Aims of the Society

Cleobury Mortimer Horticultural Society was founded about twelve years ago by local residents with an interest in gardening and all things horticultural. It has grown steadily, and currently has around forty members, whose ages range from about 15 years to some who are very much older but still extremely active and with a mountain of knowledge and expertise to share!

The Society’s objectives, which were set when it was first established, remain the same:

• to promote interest and knowledge of horticulture and gardening
• to encourage the sharing of information between members on horticultural and gardening issues
• to promote increased awareness of the local environment and to seek to improve it.

We:

• meet monthly to hear interesting and illustrated talks, swap plants and share gardening advice, successes and tales of horticultural woe
• go out on garden visits in Shropshire and the surrounding counties
• hold competitions for both the Society’s members and for the wider commnity
• organise two annual plant sales for the local community
• look after the trees and plant containers in the town’s high street
• manage an area rented to us by a very supportive local farmer on which there are now allotments, both full and half plots
• enjoy social occasions in the summer and at Christmas.

Membership costs £8 per person a year, which includes costs of all events and refreshments at meetings. Non-members are invited to attend the events for £2.

Calendar of Events 2010

All events take place in, or start from, Cleobury Mortimer. Talks take place at the Methodist Hall, starting at 8pm.

For information, contact the Programme Secretary, Steve Todd on 01299 271639 or email todd479@btinternet.com

11 January ‘Hanbury Hall – restoring a garden’- Neil Cook

January (tba) Tree pleaching training day, High Street, CM

8 February ‘Orchids’ - Mrs A Caldwell

February (tba) Tree pleaching assistance

8 March Witley court and Portmeirion’- Mr R Betts

12 April ‘Weston Park – history and gardens’ - Martin Gee

1 May Plant sale - The Old Vicarage, 3 Church Street 10am

10 May ‘Gardening without chemicals’ - Mr J Fannin

14 June As 11 January since meeting was cancelled due to snow

19 June Summer social Cleanlyseat Farm 6pm

20 June Visit to Weston Park - Meet Talbot car park 11am

10/11 July Cleobury in Bloom

15 August Visit to Hanbury Hall Meet Talbot car park 11.30am

13 September ‘Flat worms’- Linda Hogan

11 October ‘RHS Wisley’ - Linda Dolan

8 November Annual General Meeting Methodist Hall 7.30pm

13 December Christmas social St Elizabeth’s Hall 7.30pm

Cleobury in Bloom

CLEOBURY IN BLOOM 2009

The aim of the event in 2009 was to encourage more people to take part and to show off the considerable talents and skills of Cleobury’s gardeners - and what a success it was! There were 27 entrants, ranging from caravan park gardens, some of which consisted of just a few healthy potted plants, through to plots brimming with wildlife, those with fantastic flowers, shrubs and ornamental borders, and an eco-friendly garden showing what can be done by using reclaimed materials and propagation. Once again, the judges were John and Jenny Hughes of Orleton House, Stanford Bridge in Worcestershire, two very experienced gardeners who open their own four-acre plot throughout the year in aid of the National Garden Scheme charities.

Particular congratulations go to Chris and Ron Glover, who won first place in the Gardener of the Year category; the judges were particularly impressed with the couple’s beach hut, an unusual sight in Ronhill! Congratulations, too, to Mr and Mrs Farr whose garden in Orchard End won the Horticultural Society’s Spot Prize; to Tony and Jean Wilson for attaining first place in the caravan and park home category; and to Jenny Vanderhook, who scooped firsts for both her vegetable garden and her wildlife garden. Daphne and John Tuck won first place in the allotment category, the Old Lion was judged the best licensed premises and Catherine Evans at Broome Park Farm won the commercial category for the garden surrounding her bed and breakfast business.

A special award for effort was given to The Youth Forum, having taken on an overgrown allotment plot and worked hard to get their vegetables and salads growing despite having few tools and very little funding. A second special award went to Ian Pipe, the manager of The Glen Caravan Park, for improving the local environment. He and his staff have transformed the entry and exit to the town by mowing the grass and introducing and maintaining some very attractive flower troughs at no cost to local residents.

During June and July, members of the Society also visited a number of primary schools, nurseries and playgroups to get young children planting up boxes of salads – hopefully to show that ‘growing your own’ is so much better than buying expensive bags of salad at the supermarket. This activity engaged over 300 children, many more than normally are able to take part in the annual HortiFun competition that forms part of Cleobury in Bloom.

CLEOBURY IN BLOOM 2010

Each year, we try to make Cleobury in Bloom just a bit different to maintain interest in the competition and to encourage more people to join in. Last year, we had a record number of entries for some categories but hardly any for others; the majority of the entrants were cajoled or heavily persuaded before agreeing to join in. It was particularly disappointing that there were no entries for the children’s section.

For 2010, Cleobury in Bloom will consist of three components:

1.a competition in early July, consisting of three categories:

• allotments, winners nominated by the allotment holders
• licensed premises
• commercial and business premises

2.‘Keeping Cleobury Blooming’ - an initiative to improve the gardens of five local residents who are unable to tend their own. The initiative will be advertised in the Cleobury Clarion and those wishing to have their gardens tidied will submit their names for consideration; alternatively, they may be nominated by a friend, relative or neighbour. Selection of the final five wll be determined by a sub-group of members of the Horticultural Society. The work wll be undertaken by volunteers from the Society, with possible help from pupils at Lacon Childe School, each garden taking approximately half a day during the months of April and May.

3.‘What’s Blooming in Cleobury?’ - an art and craft exhibition based on the theme of horticulture, with entries invited from the local community. Exhibits will be displayed locally on the weekend of the competition (above) and for the following week, with proceeds from entrance fees or donations shared between the exhibitors and the Horticultural Society. The awards evening will be held in the exhibition venue, and attended by those whose gardens have been improved. Members of the community will also be invited to the event.

HortiFun

Since 2007, we have organised activities for local children under the heading of ‘Horti Fun’ as part of the Cleobury in Bloom event. Here is an example of what children were invited to take part in for the 2008 competition:

CHILDREN’S ‘HORTI FUN’ COMPETITION AND ACTIVITY MORNING

Sunday 6 July 2008 in the Market Hall, Cleobury Mortimer

You can enter the competition by doing one of the following at home and bringing it to the Market Hall between 9.30 and 10.30 on Sunday 6 July:

• grow cress in an imaginative way!
• make a garden on a plate
• make a sculpture or a monster from vegetables
• take a photograph or paint a picture on a ‘growing’ theme

There are prizes to be won – presentation at 12.30.

From 10.30 until 12.30, you can take part in some ‘green’ activities, such as growing your own salad, making your own flower pot, getting to know wildflowers, making a bookmark from natural materials and other things too! You will also be able to buy smoothies and cakes – and parents can join in! So come along to have some ‘horti fun’.

In 2009, we changed the format. During June and July, members of the Society visited a number of primary schools, nurseries and playgroups to get young children planting up boxes of salads – hopefully to show that ‘growing your own’ is so much better than buying expensive bags of salad at the supermarket. This activity engaged over 300 children, many more than normally are able to take part in the annual Horti Fun competition.

We emphasised:

• Why lots of people are now ‘growing their own’ food.
• One of easiest things to grow – salad. Compare prices of bag and ‘grow your own’ – show examples
• Any advantages of growing your own: cost; lower food miles; higher vitamin content; know what’s in it; grow the variety you like best
• What seeds need – food (compost), water, light and sun
• Show what they have to work with: plastic container (drainage); compost (firmed down so seeds can put down roots); seeds (different types/sizes/rate of germination); label
• Demonstration of seed planting including health and safety – care if making drainage holes; don’t put dirty fingers in mouth and wash hands afterwards; don’t spill water for others to slip on.

The children took their salad boxes home with advice on how to care for the plants:

Plans for 2010 are still being drawn up. Watch this space!

Tree Pleaching

We have been pruning the seventeen beautiful lime trees that line High Street, Cleobury Mortimer for around ten years. This is a significant contribution to the local environment and has earned much praise and comment from local residents. They now look superb in both winter and summer. To date, the work is undertaken voluntarily by members of the Society, assisted by Alan Guest of Alan Guest Mowing Services, friends of the Society and others from the local community. For the past two years, we have also been helped by Community Payback workers.

Allotments

There are nine full plots and fourteen half plots on land that is rented from a very helpful and accommodating local farmer! We operate a waiting list: contact Douglas Smurthwaite (details below) for further information.

Useful Links

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Horticultural Society Contacts

Flo Hadley, Chair. Telephone 01299 271762 or email flo.hadley@btinternet.com

Douglas Smurthwaite, Treasurer and allotments. Telephone 01299 271194

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