Plant Sale Review

Thank you to all who came and supported our Plant Sale on Saturday 10th May.  Some were keen enough to queue from 8.30, and by 9.00 there was a queue along Tunbridge Wells Road!  At the off there was a mad dash for the different tables (a swarm of locusts came briefly to mind) and for the first hour there wasn’t time to pause for breath.  All in all, thanks to you, our members and Mayfield villagers, we had our best plant sale ever and raised over £2,000 net of costs for the Society, a truly fabulous amount.  We are eternally grateful for your continuing support.

Outing to Great Dixter - Wednesday 11th June

Great Dixter is one of the most dynamic and exciting gardens with a big reputation, not just in this country, but in the world.  We are very fortunate to have it literally on our doorstep - within an hour’s drive - and we are delighted to announce that we will be visiting there for our annual outing on 11th June 2025.  Under the stewardship of head gardener, Fergus Garrett, the gardens are vibrant and daring – highly managed and exuberant yet rich in biodiversity, and offer interest in every season of the year.  In June for our visit, the wildflower meadows which surround the property should be awash with thousands of orchids, a sight which has to be seen to be believed.  The borders should be effusive and colourful.

We will leave Mayfield at approximately 10.00 am and on arrival, we will be treated to an hour’s talk at 11.00 am by one of the Senior Gardening Team, following which you are free to explore more of the garden.  The medieval part of the house – Great Hall, Parlour and Solar - is open to visitors.  There is also a Nursery started by Christopher Lloyd in 1954 and The Loggia Café serves a range of light lunches and refreshments, including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.  Picnics can be eaten at tables provided in the grassy car parks

The cost of this exciting trip is £25, there are just one or two spaces left. A minibus will be available to take up to 12 people from Station Road, Mayfield leaving at 10.00 am and seats can be booked for an additional £5 each.  Alternatively you can make your own way there.  To book, please contact Claire Montagu, Airlie Cottage, Old Lane, Mayfield, TN20 6AU, email her at claire.montagu@icloud.com or phone 01435 872648

Summer Show - Saturday 19th July

Our annual extravaganza of colour, scent, deliciousness and home grown talent is getting ever closer!  Put the date in your diary, Saturday 19 July, starting from 2.30pm.  Pick up a schedule from the Post Office, Sew Inspired, The Flower House or visit our brand new website, www.mayfieldhorticulturalsociety.org.uk to find out more.

You can send in your wonderful photos now or anytime up to two weeks before the show.  Have fun trying to come up with a wacky photo for something beginning with K.  Send them to: showcommittee@mayfieldhorticulturalsociety.org.uk

Keep watering the veg and flowers, making the jams & chutneys and doing clever, arty, crafty things.

To all the young growers and makers, there are plenty of classes for you and, of course, the Giant Sunflower competition!  Keep watering!  There is something for everyone.  More information next month…Shirley Holland

Open Gardens for National Gardens Scheme

Two beautiful local gardens open this month for the National Gardens Scheme:

Tidebrook Manor, Sunday 1st June, 11 - 4.30, entry £8, booking via NGS website advised

Hoopers Farm, Saturday 14th June and Saturday 15 June, 11 - 5, entry £6, children free.  Rapkyns’s will be selling their lovely plants.