Events Past

Reports of previous HPS Norfolk and Suffolk Group events, as told by our members.
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Garden Visit: "The Harralds", Grove Rd , Gissing

Written by Judy Sims. Posted in Events Past

3rd September 2016

Janet Sleep welcomed us to her garden which it is always a treat to visit. It is some time since the Society visited and possibly not at this time of year so we were looking forward to the afternoon. With spots of rain in the air we had come prepared and set off to explore. The first glimpse of the sundial garden was of a carpet of autumn crocuses beneath  a Cornus alternifolia argentea .

Under Deodar tree revealed primulas in flower including Jack-in-the-Green, benefitting gratefully from the shade as were the cyclamen. 

We admired the red flowers of Campsis Madame Galen flowering on the end gable. On the nearby wall one of Janet’s cats was posing as the Cheshire cat, almost hidden by the pale yellow flowered Cestum parqui below .

There are a wide variety of fuchsias flowering throughout the garden large and small flowered and with a variety of leaf sizes, several interesting Agapanthus and a vivid collection of dahlias in the cutting garden.

Janet was thanked for letting us enjoy her garden and she informed us we had made a welcome contribution to Gissing church funds, a worthy cause and another highlight of the village.

Judy Sims

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Summer Social: The Oaks, Brick Kiln Lane, Suffield

Written by Chris Davies. Posted in Events Past

20th August 2016

This year the event was held in Suffield, near North Walsham on 20th August. Because of concerns about the weather we had taken up our contingency plan of serving lunch in the very pretty little village hall, next to the field where we were parking the cars.

Members were greeted with a cup of tea or coffee, with time to exchange news with friends and acquaintances before sitting down for lunch, either in the gazebo or inside the hall. The weather was breezy but bright all day, except for one little flurry of rain just at the end.

Lunch had been provided by the committee. The highlights were Sue Thurman's wonderful raised pies and Andrew and Cathy Lawes' wonderful confection of chocolate and cream and black cherries. These had a supporting cast of quiches, ham, cheese, salads and pickles and bread rolls, followed by meringues with cream, cheese cakes, mousse and yet more cream. There was also a choice of the usual pale yellow, or the rarer pink elderflower cordial.

Members then walked round to Helen and Peter Burtenshaw's garden, ( or were driven by car, where required) where Len was selling raffle tickets and Colin was selling plants as fund-raisers.

Helen's garden absorbed members' interest as they examined rarities and novelties in the gravel garden, borders, pond and in the ferny shade. Their gasps were rewarded with a soft drink. A quiz had been arranged to see how many plants members could identify, or guess, listed alphabetically. These were marked on their return to the village hall for a last cup of tea or coffee. The plant nobody knew was Dietes bicolor, a not-very-hardy bulb!

A number of members made a point of thanking us for the day, and others wrote emails afterwards.

We were immensely lucky with the weather, and the arrangements were a good team effort, headed by Sarah and Barbra, new committee members this year. Well done to both of them.

Chris Davies

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