WITH the title Tasty Buds, Luscious Leaves and Succulent Shoots, the Society’s June meeting was certainly a feast for our eyes, noses and taste buds!

Our speaker, Kim Hurst, and her husband, established The Cottage Herbery at Tenbury Wells in 1976 with a view to primarily growing quality, organic, peat-free herbs and aromatic foliage plants for natural flavouring, healing and fragrance. This has now been extended to hardy perennials and more unusual edible plants. As well as producing plants for clients exhibiting at various Shows such as Chelsea and Malvern, they also exhibit at these and other venues, including Food Festivals and Farmers’ Markets. Having won numerous awards, including a coveted Chelsea gold medal on more than one occasion, Kim’s expertise has culminated in her becoming a judge at many of these Shows.

Illustrating her talk with images of the vast array of plant varieties grown at the Herbery, Kim also brought examples for members to see, smell and taste, and also to purchase. Some were familiar like mint, wild garlic, horseradish, lemon grass, borage, oregano and nasturtiums, to name but a few, but we were also introduced to many others that we weren’t aware were edible.

The competition for a lettuce was won by David Haines; second – Neil Ferguson; third Paul Reeves.

The Society is holding a Summer Show on Saturday, August 23 in the Crawford Hall, Bidford on Avon. All are welcome to come and enjoy the displays of flowers, plants, vegetables and floral art from 2pm after the judging.

For further details please contact Annette Haines on 01789 268974 or www.bidfordgardens.com