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September Webletter

September has arrived and the nights are drawing in. In the South we have had some rain and the daily chore of watering is slowing down. It has been a difficult year with the hot June and July combined with water restrictions. Not a good year for PF’s. Years like this I wish I lived up North!

The Society’s Summer Newsletter has recently fallen on the doormat. As well as an account of the visit to Whetmans Nursery there is an interesting piece on the Sims varieties of PF’s. Non members reading this webletter should join the Society now for full benefits.

In the Carnation world there are still a number of shows to look forward to. The Harrogate Flower Show takes place on September 15th 16th and 17th. The schedule for carnations and pinks is avaliable here This is an excellent show with a number of specialist societies exhibiting. It is well worth a visit . (If someone could write a brief report and take a few pictures I will put it on this site. Sadly I will not be able to get there myself). The Westminster Show is on the 3rd and 4th October. Again this is a must for the enthusiasts who can get there. The schedule for the BNCS exhibition is available here , then click autumn. As well as exhibiting your own blooms dont forget there are floral exhibits so if you are a flower arranger why not have a go? Whilst members are probably most interested in individual blooms being exhibited the general public often spend most time viewing the floral exhibits. So this class realy does raise the profile of the Society.The Floral Art Schedule is also avaliable from the 2006 Schedules page There are three classes as folows; A/ Harlequin. B/ Water Fall. C/ The Bold and Beautiful. Entry is free. Non BNCS members can enter. Please notify Nev Smith 01604 494569 by 26th Sept of your entry.

Under Events the main new report of interest is the report of the Bakewell Show. The BNCS won a gold medal thanks to the efforts of Roy Holden, Joy Hayward and Nev Smith. Read the report. Congratulations and grateful thanks from the Society.

For individual efforts to promote the Society read above and beyond the call of duty
Are you doing your bit to increase membership? Brian Yates is!

There are a couple of free downloads which will help newcommers use the website and in particular the Forum. Feel free to download them, print them off, and distribute at your local show or to interested parties. Also do use the forum. I know it is a bit intimidating to start with but your own useful tips or questions realy does make it interesting. As long as you register you can easily edit what you have posted if you want to change anything later.

There is also an article about Alan Titchmarsh , an article on Blue Carnations and an article on Polytunnels Some of these have direct links to a new section of the Forum where you can leave your own comments You can of course enter any of the discussions on the Forum. Do join in!

Once again please send in your own show reports and original articles. Even a few notes can be edited and put on the site. Do please have a go.

Also as the evenings get longer I would ask you all to consider contributing short articles of interest or even rewriting sections of this website, such as cultural information etc. Pictures can also be easily added if you send them to me.

If any overseas browsers want to post an article please feel free to do so either via the web editor or directly on the Forum. We would love to hear from you.

The Past Presidents pages are being expanded with pictures and acceptance speeches being added when available. If you have additional information about past Preidents or indeed any famous members do send to the web editor.

I am looking for contributions to the this monthly news letter with particular regard to seasonal cultural advice. Please feel free to send any tips for the months ahead to me directly web editor or put your tips directly on the Forum

September is the month to start preparing for the winter in the glasshouse. Make sure all your equipment is working, particularly the heating. While the weather is still mild remove all plants and thoroughly disinfect the house together with cleaning all the glass. Only keep the plants you realy want. There is no point in crowding in too many plants. Spray regularly with an insecticide and particularly a fungicide to combat rust. Be more careful when watering not to splash foliage and not to overwater plants alowing the compost to dry a litle more than during the hot weather. Dont forget to ventilate freely on sunny days.

Thanks for looking in. Dont forget to at least check the site again next month.