I suppose that, in moving the coach trip to May, we were always going to take a chance on the weather. Having said that, our 2024 trip in July had seen us sitting out in heavy rain to eat lunch at La Bambousaie in Roque-Gageac!
This year, 37 of us (22 members and 15 guests) started the morning at Le Jardin de Boissonna, not far from Marmande.
An introductory talk by the owner, Veronique, explained how the garden had been developed by her father and herself over 28 years. Of relatively modest size, the area was divided up in the shape of a plant, with a central stem/path and ‘flowers’ of small gardens peeling off to the side along its length – 6 altogether.
Roses were the dominant planting feature here – about 500 varieties in total! They climbed up trees, through shrubs, over buildings and scrambled through the borders. What a treat!
The only disappointment was that many of the roses lacked fragrance, but they were of glorious colour and form.
The tearoom was homely and the teas yummy, with homemade cakes and scones, served with rose petal jam and cream. I couldn’t resist the purchase of some jam, as well as a bottle of the rose petal syrup. One of our guests, unfortunately, suffered a small accident when he fell over backwards and ended up having to be taken to the hospital in Marmande. We have subsequently heard that he has been released and is recovering.
Moving on to Marmande, lunch this time offered rain and a booking which the restaurant had messed up. Nevertheless, we were eventually all well fed and stayed dry.
The gardens were themed and, despite an “English Garden” which several of us agreed was more Italianate than English, we had an enjoyable walk around the various areas before finishing in the tearoom, where the obliging and delightfully garrulous owner offered tea/coffee, waffles and ice-cream. He even persuaded Mel into the kitchen, to help make the coffees!
Arriving back in Ribérac around 6.30, we were tired, but contented at having had a good trip, despite the weather and a few hiccups.
Our next treat is the picnic on June 11th at Les Jardins Tranquilles near Brantome. Information and booking forms should already be out by the time you read this, and I urge quick reservations, since we are limiting numbers. It should be a super day, and I look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible.
Last shout-out also for my own Open Garden on Sunday May 31st, from 11.00 – 16.00, here at Maison Chanard, 4 Route de Chabretaire, Subrenat, 24350 DOUCHAPT. All monies taken are donated to Open Gardens/ Jardins Ouverts (www.opengardens.eu ). I would very much appreciate your support, if you can get there.
In the meantime, I shall certainly be engaging in a lot of happy gardening!
Ian
MORE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE DAY AVAILABLE HERE thanks to Paul Bailey
In spite of the lack of the usual draw of a superb bring and share lunch, the committee was heartened to welcome a pleasingly large number to hear Caroline Wright from Le Jardin Creatif talk about Container Planting.
Unfortunately, some bad planning on the part of the Café Pluche led to us having to vacate the premises by 12.30 so that the organisers of the afternoon session could enjoy their own bring and share lunch. We invited any of our members who wanted to, to bring a picnic, but in the event only 6 of us stayed and partook.
None of this, however, spoiled a super talk given by Caroline on the many considerations involved in being successful when planting in pots. Caroline talked about the importance of choosing the right plant and pot, what kind of compost to fill it with and how to look after pots once planted. The lack of time didn’t prevent many questions being asked, although it was a pity that we didn’t have long enough to talk about possible plant combinations. An information sheet from this session is attached to this email.
Caroline had also brought crates of advance order plants, as well as a few extras for sale on the day.
The season is now getting busy with an outing and picnic plus my Open Garden day.
Who says that AGMs are boring affairs? Ours was so packed full that we overran!
About 39 or so members met on Thursday 12th March to deal with the business of this annual meeting, but also to listen to a very interesting presentation on some English gardens. It was heartening that the meeting was so well supported and my thanks to those of you who sent in apologies.
THE AGENDA
Last year’s Minutes were agreed and brief resumés of the current situation regarding our Facebook Group and Websites given by Carolyn and Jacquie respectively.
I also paid tribute to the wonderful work done by retiring members Tom and Gill Winnett, our thanks taking the form of a Garden Centre token for the UK, which they can use on their return there.
I then reported on the meetings and events of 2025, illustrated by a wonderful slideshow, prepared by Jacquie.
A word or two about the Vegetable Group from Peter Salmon and about the Roses Group given by Jane Hickey rounded off this section of the proceedings.
TREASURER’S REPORT
Carolyn Palmer, as interim treasurer, presented a report on our finances in 2025, concluding that we were in a strong position financially. With an increasing membership, this looks set to continue. We voted to keep the annual subscription unchanged.
ELECTION
The current committee were re-elected on block plus new members. Please see the Minutes that were sent to you for details.
CALENDAR FOR 2026
It gave me great pleasure to follow this by outlining our proposed calendar of meetings and events for 2026. As well as several interesting talks, our programme includes a day coach trip, a three-day coach trip, a garden visit with picnic, a Christmas Wreath Making workshop and a Christmas lunch. Information and booking will shortly be available for the May coach trip.
The meeting concluded, but there were treats in store – even before our wonderful buffet lunch, as Paula Cragg then gave us a short presentation (which could well have merited being longer if I hadn’t stolen so much of our time) on visits to 4 notable English gardens: Barnsdale, Great Dixter House, The Eden Project, The Lost Gardens of Heligan and the Minack Theatre.
t certainly made me nostalgic for English gardens, and I enjoyed listening to Paula’s reflections on her visits, which seemed to have taken place with much accompanying rain.
Lunch was delicious, as usual: this month we excelled at savoury dishes, and I was gratified by the number of folks who stayed to help with clearing and cleaning. I do believe that no food or crockery/cutlery was actually left behind this time!
NEXT MEETING APRIL 9
I’m already looking forward to our April meeting, when Caroline and Paul Wright from Le Jardin Creatif will be talking about container gardening – and they’ll be bringing plants for sale. It’s been so wonderful to get into the garden of late and I wish you all Happy Gardening through the rest of the month.Ian
With trepidation, we took the decision to carry on with the meeting scheduled for February 12th, in spite of fears regarding flooding at Le Café Pluche and worries about low attendance.
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Since then, we have seen less rain and some sunshine and I, for one, have been enjoying the opportunity to get out into the garden to start some much-needed work.
Fingers crossed that the current, drier weather continues for a while and allows us all to engage in some happy gardening.
Ian
I’m so glad we did!
We were heartened by a turnout of over 30 members for my presentation on ‘Winter Jewels: Plants That Shine When Days Are Grey’.
In addition to many photos in my PowerPoint, I had brought a selection of flowers, stems and leaves for display that were currently shining in our garden and one or two other members brought along some bits and pieces to add to the table.
Thank you, Mel, for your generous gift of free seeds!
I talked about the joy of some of the plants which offered winter colour, including snowdrops, hellebores, crocus, cyclamen, clematis, winter heathers, narcissus and various shrubs and and offered some advice on good cultivars to try as well as hints on growing them successfully.
A hot drink before my talk and lunch afterwards were especially enjoyed by those members who were suffering from power cuts at home and I have subsequently thought how lucky we were, given that the ‘Buro’ of Le Café Pluche were obliged to cancel the Saturday event because of flooding fears and a power cut.
To open the Winter Flowering
Plants list click this .pdf
The sunshine has been a highlight of this weekend for me, but there is no doubt that my personal highlight last week was our Christmas lunch!
A little over 50 members and guests met at Chez Winnett for another enjoyable get-together. After a welcome of mulled wine and a catch up, we took our seats for another President’s Quiz, though this one was rather shorter than the marathon of last year! All groups did very well, but especial congratulations to the winning group in both rooms, each member of which received a duo of chocolates.
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Lunch followed, and it was as superb as expected, with an extraordinary selection of delicious savouries and sweets brought by the guests, plus wine donated by the IGC. I never fail to be impressed by the generosity of members in the dishes you bring. The raffle followed and we succeeded in awarding a prize to everyone who had bought a ticket, some winning more than one! The quality of prizes was extremely high, and the winners found it difficult to select from the choice on offer. The committee decided to donate the raffle proceeds this year to Open Gardens/ Jardins Ouverts, which supports charities for children with serious illnesses, and I am delighted to record that we will be sending them a cheque for 300€; a massive ‘thank you’ to everyone who contributed to this super result.
We expect this to be the last function which we will be able to enjoy Chez Gill and Tom, and I presented them with a bowl of plants in recognition of the wonderful hospitality which we have enjoyed numerous times there. I’m not sure how we’re going to follow that next year.
I doubt that there will be many gardening days left this year, so instead, I shall conclude by wishing you all a very
Happy Christmas and a wonderful 2026.
Ian
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Photographs are from my collection many of which included in email newsletter JS
What a superb way to begin IGC activities for 2026 and I am so sorry that several of you were ill and therefore unable to attend the wonderful lunch which we enjoyed at L’Ogrillon in Douchapt on the 8th January.
The food was delicious, the service excellent and the ambiance superb. Many thanks to brother and sister owners, Julien and Héléna, who were welcoming, obliging and flexible during the course of the lunch. Héléna told me that ours was the most organised group they’d ever had there, and they very much appreciated it.
NEXT MEETING FEBRUARY 12
Return to Le Café Pluche, when I hope to introduce you to several garden-worthy plants, some of which might be old friends, which could brighten your winter months.
MARCH 12 – AGM AT CAFÉ PLUCHE
March brings our AGM, when we will review 2025, make an assessment of our financial situation, elect or re-elect our officers and look forward to what we have planned for this year.
I do hope that as many of you as possible will try to attend, to support your committee which works very hard for the benefit of all members.
After the considerable frosts (we recorded -10° here on one overnight occasion!), although at this time of year the rain isn’t especially welcome, it’s good to worry less about whether semi-tender things are likely to survive or not.
Between showers and during the odd sunny interval, it’s also possible to get outside to do a bit of tidying up or potting, since the ground is no longer as solid as rock. As in many of your gardens, we have some hellebores and the odd snowdrop showing flowers, heralding what, for me, is the most exciting time of year – spring. The plant photos attached to this newsletter were taken by me on the day of writing it and some of them show the delight of variegation in winter.
FACEBOOK AND WEBSITE
Do keep posting photos on Facebook of your plants and seedlings as they appear and do visit the website, which Jacquie keeps up-to-date.
I look forward to seeing many of you at our February meeting and, until then, happy gardening, Ian
I have tried to create a cutting garden several times in the past, with reasonable, though limited success, so I was especially looking forward to listening to our November meeting speaker, Jos Maudsley of Utopia Fleurs.
I was not disappointed!
Jos described how she became involved in the cut flower industry, gave us multiple reasons for why having a cut flower garden was almost a ‘must’ and treated us to a list of the kinds of perennials and annuals we would find rewarding to grow for this purpose. Along with others in the group, I found it interesting how many ‘wildflowers’ she includes in her bouquets and noted that she regards these as just as rewarding as other, more cultivated types.
Jacquie has forwarded a list of recommended plants to all members.
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Probably the most motivating thing about her presentation was her obvious enthusiasm and passion for what she does. I think that most of us left there determined to have a go, even in the smallest of our gardens!
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NEXT YEAR'S PROGRAMME
I also mentioned one or two items to come out of the Committee meeting which had been held the previous day.
Next year’s programme promises to be exciting and varied, and one thing to note is that the coach trip will be in May.
Our picnic in June will be held at Les Jardins Tranquilles in Brantome.
There will also be a special weekend coach trip in September. Details of all these and other events will be sent out in due course.
At the time of writing, the Christmas lunch in December at Gill and Tom’s is now fully subscribed.
I reminded members of the additional, wreath making workshops which Mel is leading at the beginning of December. The take-up has been good, although there are still a few places left should you be interested. Contact Jacquie for details.
​Our New Year’s lunch in January is planned to take place at the recently opened L’Ogrillon restaurant in Douchapt: details are to be announced soon. As it will also be an event with a maximum capacity, do reserve your places early.
COMMITTEE CHANGES
In view of their ultimate return to the UK, Tom and Gill Winnett have indicated their intention to retire from office at the end of this year. The committee has sanctioned the temporary appointments of Carolyn Palmer as Treasurer and Liz McGlynn as Vice President, to tide us over until the AGM in March.
I managed to find time and enthusiasm for a mass of bulb planting in the fine days we’ve had recently, as well as a bit of clearing up.
I hope that you’ve been equally able to profit from that finer and warmer weather, as I believe that we’re in for a bit of a shock this week, with temperatures plummeting
Looking forward to seeing many of you at the Christmas lunch, where I will subject you to another of my quizzes – though I promise a shorter one!
Until then, Happy Gardening.
Ian
This month’s Newsletter is a touch later than usual, because I left for the UK the day after our meeting on the 9th of October, for a fleeting visit of only a week. It was a whirlwind tour of friends and family, but we did get the chance to visit Doddington Hall, an Elizabethan building just outside Lincoln and only half an hour’s drive from our cottage.
Doddington Hall and Iris gardens
The gardens at Doddington are better in late spring and summer with a parterre containing plenty of bearded iris and colourful, summer annuals, but at this time of year, the lawns beyond the formal garden were looking lovely, studded with Colchicum autumnalis in pink and white. The kitchen gardens were hosting a pick-your-own pumpkin event for families, and access was along the ‘Spooky Walk’, appropriately adorned with witches and skeletons; we avoided that.
As with so many of our great gardens in the UK – France take note - refreshments were freely available and morning coffee could be enjoyed in several locations, sensitively integrated into the grounds.
As the inspector for Lincolnshire for The Good Gardens Guide, many years ago I was privileged to assess these gardens for inclusion in the publication.
The then owner, Antony Jarvis (the Hall is now owned and managed by his daughter, Claire Birch and her husband) was keen to take me out on to the roof for a better view of the gardens, which necessitated climbing out through the window of one of the belvedere towers which you can see in the photo.
The view was superb, but I was less enthralled by the climbing experience!
We began the meeting on the 9th with a reminder about the remaining meetings. I then passed on a cautionary tale from a member of the group about checking unused spaces – barns and attics for example, for the nests of Asian hornets.
November 13th ~ Jos Mawdsley of Utopia Fleurs, Aubeterre talking on the worldwide movement for smaller ‘cut flower’ nurseries.
December 3rd and 5th ~ Christmas wreath making workshops at the Chateau at Villebois Lavalette with Melanie
December 11th ~ Christmas lunch chez Winnetts.
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GARDENER’S QUESTION TIME
The panel consisted of Lucy, Carolyn, Barbara and myself. The super questions ranged from recommendation for plants for various conditions, how to prune leggy plants, and understanding fertiliser, to storing pelargoniums, growing vegetables in lasagne beds and adding lemon peel to compost! Interesting and varied discussion followed, with members of the audience offering advice based on their own experiences. All questions and responses will find their way onto our website in due course – thank you Jacquie!
THOUGHTS ON AUTUMN​
You are, no doubt, doing what we are at the moment: looking at the garden and trying to decide what to cut back and what to leave. The asters and dahlias are still looking quite nice, and some roses are still giving us a bit of a show. We’ve made some new beds during the last few weeks, and a rose walk – all of which appear to be settling in well.
We’re going to get the pool packed up for winter this week, and no doubt start cutting back, although I shall leave much until the new year so that birds can benefit from seedheads.
Whatever you are doing outside, happy gardening until we see you at the next meeting.
IAN
​Figs were certainly in evidence at the meeting on Thursday 11th September in the Café Pluche!
Then again, so were squashes, courgettes, leeks, tomatoes in variety, jams and chutneys, not to mention some lovely late summer flowers and foliage.
Past meetings this summer
I began the session with a brief review of our picnic in June and our outing in July, giving some feedback on the subsequent Questionnaire which had been completed by members.
Your committee looked carefully at these replies and, although only 21 members had returned responses, some common strands did emerge, as a result of which some changes will be made to the trip plans for next year.
The main change will be that the trip will take place in May.
Consideration will also be given to trip destinations in terms of distance and number.
Meetings for the rest of the year.
I then went on to outline the meetings yet to come this year:
• October 9th: Gardeners’ Question Time.
• November 13th: Jos Mawdsley of Fleurs d’Aubeterre talking on the worldwide movement for smaller ‘cut flower’ nurseries.
• December: Special Wreath Making Workshop with Mel 3rd and 5th.
• December 11th: Christmas Party, venue tbc.
Special reminder
I also reminded members that we still need photos for our ‘Naked Gardeners’ Calendar’ – as only 4 months had so far been covered (or uncovered!). Photos of around 4mb to be sent to Jacquie, please.
September – the ‘Show, Tell, Smell and Taste’ meeting
In spite of a smaller turnout than usual, our ‘Show, Tell, Smell and Taste’ day was certainly a testimony to the talents of our members, despite many having found this summer a difficult growing time. Each member who had brought along something to show, told us about his or her year’s efforts in the garden, including the problems of growing in a hot and increasingly changing climate.
Nevertheless, we were amazed and delighted by the successes demonstrated in the produce brought along. Talks of freezers full of veggies, in all shapes and forms, for the winter months had us hoping for lunch invitations!
Having attended both the Vegetable and Rose Group meetings that same week, I was already aware of the skills of our members, and tasting some of the goodies present sealed my view.
Ian
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To see the
illustrated
newsletter
click here
JULY NEWSLETTER
To see the
illustrated
newsletter
click here
​“It was a lovely day out yesterday we both enjoyed it immensely.”
“What a successful day! Two beautiful and completely contrasting gardens. I loved them and am now full of inspiration.”
“Just to say “thank you” for organising today’s trip and for sharing the invitation. I have come back feeling quite inspired.”
Just some of the feedback we’ve received for the coach trip on Thursday 10th July and they reflect what we all felt about the day.
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Le Jardin d’Eau, which we visited in the morning, was indeed inspiring. There were ponds, etangs and lakes galore, plus a feature I hadn’t seen before, which was the aquatic maze – a maze in the form of a raised walkway, surrounded by water, densely planted with water lilies, lotus in a myriad of colour, and various other aquatic plants, all looking luxurious and exotic.
The cascades, only completed in 2024, were impressive and fun, as you could walk behind them! The gardens, only begun in 1999, were thoughtfully planned and laid out, well signposted and labelled, with usefully placed photos of their creation. The only thing missing was a decent café, we thought, as we queued for the lady to produce our coffees from a dolce gusto type machine, one at a time!
Les Jardins de Marqueyssac offered us several possibilities for lunch and sitting on the café’s misted terrace overlooking Marqueyssac’s own chateau as well as the chateaux of Castelnaud, Beynac and Fayrac, lunch was a hugely enjoyable experience.
The gardens themselves are an interesting combination of formal gardens and natural landscapes with spectacular views, enjoyed on a variety of different walks to suit all ages and mobility. An ice cream plus afternoon tea was a necessity after such a warm afternoon.
Thanks to all who helped to make this outing a success, and especial thanks to Jacquie and Mel who organised the coach, the entries to the gardens and coordinated our efforts to get enough people together to make the trip viable.In the end, we only had 29 people in our 37-seater coach.
Of those, only 15 were IGC members with 14 being guests. This was a disappointing take-up and has resulted in the IGC making a loss of 144.10 euros.
At our first meeting in September, the committee will discuss the outing and look at ways of offering something in 2026 which might be more appealing. I intend to send out a questionnaire to everyone beforehand in order to find out what best would suit your needs for future trips.
I would be grateful if you could keep an eye open for this and do your best to reply.
I do hope that you have been coping with the heat and that you’re not feeling too hopeless about gardening in this climate of ours! We’ll be surprised, as we often are, by how resilient some of our plants are when they return next year.
In the meantime, make time to put your feet up in the garden, IAN
I feel that I must start this newsletter with grateful thanks for the support that Stewart and I received from you for our open day in aid of Open Gardens/ Jardins Ouverts. We had 110 visitors over the course of the day and raised 1055 euros in aid of the charity. This was an excellent achievement, and we were extremely happy with the result.
In spite of earlier worries about the weather, we had a beautiful day for our visit to Les Jardins de Laussagne. Situated in the small village of Vouzan (16410) the garden, originally a field surrounding the house, has been ten years in the making. Influenced by the English style of gardening, it hosts an impressive diversity of perennials, shrubs and trees, and is planned for year-long interest. The owners also enjoy adding quirky touches by adding reclaimed or repurposed objects which lend the garden a touch of whimsy.
THE PICNIC
Ian and Stewarts Garden
Having followed the sinuous pathways and appreciated the planting, we then settled to enjoy another of Gill Winnett’s superb picnics. Each group had previously picked up its beautifully presented and brimming lunch basket, leaving it in a chosen shady spot, and the ensuing hour or so was filled with happy chatter and delicious food. Hats off to Gill!
My thanks also to Jacquie and Mel for organising the day and making it such a success.
Thanks, however, must also go to you, our gardening club members and friends, for coming and sharing this super day.
The committee and I are also hopeful that our coach trip on July 10th, to Les Jardins d’Eau and Les Jardins de Marqueyssac, will be equally well supported.
At the time of writing this newsletter, last night’s storm certainly didn’t bring us the damage we had feared it might, and I so hope that the same is true of your house and garden. Fingers crossed in the vain hope that our summers will be filled with glorious days and rainy nights!
I look forward to seeing you on the 10th of July.
Happy gardening
Ian
Photography~Melanie Chappell
Our well-attended meeting (over 40 and 3 new members) on Thursday 8th May began with recognition of VE day, as we observed a period of silence in memory of those who lost their lives and in recognition of those who contributed to the freedom of Europe, all those years ago.
Bernard from Le Café Pluche committee was there to enrol people who were interested in becoming subscribers to the Café. I’d like to take this opportunity to encourage as many of you as possible to subscribe: the cost is 10 euros per year (€15 for a couple) which allows you to participate in any of the Café’s diverse activities.
He did point out to me that, in theory, anyone attending one of our meetings, who is not a Café Pluche member, should make a €2 contribution in the ‘chapeau’ by the bar. They haven’t insisted on that because we contribute in other ways.
He has shown me how to enrol members or renew existing membership at any of our future meetings, so just ask if you’d like to do that.
HOSTA TALK
This led on to my presentation on Hostas, a plant family which I have admired and varieties of which I have collected for many years.
I’d brought some plants for sale, for IGC funds and also some display plants. The total sales came to €102 for club funds! (Thanks also to those of you who brought other plants to give and swap).
We learned about the history of the hosta, its spread across Asia and Europe and its evolution into a plant family containing thousands of varieties.
We discussed how to grow good plants and, inevitably, how to try to defeat the slug population!
The talk concluded with suggestions of planting companions for hostas, both in the ground and in pots. Members of the audience were given a hand-out containing the names of all the varieties mentioned in the talk, so that they could note any of particular interest.
Lunch was of our usual, high standard and I was gratified by the number of people who helped with clearing away at the end of a delicious meal.
Look out for the emails regarding the picnic, plus the July trip and enjoy being in your garden as much as time and good health allows.
Happy Gardening, Ian
There was a distinct wave of admiration for the remarkable Jeanne Baret, the first woman to circumnavigate the globe in search of botanical specimens, and the subject of the fascinating presentation given by our own Jacquie Strasser at the meeting on Thursday 10th May.
We wondered at Jeanne’s courage and endurance as we listened to the account of her voyages and privations. Thank you, Jacquie, for this excellent topic.
Notices included: a reminder about joining the Facebook Group, which now sees about two thirds of our members subscribing; a request to look at our new website and feedback to us accordingly (www.interestinggardenclub.fr ); notifications of the next meeting for anyone interested in joining either or both of the Rose Group and the Vegetable Group; and brief feedback on my and Tom Winnett’s attendance at the AGM of Le Café Pluche.
Following another super bring and share lunch, it occurred to committee members that the following might be helpful: please think to tape your name onto the bottom of any dish which you bring containing your lunch contribution – in that way we can return any dishes left behind to their owners; there is no need to bring any serving implements, as Le Café Pluche has a great selection and this will avoid any mix up at the end; do remember to tick if you are staying for lunch, so that we can estimate how many tables might be needed – we might try a different arrangement of tables if we have a large number of people participating.
Over 50 members of the IGC arrived at Le Café Pluche on Thursday 13th March to participate in the AGM. It was heartening to see the meeting so well attended.
The business part of the meeting dealt with several aspects of the running of our Association. The AGM Minutes have been sent to the members. Suffice to say that I felt a lot of support and encouragement from the floor, for which I was very grateful.
The proposed programme for 2025 was announced and I hope that many of you will join us for the April meeting on Thursday 10th to find out about the adventurous life and work of Jeanne Baret.
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IGC AGM
Flowers and thanks to Joy and Carelle for the years of organising the Vegetable and Rose Groups .
Following the AGM, I gave a short slide presentation entitled ‘Spring Beauties’, in the hope that it might encourage members to be a bit more adventurous in extending what the garden has to offer at this time of the year, by introducing my audience to less common varieties of Celandine, Arums, Winter Aconites, Hacquetia and Hepaticas.
Having packed so much in, we were, therefore, slightly late in organising ourselves for another wonderful lunch, where I think we outdid ourselves on the ‘Bring and Share’ buffet. The number staying for lunch required that we bring in several more tables from outside! (I would like to remind everyone who stays for lunch of the importance of clearing away at least your own plates, cutlery and glasses and, for those able to help, to assist in the tidying and cleaning at the end of lunch.
Meeting housekeeping request!
We were also left, as often happens, with the remains of food contributions and sometimes the dishes themselves in which they came, at the end of lunch.
It would help enormously if you would write your name on the bottom of any dish which you bring, so that we can ensure that they’re returned to their rightful owners, whether you or the Café Pluche.
In the meantime, fingers crossed that the weather allows us to get outside as spring continues, in order to do some Happy Gardening.
Ian, President
PRESIDENTS FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER
This year’s meeting got off to a great start on Thursday 13th February, when 37 members met at Le Café Pluche. We were also very pleased to welcome six new members.
The session began with a few domestic announcements: I reminded everyone that Carolyn Palmer was available to help members who wished to join our Facebook group, but were having problems. Jacquie brought us up-to-date on the situation regarding our new website, which is that it will soon be piloted on a one-year commitment.
I gave an update from my recent meeting with the ‘Bureau’ of Le Café Pluche who have reminded us that the terms of our usage of their space include that our meetings should be open to the public, not just to members. They have asked us to advise them of the topics of our meetings there, so that they can publish this in the free magazine Totem. Our committee has agreed that any visitors, who are paid-up members of Le Café Pluche, may attend any of our meetings at a cost of 2 euros per meeting. The present situation for guests of members - that is that guests may attend a maximum of 2 meetings per year by paying 2 euros per meeting, will continue.
Le Café Pluche is also keen that as many of our members should belong to the café as possible and I urged IGC members to pay the, very reasonable, 10 euros per year to enjoy the wide and varied programme offered by the Café.
A ‘Charte d’entretien partage du café’, which gives guidance regarding care and cleaning whilst using the space, has been posted and we must respect this when clearing up before leaving.We then moved on to the fun point of the morning, which was to enjoy our.....
Gardeners’ Question Time.
Questions varied from recommendations for plants to grow in a bog garden, through the merit of leaving lichen growing on trees, to pruning fig trees and dividing hellebores. When asked for their favourite gardening quotes, the panel’s replies were numerous and included the proverb “red sky at night, shepherd’s delight” and Kipling’s reminder that “gardens are not made by singing ‘oh how beautiful’ and sitting in the shade.”
Our usual ‘Auberge Espagnol’ followed and we so enjoyed the wonderful lunch at a leisurely pace that we had to rush to clean and clear the space by 2pm!
Our next meeting is the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING on March 13th, when we shall review and report on 2024 as well as look forward to our exciting programme of events for 2025. I hope to see as many of you as possible there. Time permitting, we shall have a slide show, after the business part of the meeting, of less common plants for Winter/Spring colour.
At the time of writing this newsletter, we’re promised a sunny weekend, so I hope that you manage to get outside to do some Happy Gardening.
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Ian, President
