Page 22 - Simply Vegetables Winter 2021/22

Onion Kelsae reselected Tomatoes in polytunnel
Mr Fothergill’s Seed Trials Press Day 2021
NORMAN DICKINSON
After a break of 12 months due to Covid, Mr Fothergill’s were pleased to hold their seed trials press day again in August last
retail displays, including the full range of 54 seed varieties from Franchi,
who Mr Fothergills have just formed a
shall grow for cut flowers. One flower that I do love is
cosmos with their fine leaves and
open flowerheads. A new cosmos Candyfloss Red (Johnsons Seeds) caught my attention with slightly white veined red flower petals and yellow eye and appeared to be quite compact in form, very useful for growing in pots on in a small plot.
One for the hanging basket would be Silene Sibella Mix (Mr Fothergill’s), a trailing Hardy Annual variety with white and pink flowers. On the trial bed it was being displayed as carpet bedding but I was assured that it definitely is one for the hanging
year (2021). Norman
Dickinson (Southern
Branch Chairman) was
once again invited,
having attended the
last event in 2019 and
was accompanied on
this occasion by Sandra
Hall, our National Chair.
Gareth Cameron, our Sponsorship Manager, as in 2019 was instrumental in getting the invite from Mr Fothergill’s, so thank you Gareth, it was a most interesting day, and the weather was kind to us, unlike 2019 when it rained from late-morning on.
A departure from the 2019 visit
was the way that the open day was structured in 2021. Previously, small groups of attendees were led by
a knowledgeable member of staff who explained what new cultivars / varieties were on the trial field whilst this time, due to the need to maintain some form of social distancing, we were all allowed to venture freely around the plots and poly tunnels. Unfortunately we were not permitted inside the main buildings and therefore we did not see any of the
partnership with. Before we all
descended onto the trial ground, John Fothergill gave a very welcoming speech and explained that even though there was not a seed trials press day in 2020, that did not stop
them carrying on with seed trials, as it was still important to understand how the new varieties would cope, but more importantly were the existing varieties still
I must admit
that I am not really a flower aficionado
performing as expected, an important factor to ensure uniformity across the seasons.
As a beekeeper I was very interested in the wild flower mixed annuals
basket.
As a beekeeper I
was very interested in the wild flower mixed annuals where there were different mixes
for attracting different species of pollinator. For example there were different mixes for birds, bats, bumblebees, butterfly’s, beneficial
I must admit that I
am not really a flower
aficionado, although I do
enjoy growing, amongst
others, dahlias and
gladiolus, so I will briefly
touch upon some of the
new flower seeds for 2021/2022. Sweet Pea Primrose (Mr Fothergill’s) was a pale cream vigorous free flowering climber with an exquisite scent. With long stems, this is definitely one that I
insects and of course honey bees. Most of these are sold under the Johnsons banner, and it just happened that some of these were included in the “goodie bag” that we all received.
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