Halton Gardening Group
The Gardening Group was established in 2012 with the aim of providing a forum to share information, swap plants and gardening know-how, and to improve the local environment of the village of Halton.
Meetings are held in the Coffee Shop at the Centre on the 3rd Tuesday of each month from 10 am to 11.30 am. (no meeting in August).
All are welcome. You don’t need any gardening knowledge or expertise. We are keen to involve all sections of our community, and we are open to ideas and suggestions for individual and community benefit. We are enthusiastic amateurs with a varied range of knowledge and experience.
NEXT EVENT –
Autumn Plant and Bulb Sale & Coffee Morning
Following the successful plant sale in May, our Autumn sale and coffee morning is on Saturday, 28th September from 10am -12 noon at the Centre and see autumn-plant-sale/ for more details.
Bulbs will include a wide variety of traditional daffodils, narcissi, mid-season tulips, both single and double, and hyacinths specially prepared for winter flowering, ideal for Christmas presents.
Make sure you put 28th September in your diaries and come and seize some bargains at the Autumn Sale!
The Gardening Group would like to thank all those who supported the plant sale in May. The sale profits, together with those from the autumn sale, will go towards hard landscaping work at the Centre.
The slope to the left of the Centre steps has been much admired but is dangerous to work on and needs to be terraced to provide safer working conditions. Terracing will also allow the addition of more workable soil, and a proposed low retaining wall will prevent soil spilling on to the path. The character of the planting with its grasses and alliums will be maintained but both plants and gardeners will enjoy much improved conditions once the work has been completed.
The AGM 2018 was on 24th October at the United Reformed Church on High Road.
Read the Chair’s report 2018 AGM report
Gardening Group Projects
Members have taken on specific projects and successfully enhanced areas in the village such as the walkway to The Centre @Halton from the High Road, the Memorial Garden, entries to the village, the Burial Ground, some of the areas around The Centre and planters by the bus stop opposite Top Shops, the bus stop by the mini roundabout, and in 2019, a new planter near the village store and outside the Centre.
Wild flowers at the Centre
Eagle eyed visitors to the Centre will have noticed results of quite a different gardening project. Last summer the Gardening Group dug and prepared three patches on the football field slope and sowed mixed wild flower seeds from Kew, helped by pupils from St Wilfrid’s School. Despite the drought some of the annuals flowered and this summer visitors have enjoyed several types of colourful perennials.
Attractive signs designed by school pupils now mark these three original wild flower areas. On 1st June this year many of the large invasive plants on remaining areas of the slope were removed by members and friends at a very strenuous Big Dig session. A mixture of meadow grass and annuals was sown with posts and tape added to mark these new areas.
This wild flower work is ongoing and hopefully the bank will be covered eventually in mixed grass and wild flowers for all to enjoy.
Photographs during the year
We held a very successful Plant Sale on 18th May 2019
Some of the group and helpers on the day. There was a queue outside before 10am and when we opened the door people hurried in with their plant shopping lists! We offered as wide a range as we could, and some plants went like hot cakes. We had tables and chairs near the cake stall and itwas good to see people relaxing for a while after they’d had a look round and made their puchases.
Thanks to everyone who gave their time to help on the day, and those who made cakes, and donated plants and tombola prizes.
We were very pleased with the event and raised a decent amount for our next project. A few plants were left over which we donated to Animalcare.
Plans for the Future
Our plans for the future are to landscape the slope outside the Centre as it is rather steep and we want to make it safer and more accessible, as well as retaining the soil to prevent it from going onto the front steps and the path. A local landscaper has drawn up some plans for us. We still need to raise some more money for this project so we are holding an Autumn Plant Sale and Coffee Morning on 28th September from 10 am to 12 noon, selling perennials and bulbs for Autumn planting.
Previous events
Plant and Craft sale 2018
The main hall was in full bloom for the Plant and Craft Sale on 19th May 2018. Organised by the Halton Gardening Group, it was almost like the Chelsea Flower Show! Plants included bedding, perennials, herbs, salad, vegetables and even some trees. Members of the groups were on hand to offer advice. The range of craft items was varied and delightful. All in all it was a very good day. Money raised was put towards replanting the various areas and new planters.
At the end of the sale the raffle was drawn. Prizes were donated by local people and businesses, including A M Hair, Blacks Chippy, Halton newsagent, Halton Village Butchers, HiQ Garage, Lancastle International, Out of the Woods and The Greyhound, thanks to everyone for their kind donations.
A very successful Garden Safari was held in the village in June 2017.
We also held a well supported plant sale at the United Reformed Church in May 2016.
You can view our constitution and responsibilities below.
Contact either Janet Theobald (Secretary) on tel: 01524 811419 or Ann Wilson (Chair) on tel: 01524 811684 for more information on the Group.
For information on the Group’s contribution to the development of the borders at The Centre, see this story:
https://www.haltoncentre.org/2013/07/great-work-on-beds-and-borders/