This year the venue changed for our annual summer evening event.
After several years of a special evening walk in The Savill Garden led by the Garden Team, followed by food and drinks in The Savill Garden Kitchen, the committee decided to try a new format and so the York Club was booked for a Thursday evening in July.
Preparations
The evening started early for the committee preparing the room ready for the buffet.
In keeping with a ‘Gardeners’ Question Time’ theme, tables were dressed with flowers and the ‘head’ table was adorned with a large flower arrangement made by Kathleen Croft, a committee member.
The raffle table was set up with great prizes including plants from The Savill Garden Plant Terrace, the Gift Shop, and Benugo, and later the flower arrangement from the head tables was added.
Gardeners’ Question Time
The highlight for the evening was the Gardeners’ Question Time panel led by John Anderson, Keeper of the Gardens, and two of our previous Professional Gardeners Guild students, Jack Davies and Chloe Knight – Jack is now a member of the Windsor team, and Chloe is working at RHS Wisley.
The panel were allowed to read through the questions just prior to the event, with 21 questions submitted from 16 Friends.
In the hour-long panel, the team answered 16 questions chosen at random.
The Gardeners’ Question Time panel. From left to right: Jack Davies, John Anderson & Chloe Knight.
The opening question related to our English garden lawns and climate change and we were encouraged to consider what we wanted to use our lawns with considering that most will be brown with the recent hot and dry summer we have had.
The other questions covered a wide range of topics from the general to the specific. These included advice on pruning, dealing with pests and diseases, and suggestions on suitability of trees and shrubs.
Many different plants were discussed including hostas, roses, wisteria, crinodendrons, and geraniums. Each member of the panel contributed to every question until the final one which asked them to demonstrate about the finer points of the rain dance; which they all declined.
Our thanks go to John, Chloe and Jack for a very entertaining and enjoyable start to the evening.
The evening ended with a finger buffet provided by a local supplier and organised by Julia Tetchner of the committee. An enjoyable evening was had by all but agreed for next time to have more sweet items on the buffet.
After eating, drinking and talking, the raffle was drawn and Friends departed as the sun set over Windsor Great Park.
