Fuchsias

A talk by Kristopher Harper

Our speaker this month was Kristopher Harper who has a background of working with and showing Fuchsias for 20 years. His talk was about tips on growing fuchsias and also how to transport them to a show. He advised taking cuttings in the Autumn by cutting stock plants back July or August in order to get healthy new growth, ideal for taking cuttings. He uses coir but advises sieving to remove any lumps and to avoid any waterlogging by incorporating some grit. One of the worst pests for fuchsias is vine weevil so important to repot in Autumn before over wintering in order to remove any vine weevil, there are also biological treatments on the market.

Fuchsia gall mite is also becoming a problem in some areas which deforms the new shoots of the plants. This is a notifiable disease. The best way to treat is to remove the growing tip and ideally burn them. Rust is also a problem, good ventilation important and can also be sprayed, a long armed sprayer is useful to reach underneath the leaves. Really important also to have good hygiene and clean tools regularly. Kristopher feeds his plants with Chempack , little and often but any proprietary feed would do. When showing always use new or very clean pots and saucers. A helpful tip on transporting pots is to use a long length of wood with pots bigger than show pots screwed to piece of wood, then the show plants can be slipped inside. He also uses muslin like cloth for protecting the blooms. Members were very interested in the plants and books Kristopher had brought with him, so I think we all learned something from his talk and demonstrations.

PHOTO BY: Sheila Pettett
Gardening Club in Lowestoft

News & Updates

Please check here regularly for any important club news and special updates.

New Year, New Webmaster

We would like to say a big thank you to Sheila who has done an amazing job keeping our website up to date in the past eighteen months.  We wish her well as she moves on to pastures new.  From January this year Debbie will be taking on the role as Webmaster.  For website queries please get in touch with her through the contact form on our Get In Touch page.

Bereavement

It is with great sadness that one of our staunchest members have died. Our sympathies go to his family and partner Marion.

Allotment Sharing

One of our members has 2 large allotments at St Margaret Road site in Lowestoft which he shared with his late mother and her partner. He has tried to keep them going but is finding it difficult on his own. He finds gardening very therapeutic and having suffered from cancer himself he wondered if other members who have had similar experiences could join him on his allotments where they could share experiences and socialise together. Without a team to help him he will have to give up the allotments but feels it would be beneficial to all concerned to work together. For more information please complete the contact form.

Changes to membership fees

It has been agreed by both the members and the committee that the membership fee will increase to £10 per annum, In order to get good speakers we need to increase our income, speakers costs have also increased as have their travelling costs. The entrance fee will remain at £1.00 with first time guest free of charge.

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