International Woman’s Gardening Book Day!

Well not quite, but as our meeting was on 2nd March – World Book Day – and March has International Women’s Day we decided to have a mash-up.

Members were invited to write the name of an inspirational woman on a post-it note and also contribute a favourite female writer too. We also so had a small book swap with the left over books being donated to Oxfam.

We then had local gardener, Liz Lucas, who writes a regular column for the Bailgate magazine, to talk about her life as a gardener and give us some inspiration for our gardens and yards. Liz was an incredibly engaging speaker talking about the thread of gardening throughout her life. From growing up in Sheffield to moving to Lincoln and chucking some seeds into her garden and her amazement at them growing.

It didn’t matter that Liz had grown two babies in her. She was more impressed with the neglected packet of seeds the flourished with little intervention from her, which kick started her gardening ‘career’. Liz told us about her trips to various gardening shows and it appeared the more prestigious the more disappointing and some tips of testing the soil in your garden as it can wildly vary.

She also spoke about the mystique of gardening, that was perpetuated by men in shirts and flat caps, that insisted everything was done by the book with the correct tool, and this presented barriers to people. However, in the 1980s this gradually changed as Geoffrey Hamilton took over on Gardener’s World. He presented in an more accessible manner, for example encouraging using a pencil as a dibber, and only needing a few tools. Liz finished talking about rewilding her front garden, a low maintenance approach that encourages wild flowers and wildlife from insects through to the animals that feed on them (Archer’s fans will be aware of this method!) Liz pops old bulbs from her pots into the front and gets an annual surprise when they flower.

Liz was really inspiring and members posed questions and Kay made notes! We are looking forward to the flourishing gardens in the new future.