Nadia Brydon of Fulham Horticultural Society tries to pick up an eight-and-a-half stone squash
The leaves are turning gold, but local gardeners will have a final hurrah as they celebrate this year’s top plants, flowers and produce at Fulham Horticultural Society’s annual prize giving.
The horticultural society – which was founded in 1924 – is set to honour its most green-fingered and creative members at the prize ceremony on 18 November.
Trophies will be handed out to the gardeners who have consistently displayed the best produce, from fragrant and colourful roses, to fruit, pot plants and even jams, cakes and handicrafts.
The prize giving ceremony follows the society’s annual general meeting, which kicks off at 12pm the same day at St Etheldreda’s Church hall in Cloncurry Street.
Fulham Horticultural Society chairman Eddie Robinson said the prize giving was a chance to celebrate success, while the AGM would allow members to vote in the committee and plan activities for the coming year.
He added that the society welcomed new members and was keen to encourage those with private gardens, window boxes and balconies to share their gardening with others. “It would be lovely to get a boost from a wider group of people,” Eddie said.
“We have traditionally had a lot of members who grow on allotments, but it would be really nice to expand it with more gardeners using their own window boxes, balconies and private gardens.”
Visit the FHS website to join and read on for this month’s top tips from the society’s gardening experts.
Fulham Horticultural Society’s November to-do list
- In dry weather, take up fallen leaves from the lawn, which can then be used to make up leaf mould for an excellent soil conditioner.
- Clean out bird boxes as old nesting material can harbour parasites. Do this as soon as possible as birds will soon be looking for winter roosts.
- Tie in long, whippy shoots of climbers and wall shrubs to prevent them being blown about and damaged in bad weather.
- Bare-rooted stock of most deciduous trees and shrubs is now available, and can be planted from now until March.
- This is the best month to plant tulip bulbs.
- Parsnips taste much better when they have had a touch of frost on them, but if you wish, lift and store them now in the same way as carrots.
- Harvest Brussels sprouts from the bottom of the plant upwards, as the larger of the sprouts form at the base of the plant first.
- Cut down the tops of Jerusalem artichokes and carefully dig out of the soil, cleaning and storing in paper bags in a similar way to potatoes.
- Protect the curds of cauliflowers to keep them white and delay the time when the flowers will open up. The inner leaves can be bent over the curd and tied in place, although some modern cultivars do this naturally.
