Newsletter October 2020

• PLANT & SEED BRING & TAKE
• ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
• FUTURE EVENT - APPLE TALK
• HEDGEHOG UPDATE
• CHARLBURY GARDENERS FACEBOOK

Download as PDF: Newsletter October 2020

PLANT & SEED BRING & TAKE

In lieu of the usual Plant Sale and Coffee morning we are holding a Plant & Seed Bring & Take on 10th October from 10am until noon. Come and visit us on the Playing Close.

Do you have spare plants and seedlings? Maybe you’re beginning to think about splitting perennials or digging out plants you don’t want? Have you been collecting seeds?

Here’s how you can help:

Plants: Pot up any spare plants or perennials you want to reduce in size, and any spare pot plants, even house plants. Make sure they are clearly labelled.

Seeds: Collect these from your own garden or allotment. Put in securely taped envelopes, labelled with name, short description and year of harvest. Please bring these on the day.

Our very own ‘Plant Doctor’ will be on hand to answer any plant related issues; at a safe distance, of course!

Nick Johnson has kindly agreed to store any plants you would like to drop off at Wormwood Cottage (on the Playing Close) – the other end to the Co-op from 7th October onwards.  Please place them just beside the wall inside the gate.  Or feel free to bring plants, as well as seeds, on the day.

Any questions please contact secretary@charlburygardensociety.org.uk

Please remember to wear a mask and maintain social distancing to keep everyone safe.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Annual General Meeting of Charlbury Garden Society will be on Thursday 15 October 8 - 9 pm and will be via video link using Zoom. We will report on our activities over the last 12 months and, despite lockdown coming right at the start of the gardening and growing season, and having to cancel most of our usual events, we can report on some creative responses enforced by our mutual isolation.

Plus we’ll tell you about new initiatives and ideas for the future. It’s your chance to add your voice too. The Garden Society is for you and it is only limited in scope by the enthusiasm and imagination that we give by becoming more involved in the activities that we enjoy.

We’ll talk a bit about some local planting and gardening initiatives. Would you like to suggest speakers and topics and be part of a small team who organise talks (probably by video link) and events next year? Are you a techy person? We really need your help to educate us and set up video talks and discussions.

Is the Garden Society offering events and information that interest you? With Covid restrictions in place for a while to come, what new ideas do you have that we can share with our fellow members?

The AGM is for members only so please email: membership@charlburygardensociety.org.uk to register. If you’re not a member and would like to attend, you can join now and register too. Email as above. The Zoom link and agenda will then be sent out to all who have registered a couple of days before the 15th.

There will also be a training session for those who have never used Zoom before or who need a refresher.  This will take place on Wednesday 7 October 8 - 8.45 pm. To book a place please email: membership@charlburygardensociety.org.uk

FUTURE EVENT: APPLES THROUGH THE SEASONS

Our final talk for 2020 will be held online. Andy Howard from Heritage Trees will be talking about ‘Apples through the Seasons’.

19 Nov 2020 7:30 p.m.

Please email info@charlburygardensociety.org.uk to register. The Zoom link will then be sent out to all who have registered a couple of days before the 19th November.

CHARLBURY HEDGEHOGS - AN UPDATE!

So many people have told me that Charlbury used to have a thriving community of hedgehogs, that over the last 10 years their numbers have plummeted.

At the end of July, hedgehogs were announced as being on the IUCN Red List of endangered species, along with the tiger and rhinoceros. Our very own community of Charlbury Hedgehogs is in danger of disappearing.

We have been at two Farmers Markets in the Spring and the Summer, where we have had plenty of interest and sharing of information. A Charlbury Hedgehog Survey started in the Spring.  Through word of mouth, sightings, small mammal tunnels to pick up pawprints, droppings, and the help of a couple of night cameras, we now have a picture of where the last remaining Charlbury Hedgehogs are. The good news is that we have a few, and one was photographed very recently. The bad news is we don’t have many.

We can all help our very own community of Charlbury Hedgehogs to recover and thrive by providing a wild patch in our garden and making our gardens more accessible - opening up and joining them together with holes in or under fences and gates and through or over brick walls as well as providing natural food (snails, earthworms, slugs, beetles) and a shallow water source.  Hedgehogs travel up to 2 or 3 kilometres each night looking for food and each other.

Leading up to the winter months we can provide extra food support (dog or cat food) and water to help our Charlbury Hedgehogs, especially the juveniles, get to a good weight so they stand a chance of surviving. With warmer winters our Charlbury Hedgehogs will wake up from hibernation and look for food, so ideally we would support them through to the Spring.

If you would like to try a small mammal tunnel in your garden to see if it picks up hedgehog paw prints let us know. There are people who can help to make a hole in a fence, gate or a wall. If you have a precious Charlbury Hedgehog visitor we can advise on how to set up a feeding station – it’s fairly simple - and supply special hedgehog food.

Hugh Warwick says, ‘If we can save hedgehogs, we can save the world’. Perhaps he’s right.

Please let us know if you see a Charlbury Hedgehog or signs of one and send any hedgehog news to the email below.

Thank you !
Flora Gregory
Charlbury Hedgehogs
CharlburyWildlife@CharlburyGreenHub.org.uk
https://www.instagram.com/charlburywildlife/

CHARLBURY GARDENERS

Don't forget to check out the Charlbury Gardeners group. It's at https://www.facebook.com/groups/charlburygardeners/, it's public, and it's got 170 members. It's a place for chatting and sharing.

JOBS FOR OCTOBER

Divide established Rhubarb crowns to create new plants
Divide perennials and cut back those that that have died down
Prune climbing roses
Collect seeds to sow next year

CONTRIBUTIONS & HELP

If you would like to contribute anything to the newsletter for the next month, please contact us. Photographs and short written articles would be welcomed.

We are also looking for members interested in helping at or organising events and shows (it is not a committee post so there are no requirements to attend committee meetings).

If you would like any more information please email secretary@charlburygardensociety.org.uk.