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March 2020 - Timothy Walker ​ ​ (Bill Baker Memorial Lecture)
It was great to see Timothy Walker back with us speaking this time of the "Healing Power of Plants". As always he gave an amusing and inspired talk - so many plants in today's medicines are derived from plants and that we might be interested to know that an aspirin for a headache was originally developed from the bark of willow, we all know Lavender oil (often used in aromatherapy) has been proven to have a calming effect but not the case with Rosemary which has the opposite effect!​

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April 2019 - Timothy Walker  (Bill Baker Memorial Lecture)
We saw the return of Timothy Walker to give the Bill Baker Memorial Lecture, entitled Gardening in the 21st century. As a highly qualified botanist and horticulturalist there was much practical advice on the maintenance of good soil and the conservation of water. Even if you do not have an army of able bodied students to do the digging and a storage tank the size of a small bungalow with an electric pump to distribute it, when and if needed, it is always good to be reminded of our priorities in the garden.  
Towards the end he spent a few minutes talking about the evidence for global climatic change, which also served to remind us to think carefully about the way forward. With his signature lively style he kept his audience fully engaged and everyone seemed to enjoy the evening. 

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Here are some of Timothy's main points 
Soil conditioning
For creating a new bed from overgrown area: Dig with a spade 2 spits deep and 2 spits wide clean out all weed roots leave for 1 year to ensure it is ‘clean’. Spreading compost 3ins deep adds structure but little food therefore fertilizer is needed. Feed Alliums in February when the bulbs are developing flowers. “Don’t hanker after plants that do not like your soil acidity/alkalinity. There are plenty of plants for your soil condition”. Look what does well in local gardens. Don’t be afraid to use native plants.
Hedging – Viburnham opulus, Hawthorne, Honeysuckle, Holly (all are attractive to birds). Flowers – Anemones, Yellow  poppy, Ajuga, Honesty, Snowdrops, Bluebell etc. Don’t neglect to plant fruit – grow old varieties to keep gene pool going. Raise new plants in loam based composts avoiding peat. No watering except when planting new plants, then sufficient to ensuring a ‘puddle’. Avoid using pesticides, use bio-control e.g. nematodes
Climate and weather. Go with the changes, nature is adapting so we need to as well. Encourage new gardeners - especially children 

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March 2019 - George Lockwood. 
​He spoke about Ferns and their Companions. George, it seems is a very hands-on gardener and had a lot of very practical advice as well as an extensive list of plants with photographs there was much discussion from time to time so the group was frequently engaged with the speaker. He showed us many different and varying species of ferns, with diverse colours and frond formation and mixed and matched ferns with many companion plants including, Hostas. Linguaria, Blue Ray Irises, Small Acers, Gunnera and Rogersia. 

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