All the current news from your Society!

Review of March talk

Richard Claxton’s talk in March on Gardening 4 Health was both informative and thought-provoking

GPs are seeing an avalanche of lifestyle problems in patients attending clinics and research has shown for some time that gardening achieves positive results and decreased symptoms. Scientific evidence is mounting that gardening can have transformative effects for minds and bodies helping make us fitter, less stressed and happier.

Positive changes with gardening without gloves are: An increased connection with others; increased satisfaction levels; improved bone health with bones becoming stronger; increased vitamin D levels; improved muscle suppleness; better balance is maintained and people experience fewer falls; people have less anxiety and depression because of higher levels of serotonin in the brain due to chemicals that act as an anti-depressant; better white cell counts; cognitive skills improved; lower dementia risk; happier and more fulfilled.

Research carried out by an oncologist produced results in patients with end-stage TB. It was found that a treated bacteria found within the soil, when injected into patients, brought about improvement. It is now approved and used for lung cancer, improving quality of life.

Proof, if it were needed, that gardening is definitely good for you!

April talk

On Tuesday 21st April, Chris Brown will be taking us through his Year in the Garden. Colkins Mill Church, 7.30 for an 8.00 pm start. Members free, visitors £5.

Chris is a very talented and influential gardener who has designed, created and maintained some very beautiful large gardens in our locality over the past few years, as well as being a thoroughly nice guy!

He’ll be taking us through how he looks after the gardens he’s created through the gardening year. Chris has also been on several plant hunting trips around the world looking for new and unusual plants to introduce to the UK, so he’ll no doubt touch on that as well.

Chris is not on the general ‘speaker circuit’, so this is a rare opportunity to hear him talk about his passion.

Plant Sale Preview

9.00 till 11.00 on Saturday 9th May, Five Ashes Village Hall

We’re busy growing lots of plants and vegetables for our annual bonanza Plant Sale! We’ve temporarily relocated the event to Five Ashes Village Hall until the building works at the Memorial Hall site in Mayfield are finished. There’s plenty of parking in Five Ashes too.

We’ll have over 30 different varieties of tomatoes, including some heirloom varieties, plus squash, courgettes, beans, many other vegetables plus a range of herbs.

There’ll be bedding plants galore for borders, pots and hanging baskets as well as perennials sourced from villagers’ gardens - in fact, all you need to make your garden sing this summer!

If you have grown any plants of your own that are surplus to requirements, and would like to help our fundraising for the Society, please let us know and bring them to Five Ashes Village Hall on Friday afternoon. We’ll be very grateful!

Dates for the diary

The garden visiting season is well and truly under way and this month, there are two lovely gardens here in Mayfield to visit.

The first to open is Quarry Wood Farm and Tilsmore Vineyard, Mayfield TN20 6RQ, which is opening for the first time for the National Garden Scheme on Saturday 11th April from 10.30 to 15.30, entry £6.

It’s a two-acre organic garden set in a beautiful valley, surrounded by wildflower meadows and mature woodland, and featuring spring bulbs and flowering shrubs, mixed herbaceous borders and colourful pots.

There is a Mediterranean garden, as well as vegetable and cut flower gardens with raised beds, woodland walks, a vineyard and an orchard. Plenty of tea and cake will also be on hand, supplied by Mayfield Pre-School.

Sounds like an opportunity not to be missed!

The second garden open this month is our own garden at The Oast, TN20 6TN, from 11-5 the following weekend on 18th and 19th April, entry £6, under 18’s are free. Delicious tea and cake will be provided as usual by Mayfield Primary School and we will also have our usual big plant sale on the drive.

Fingers crossed our wildflower meadow will be once again in full bloom camassia as it was for last year’s opening - its looking promising!

The one acre garden is a riot of colour in spring with over 5,000 tulips in bloom as well as other spring bulbs and flowering shrubs and is featured in both the RHS The Garden and Gardens Illustrated magazines this month, April 2026.

Hope to welcome lots of you here! Members and villagers are always very generous in their support of our garden.

Photo credits: Bennet Smith and Clive Nichols