Frensham and Dockenfield Horticultural Society
Friendly group of like-minded gardeners in the Frensham and Dockenfield area
Committee
Jilly Steventon – chair
I do love a garden! It’s a real happy place for me. I love the seasonality-watching for the new shoots in the spring, the bold, sheer exuberance of the peonies, roses and dahlias at midsummer and tucking the plants up ready for the winter. I love colours and enjoy the creativity that I can have in the garden and of course the fun with friends and family.
I’ve learned a lot from fellow gardeners in FDHS. The speakers offer enormous expertise in their specialist areas and there are always techniques and hints that other members are willing to share.
Caroline Plant – President
“My Mum enthused when I was little that our garden in New Zealand where we then lived, grew all sorts of exotics, as well as English favourites. I was found to have very poor eyesight and given glasses around the same time. My eyes were literally opened to the beauty of nature, rather than just seeing a green blur.
My garden is not a conscious attempt to recreate that happy time, but I really enjoy the likes of camellias and acers with anything interesting and unusual thrown into the mix in tropical profusion.”
Chas Pell – Treasurer
I have enjoyed growing vegetables for our family for almost 30 years; initially squeezing it in between running a business with my wife and raising two wonderful sons.
Moving to Frensham in 2014, we took on a sad and neglected garden as a project, so we joined the Horticultural Society.
My focus remains growing fruit and veg for our dinner table but sometimes I have something to enter in the Autumn Show.
Sharon Bleach – Speaker liaison
I can still remember the first flower I grew – a double marigold, when I was 4 years old. Since then I have always loved flowers and gardening.
Having now retired, I am able to indulge myself with far more time in the garden and trying to grow different things. As we have sandy soil (or should that be pure sand) here and have always gardened on clay before this is proving far more of a challenge than I had imagined! My aim is to have sufficient flowers and shrubs to have displays indoors all year round. Not quite there yet, but there is always next year of course.
The FDHS has been a great way of meeting and socialising with lovely people in the area and learning from many of them what has worked (or not) in their gardens
Sharon Miller – membership
I’ve long been interested in gardening and now that I’ve retired from working at our wonderful village infant school, St Mary’s, I can devote more time to learning about plants and developing my own garden. FDHS members made me very welcome and I enjoy the mix of speakers, socials and garden visits.
