Hilltop Gardening Club

AFTER a successful plant sale in April when over £140 was made for Club funds with some interesting plants for sale, members of Hilltop Gardening Club with Eastcombe WI and friends came out in force to provide cakes and scones and time for our popular Eastcombe, Bussage and Brownshill Open Gardens for the first Bank Holiday weekend in May.

Ten gardens ranging from flat top of the hill gardens to those hugging the Toadsmoor Valley ridge and a spectacular new garden at the bottom of the valley displayed their Spring glory over two afternoons that proved warmer than of late with just one shower that failed to dampen any spirits.

As usual the homemade cakes and cream teas provided a real focus point in Eastcombe Village Hall, much needed refreshment for those tackling all the gardens.

Local charities, Hope for Tomorrow and Acorns Children’s Hospice, together with Breast Cancer Care benefitted with cheques of just over £700 each.

A cheque for over £2,500 was also sent to the National Garden Scheme which over the years has donated over £40 million to a number of national charities.

New gardens are always a draw so we will be looking for any new gardens in the three villages for May 2016.

The following evening, Tuesday, May 5, members of the Gardening Club were entertained by a talk on the Villa Gardens of the Italian Lakes.

The Club’s President, Robert Bryant, took his audience on a tour round Lakes Como, Maggiore, Garda and Lugano with his stunning photographs.

As well as being a garden designer, from which he has just retired, Robert has been entering his photographs in the RHS Photographic Competition over the last few years and has recently achieved a gold medal.

Robert’s tour took us to the Villa Melzi with its English landscape park which is richly planted and decorated with ornamental buildings and the Villa Carlotta which has dramatic terracing, parterres and grottoes.

We visited the Isola Bella, one of the world’s great gardens, with its wedding cake tiers of terraces and greenery, apparently floating in Lake Maggiore, and also Isola Madre with its more relaxed and informal garden, also on Lake Maggiore.

Villa Tanto provided us with an extravagant piece of 20th century kitsch and the Heller Garden surprised with some interesting topiary and statues including some quite funky statues and murals.

The Spring time azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias were spectacular.

Our Club meeting on Tuesday, June 2, will feature a Gardeners’ Question Time with local gardeners forming the panel.

Any questions should be submitted to the Chairman on mbh26@hotmail.com prior to the meeting.

Membership and other information can be obtained from Margaret Headen on 01453 884869 or our website – hilltopgardeningclub.org.uk