Riverhill House

Azaleas in full bloom at River Hill House

Chairman Rick has reminded us of the delights of the Riverhill House (nr. Sevenoaks) and their Hymalayan Garden.
Now we are in May the azaleas will soon be in full 
bloom and well worth a look.
 

WOODHOUSE CENTRE GARDEN

Adjacent to the Red Cross Hall in Oxted is the Woodhouse Centre and that has a small garden adjacent to its entrance. 

LODHS has been invited to maintain the garden, and the first working party took place on Wednesday 28 March under the leadership of Chairman Rick.

It was a rainy morning but a couple of members arrived in advance and put up a gazebo so work could carry on in dryer conditions. Old leaves were raked out and pruning undertaken. The strategy is to keep it tidy this year and see what is growing, and then in 2019 to put a plan into place.

The next working party is at 10.30am on Tuesday 10 April.

The garden after its first tidy (above and below)

David Sheppard - Cacti and Succulents

On Wednesday 4 April David Sheppard took us through his collection of cacti and succulents. He also demonstrated how straightforward certain aspects of propagation can be, encouraging us "to have a go".  
However, growth can be very slow and patience is needed. Nevertheless, this is an aspect of horticulture which seems to be infrequently discussed, but at least it can be undertaken indoors when the weather is cold and wet.
David is an active member of the British Cactus and Succulent Society. You can view their website by clicking here .

A selection of David's Collection

March Meeting: Lynne Flower

LYNNE FLOWER IS DUE TO SPEAK ABOUT BARN OWLS AT OUR MEETING ON 

WEDNESDAY 7 MARCH 8PM, RED CROSS HALL, OXTED.

Lynne and Peter Flower, Kent Wildlife Trust volunteers, writes about the work they do to support and protect existing barn owls and create safe places for them to increase in numbers.

"Soft dark eyes, in a pale heart-shaped face, Silken white feathers with buff speckling….. It is difficult not to be awed by the sight of a barn owl."
As their name implies, barn owls are happiest in a traditional farmland habitat, providing hedges and rough grass, and where beams in open barns provide good nesting platforms, near hayricks and straw stacks which house mice and voles – their main food source.
Although welcomed by most farmers, game-keepers in Victorian times killed many as they wrongly thought barn owls preyed on game chicks. In more modern times barn owls have suffered a big decline in their numbers, up against many threats, such as reduction in hedgerows and other good hunting habitat; the use of rodenticides; loss of old barns for nesting; and in particular increase in road traffic when many are killed foraging along verges.
In 2013 the Sevenoaks Living Landscapes (SOLL) chose ‘barn owls’ as a special project. The Wildlife Trusts’ Living Landscapes projects are a major tool to create ‘stepping stones’ for wildlife across a landscape area by working with landowners to manage and maintain good habitats for a wide range of wildlife. Good habitat management for barn owls also adds up to great habitat provision for a host of other creatures – and who can resist working towards improving conditions for barn owls!
So, in the SOLL area we began a plan to make barn owl nest boxes and put them up where habitat was suitable and where barn owls may have been seen – then talking to neighbouring landowners helping them to tempt barn owls into their area with good habitat management. Since then we have put up 28 boxes, had several successful nesting, and many sightings. We have learned so much and had such a rewarding time – and over the next year will share our experiences and pictures with you.

February Meeting

Bennet Smith chats to an LODHS member

We were delighted to welcome Bennet Smith who entertained us with his talk about the creation of his small garden in Sevenoaks. 
Although small, it is packed with an amazing range of plants and must take considerable time to to set up and maintain. 
Well worth a look, and his garden is open as part of the Yellow Book, National Gardens Scheme on 7 and 8 July 2018. Click here  for details.

Apple Trees for Sale

WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY

At our monthly meeting at the Red Cross Hall Oxted we will be delighted to welcome Bennet Smith.

Garden photographer, percussionist, NGS garden opener, Gardeners' World Small Garden of the Year 2017 Finalist and lover of all leaves great and small
His garden is located nearby at Cramptons Road Sevenoaks. Here is how it is described:
A very small, lush and leafy plantsman's oasis. A tapestry of carefully chosen plants from around the world selected for their texture, elegance, leaf size and shape or long season interest, or perhaps for their unusual habit or rarity: schefflera, wildlife-friendly umbellifers, trochodendron, tetrapanax, pseudopanax & Aesculus wangii. Discover what can be created and combined in a tiny space!
Bound to be an entertaining and enlightening evening. Make a note to be with us. His talk starts at 8pm.

SEASONS GREETINGS

St Peters Limpsfield at Christmas

Wishing all our members and friends a very Happy Christmas, not to mention the prospect of good gardening in 2018.
We hope we shall see you at our next meeting at the Red Cross Hall, Oxted in February.
In the meantime enjoy all the festivities and don't forget to look after the plants you have indoors.