Denton, Norfolk

Denton Gardening Club

Introduction

Denton Gardening Club normally meets on the 3rd Tuesday most months (though there are occasional exceptions, like the month of the Annual Show). Between October and April meetings with guest speakers are held in the village hall and in the summer meetings include evening outings locally, perhaps a visit to a garden or nursery, as well as meetings in our own members' gardens.

We also hold an Annual Show, summer outings, plant sales and other events. New members are most welcome so do come along and join us. Details of the current programme appear below.

Contact: Adele Godsmark: 01986 788352, Email

Information about the history of the Club appear on the Club History Page.

Meetings

Between October and April meetings with guest speakers are held in the Village Hall, starting at 7.30 pm. Previous meetings have been on subjects such as Garden Design, Perennials, Orchids and Container Gardening. Whatever you are interested in, there will be something for you!

The summer schedule includes evening outings locally, perhaps a visit to a garden or nursery, as well as meetings in our own members' gardens.

Club Programmes 2024/25

Autumn-Winter Programme

NB - No meeting in September.

October 15th - A Complete Guide to Clematis - Peter Skeggs-Gooch Thorncroft Clematis
Peter Skeggs-Gooch opens our new programme for Autumn 2024. Peter is the third-generation owner of Thorncroft Clematis. He has lived or worked with clematis almost all of his life, growing up surrounded by them in the family nursery and its gardens and progressing through the nursery from production assistant to production manager then finally to owner. Over the years he says he has been very lucky to meet many clematis enthusiasts and other growers with whom he is very pleased to have a strong friendship. He believes that this has given him a wonderful foundation to continue the hard work and hopefully the success his parents have enjoyed for many years to come.
His talk will be “A Complete Guide to Clematis” a general talk looking at clematis you can have in flower throughout the calendar year, followed by investigating the different ways of using clematis in the garden and finishing with their planting, pruning and care.

November 19th - Magical Medlars – Jane Steward, Eastgate Larder.
The once-popular Medlar has been misunderstood for far too long, and our speaker Jane Steward is determined to change that.
Often the tree is in the garden, because of its beautiful and unusual form, but Jane’s mission is to enthuse as many people as possible about growing and eating the medlar, as a fresh table fruit, in a preserve and cooked in a variety of savoury and sweet recipes.
Somewhat to her surprise, Jane has gradually become an expert within the UK on growing and using the fruit and has travelled as far as Tasmania, to meet fellow enthusiasts who grow and use the fruit. Her book MEDLARS, Growing & Cooking, was published by Prospect Books in April 2023.
As well as being a gardener, and holder of the National Collection of medlars in her orchard of 115 trees, Jane is also a cook and the Medlars are now her business. Her Medlar Jelly is supplied to our very own Flint Vineyard for their 15-mile lunch. She is also very interested in the Medlar’s increasingly recognised role in modern regenerative agriculture, agroforestry and food diversity.
Jane hopes to bring along some fruit for us to see and taste as it will be harvesting time, as well as copies of her book a royalty from which goes to the NNUH. She will also have Chutney and Jelly for sale.

December 17th - Christmas Social Evening
A sit-down meal at DVH catered by the committee.
The menu is Mediterranean Chicken with seasonal vegetables with a vegetarian option of Stuffed Vegetables served with seasonal vegetables. This will be followed by a choice of desserts.
Pre-booking, at £5.00 per person, essential.

January 21st - Wildlife of The Waveney Valley - Tony Brown
January’s talk features wildlife of the Waveney Valley where our members live and garden. Tony will talk about the River Waveney starts at its source at Redgrave Fen including some of the wildlife of the fen including the Great Raft Spider, all the way through to Burgh Castle where it joins Breydon Water at Yarmouth.
His talk will feature various places along the river including a little about the Otter Trust and Philip and Jean Ware who both ran it. It shows much of the wildlife that can be seen on or around the river and which we may also encounter in our own gardens.

February 18th - The Story of Tea and Coffee - Patricia Alker
February’s meeting focuses on crops we all consume but which are not grown in this country (other than for tea now grown in modest quantities in Cornwall).
Pat and Philip Alker live in Brundall and will be giving us a talk full of interesting facts and photographs about Tea and Coffee including where coffee originated, how it was discovered and spread around the world, the difference between Arabica and Robusta coffee, who first drank a cup of tea and how we became tea addicts in the UK.
The talk will cover the amazing process required to produce a cup of tea and what goes into our simple teabag as well as how both of these crops came to be grown all around the world.
Pat and Philip support a small school for HIV/AIDS orphans in Ethiopia and will tell us about the work it does.

March 18th - Composting - Dave Burrill
Dave is a volunteer member of the charity Garden Organic and a part of the charity’s Master Composter programme, sponsored by Norfolk County Council and particularly focussed on promoting reductions in domestic waste through home composting.
This talk will cover why we should compost and the process of composting as well as what happens in a compost heap and, when armed with this knowledge, simple tips to make your composting as efficient and effective as it can be.
There will be practical guidance on what to put in (and not to put in) your compost, from things we all have in abundance in our home and gardens as well as an opportunity for lots of questions and problem solving.
The talk will build from first principles so should be ideal for beginners to composting but will offer simple tips and techniques that will enable even the most experienced composter the knowledge to adjust their techniques according to the conditions they face.

April 15th - The Fragrant Garden Throughout the Year - Matthew Tanton-Brown
Some members may recognise Matthew from the Plant Sales table at Plant Heritage talks. Having trained at the RHS Garden at Wisley he spent three years at Hadlow College in Kent before working in commercial horticulture for several years growing plants for sale to companies such as Marks & Spencer, Wyevale and the London markets.
A later spell at Otley College was followed by work at several different nurseries in Suffolk, finally ending up at The Place for Plants where he was the manager for nearly 20 years.
He now talks on a variety of gardening subjects and appears on BBC Radio Suffolk. He has just taken on the mantle of helping to get plants propagated for sales for Plant Heritage {or the NCCPG).
His talk will look at what could smell wonderful in your garden from the start of the year in January through to December. He hopes to cover things we are familiar with but also maybe throw in something unusual to ignite our senses believing that scent is one of the best ways to enjoy a garden and that scents always take us back to places we have been or visited.
He hopes this will inspire us to grow something fragrant that will make people who visit our plot remember it with fondness.

Summer Programme 2025

All summer meetings are held on the third Tuesday of the month. See timings below for each meeting. Please try to car share where possible and park considerately to neighbours. As always wear footwear suitable for uneven ground!

Tuesday May 20th.
A visit to Flint Vineyard, 7pm
No charge.
Flint Vineyard, Camphill Farm, Earsham, NR35 2AH.
We begin our summer programme with a tour of Flint Vineyard. Established in 2016 the winemaker Ben Witchell has kindly agreed to show us around.
With 35,000+ vines, a cutting-edge winery, and a reputation for making some of the UK’s most exciting wines, Flint is firmly on the map.
Our visit will come at an exciting time with more recent vines planted and exciting plans for the future.
We will wander amongst the vines to gain a better understanding of how they are managed and then get a chance to see where the magic of wine making happens in the recently expanded winery. We will have the chance to taste some wine and you can buy a glass later if you feel like it.
Park in the car park below the farm where we will assemble to meet Ben.

Tuesday June 17th.
A private visit to Squires Barn, St Cross, 6.45pm
Cost £6.00 per person to include home-made refreshments. (This will be subsidised £1 per member by the club).
Squires Barn, St Cross South Elmham, Harleston, IP20 0PA (Directions to follow).
Parking in front of the house so please car share and park as directed in front of the house.
Stephen and Ann Mulligan open their garden for the National Garden Scheme and have kindly invited us to visit.
Developed from a small garden and paddock over the last 13 years this 3 acre garden is full of interest.
There is imaginative mixed planting for interest all year round. There are 2 ponds – one ornamental and one more natural as well as thoughtfully planted island beds with stands of interesting trees.
The current owners have spent the past few years turning a paddock into a garden with many differing aspects. On slightly sloping ground there are views around the garden and across the surrounding countryside. Mixed beds have been created with shrubs and herbaceous planting, whilst trees and spring bulbs have been planted throughout to encourage the visitor to wander at leisure, providing interest across the seasons. Seating throughout the garden encourages the visitor to view the garden from different angles. An existing orchard and raised vegetable beds and fruit cage provide crops throughout the year.
A large ornamental pond with waterfall features water lilies and fish with mixed planting edges. A wildflower mound has been created in one corner of the garden.
An existing horse pond features some native planting and mature ash trees but does dry out in recent years.
During 2022 a swimming pool was installed with grassed surround and potted shrubs.

Tuesday July 15th.
A visit to Bungay.
47 Beccles Road, Bungay NR35 1HT. Time to be notified.
Cost – donations to a charity of the Warnes' choice.
John and Betty Warnes have been keen gardeners for many years. They have kindly invited us to visit their garden which is at its best mid to late summer.
There is a courtyard garden with containers as well as flowerbeds plus another lawned area, with trees and more beds overlooking the Waveney marshes.
We may go on to visit another garden, to be confirmed nearer the date.

Tuesday August 19th. Meet at 7pm. A private visit to The Southwold Flower Company just off the Wangford Rd (B1126) in Reydon, Southwold. For sat-nav use IP18 6SJ.
Cost - £7.00 per person to include a small bunch of cut your own flowers. (This will be subsidised £1 per member by the club).
The Southwold Flower Company began life in March 2013, working out of a small second-hand greenhouse in Cratfield.
As demand for their blooms grew they expanded and were soon using the full one-acre site to grow their flowers.
After four years they moved to their current location in Reydon, where their new home has allowed them to expand the farm to four acres.
With an emphasis on seasonal blooms they operate a pick your own bouquet service where you can enjoy the whole experience of being surrounded by beautiful scented blooms in the Suffolk countryside.
They supply fresh flowers for delivery and dried flowers. The farm is also hosts workshops.

The Annual Show

An Annual Open Show is held either in July or, more commonly, at the beginning of September, or even at the end of August!

The 2025 Show will be held on Saturday 30th August
Full details, the entry form etc. can be seen on the Show Page.

Details of this year's winners and those from previous Shows appear on the Show History Page.

Christmas Tree Competition 22

Following on last year's triumph, the Club again decided to enter a tree in the Alburgh competition.
There were more entries this year, including one from the Art Group, but the Club won again -

The tree was then proudly displayed at the Club's very successful Christmas Social Event on December 29th.

Christmas Tree Competition 21

A group of Club members joined together to create an entry in the 2021 Alburgh Church Christmas Tree Festival. To their great delight, following a poll of those attending, they were rewarded with First Prize.
The pictures below, thanks to Peter Wiltshire, show:
The winning entry -

The trophy and certificate -

And the plaque on the trophy -