CLENT GARDENING CLUB: The October August meeting of the club welcomed Derek Higgott from Staffordshire who gave an illustrated talk entitled “The Secret Garden”. Derek is a gardener with the National Trust at Shugborough Hall having previously for 25 years been a greenkeeper at Ingestre Golf Club. However, it transpired that the secret garden is his own rural garden in Great Haywood near Rugeley.

Derek explained that the name came about when a visitor described it thus when he could not find it on one of Derek’s open garden days!

Derek explained that he had first become interested in gardening when a teenager and began winning gardening prizes cultivating his parents’ garden.

Members were enthralled by his entertaining approach laced with a wide variety of splendid photographs which he had taken showing his garden in all its glories. The garden occupies a three quarters of an acre plot but is crammed full of a huge and varied number of plants catering for all seasons. Varied ornaments are dotted around his garden and even a vegetable patch appeared on camera.

The club treasurer Peter Orme proposed a vote of thanks for a an excellent talk and most entertaining evening. Following which the raffle was drawn and the chairman announced the results of the monthly competition and he thanked members for providing one of the better displays in recent months.

The chairman reminded members that the final meeting of the year comprised the annual members’ supper in November and he hoped to see as many members as possible in attendance.

All are welcome at our meetings which are held at Clent Village Hall on the fourth Friday each month and anyone interested in either joining or just visiting the club can get further details by visiting clentgardeningclub.wordpress.com or by contacting chairman Martin Grange 01562 883009/07917 184762.