RHS membership.

[skarloey]

Just received my membership gift pack. In it there were 3 packs of seed, Eccremocarpus scaber, Digitalis purpurea and Lychnis coronaria. 5 pretty postcards. 2 brass plant markers. £5 seed and £5 plant gift vouchers for T&M and a seed for members info ticket. Oh and a card from my lovely husband wishing me a happy Christmas! ;D

Well, I've got to send some info back to be able to order the seed (I know I have to hurry before the end of Jan) but I was wondering have any of you who are members ordered seed this year and if so, what?

[Susie Snowdrop]

Oooh, lucky you!

It's something I've been meaning to do for ages so getting it as a gift is an excellent idea! Roll on May 7th .................I said ROLL ON MAY 7TH ;D ;D ;D

[Plocket]

Lucky lucky you! I think Margi has ordered seeds from the RHS before - I'll tip her the wink and see if she can help you.

[skarloey]

I've got to say, he's faultless at prezzie buying, bless 'im! ;D


Er Susie, did you say your birthday was

MAY 7^th

?

[Margi]

Hi Skarloey

I've ordered from the Seed List for the last two years, and on both occasions got EXACTLY what I wanted, even if I haven't always had the skill to get it past seedling/small plant stage! (Sorry, Paulownia Tomentosa - I'll try harder next year!!!) It's a great way of getting unusual stuff or stuff you wouldn't normally give 2,3 or 4 pounds per packet for (or even more...) - which reminds me I haven't got my order in yet this year! Scuse me...

Margi x

[4pygmies]

I can't afford RHS membership sadly but I joined the Schools scheme for my gardening club and I get the magazine free and a choice of seeds too (which is nice).

[skarloey]

Hi Margi & 4P, thanks for your replies.

I'm stupidly really excited about my membership. Not only will I get into a local garden for free (one which I have never been to.... oh the shame!) but also, I'll be able to go to the members day at Chelsea. I loved it so much last year (even met Lottie...... lovely lady!) but I reckon it'll be sooo much better this year being less of a squash.
I thought I'd give the seeds a try, just, well, because! I could even maybe sell some at our allotment summer 'do' to make some extra funds for the committee as I'm not sure my garden will take too many more plants....... although I have been thinking about creating a new bed......... ;D

[Deleted]

How much is RHS membership and what are the advantages of being a member?

[sleepysunday]

Basic membership is £44/year

Benefits are:

A copy of the Society's journal The Garden (worth £4.25 each) delivered every month

Reduced price tickets to RHS flower shows and other events

Free entry to all four RHS Gardens and more than 130 RHS recommended Gardens

Free advice from the Advisory Department based at Wisley

Access to seeds from the annual Seed Distribution Scheme

www.rhs.org.uk/index.asp

[Deleted]

The magazine is worth reading, if you are near a RHS garden the saving is great, It is good to get into big shows on a quieter day & the seeds are great, I have had them for years & grown some really unusual things. The only problem is that some of them are not in books, on web sites etc so they can be a bit chancy. A very prickly relation of the potato I grew last year which seems to be overwintering ,unfortunately, a grey felty plant which is totally winterproof, has tiny greyishpink flowers, smells horrid and seeds everywhere ......

[skarloey]

sleepysunday said:

Basic membership is £44/year

Benefits are:

A copy of the Society's journal The Garden (worth £4.25 each) delivered every month

Reduced price tickets to RHS flower shows and other events

Free entry to all four RHS Gardens and more than 130 RHS recommended Gardens

Free advice from the Advisory Department based at Wisley

Access to seeds from the annual Seed Distribution Scheme

www.rhs.org.uk/index.asp

Thanks Sleepy,
I just put my gift box in front of me to type out the 'membership privileges' and it's already done! (Thank god... it takes me ages to type.... the whole 3 minute thing over on the beeb never used to bother me as I never typed anything that quickly anyway!) ;D

[skarloey]

gertrudej2nd said:

The magazine is worth reading, if you are near a RHS garden the saving is great, It is good to get into big shows on a quieter day & the seeds are great, I have had them for years & grown some really unusual things. The only problem is that some of them are not in books, on web sites etc so they can be a bit chancy. A very prickly relation of the potato I grew last year which seems to be overwintering ,unfortunately, a grey felty plant which is totally winterproof, has tiny greyishpink flowers, smells horrid and seeds everywhere ......

Well then, I may choose 10 things that I have heard of and randomly chose 10 others. I rather like the sound of a prickly potato! ;D

Margi, have you chosen yet?

[Margi]

Hi Skarloey

Have just about chosen, but don't know which are my 'top 20' and my 'reserve 20' yet! Will hope to get it done in the next few days...

4P - if you regularly pay admission charges to visit gardens, you may find you can afford membership if you think of it the other way round... I kept a check on how much money I saved in my first year's membership, and I made back all but about £5-6 of what I spent on membership - and that was before I spent £10 on the seed list and got back seed worth heaven knows how much... and that year I only bought one reduced price Tatton ticket - last year I bought four and saved about £8...

I'd recommend it to anyone...

Margi x

[skarloey]

Here it is..................... (Thanks GH for the advice )

Verbascum Phoeniceum,
Actaea Simplex Atropurpurem,
Geranium Pratense
Lychinis Viscaria,
Veronica Austriaca
Silene Thessalonica
Astrantis major var.rosea
Baptista Anstralis
Digitalis ferruginea
Gaura lindheimeri
Knautia Macedonia
Lysimachia ephemerum
Salvia transsylvanica
Primula Harlow Carr Hybrids
Persicaria
Galega Officinalis
Asclepias Incarnata
Doronicum pardalianches
Cornus kousa var chinensis
Viburnum plicatum.


Alternative choices
G. Phaeum
Stipa Tenuissima
Phlomis russeliana
Sedum telephium
Sisyrinchum


I have no idea where they are all going to go..... IF they grow. But I'm going to have fun growing them. ;D

Margi, did you narrow yours down yet?

[Cheerypeabrain]

I joined this week too. My sister is already a member, so she 'introduced' me via the form in her RHS magazine. I get £5 off for paying by DD and we both get free seeds out of it...so everybody's happy! (well...OH wouldn't be...so I didn't tell him ;D)

[Margi]

Hi

Just done my seed list order - had an hour and three quarters to spare before the deadline, so I'm well on schedule!!!

Here it is:

First Choice Seed list:
9 Campanula orphanidea, B., deep violet, to 15cm.
27 Nicotiana langsdorffii, A., green, to 1.5m.
38 Silybum marianum, B., purple, white-veined leaves, 1-1.5m.
82 Ornithogalum longibracteatum, bulbous, white striped green, 1-1.5m.
145 Angelica archangelica (angelica), H., greenish white, 1.5-2m.
186 Centaurea macrocephala, H., yellow, 1m.
204 Dicentra scandens, H., yellow, 3m.
216 Digitalis stewartii, H., gold-orange, to 2m.
341 Phlomis russeliana, H., yellow, 60-90cm.
352 Primula chungensis, H., orange, 45cm.
368 Roscoea purpurea, H., pale purple or white, 30cm.
425 Trillium grandiflorum, H., white, to 45cm.
426 Trillium sessile, H., purple, 30cm.
562 Betula utilis, T., papery white bark, to 20m.
563 Betula utilis var. jacquemontii, T., white bark, to 20m.
578 Cercis siliquastrum, T., rose purple, 6m.
586 Clematis napaulensis, S., cream-yellow, climbing to 7m.
613 Eucalyptus gunnii, T., attractive bark, to 25m.
636 Liriodendron tulipifera, T., pale green, to 25m.
650 Paulownia tomentosa, T., purple, fragrant, to 12m.

Alternative Numbers list: (In Order of Preference)
548 Amelanchier lamarckii, S. or T., white, black berries, 10m.
645 Nothofagus obliqua, T., grey bark, to 20m.
653 Phlomis fruticosa, S., yellow, to 1.5m.
571 Calycanthus occidentalis, S., brownish purple, 3m.
406 Sisyrinchium striatum, H., pale yellow, 60cm.
417 Thalictrum flavum subsp. flavum, H., yellow, 1m.
419 Thalictrum minus, H., yellow, 1m.
535 Sisyrinchium angustifolium, R., blue or violet, to 40cm.
536 Sisyrinchium idahoense var. idahoense, R., blue, 15cm.
25 Nicandra physalodes, A., pale blue or white, 90cm.
30 Orlaya grandiflora, A., white, 75cm.
149 Aquilegia rockii, H., lilac, to 40cm.
224 Eryngium agavifolium, H., green-blue, to 1m.
225 Eryngium yuccifolium, H., white, 1m.
366 Roscoea auriculata, H., bright purple, 55cm.

Now we just wait to see what happens!!!

Margi x

[skarloey]

My seeds arrived! ;D

We got 19 out of the 20. We didn't get the Cornus, which is a shame but got Sedum Telephium instead. I should probably have put a tree in the reserves but didn't think!

Right, best get sowing then! ;D

[Margi]

Hi Skarloey! I got mine too!!!

I got all of my first list apart from the two Trilliums (Trillia???), but I got the Amelanchier and Nothofagus instead which I'm quite happy with... I LOVE getting that envelope through the door...!

Margi xxx

[skarloey]

Hi Margi,
It was a fantastic surprise this morning, I picked the envelope up and even though it had RHS on the outside, it still didn't click. Then I open it and find TWENTY - 20 packets of seeds!

Did you notice that we didn't choose anything the same..... okay, okay so a few of mine are pink so that would take the chances down even further I 'spose! ;D

Happy sowing, let me know how your babies do.

Skarloey.

[Margi]

Yes - isn't that weird that we didn't put in for even one of the same things! I have a friend with her eye on the Clematis napaulensis seed, and the rest will be waiting in the fridge for a few weeks before I do anything with them, but just watch out when I get going!!!

Good luck with yours...

Margi xxx

[Plocket]

I wonder who that could be Margi???