MUWAGA Meeting 30 September 2026
Over 40 members and visitors could not fail to learn something new from our first talk of the gardening season.
Kari Beardsell (Blue Bridge Garden Design) is a local garden designer , well qualified to talk to us with a silver gilt medal , amongst other awards, for her show garden at Hampton Court Palace. She also runs private 8 week gardening courses, much praised by participants .
Starting with ” what is a shrub”? we were urged to consider foliage, scent, evergreen/deciduous, size, shape, location, colour, sun/shade, growth rate and pruning. We looked at the sarcocca, the pittosporum, the ceanothus and the rose to appreciate the variety.Examples ,accompanied by illustrative slides, brought the information to life.
Moving on to roses, a vast topic, Kari asked ” what is it for?”
A focal point to draw the eye, as part of a border, to grow in a container, to clothe an arch, wall or tree, to grow as a hedge, to cut for flower arrangements or to encourage bees and pollinators. Roses come in different shapes, sizes and have many uses!
In making a choice the different characteristics of different types of rose need to be considered and much information followed to describe species, old, modern shrub, ground cover, climbing and rambling and to help us understand which type may be best for our needs.
Practical tips on when and how to plant and the aftercare of the rose followed which prompted a number of questions.
We now know how to water , how to feed and most importantly how to prune in years 1 to 3 until deemed an established plant , what to do with suckers which appear and which pests and diseases are likely to strike. Sadly apart from good hygiene, watering the soil not the leaves and proper pruning , black spot, powdery mildew, rose rust and grey mould may still appear. These can be controlled but honey fungus will eventually kill the plant.