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Assistance for Non Members and Visitors to the Site.

Hi, by now we in the British National Carnation Society have interested you enough for you to browse our site.
We do hope that you find our pages interesting enough to return and one day to enrol as a member in our society.
You must be more than a little attracted to Carnations or Pinks to visit us, so it could be that you want to know how to grow the nice blooms that you see in the florist shop window or have admired some Pinks growing in a border. It could even have been the wonderful sight of Border Carnations standing proud in somebody’s garden.
Questions you may like to ask may be,

1 Are they difficult to cultivate.

2 What is the difference between a Border Carnation and a Perpetual Carnation and a Pink, and how do they get their names.

3 You may have a plant and you would like to know a little more about its history.

4 Where is the best place to buy your plants?

5 Are there any shows that you can attend to see the best blooms in Great Britain.

All these questions can to be answered so we can give you a bigger and better understanding on Carnations and Pinks and that is where I may be able to help you.
If you have any questions to ask then please don’t be shy, just e-mail me and I will do everything I can to help. My e-mail address can be found by going to the Forum link and then on to Members. I am listed as Mr Brian Yates.

It is my hope that, we will appeal enough to you to join our society.

As a Christmas present for a friend or loved one why not give them a year’s membership. Details on how to join is on the Home Page and costs a little £12.50p for a years subscription, and for that you get so much more information and events to join in throughout the whole year.
Information like a free booklet on how to grow your favourite Dianthus, Free entry to our shows, Culture advice from experts and a host of other places to visit, and discounts from selected suppliers of plants.

This year alone we visited Southview Nurseries in Hampshire, Mark and Elaine Trenear the proprietors of Southview are holders of the National Collection of Old Pinks so the visit was very educational to members.

Open Pinks day at Wisley, home of the RHS gardens, a lecture was given by Mark Trenear on the history of Dianthus, another lecture given by Jim Marshall of Marshall’s Malmaisons on how he has saved this majestic king of the Dianthus family from extinction and now trades in selling this wonderful plant, another lecture given by Peter Booker, a respected carnation judge and regular contributor in the Garden News on growing from seed. Another lecture on flower arrangement, and to top all of that a talk given by John Whetman of Whetmans Nursery who are major suppliers of Pinks to the wholesale and retail trade and of course members of our society. The show was attended by David James of Allwoods Carnations and advice was there from everybody given freely on any area of the Dianthus.

A host of shows that you as member can attend and enter your prize blooms, shows like Harrogate, Westminster, Towcester, and loads more too numerous for me to mention.

Next year is our 60th Anniversary so we can expect some great places to visit. We start off this year with our first celebration by being invited for a visit to Highgrove House, home of the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall on the 9th Oct.

So why not join us and fulfil your dream?

Brian Yates
Sept 2008

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