Every third Tuesday in the month at 8pm Biddenham Village Hall is a hive of activity. The Gardeners’ Association has a thriving membership of people who meet to learn about garden related topics. Our speakers travel from all over the country to share their expertise and the evening of 18th March was no exception. Steve Hickman, who holds the National Collection of Agapanthus, travelled from South Yorkshire to be with us.
It was clear from the outset that Steve is passionate about these South African plants and his enthusiasm was infectious. Lots of questions from members punctuated his practical demonstration. We learnt that there are three different forms; evergreen, variegated and deciduous. They all need a well drained growing medium; two parts potting compost or John Innes No 2 and one part grit or horticultural sand. Their roots must be restricted, they need to be kept dry in winter and then fed with a high potash feed from mid March to mid September. Steve gave us useful tips for example, if growing agapanthus in a border, plant firstly in a bottomless plastic pot filled with well drained compost and sink this into the ground – the plant will then have the root restriction it requires. We all watched with fascination as Steve took a sharp knife to divide the hefty rhizomes. It was a pleasure to listen to someone so knowledgeable and easy to see why Steve consistently wins gold medals at RHS shows. Click for further details
Whether you are an experienced gardener; a keen novice; like trips to nationally recognised gardens or just enjoy tea, cake and a chat you will receive a very warm welcome at Biddenham Gardeners’ Association. Please do check out our web-site, it has all the information you require and stunning photographs of gardens we have visited plus details of forthcoming events.
Our next meeting is on 15th April when Richard Todd will be talking about ‘The Four Seasons of Anglesey Abbey Gardens’.
Linda Truscott
