Have just been to our monthly gardening meeting. It was on
Chrysanthemums, a topic not to set my world alight but i had the tea
things and had done all the printing for the new year like diaries etc.
so had to go.
Speaker was amazing. Quick whizz through Chrysanthemums and then onto
the other part of his talk (topical tips and new ideas)

he gave us more ideas and new ways to combat stuff like whitefly, red
spider mite, moss, drainage runner beans etc. than we could ever
imagine. Everyone was spellbo8nd as he came out with tip after tip.
How to kill earthworms sorts.

He lecturers as Sparsholt college and actually has made up a lot of fact
sheets to help people. He sends these out to groups and societies etc.
and only asks that a contribution be made to a charity of your choice in
return,
His name was Ray Boughton and if you can get him for your club he is
very worthwhile.
If you want to get his fact sheets then email him on

he comes to horticulture from a science perspective so gave us ideas
like watering/spraying at half dilution Iron sulphate in autumn (not
summer) to lessen worm casts . well worms i suppose.

Also Tagetes are good for keeping away white fly and red spider mite but
after research they discovered that it is the DEAD flowers that give off
the chemical that deters them not the lives flowers.

Did you know chrysanthemums can be killed by being near fruit as the
ethylene can harm them?

Oh well he gave us hundreds of little tips like that but in a very
entertaining in easy manner - so though i am quick to deride certain
speakers (of whom I am not speaking at the moment but include some VERY
well known personalities on the speaker circuit) I would like to also be
as quick in praising good speakers.

Janet
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Janet Tweedy
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