 17^th September.  We have a double bill starting in Worcestershire at a 1.5 acre garden next to common land. This garden is of special interest for its large collection of Michaelmas daisies.

On the return trip home, we stop at another plantsman’s garden with manyinteresting features and plants.  Members wishing to take part must sign up and pay beforehand.
 
The membership fee for 2026 is £15 for the year; visitors are always welcome to each meeting for a fee of £5 (all meetings in Brailes Village Hall, starting at 7.30pm).

Vic Lee

Thirty years ago, an ordinary working married couple bought a nearly derelict barn with half an acre of land in Cookhill, near Alcester, and set about creating a new home.  Making the barn habitable was the first priority, but their minds also turned to the piece of land, because they could see the potential to create something special.  Soon afterwards, a further two and a half acre plot became available which they also purchased.  This was the start of an all consuming project which involved employing heavy machinery to transform the landscape into the spectacular garden which it is today.
 
We were greeted at the garden entrance by the owners (and their dogs!) to be told the story of how the garden was created and the layout of the land, after which we were left to roam free.
 
The first courtyard garden contained a beautiful collection of Japanese acers and miniature pines, with two Oriental granite sculptures.  Around the corner was a spectacular corridor of pleached hawthorn trees offset by neat lavender planting at low level, with a wave effect rill down the middle.

An avenue of trees heralded a spectacular open view to distant horizons with an ornamental lake in the foreground.  A wide lawned verge surrounded the lake, with more ornamental shrubs bordering the grass.  All around the garden was an eclectic collection of modern sculptures, some metal, some stone, all blending into the garden design.
 
Some lovely homemade cakes and tea were served back at the house, before we made our way home having enjoyed another memorable garden on a sunny day.
 
Our next meeting will be on Thursday 16^th July when Lucy Hartley will return to us, this time to give a talk with the title “Not just my garden”.
 
A gardener looks after their patch and enjoys the beauty, feeling of well-being and sometimes the produce it delivers.  It is easy to forget that the patch is being shared by a whole host of other living organisms too and is, by definition, an ecosystem or collection of ecosystems in itself. Lucy explores garden friendly wildflowers, some of the less visible life in the garden, how it interacts and the way a gardener can nurture their patch to support this biodiversity through the way they garden and the choices they make.
 
The membership fee for 2026 is £15 for the year; visitors are always welcome to each meeting for a fee of £5 (all meetings in Brailes Village Hall, starting at 7.30pm).

Vic Lee

Gill Hawtin, proprietor of the florists Flower Thyme in Kineton, inspired us with a demonstration of three colourful floral arrangements at our April meeting and it was wonderful to have the opportunity to welcome more new members to our local gardening club.  Along the way, Gill included countless pieces of advice on which cut flowers to choose, how to prepare the cuttings and how to create eye catching displays.
 
The first floral arrangement was a conventional collection of seasonal flowers in a large terracotta pot.  She chose some beautiful pink spring peonies, anemones, tulips, iris, hellebores and daffodils, and dressed the arrangement with a surprising addition – flower and leaf cuttings from the shrub viburnum opulus (guelder rose).
 
The second arrangement was a complete contrast, with much more foliage.  Included were hazel foliage and ferns, with a floral highlight of Spanish bluebells (good for cut flowers but not to plant in the garden where cross pollination withour precious native bluebell might occur).  The whole assembly was dressed with native sphagnum moss to create a more natural effect.
 
Finally, there was a floral display more reminiscent of a summertime scene from the garden than a formal arrangement.  Included were nigella, clematis (a special species grown commercially for flower cutting as the common species would quickly wilt), astrantia, peonies, larkspur and sweet peas, with a crowning highlight of Italian stock flowers to add height and colour.
 
The evening ended with a lively auction of all three arrangements, to raise funds for Gill’s chosen charity, the Army Benevolent Fund.
 
Our next meeting, on Thursday, 21^st May, will be something completely differentagain!  Joff Elphick, professional gardener and broadcaster, will be giving probably the first multimedia presentation of its kind to Brailes Gardening Club, with the intriguing title “Crayfish on the lawn and other gardening stories”.  This presentation includes video, audio and photographs of interesting plants and other things Joff has seen while down on his hands and knees rooting about in the border during his professional work.
 
The membership fee for 2026 is £15 for the year; visitors are always welcome to each meeting for a fee of £5 (all meetings in Brailes Village Hall, starting at 7.30pm).

Vic Lee

Gill Hawtin, proprietor of the florists Flower Thyme in Kineton, inspired us with a demonstration of three colourful floral arrangements at our April meeting and it was wonderful to have the opportunity to welcome more new members to our local gardening club.  Along the way, Gill included countless pieces of advice on which cut flowers to choose, how to prepare the cuttings and how to create eye catching displays.
 
The first floral arrangement was a conventional collection of seasonal flowers in a large terracotta pot.  She chose some beautiful pink spring peonies, anemones, tulips, iris, hellebores and daffodils, and dressed the arrangement with a surprising addition – flower and leaf cuttings from the shrub viburnum opulus (guelder rose).
 
The second arrangement was a complete contrast, with much more foliage.  Included were hazel foliage and ferns, with a floral highlight of Spanish bluebells (good for cut flowers but not to plant in the garden where cross pollination withour precious native bluebell might occur).  The whole assembly was dressed with native sphagnum moss to create a more natural effect.
 
Finally, there was a floral display more reminiscent of a summertime scene from the garden than a formal arrangement.  Included were nigella, clematis (a special species grown commercially for flower cutting as the common species would quickly wilt), astrantia, peonies, larkspur and sweet peas, with a crowning highlight of Italian stock flowers to add height and colour.
 
The evening ended with a lively auction of all three arrangements, to raise funds for Gill’s chosen charity, the Army Benevolent Fund.
 
Our next meeting, on Thursday, 21^st May, will be something completely differentagain!  Joff Elphick, professional gardener and broadcaster, will be giving probably the first multimedia presentation of its kind to Brailes Gardening Club, with the intriguing title “Crayfish on the lawn and other gardening stories”.  This presentation includes video, audio and photographs of interesting plants and other things Joff has seen while down on his hands and knees rooting about in the border during his professional work.
 
The membership fee for 2026 is £15 for the year; visitors are always welcome to each meeting for a fee of £5 (all meetings in Brailes Village Hall, starting at 7.30pm).

Vic Lee

Our first talk of the year, “Across the Roof of the World”, was presented by Roger Butler, writer, speaker and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.  He took us on a journey tracing the ancient Silk Roads across Central Asia, travelling more than 3,000 miles through wild mountains and fierce deserts in Nepal, Tibet and Xinjiang (remote Western China).  This presentation was different from our usual custom of featuring purely horticultural content but, with an amazing array of cultures, peoples and landscapes; it was a fascinating evening.  
 
The Silk Roads is an evocative description which conjures up visions of camels laden with goods from ancient China so desired in the Western world.  It was fascinating to see a glimpse of some of the barely made-up roads and places of human inhabitation on the route.
 
Setting off from Bangladesh, Roger travelled into Nepal, spending time in the royal capital of Kathmandu, one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world.  Continuing on the south side of the Himalaya Mountain range and enjoying spectacular views of Mount Everest and other peaks, we were soon transported into Lhasa on the Tibetan Plateau.  At an altitude of 12,000 feet, this is one of the highest cities in the world!  Of course, for Roger, the journey was not laced with comfort.  Scenes from his presentation showed ancient vehicles and “hotels” which comprised concrete blocks with basic mattresses on a concrete floor!
 
Arrival in Xinjiang showed us the Muslim part of China, where the Uyghur people have lived difficult lives within the Republic of China. Travelling on to Turpan, an oasis town below sea level, brought another change of scenery.  The next stop was in Kashgar, one of the westernmost cities of China, close to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and another strategically important oasis on the Silk Road.  We finished our journey in Islamabad, Pakistan, ending a breathtaking trip through parts of the world about which most of us knew little.
 
Our next meeting, on Thursday, 16^th April, will be something completely different!  “Springing into Summer” will be a talk and demonstration by Gill Hawtin, a local florist.  This promises to be a colourful affair, full of the spirit of Easter.
 
The membership fee for 2026 is £15 for the year; visitors are always welcome to each meeting for a fee of £5 (all meetings in Brailes Village Hall, starting at 7.30pm).

Vic Lee

This year, we decided for the first time to arrange a garden visit in February, the earliest time we have ever tried such a venture.  Given the challenging weather conditions so far in 2026, the visit to Woolscott Barn was fraught with risk butsince it only involved a 45 minute journey, we decided to proceed with a sense of adventure.  It paid off! 
 
Twenty members arrived on time at the garden despite that other challenge of modern life, the road closed signs.  It was a grey day with light drizzle but the garden shone with huge areas of sparkling white snowdrops. Over 300 varieties from very tall, thick leaved examples, to tiny ones with many green markings. The owner is obviously a galanthophile as there were so many pots of seedlings everywhere including some in the greenhouse waiting to flower and to be approved; perhaps an exciting new variety was hidden there?
 
Although the white patches of snowdrops caught the eye, there was much else to admire.  Beautiful hellebores were in abundance, every shade of pink, red and yellow, their flowering heads standing tall.  Taking a walk up through the “Spinney”, we were then greeted by a lovely shady space with many varieties of cyclamen and ferns.
 
As we wandered along the woodchip paths, a dwarf conifer rockery came into view, with so many different forms and varying shades of green.  Around the corner, there was a wonderful patch of Mount Aso pussy willow with its unusualfluffy pink catkins which were almost impossible not to stroke when walking pastand a stand of tall silver birch with their white trunks revealed by the peeling bark.Coloured stems of dogwood framed the aconites, snowdrops, and other plants, shrubs and small trees.  
 
Everywhere there was a hint of what will appear after the current display is over;perhaps worthy of a garden visit in the summer?  The visit ended in the long shed with tea and coffee, and a large selection of homemade cakes and scones.
 
Our first talk of the year, “Across the Roof of the World”, will take place on Thursday 19^th March.  The speaker is Roger Butler, writer, speaker and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.  A journey tracing the ancient Silk Roads across Central Asia, travelling more than 3,000 miles through wild mountains and fierce deserts in Nepal, Tibet and Xinjiang (remote Western China).  This presentation is a bit different from our usual custom of featuring purely horticultural content but, with an amazing array of cultures, peoples and landscapes, from below sea level at Turpan to 16,000 feet passes on the Tibetan plateau, it promises to be a fascinating evening.
 
The membership fee for 2026 is £15 for the year; visitors are always welcome to each meeting for a fee of £5 (all meetings in Brailes Village Hall, starting at 7.30pm).
 
Vic Lee
(With grateful thanks to Sue Sanderson for the garden visit writeup)

Our first meeting of 2026, which took place in January, was the Annual General Meeting.  This is always a much less formal affair than it sounds and the Chairman’s report included a light hearted review of events and garden visits for the prior year. He thanked the committee members (as well as others assisting from time to time) who all worked hard to deliver an enjoyable programme.  Members of the committee were duly elected to office and the programme for the year was presented.  After which, freshly cooked fish and chips was enjoyed by all.

Membership cards for 2026 with details of the club’s programme were distributed.  The programme is shown below.

The membership fee for 2026 is £15 for the year; visitors are always welcome to each meeting for a fee of £5 (all meetings in Brailes Village Hall, starting at 7.30pm).

Vic Lee
(Contact email: vi**********@********et.com) 

Our first meeting of 2026 will be our Annual General Meeting, which will take place on Monday 19th January, doors open at 6.30pm for the 7.15pm meeting.  This is always a much less formal affair than it sounds as most of the evening after a brief AGM is spent socialising over a freshly cooked fish and chip supper!  It is also an occasion when the programme of talks and activities for the coming year is revealed and there is the opportunity to enlist in annual membership of the club for a fee of £15.  Members, partners, friends and visitors are all welcome (free entry for the AGM, £12 per person for the fish and chip supper which must be booked in advance).

Vic Lee
(Contact email: vi**********@********et.com) 

The club’s 2025 programme ended on a convivial note – a party!  Members gathered in the village hall, bringing with them a wide pre-planned range of food to share.  Tables joyously laid out with festive tablecloths and flower arrangements added to the party atmosphere, together with a none too serious team quiz.  The case of Beaujolais Nouveau duly arrived on its actual release date, which gave members the opportunity to be among the first to sample this year’s vintage.

Looking back, members recalled a wide variety of garden visits and talks/demonstrations on gardening throughout the year.  At our first meeting in February, we held a Gardeners’ Question Time which gave the opportunity for members to present their questions on all matters horticultural to an expert panel.  

Our first presentation of the year was on Evenley Wood Garden, by Head Gardener Dan Winter.  Set amongst beautiful Northamptonshire countryside, this 60 acre woodland was bought by keen local plantsman Timothy Whiteley in 1980 and he spent the next 37 years of his life planting specimen trees, shrubs, bulbs and other perennials.

There followed our first garden visit of the year, to the Old Rectory in Albury, near Thame.  The garden setting was just gorgeous, quintessential England, with the parish church and a thatched cottage providing the perfect backdrop. 

The second garden visit of the year included two destinations in Oxfordshire, starting in Denton.  Denton House is a large walled garden surrounding a handsome Georgian mansion, which was rescued from a planned demolition some sixty years ago by its current owners who could see the potential for planting an outstanding garden at the property.  Following which we visited an altogether more modern garden in nearby Garsington which was maintained meticulously and offered a contrasting note.

In between the garden visits, Duncan Coombes presented a talk on climbers and wall shrubs with his usual relaxed style and expert knowledge.  The following month, we saw a totally different style of presentation on seasonal gardening for wildlife by garden designer Lottie Newitt, which comprised a demonstration on how to plant different colourful combinations of flowering plants and shrubs.  Also included was a sale of plants included in the presentation, which proved highly popular with members.

With autumn not far away, our September meeting on the topic of plant propagation was a timely reminder on how to prepare new plants for the next season.  The guest speaker was Andrew Mikolajski, a gardening author and RHS judge.

Timothy Walker, botanist and horticultural lecturer, gave the final talk of the year, on the topic of “Colour in a Small Garden”.  His talk was inspired by the Oxford Botanic Garden’s Gold Medal winning exhibit at the Chelsea Flower Show but contained so much more content by way of explanation of some of the theory and practices employed by artists and gardeners to achieve a variety of effects.  

Our first meeting of 2026 will be our Annual General Meeting, which will take place on Monday 19th January, doors open at 6.30pm for the 7.15pm meeting.  This is always a much less formal affair than it sounds as most of the evening after a brief AGM is spent socialising over a freshly cooked fish and chip supper!  It is also an occasion when the programme of talks and activities for the coming year is announced and there is the opportunity to enlist in annual membership of the club for a fee of £15.  Members, partners, friends and visitors are all welcome (free entry for the AGM, £12 per person for the fish and chip supper which must be booked in advance).

Vic Lee
(Contact email: vi**********@********et.com) 

Our last talk of the year in October drew another full house in the village hall.  In addition to our usual members from Brailes, Tysoe, Shipston, Sutton under Brailes and other nearby villages, we were delighted to welcome new visitors from Shenington and Long Compton.

Timothy Walker, botanist and horticultural lecturer, by common consensus the most entertaining speaker in last year’s programme, returned to give another tour de force, this time on the topic of “Colour in a Small Garden”.

His talk was inspired by the Oxford Botanic Garden’s Gold Medal winning exhibit at the Chelsea Flower Show but contained so much more content by way of explanation of some of the theory and practices employed by artists and gardeners to achieve a variety of effects.  

Consequently, the presentation was more than just a series of slides showing successful colour combinations for the garden.  Timothy started with some revealing pie charts and colour palettes to explain how the human eye and mind reacts to colour in a variety of situations.  He went on to demonstrate how the effect of colour is determined also by the direction of light (behind or frontal), the altitude of the sun, the angle of viewing, and the size and depth of the plant border.  Whether the border is in full sun, dappled shade or full shade also affects colour perception.  There followed a number of slides showing successful examples planted by well known garden designers, including one original concept design which started with pale pastel colours at the far edges of a large border leading to a crescendo of colour as the centrepiece.  Almost as a parting shot, Timothy left us with an interesting thought (which I am dubious about revealing in the Feldon News!), that female primates are superior to males in their perception and recall of colour; apparently something to do with their evolution as foragers and gatherers!

We end our activities for the year with a grand social event in the village hall on Thursday 20 November.  Please note that this event will start at 6.30pm.  Apart from sharing food and drink, this is a good opportunity to catch up with news and make new friends.  The date also happens to be when this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau is released.  Who knows, with luck and a following wind, we may find that a wine case will magically appear at the event, allowing us to declare that Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrive!

Vic Lee