Hi Everyone,
It has been such a treat to have mild days and blue skies, and the autumn colours are wonderful this year.
Just perfect for the first of our themes, “Leaves” for the next Calendar Competition. The second theme ‘Containers” is also open for your contributions. Each month we will introduce a new theme, and you can add to them at any time until the end of the competition in September.
We have some interesting activities coming up…..
Next Meeting
Tuesday 9th November at 14h will be our first monthly meeting at the Salle de l’Eveillé in Lauzerte since March 2020. We did so well keeping in touch via Zoom since then, and it has been great to see lots of you during recent outings, but we are really looking forward to this. We have 20 new members who have never been to one of our meetings, and I know that everyone will be warm and welcoming.
We will be holding a Plant and Seed Swap, so please bring along your labelled plants and packets of seeds. You can find a template for our seed packets on the Website or Facebook Group. If you don’t know how to clean seeds, bring them along and we will demonstrate. If you don’t have anything to swap, you can still participate, but please make a donation instead.
This is also an opportunity to talk about what has done well (and badly) in our gardens this year and our plans for next year, so we will have some round-table discussions. Do you have any gardening questions?
Eric Elipe is coming to tell you about the delightful Jardin des Sculptures, near Lauzerte, which Julia and I visited recently.
Please bring something to taste or show for our Garden to Table feature. Preserves, dried fruits or flowers, or something you have stored, turned into a tasty nibble? Maybe you are lucky enough to have some fresh fruits, vegetables or nuts. Let’s encourage each other to make the most of the productive parts of our gardens and share ideas and recipes.
We will also be serving refreshments and cake.
We will be asking for your Passe Sanitaire please and everyone must sign in to confirm that they have no Covid-like symptoms.
Masks to be worn while moving around.
Recent events
Our visit to Arboretum de la Bergerette was a delight. Shaun Haddock was generous with his time and gave us an informative and entertaining tour. I especially loved the A-Z of edible shrubs and trees. Who knew there were so many different leaf shapes on oak trees, or that one variety managed to prevent the invasion of Afghanistan?
Shaun was so bowled over by our donations, (which will go towards permanent engraved labels) that he would like to offer 2022 membership of the Association to those contributors who wish. He says “We are still finding our feet as to what benefits membership will bring(!), but certainly access to the Arboretum with prior notice, and if we have enough interest I’ll revive a monthly report (with photos), perhaps as an e-mail newsletter as well as being on the website. If anyone wishes to send me photos of the visit they would be welcome!”.
Sue Sargeant has run several sessions on Splitting Sedums. The group I was with also took some hardy geranium offshoots, and scales from a Royal Lily, lilium regale.
We had an excellent time, learned a lot, had an enjoyable lunch, and came home with plants. What could be better?
Sue has produced a handy fact sheet on Dividing Perennials which you can find on our Website and Facebook Group.
Maison de Retraite
The garden is still looking great, especially now the grasses are starting to mature. But Julia thought a few more bulbs for interest early in the year would be good, so a team got together to get them planted. Thanks to all our volunteers.
Our 2022 Calendar
Our 2022 Calendar is now available. It looks fantastic!
The choices have been made to represent your contributions and to show plants looking their best in each month in our region.
CONGRATULATIONS to all our winners. THANK YOU to everyone for participating.
In alphabetical order, our winners are:-
Susan Baker, Jennifer Barker, Julia Barton, Sarah Bellis-Jones, Julie Bennett, Belinda Berry, Chrissie Biddlecombe, Sally Ecclestone, Fiona Ellis, Fiona Forshaw, Tricia Geary, Marga Grondsma, Dawn Jackson, Betty Lilly, Jeanne McCaul, Liz Mitchell, Sue Sargeant, Iona Spencer, Edwina Silver, Pam Taylor, Joan Temple, Maz Todd, Luci Wilson
We hope that you will all be able to join us on Saturday 4th December at the main Salle des Fêtes in Lauzerte, for the Prize Giving and Expo. All the photos will be printed up and on display.
If you have already pre-ordered, the calendars will be available at our meetings, visits and events for you to collect and pay for. But it’s not too late, so if you would like one (or more), please let us know. The calendars are 15€ each. Full A4 page of photos, with A4 grid with space for writing appointments.
To do in November
Get your bulbs planted. Mulch your borders, especially around any plants that may be susceptible to hard frosts. Sow leafy salads. Once the weather is truly cold and trees have become dormant you can start to think about pruning apples and pears. Plant bare-rooted trees and shrubs. Don’t forget to look after the wildlife, clean your bird feeders and inspect and clean your insect hotels. Create your winter displays in pots and containers. More suggestions on rustica.fr or gardenersworld.com
Dates for your Diary
We look forward to seeing you on Sunday 21st November, at the Journée de l’Arbre, at the Salle des Fêtes in Lauzerte, which attracts various nurseries and artisans and always makes for an interesting day. The event is on from 9h to 18h.
We will have our Photo Calendar available. Please pre-order to avoid disappointment.
Thank you to those who have volunteered to help out on our stand, we hope to see lots of other members during the day.
December Meeting
Our final meeting of the year will be the Photo Exhibition and Prize Giving on Saturday 4th December at the main Salle des Fêtes in Lauzerte from 14h.
At 15h Isabelle Durand will give us a demonstration of Making a Christmas Wreath and will bring materials for sale so you can make your own. Please reserve your place on this workshop.
Please make every effort to come along to this festive event, bring your friends, enjoy all the photos, learn how to make a wreath, and celebrate our winners.
Thank you to those who have offered to help on the day, or to make cakes or mince pies.
Keep in touch
Don’t forget that between meetings, you can connect with other members on our Facebook group where you will also find photo albums from our visits and useful information in the files. You can ask for advice, share plants and seeds, tell us about local events, upload photos of gardens you visit…. here are some recent highlights:
Sarah offered Sichuan peppercorns 
Liz showed us the Autumn colours in her front garden 
Lynda asked for an id
For those not on Facebook, please visit our website and especially the Members Only area, where you can find photo galleries, information on our discount codes and presentations from our meetings – remember, the password for those pages is cjl82110.
Looking forward to seeing you all again soon!
xx
Belinda