Tuesday 20 May 2014

Garden Visit to Beacon Hill House


Our first garden visit of the year was a great success.  The seven-acre garden in Langbar was created in 1848 around an early Victorian house and has been tended by the Boyle family for 37 years.



Mr Boyle gave us a tour of the grounds, pointing out interesting items and answering our questions.  Much of the garden is steeply sloping (one area even named “rest and be thankful” and we could see why) and backs on to a grouse moor and it gives a marvellous view of the Yorkshire countryside.




 

 The garden had beautiful woodland walks amongst a variety of large species of trees, rhododendrons, magnolias and bulbs.  It has an old greenhouse which was originally heated by a coke boiler, as was one of the walls of the orchard at the very top of the garden.




 
Other features of the garden include a windbreak, a pond and a stone built tunnel
 
Notice Board
Paxton Plant Market is on Saturday 31st May.   Please consider planting and growing on for the sales table and, if you can help on the day from 10 am, this would be appreciated.

Dates for your diary

Next meeting:   6th June - Peppers.  Also we are hoping to plant up our display for the Tour de France into grow bags so, if you have any young plants ready for growing on, please bring them to the meeting.       

Friends of Paxton are meeting Monday 2nd June from Midday.  An hour or two or your time to help maintain the premises are always welcome.  If another date is more suitable for you, please let us know.  In June, there will be a Dig In at Paxton Garden; date TBA.

 

Tuesday 13 May 2014

FRIDAY FORUM GARDEN VISITS 2014

Here are the full details of our  FRIDAY FORUM GARDEN VISITS 2014

16th MAY      BEACON HILL HOUSE, Langbar, Nr. Ilkley, LS29 0EU
                     Mr & Mrs H Boyle  Tel: 01943 607544
Looks over the garden wall onto a grouse moor.  This 7 acre ‘intake’, steeply sloping but gardened since 1848, is a spring paradise with early rhododendrons, magnolias and bulbs. 1.30pm - Entrance including tea and cakes £3.50 (the cost of this visit has been subsidized by F/Forum)
Directions:  Coming from Otley, turn right over the bridge at Ben Rhydding, turn left, take first right on to Carter’s Lane.  Keep straight on Hunger Hill (narrow road )After approx 1.5 miles turn right and in approx l.3 miles  you cross a cattle grid.  In approx 3 miles you are at the top of the hill with the wall of Beacon Hill House garden in front of you.  To your right is some spare land to park on, or if you bear left , you will see the entrance to the garden.  There is parking for approx. 4 cars on the drive.


20th June       HORTICAP, Blue Coat Wood Nurseries, Otley Road. Harrogate
                      HG3 1QL
Horticap is a charity based in their own plant nursery.  Adult students with learning disabilities go there to train in horticulture and gain all sorts of life skills.  A volunteer speaker will take us on a tour of the Horticap site.  After the tour refreshments will be served and the shop will be open.  1.30pm – Donations would be appreciated.
B6162 Otley Road on the opposite side of the road to RHS Harlow Carr – Horticap sign on the roadside.


15th August  Pat Clarke,The Mews Cottage, Brunswick Drive,
                    Harrogate HG1 2PZ .
A winner of the Daily Mail Garden of the Year Award . 1.30pm - £3.50 including refreshments
A61 into Harrogate past Betty’s and Cenotaph, down Parliament Street  Through the lights at the bottom, up Ripon Road for a little way, then turn left on to Swan Road past Old Swan Hotel, across onto York Road, over cross roads  and then fork left onto Brunswick Drive.  Look out for Mews Cottage on the left.   If you have a parking disc please bring  it with you but some will be available

Monday 5 May 2014

The Merry Month of May

Talk:  Town Gardens. Making the best of a small space by Rob Edwards


 
Rob showed us illustrations of beautiful gardens and planting schemes which work in the smaller garden.  He recommends that you include a ‘bit of everything’ in your garden (trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals) scaled to your plot for year round interest.  Rob certainly inspired us and gave us plenty of tips and ideas for our own gardens.

Display Table
 
Judith’s Antirrhinums

 
Elizabeth’s bouquet of fragrant smilicana, Solmon’s Seal, Rosa banksiae, various tulips and late daffodils, Pulsatilla, azelias and variegated Rosemary.

Linda’s Tibetan Peacock Orchid (Pleione tongariro)


Ann’s Asarum caudatum from North and South America and Arisarum proboscideum from Europe.

 
Notice Board

For our yellow flower display to celebrate the Tour de France in July, there are seeds available for members to sow and grow   For more ideas of yellow flowers see http://letour.yorkshire.com/documents/tdf/rhs/RHSTurningYorkshireYellow.pdf  If anyone any creative ideas on how to display our yellow blooms in front of Paxton Hall, please come forward.

Paxton Plant Market is on Saturday 31st May.   Please consider planting and growing on for the sales table and, if you can help on the day from 10 am, this would be appreciated.

Dates for your diary

Next meeting:   Garden visit to Beacon Hill House, Langbar, near Ilkley, LS29 0EU.  Members should meet at the garden at 1.30pm.                        

Friends of Paxton are meeting Monday 2nd June from Midday.  An hour or two or your time to help maintain the premises are always welcome.  If another date is more suitable for you, please let us know.  In June, there will be a Dig In at Paxton Garden; date TBA.

Friday Forum meetings are 1.30pm on 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month at Paxton Hall, Paxton Horticultural Society, 186 Kirkstall Lane, Leeds LS5 2AB.   Meetings may be hands-on sessions, guest speakers or garden visits. Regular features are the Display Table where members can bring their plants for discussion and advice and the Sales Table where members sell their plants, cuttings and produce to help the club funds.  For further information log on to https://sites.google.com/site/paxtonhorticulturalsocietycouk/Home