Greener Lindfield is here to support sustainable gardening practices

In partnership with Lindfield Rural Parish Council and several local organisations including Lindfield Horticultural Society and Fairer World Lindfield, Lindfield Parish Council are pleased to launch Greener Lindfield, an exciting new initiative bringing together groups, individuals and businesses across the village to encourage and support sustainable gardening practices.

The aims of this alliance are to help local residents find ways to reduce garden waste, improve biodiversity, protect wildlife, and promote alternatives to harmful chemicals. We plan to achieve this by bringing people together to share existing knowledge and generate new ideas, and by encouraging everyone to take the initiative and try something new. If we all work together we really can make a difference.

Lindfield Life have kindly invited us to contribute a monthly article with hints, tips and ideas for combining a love of gardening with a love of the environment. But we’re far from experts, so would love to hear from anyone who has suggestions or who has made their own contribution towards greening the village, which we could support and possibly emulate. In addition to these articles, please join our Facebook group or email us on greenerlindfield@gmail.com if you’re interested in becoming involved in this exciting new project and have ideas to share, whether as an individual or part of a group or business.

March is generally considered to be the start of the gardening year, and now is a great time to think about sowing seeds. Even if you haven’t grown flowers or produce from scratch before, why not try sowing a few seeds in a pot on the windowsill? Perhaps some tasty tomatoes, or flowers like marigolds which will not only add a splash of colour, but also encourage pollinators and deter pests.

Our goal is to stimulate a dialogue throughout Lindfield, working as an umbrella organisation to draw together and increase visibility on existing projects and to provide a forum to support and empower everyone to get involved. Just like with the seeds, if we can provide the right conditions for growth, who knows what we might achieve!

Lindfield Horticultural Society’s Seed Swap and coffee morning

Lindfield Horticultural Society’s Seed Swap and coffee morning will take place at King Edward Hall on Saturday 4th February. Visitors and society members are invited to drop into the Jubilee Room from 10am, for a coffee and bring along any seeds they have collected over the autumn to swap for something new.

There’s also a chance to buy ‘Just Julia’ Sweet Pea seeds for growing and entering into the Society’s two special Sweet Pea classes in the July Summer Show (one for adults, one for children). The seeds cost £2 for 10 seeds. There will be another chance to buy Sweet Pea seeds at the February talk on Wednesday 8th at King Edward Hall at 8pm, when expert Darren Everest will share his knowledge and experience of growing and showing Sweet Peas.

Scaynes Hill Open Gardens requires your displays

Do you live in Scaynes Hill? Do you have a garden that you are proud of? Would you like to open it for a good cause?
Scaynes Hill Open Gardens will be happening again this year and we would love to have some new gardens to include. It will be on Saturday 17th June 2023 from 1.30pm until 5.30pm and proceeds will go to St Peter and St James Hospice. If you love your garden and would like to share it with others, please get in touch. It does not need to be perfect! If you would like more information, please contact Helen or Martina. Helen: 07804 320 470 or helenhicks99@hotmail.com or Martina: 07815 311 319 or martinacowen@ gmail.com.

Lindfield Horticultural Society's February events 2022

Photo: Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Members of Lindfield Horticultural Society will be holding a coffee morning and seed swap on Saturday 5th February in The Jubilee room of the King Edward Hall. Visitors are invited to bring along any spare seeds they may have to exchange with other gardeners. Seed swaps are a great way of using up excess seeds and of discovering new or unusual varieties of flowers and vegetables without great expense. There will also be a sale of second-hand gardening books, as well as a small selection of plants, preserves, and of course, the all important coffee and cake. The coffee morning starts at 10 am till 12 and entry is free.

Also…

Members of Lindfield Horticultural Society are looking forward to welcoming award-winning gardener Andy McIndoe as their guest speaker in February. Andy has more than 40 years of experience in retail and production horticulture and was responsible for the development of the Hilliers Nurseries chain of garden centres. During his long career with Hilliers, Andy designed the company’s show gardens and headed up the team that won 25 consecutive gold medals at the Chelsea flower Show. In 2017, the Royal Horticultural Society awarded Andy McIndoe the Veitch Memorial Medal in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the science and practice of horticulture. Andy is a regular contributor to various gardening publications, blogs and BBC radio. The talk Andy will be giving is titled ‘Planting with Trees’ and will take place in the King Edward Hall on Wednesday 9th February at 8pm. Entry fee is £2 for members and £4 for guests, though any guests joining the society on the evening (subscription for the year is £6) will have their entry fee waived.

LHS Autumn Show goes ahead in September 2021

Members of Lindfield Horticultural Society are looking forward to holding their Autumn Show on Saturday 11th September, in the King Edward Hall, from 2pm - 4.15pm.

The classes have been carried over to this year due to the cancellation of last year’s shows and include:
#263 ‘Chrysanthemums, three blooms in one vase’
#290 ‘Apples, cooking, three’
#366 ‘Upcycle a vegetable can’

There are lots of children’s classes too, including ‘A painting of a sunflower’ for 10 and unders, and the LHS Junior Potato Competition – which is also available to 11-15 year-olds. For entry details, classes and show timetable, visit the LHS website, www.lindfieldhorts.org.uk and click on ‘2020 Show Schedule’ – which will download a PDF with all the information in.

All info is being carried over from last year’s shows which didn’t take place. Email editors@ lindfieldhorts.org.uk for any other details. Admission is free.

BBC gardening expert visiting Lindfield

Lindfield Horticultural Society has arranged for Nick Bailey of BBC’s Gardeners World to give a talk at the King Edward Hall on 11th April 2018 at 7.30pm.

Nick Bailey has worked in horticulture for 25 years and has created and managed gardens on four continents. He is also a garden designer, bestselling author, columnist and was the Garden Journalist of the year for 2017. He was also the Head Gardener at Chelsea Physic Garden for many years.

Tickets, on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, are £5 each for members of the Lindfield Horticultural Society and can be obtained from Michael Elliott, call 01444 483039. 

Cash or cheque (with SAE if unable to collect tickets personally). Tickets for non-members are £7.50 and go on sale on 14th March 2018.

The annual membership of the Society is £6 and non-members would be very welcome to join the society at the same time as purchasing a ticket for this talk at member’s rates.

Lindfield Horticultural Society's 2017 Autumn Show

By Claire Cooper

The annual battle of the pumpkins will be played out in the King Edward Hall on 9th September, when rival pumpkins growers go head to head to see who can produce the biggest vegetable at Lindfield Horticultural Society’s Autumn Show.

Last year’s winning giant pumpkin, pictured, was grown by Ian Cooper on his allotment and weighed in at an impressive 56kg (123lb)!

“It was actually judged by circumference as the society doesn’t have scales big enough to weigh it,” said Ian. “After the show I cut it into quarters and weighed it piece by piece!”

Ian’s giant pumpkins have picked up the top award at Lindfield Horticultural Society’s autumn show for six out of the last seven years.

“I was beaten in 2013 by my rival, Richard Watson,” Ian recalled. “He’d been runner up the year before and had asked me my secret. Rather foolishly I ‘spilled the beans’ and the following year he beat me! 

“It was also the year I had presented the society with the Pumpkin Cup, and I didn’t get to bring it back home!” 

This year Ian has been cultivating two pumpkins and is quietly confident that one will scoop him a seventh award. “The recent weather has been absolutely perfect for pumpkin growing, so I’m certainly on track to beat my record and bring home the cup,” said Ian.

“The competition is always very good-natured, but we are all in it to win!”

[Full article in September 2017 issue of Lindfield Life]