On the 8th February we welcomed Charlotte Forrest and Jeff Sim of the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust to talk to us about our very own Gentleshaw Common. Charlotte is now looking after the Common as the previous officer is on maternity leave, and Jeff is the SWT’s Senior Conservation Manager. Quite a few visitors joined our members to hear all about the restoration work currently being undertaken by staff and volunteers (some of whom had come along) and to appreciate more fully why it was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)  – not that we take it for granted!

Whilst many of us are lucky enough to see the sundews and other beautiful plants in the three different types of heathland – the photos above were taken on an SWT guided walk – some creatures such as the nightjar and Welsh clearwing moth are harder to spot. Charlotte encouraged us to report sightings of less common birds & invertebrates on the Common, and also talked about Bleak House and Cuckoo Bank, which come under her remit. Jeff shared useful information on other local SWT reserves, plans for the future and the importance of involving the local community in these, also in the reporting of fires and other antisocial behaviour that damage this precious environment.

Before drawing the raffle, they gave helpful & informative answers to questions covering a range of issues, and chatted to members & visitors afterwards. For anybody who is interested in more information please have a look at www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk/gentleshaw common from where you can explore their wider website. The super kingfisher and blue tit photos below were taken by Maurice at the SWT’s Wolseley Visitor Centre.

We started our 2022 programme on January 11th with an excellent talk from Peter Thomas of Keele University on the “Internal Clock of Plants – Keeping Track of the Seasons”. It sounds a rather dry topic but he really made it come alive, like having our own David Attenborough in the room, with his easily understood explanations of how plants function and measure the length of the nights to determine when they should start to re-grow in spring. Temperature is a factor and also the reason behind the folklore “oak before ash we’re in for a splash, ash before oak we’re in for a soak” as oaks respond to warmer spring temperatures, which we are seeing more often as a result of climate change. He helped us to understand how the practical effect of global warming will impact the survival of so many things from food crops to bluebells. As gardeners we are aware of the practical results and it was fascinating to explore the science behind them in a very relatable way.

After his talk Peter drew the raffle then chatted with members and answered more questions. He gives talks on other subjects and we hope that he will be back in the future to share his knowledge with us. The opportunity for members to join Zoom meetings either directly or via YouTube continues and details are on our programme page. But we are really looking forward to seeing Hayley Dorrington of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust at the Village Hall next month talking to us about our very own Gentleshaw Common!

It was beginning to look touch and go but with some extra precautions we finally made it on Tuesday 14^th December! Our members and guests enjoyed a delicious hot and cold buffet by John of Coach House Catering, with beautiful table decorations by Ann and Brenda. This was followed by festive entertainment from the Cherrywood Singing Duo with a selection of traditional and more unusual Christmas songs, some performed a capella, plus amusing poems and anecdotes. We drew the raffle during a short break with a good selection of prizes, several kindly donated by members, and concluded with season’s greetings.

We were delighted to have good feedback afterwards, with many saying they were so pleased that we went ahead and they had found it a relaxing antidote to all the stresses and strains since March 2020. We’re not sure what 2022 will bring but we wish everybody a safe peaceful hopefully Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year!  

To brighten a dark autumn evening, Jason Smith, a National Dahlia Society judge and champion, shared his knowledge of how best to grow the wide range of dahlias available which are often seen as a ‘marmite’ plant. His photos showed us that they’re not just bedding pompoms and included some of his prize-winning displays. He had some unusual tips on organic solutions to any pest and disease problems that might arise, such as treating mildew with a milk and water solution. He was passionate about his hobby which he started as a boy helping his father, and made us laugh when he explained that he’s usually asked to judge at an event after he’s won it several times. Looking at the pictures of his show entries, we weren’t surprised. Looking back through old photos afterwards, we found a selection of Dahlia ‘Art Deco’ that members grew for our annual show in 2016 – on our July blog there’s also a shot of the one that Judy has kept going for five years!

Jason drew our raffle and Blodwen passed on the WI’s thanks for our members’ contributions to the village poppy displays. We also announced our 2022 programme with a good variety of speakers and topics; details are on the programme page. But before that we are very much looking forward to our members and guests Christmas Social evening with a buffet by Coach House Catering and entertainment by Cherrywood Singing Duo, something to celebrate after everybody’s long hard slog since March 2020!

This month we welcomed Justin Harrison who was last with us a couple of years ago. He brought a good supply of plants to show how we can achieve year-round colour in our gardens with different types of compact evergreen shrubs and perennials that work well together, very much a “hands-on” demonstration also explaining which conditions each plant preferred. Justin is an enthusiastic advocate of complementary foliage and flower colours, for example compact new variety of Phormium ‘Back to Black’ with Coprosma ‘Lemon and lime’, not forgetting Gaura ‘Butterfly white’ and a new compact wallflower ‘Sugar Rush’. Osmanthus, Nandina domestica and dwarf Myrtle were included amongst others. After his talk he drew our reinstated raffle then we were able to browse and make purchases – for anybody who missed the opportunity Justin can be found at Burton outdoor market every Thursday to Saturday

Members also brought along poppies that they had made to contribute to the village collection for remembrance day, and we congratulated Anna on her excellent performance in the London Marathon raising funds for the Saxon Hill Academy School Pond Project. Ticket sales for our Christmas Social Evening continued apace too! The last two photos are of Judy’s Selinum wallichianum grown from seed given to her by Sylvia and one from Rosalie’s recent visit to RHS Bridgewater – perhaps a future coach trip?!?

For our September meeting, the second of this new season, we were entranced by Christine Maughan’s photographs of butterflies and she has kindly given us two examples to include here. Her husband Max explained that they & moths are sensitive indicators of the health of our environment, and how we can all manage our gardens, patios and allotments to attract more of them. This includes trying to provide sources of nectar throughout the season, especially for butterflies coming out of hibernation, and creating breeding habitats. They gave their talk on behalf of https://butterfly-conservation.org/ which is full of useful information. 

It was also lovely to see even more members returning and putting their names down for our newly announced Christmas Social Evening! After general discussions we agreed to continue bringing our own refreshments to the monthly meetings and as we will not collect annual subscriptions until next year’s usual renewal date, we have asked members who come along to pay £3 on arrival towards costs, which will include entry into our reinstated monthly raffle. And finally, as the seasons change, Sylvia has shared with us some lovely photographs of her autumn garden. 

Our March meeting was a bit different from normal when our speaker Ken Marshall brought samples of wines that he had made from produce in his new garden, sometimes with added hedgerow blackberries, dried fruit & the odd banana! He thought that his wine-making hobby was finished when he & his wife Barbara moved house a few years ago,but he came to see it as an opportunity which has clearly worked out well, judging by everybody’s enjoyment of the evening.

Ken guided us through how the experts taste wine (drinking it all was not compulsory & spittoons were provided!) and there were four different ones to sample – white, rose, red & a fortifiedsherry/dessert-type. We were encouraged to identify the source fruit and other ingredients, and it was apparent that his previous career as a science teacher had enabled him to become an expert winemaker. Recipes and advice were available!   

The winner of our monthly competition was Ros with her lovely vase of daffodils. All the spaces on our coach trip to Chomondeley Castle are now taken but things are changing rapidly and as the health & safety of our members and guests is very important to us, we will stay vigilant and follow government advice concerning Coronavirus. If our April meeting cannot go ahead we will post a notice on this blog, ditto the coach trip. Hoping everybody stays well! N.B. STOP PRESS – The SAGG Spring Show & AGM at Walton on Saturday 21st March is cancelled.