Issue 48, Article 3: Chairman’s Report

2012 has been another tricky year for us gardeners; first we had the worry of the hose pipe ban, then enough rain to get Noah reaching for his tool kit! Plants have behaved quite differently to usual, weeds have grown like weeds and lawn mowing can only be likened to painting the Forth Bridge. The HHPS hosted a major event this summer which made us the focus of the whole Society.

Madeleine McCormack headed a subcommittee  which planned a faultless itinerary of top gardens enjoyed by HPS members from all over the country. Thank you to all of our members who gave their time to make the Summer Gardens Day a great success. Our annual Plant Sale did very well once again at the beginning of June. We should all be grateful to those members who grew and donated plants, gave their time to sort and price them, and turned out to sell them on the  day itself. The Plant Sale profits are directly responsible for the high quality of the speakers we are able to book.

Special thanks go to Sue Jaye who has done an excellent job organising the Plant Sale for the last 4 years, as well as the sales table at our indoor meetings. Sue stands down at the AGM and her job will pass into the capable hands of Steve Dudley. Also standing down from the committee this year is Diana Barry who has done a fantastically efficient job as membership secretary since 2006. Janet Horton has offered to side step to the position of membership secretary but that leaves us looking for a new Treasurer for the coming year.

Please consider whether you might be able to help and feel free to have an informal chat with myself or Janet to find out what is involved.    For the past 5 years, Margaret Marshall has been booking our speakers for us. The increased attendance at our indoor meetings over the past few years is testament to her skill at finding interesting, varied, high-calibre speakers. Many thanks go to Margaret as she steps down at the AGM. I look forward to welcoming relatively new members Marion Jay and Bill Hodgson onto the committee.

Marion is taking over from Irene Cowan as newsletter editor, and her husband Bill has been updating our website, which he will give us a short presentation on at the AGM. Irene has done a fantastic job editing the newsletter and has, over the years, filled just about every job title on the committee, with the exception of Chairman. She must be a glutton for punishment as she has agreed to take over from me after the AGM! I have very much enjoyed my time as Chairman, a task made much easier and more enjoyable by the fact that the rest of the committee carry out their tasks with such efficiency and good humour.

I plan to hang around and book speakers, if you’ll let me, so all suggestions welcome….

Anne Godfrey

Contents

1. Front Page and Contents
2. Editorial
3. Chairman’s Report
4. Grand Plant Sale
5. Seed Distribution Scheme
6. New Committee Members Required & Notices
   • New members
   • In memoriam
   • Cornucopia
   • Email addresses
   • 2013 Subscriptions
7. Summer Gardens Day
8. HPS Conservation Scheme
9. AGM Agenda, November 3rd
10. AGM Minutes, 2011
11. Front cover plant profile Aconitum carmichaelii ‘Arendsii’ (AGM)
12. Events Programme 2013
13. Coach Trip
14. Anne Godfrey