Our Gardening Group met on Wednesday 13 May 2026 to discuss our Monthly Checklist of tasks to be completed. These featured care of Forsythias, starting Dahlia Tubers into life using lukewarm water in pots, and different techniques for pricking out seedlings. There was also discussion of when it is safe to put geraniums and flowering baskets outdoors given our local climate.

The group then moved on to a presentation and in-depth discussion concerning the re-licensing of Glyphosate – a chemical weedkiller very much in the news. As with all chemicals, there are arguments in favour and arguments against their use. However, the use of a weedkiller as a desiccant prior to harvesting grain did surprise some of our members. The 15 year licence for the use of Glyphosate is coming up for renewal, and many members thought that it was no longer available for amateur gardeners. We thanked Geoffrey for his detailed explanation of this topic, and will watch with interest to see the outcome for the UK. (Glyphosate is currently banned for use as a pre-harvest desiccant in the EU.)

We finished the meeting by developing a list of local gardens that we could visit during the summer months, and also prepared a list of members’ own gardens that we could look around this year. Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 27 May 2026 at 2:00pm.