We were delighted to see so many children at our Pumpkin and Halloween evening on Thursday, 27th October. The variety of their outfits kept us well entertained as they paraded in a circle for our guest judge, Mr. John Blanchard, to make his difficult decision in having to choose the prizewinners. He had an equally difficult task in selecting the best pumpkin in each category. There were some very imaginative specimens! We hope the children enjoyed themselves. The nibbles, pumpkin pie and crisps that turned the tongue blue seemed to be a success and the toffee apples were greatly appreciated as well.

The pumpkin competition was followed by a talk and slide show on daffodils (narcissi) by Mr. Blanchard, a retired Solicitor. We were all amazed at the number of wild daffodil species in existence, totalling about fifty around the world. Two can be found in this country and Mr. Blanchard said he likes to think of Spain as the epicentre of wild daffodils. His interest started when he was seventeen and obviously became a passion. He has done much travelling in pursuit of certain species. He also surprised us with the fact that to start from seed and then grow on for commercial purposes can take up to seventeen years. He recommends planting bulbs 6" apart on August Bank Holiday weekend. This was a most interesting talk and much appreciated by all members.

Our next meeting is as guests of Sherfield English Garden Club on December 6th at 7.30pm, when we look forward to our annual quiz with Landford and Sherfield English, so please put your thinking caps on and come and join us.

On a fine, warm September afternoon about 20 of us met in the car park at Knoll Gardens, near Ferndown, to be led along the meandering paths by enthusiastic and entertaining Head Gardener, Neil Lucas. On the site of a carrot field, the 4 acre gardens were created in the early 1970s and a reminder of its humble origins, an ancient, rusty carrot cruncher (rust being a must for those who know!) doubling as ‘designer sculpture’ can be found in the gravel garden. Originally specialising in Australasian plants, the trees first planted, among them some very impressive eucalyptus, are forming the framework of the garden still. A formal and a water garden were added in 1988 and during the last 11 years, under the care of Neil and his team, the more informal planting with the use of grasses of all shapes, sizes and colours was introduced, using the challenging dry, sandy soil to its best advantage. Grasses are the speciality of Knoll, many of them flowering and at their best at this time of the year, and a wide variety is for sale at the well-stocked nursery.

After answering our questions, Neil, who won a gold medal at Chelsea again this year, left us to walk round the different parts of the garden, admiring the dragon pond, stream, fern and summer gardens and many of us ended up with a cup of tea in the summer house before making our way home, making a mental note, perhaps, to return in the spring to see no doubt a completely different side of this delightful garden.