The gardening group has a very varied programme of meetings and outings: we generally look at and talk about plants rather than actually getting mud on our hands. Our programme of swaps is very successful with many members benefiting from spare plants grown by others. Spectacular recent successes have been free plants of the wonderful Salvia Amistad, and Arlette’s enormous Phormium, now thriving in a “jungle” garden in Battersea.

In the autumn we always find a venue to admire autumn tree colours, and in February we always go to a snowdrop garden. We were astonished to see, while looking at the snowdrops in the Chelsea Physic Garden, a huge rose in full flower in February! (see pic below right). It is Rosa Bengal Crimson, and several members then bought one. We have been benefiting from the walks in Paul Wood’s wonderful book London’s Street Trees and have all been amazed at the variety and interest of our city’s urban forest.

We plan to have one or two talks on the history of gardening in 2020.