Bexrose Bulletin
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2007
Published by the Bexleyheath & District Rose Society.
Patron:- Dr. David G. Hessayon MBE.
President:- Mr. W. Skinner
Vice President:- Mr. J. Elliott
Chairman:- Mr. A. Nunn
Vice Chairman:- Mr. B. Rainsbury
Hon. Secretary:- Mrs. J.Newton
Hon Treasurer:- Mrs. Z.Neale
Show Secretary:- Mr. A. Neale
Membership Secretary:- Mrs. M. Cornell
Miss V. Rochester
Other Committee members:- Mr. R. Jones, Mr. R. Pulling, Mrs. D. Carr, Mrs. D. Lemon, Mrs. J. Dyer.
Web Site:- www.bexrose.org.uk
Webmaster Chris Newton Email:- postmaster@bexrose.org.uk
Next Meeting Tuesday 27th February 2007
We meet once again at St. John Fisher Hall, Thanet Rd, Bexley where the hall will be open from 7-15pm for setting up. The meeting will start at 8pm until 10pm with a break at 9pm for refreshments and the raffle and of course a chance to chat to other members. This month is our AGM. Do please try to attend. This is your chance to ask questions of your Committee or make suggestions that could improve the running of the Society or its Shows.
Obituary
We were sorry to hear of the death of our Treasurers Mother Mrs. Lowman. Our condolences go to Zena, Alan and family.
Welcome to new members
Mr. J.M. Potts from Waterlooville, Hampshire.
Congratulations
The Society send their congratulations to our Patron Dr. David Hessayon on receiving the MBE in the New Year Honours list.
The Rose Growers Calendar by kind permission of Don Charlton
January
1. Continue planting new rose bushes and rootstock when the soil is not too wet or frosted. Water in new bushes and rootstock if the soil is at all dry.
2. For those who have budded their own rootstocks, now is the time to start heading back last year's buddings.
3. Sharpen and clean old tools and buy in new as necessary.
4. Renew your membership for Bexleyheath & District Rose Society, the RNRS and RHS etc.
5. Discard out of date supplies and renew supplies of fungicides and fertilisers.
Open Garden Sunday 25th March 2007 1pm to 4pm. Entry £1
Sue Hartfree kindly designed a border for plants in a difficult place. Our border is cold and dry with no sun. We think it is a success so a spring open garden event has been arranged at the start of British Summer time. Gifts for a Tombola would be appreciated and also help with parking. Refreshments will be available and all proceeds will go to The Woodland Farm Trust. Dave & Ann Reynolds
43A Faygate Crescent, Bexleyheath, Kent DA6 7NS
Dates for your Diary
February 13th & 14th London Flower Show. RHS Halls Westminster. Free to members or £5 on 13th and £3 on 14th.
March 13th & 14th London Flower Show RHS Halls Westminster. Entry as above.
April 3rd & 4th London Flower Show RHS Halls Westminster. Entry as above.
April 20th to 22nd RHS Spring Show Cardiff.
April 24th & 25th Daffodil competition Wisley.
May 10th to 13th Malvern Spring Show.
May 22nd to 26th Chelsea Flower Show.
June 13th to 17th BBC Gardeners World Live NEC Birmingham.
June 16th Bexrose Summer Rose Show.
July 3rd to 8th Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.
July 18th to 22nd Tatton Park Show.
August 21st to 23rd Wisley Flower Show.
September 11th & 12th London Flower Show. RHS Halls Westminster.
September 29th & 30th Malvern Autumn Show.
October 9th & 10th Great Autumn Show Harrogate.
November 9th & 10th RHS London Flower Show.
Secretary's Report on the January meeting
About 90 members turned out for our annual Quiz Nite and Buffet. As usual Gordon Harradine had compiled the quizzes with some fiendishly difficult questions. The picture quiz was hard too and I constantly heard people saying "I know that face but can't think of the name off hand." Jean Rider could and came first with 12 points out of 20. Four people tied for the questions quiz and Alec held a head to head to determine the winner but there was so much hubbub going on that I never did find out who triumphed in the end. Janet and Vanessa spent all Tuesday afternoon preparing the buffet which was much appreciated by all the members. Many thanks to them for their hard work and also Jane and Dora for laying out the food and serving and also those who helped in the kitchen. It is nice to have an informal evening when members can mingle and chat to each other, there never seems to be much time at the meetings. The Committee wish everyone a happy new year and hope that you will enjoy the programme of lectures that we have lined up for you.
The History of the Rose. Climbers and Ramblers.
Once again this category of Roses came into being in the Victorian era. Ramblers were popular for their robust growth. If you have soil that is unsympathetic to roses you will still be able to grow Ramblers. Give them a few years and they will stretch their long and flexible stems up to ten metres over walls pergolas, outbuildings, and can even be used to disguise dead trees that you are unable to dig out. They bloom on new wood so this means long and painstaking pruning to cut out the old and dead wood, but you will be rewarded with one glorious flush of flower. Stems can be allowed to trail along the ground and this will give you a ground covering of blooms in the season, usually early summer.They can be grown and trained as weeping standards, the most popular varieties for this treatment are American Pillar, Dorothy Perkins and Crimson Showers. Other popular varieties that are giants in the Rambler section are Kiftsgate & Bobby James, both white and Pauls Himalayan Musk a delicate pink. With only one flush of flower and the fact that many varieties suffer from mildew and take a lot of pruning the tendency is now for people to go for the Climbers to help cover those unsightly places. Climbers were also around in Victorian times but unlike the Ramblers have much more rigid stems and grow to about
7 or 8 feet. They come in single or double bloomed varieties, are easier to prune being more like hybrid tea's and are mostly repeat flowering which is the big bonus. My favourite is Compassion which flowers right through the season and gives the most wonderful scent, best planted on the side of a pergola I think where you can enjoy a cup of coffee and the rose 's perfume at the same time. Gloire De Dijon is worth growing on arches or pergola's. This old fashioned tea rose repeat flowers all summer with a delicate scent. Iceberg climber will give you a wonderful display of white cluster blooms, repeat flowering throughout the season but is prone to mildew and blackspot. Zephrine Drouhin is well worth growing. This thornless rose is over 100 years old and is still praised by the experts. It can be grown as a climber, a tall bush or trained into a hedge. When buying Ramblers and Climbers go to a reputable supplier as many of these varieties are old and the stocks have deteriorated.
Ripping Ripon
1. We hung around awhile 'cos our Bob was late,
And Margarets lost handbag got her in a state!
A good journey to Doncaster in sunshine so bright,
Reloading, bus station doors stayed closed real tight.
2. And so to Ripon Spa Hotel arrives tour Bexrose,
But the fire alarm keeps us all on our toes.
Poor Sid was enjoying a soak in the bath,
Should he simply rush out to cause all a laugh?
3. We set off to York in heavy rain to see there,
Minster, Museum, shops and St. Nicholas Fayre.
In this year of drought it does seem bizarre,
When Bexrose goes north how wet we all are!
4. Next morning we're off in Bob's trusty bus,
To see Harewwood House open up just for us.
But that statue of Adam, No fig leaf I fear,
Probably running from Eve with a flea in his ear!
5. The guided tour given was well worth the cash!
That night to be Ladyships birthday bash.
The rooms were delightful and most so well preserved,
And staff loyalty too, seemed to be justly deserved.
6. In the Kitchen we stir family Christmas cake too,
And hope all our wishes will sometime come true.
But heavy rain had turned the grounds to a mire,
The field trek to Craft Fair was certainly dire!
7. Poor Marion! In the mud, she did loose her shoe!
And the four "Early Birds" were last back, feeling blue,
Because shuttle did not come, alas and alack,
They were rather chuffed Gentry ferried them back!
8. The best left to last of course, that's our Hotel,
The meals were superb and staff treated us well.
And Dennis came round with his surplus wine!
(the rate for a mention , Sir, is one glass per line!)
9. We're packed up to leave and staff wave us goodbye,
The long drive to Peterborough watching country go by.
A break there for lunch, Cathedral and more shops,
We go our separate ways but watching our clocks.
10. All aboard the last time and recounting our fun,
Had during the holiday, but think it's all done!
Then Vanessa & Janet come round with Christmas cheer,
A merry Christmas to you and a happy New Year!
Many thanks to Vanessa & Janet for all the work they do running these trips.
From Ann & Dave Reynolds.
(Sorry this poem is now rather out of date but there was no room for it in our last Bulletin) Ed.
Membership Renewal
Membership renewals were due on 1st January. If your membership has run out please renew it at the February meeting or send your subscription together with your membership card to the Membership Secretary, 50p per year, with a maximum of 4 years. If you are unsure when your subscription is due ring the Membership Secretary on the number at the head of the Bulletin.
Holidays for 2007
We have finally managed to obtain hotel bookings for the holidays to be take during this year. They are all 4* category and we hope you will be pleased with them. It appears that hoteliers are now demanding greater deposits when reservations are made, some as much as 50% of the total cost, and it will therefore be necessary for us to ask all those who wish to join our trips for larger deposits than has been requested in the past. We would also advise you that we have changed the company from whom we hired our coaches for the past 16 years. All our trips are booked with Plan It Travel, a local firm, and we are sure you will be very pleased with their comfortable coaches.
We would remind all members wishing to take part in our holidays, that travel insurance is the personal responsibility of the individual and we would strongly recommend that you obtain cover at the earliest possible moment. You will appreciate that once monies have been paid over to the hoteliers it is usually impossible to ask for a refund should you need to cancel. It was for this reason the policy was adopted when we started all those years ago, for deposits to be non refundable, as we could not expect the Society to bear the cost. If however you need to cancel your holiday after we have made the balancing payment this is where your insurance would be useful.
WILTSHIRE Friday 4th to Monday 7th May 2007 (4 days) A reservation has been made at the Best Western Blunsdon House Hotel, Blunsdon, Nr. Swindon. The cost is £200.00 per person for a twin/double room and £260 per person for a single. Wiltshire is a delightful county with an abundance of places of interest, gardens, towns and villages so there is much to enjoy. If you would like to join us for this long week end please let me have your deposit for £50 to secure your place.
NORTHERN IRELAND Saturday 30th June to Saturday 7th July 2007 ( 8 days) We have made a reservation at the Plaza Hotel in Dublin for the 1st and last nights and the Dunadry Hotel & Country Club in County Antrim for 5 nights. The cost is £445.00 per person for a twin/double room and £580.00 per person for a single. We will travel to Holyhead and take the ferry to Dublin Port, and stay in Dublin for the night. It is hoped that we can get a guide to come on the coach on Sunday morning and give us a guided tour of the city before we continue to Northern Ireland. Spectacular scenery in N.I. is hard to avoid, such as the Giants Causeway, The Antrim Coast Road, the Fermanagh Lakelands and The Mountains of Mourne. The famous Mount Stewart House and Gardens, Old Bushmills Distillary, Museums, the pottery at Belleek and the many historical towns. We will have a very full programme. We will return to Dublin for Friday Night and join the ferry for the return journey on Saturday. If you are interested in this trip, please let me know and forward your deposit of £100 per person.
NORTHUMBERLAND Friday 7th to Tuesday 11th September 2007 (5 day) We will stay in the De Vere Hotel at Slaley Hall, Hexham, Nr. Newcastle upon Tyne. The cost is £300.00 per person for a twin/double room and £440.00 per person for a single. Northumberland abounds with places of interest such as Alnwick with its magnificent Castle and gardens which boast a superb grand cascade enclosed by a Hornbeam Pergola and scented rose garden containing 2000 shrub roses. Morpeth an attractive market town. The seaside village of Bamburgh which is dominated by the magnificent Banburgh Castle. Just off shore are the Farne Islands which provide a major breeding sanctuary for migratory seabirds, and are also home to a large colony of Arctic Grey Seals. Boat trips are available to see the above from Seahouses, a lovely fishing port with an interesting harbour. Of course the more well known towns of Durham and Carlisle also are extremely interesting. If you wish to take part in this trip, please let me know and forward your deposit for £100 per person.
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE Saturday 1st to Monday 3rd December 2007 (3 days) We will stay at the Daventry Hotel, Daventry. The cost is £148.00 per person for a twin room and £198.00 per person for a single. This weekend trip is a break from the past, in that on the Sunday we will have lunch and tea ( included in the cost) at the Wickstead Park Pavillion, Kettering, see a show from Australasian Tour of Miss Saigon, David Kettle and the wonderful voice of Katie Ashby, Comedian Richard C. Parker and the very talented Wicksteed Dancers. I think you will find this break will make a pleasant change for the usual seasonal rush leading up to Christmas. If you wish to partake please let me have your deposit of £25 per person, to secure your place.
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL THE ABOVE COSTS INCLUDE, BED, BREAKFAST AND EVENING MEAL COACHING, FERRIES WHERE APPLICABLE AND GRATUITIES.
We look forward to hearing from you at the earliest possible moment. Vanessa Rochester.