Twenty years ago there were five horticultural societies regularly staging flower shows within reach of the Ham&High - now, there's only three.
As another season closes, let’s shout Hurrah for the people who work to keep them going. And thanks for the pleasure that these events give, through their displays of Spring, then Summer, and lately, Autumn flowers and produce.
With their attendant classes of baking, pickling, handicrafts, the content of these competitive shows is not a million miles away from certain popular TV programmes.
But how differently they come across - nationwide, with glitz, hype, ritualistic elimination of losers; locally, with friendliness, modest prizes, old silver cups. Those quieter qualities are in danger, if the horticultural societies cannot attract new committee members.
At Hampstead Garden Suburb Horticultural Society’s Autumn Show in the Free Church Hall, on Northway, Chris Page remarked that if only people knew how engaging it is to volunteer in the running of neighbourly activities, life would be better. Happily, things have since moved on, and a new, younger group are about to join the committee.
Meanwhile at the show, beautiful dahlias and lush vegetables in trugs spoke of a good, if belated, growing season. Perhaps appropriately for a show the future of which was then uncertain, the Grimsdyke Band played on.
Two weeks later at Muswell Hill Horticultural Society’s Show in North Bank, Pages Lane, as well as dahlias there were sunflowers, hydrangeas and a great variety of seedheads to the fore.
Suzy Marshall’s First Prize exhibit (vase of Mixed Flowers) looked particularly lovely, spotlit by the September sun. When I later caught up with Suzy, she said the biggest, most showy dahlia is called “Labyrinth”.
Gary Sycamore’s First Prize arrangement in response to the title “Mellow Fruitfulness”, included Sunflower “Earthwalker”, Verbena bonariensis, ice plant, hops, apple, grapes and Turk’s Turban squash.
Highgate Horticultural Society’s Show was on Sunday 29th September in the basement of the United Reformed Chapel, in Pond Square.
I visited in the morning, as the finishing touches were afoot and the judge had begun her assessments, a moment of calm after the flurry of setting up. This being my third show over the length of September, it was touching to see how the flowers had moved on in that time – now it was Michaelmas daisies, rudbeckias and helianthus at their best, with fewer hydrangeas, but still good sunflowers and dahlias.
Writing this in mid-October, after frosty nights in Highgate, it would be another story, the turning of the gardening year.
THINGS TO DO
Potatoes left in the ground should still be edible. Dig them soon as we are not their only eaters.
Keep planting Spring bulbs. Protect them as best you can from squirrels.
Put something colourful on your window sills – miniature cyclamens are lovely and last well.
Net ponds to catch falling leaves, then let the leaves rot into leaf mould.
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