Hello everyone
Nice to be back. I hope your gardening is going well. Still lots to do. I’ve made a start on planting up tubs with spring bulbs. There seem to be plenty to choose from in the supermarkets but do go to the garden centres if you want more choice. I’ve topped mine off with heather so there should be some colour right round to next April. Now is the time to plant daffodils and crocus but tulips can be left for a few more weeks. Get them all planted by mid December for best results.
The BGS team was very busy with the Apple Pressing. A huge thank you to Julia Brindley and Louise & Frank McGuinness for hosting the event. At least the weather was dry and while a lot was done, I believe there are still plenty of apples. For those on Facebook, Jennifer has posted a report on the BGS page. Diana said “Once more a great afternoon apple and pear pressing. We waded our way through as many as we could but so many left.” We are going to send some of the fruit away to be professionally cold pressed, bottled and pasteurised by Bentleys Castle Fruit Farm in Newent. This will give the juice a shelf life of at least 18 months unopened. Look out for bottles of BGS apple juice to be on sale at meetings and events very soon! “ We are hoping to have a second pressing next Saturday for those that couldn’t make it last weekend.
Blistors Farm, Bream. GL15 6EW ///scarcely.scuba.cornfield
BGS branded clothing
Members will probably have noticed the volunteers running our stalls at
various events have been wearing smart aprons, featuring a new BGS
logo, designed by member Simon Brown.
The design was warmly welcomed by members and so it was decided
to offer bags and clothing featuring the new logo for members to buy.
Prices start at only £3.
BGS members can visit Members page on the website and see items
available, colours and sizes. BGS Members – Bream Gardening
Society. For other queries contact John Theophilus
secretarybgs@gmail.com
Why not join the “Smart Gardening” set? Show off your BGS
credentials with pride and be the envy of neighbours and friends!
EVENTS
Sunday 5th October – 10.00am – 4.00pm THE FOREST SHOWCASE FOOD FESTIVAL
The Speech House Hotel, Speech House Road, Coleford. GL16 7EL ///lines.peanut.hexes
The festival celebrates the quality and diversity of local independent food and drink producers and suppliers. Free talks and demonstrations, hands-on workshops, children’s activities, and much more. As usual, BGS will have a stall— always a popular event at which to volunteer. Please sign up to help by following this link. Many thanks. Food Showcase – volunteers & donations
Sunday 12th October – 1.00pm to 4.00pm DAY’S COTTAGE APPLE DAY
Day’s Cottage, Upton Lane, Brookthorpe. GL4 0UT Day’s Cottage – directions
If you are interested in local heritage apple varieties, why don’t you visit the Day’s Cottage Apple Day?
As well as an apple display, they will have many heritage varieties of apples, juice, cider, orchard honey and a small number of trees for sale. Delicious home-baked apple cakes and mulled apple juice will be available to enjoy. Live music. Walk and picnic in their extensive orchards. Guided walk looking at the ecology and management of the oldest orchard at 2.30pm. Free entry but with a suggested donation of £5 to Joliva Trust for orchards in Mali. Dogs are allowed but on a lead please. Limited parking in the field.
Please consider joining a BGS car share. You may get in touch if you would like a lift or are able to offer a lift to another member. breamgardeningsociety@gmail.com
Tuesday 14th October 7.30pm to 9.30pm Bream Sports Club TALK by Professor Monique Simmonds OBE
We have a very special speaker coming all of the way from Kew Gardens to speak to us in October. Monique is a Director of Science at RBG Kew where she researches the traditional and economic uses of plants and fungi and their potential for foods, drugs and cosmetics.
She is responsible for building relationships between Kew and large commercial organisations promoting the understanding of plants in order to overcome the current environmental, conservation and ethical challenges in the modern world. She is the author of hundreds of scientific papers and books including The Gardener’s Companion to Medicinal Plants.
Saturday 1st November – BGS AUTUMN SHOW – West Dean Centre
– show opens at 2.00pm – prize giving 4.30pm – Admission £1.50, children free.
Please support our traditional Autumn Show as a volunteer, exhibitor or visitor. Competitions for vegetables, flowers, flower arranging, art, crafts, photography, baking, preserving and beekeeping. Separate children’s competitions. Plant stall, craft stall, raffle, games, and tearoom with homemade cakes.
The full schedule and list of classes are now available on the BGS website and the entry form too. www.breamgardeners.net
On-line is the quickest and easiest way of submitting your entries – please enter as many classes as you can. We love to see a packed hall with plenty to look at and admire.
Entries close at 6.00pm on Thursday 30th October. Hard copies of the schedule will soon be available in local shops, libraries and community centres. Additional show advice will be added to the website soon.
Please come along to the hall on show day between 7.30am and 10.15 to set up your exhibits. If you are late you may be denied entry. The hall will then be cleared for the judging to take place. The show opens to the public at 2.00pm and prize giving is at 4.30pm. Please do not remove your exhibits before prize giving.
Bream Autumn Show was established in 1949 as a dedicated chrysanthemum show. Although the number of chrysanthemum growers has decreased over the years, we are still very keen to celebrate chrysanthemums at the Autumn Show. This year, for example, there are a number of classes throughout the schedule with a Japanese theme, inspired by the importance of chrysanthemums in Japanese culture. We also hope to see plenty of entries in the members-only class this year. Class 19: Chrysanthemum spray – Vase of one spray of Beppie Series chrysanthemum (as provided to members at the AGM) Please don’t worry if you haven’t grown or shown them before, we will be sending out instructions about how to exhibit your chrysanthemums shortly.
You may have noticed a change to our Honey Section this autumn. We are very pleased that the Dean Forest Beekeepers (DFBK) have decided to combine their annual Honey Show with our Autumn Show this year, so they will be running the Honey Section on our behalf. This section is still open to all and you don’t need to be a member of DFBK to take part. Please support both societies by entering this section if you can. Class H7: Honey Cake, can be made with shop bought honey, so you can enter even if you don’t keep your own bees.
Saturday 15th November – 7.30 to 10.30pm BARN DANCE – Venue to be confirmed
Help us to celebrate the success of our 160th Annual Summer Show with a top quality ceilidh band, ‘Banshee’. Expert caller, Tony, will have everybody dancing and having a wail of a time.
Tickets will be available to buy in advance only and will go on sale at the October meeting.~~~~~~~~
Much as I have enjoyed writing these newsletters, everything must come to an end so I am giving up this task. But don’t worry – John Theophilus, our Secretary, has very kindly agreed to take up the reins so the news will be coming from him in future. Many, many thanks to all of you who have said how much they enjoy my ramblings – it has made the job worthwhile and it’s very much appreciated. In the meantime, I wish you all the best of health and happiness – take care of yourselves. Most of all enjoy your gardening – the weather will always try us but the rewards are huge.
Very best wishes
October 2025
Margaret