Wokingham Horticultural Association

05/09/2026

🎉 ONE WEEK TO GO — the WHA Autumn Show is almost here!

Saturday 12th September 2026 is just around the corner, and we cannot wait to see what you've been growing! Here are your last-minute tips to make sure everything is perfect on the day:

🌸 Flowers
✅ Dahlias: cut on the morning of the show; remove lower leaves, place in deep water immediately
✅ Chrysanthemums: cut the evening before; condition overnight in cool, dark water
✅ Roses: cut when 1/4–1/3 open; condition overnight in a cool room
✅ Gladioli: cut when the lowest 2–3 florets are just opening
✅ Michaelmas daisies & marigolds: cut fresh on the morning of the show

🥕 Vegetables
✅ Read the class descriptions carefully — numbers of specimens matter!
✅ Lift root vegetables carefully the day before; don't wash until just before staging
✅ Runner beans: pick on the morning of the show for maximum freshness
✅ Tomatoes: pick at peak ripeness on show morning; present on small rings with calyx even

🪴 Pot plants
✅ Clean pots thoroughly — presentation counts
✅ Remove any final blemished leaves or spent blooms on the morning of the show

📋 Show day details:
📍 Staging: 8.30 am – 11.00 am
👀 Open to the public: 2.00 pm
🏆 Prize giving: 3.45 pm
🗳️ Don't forget to cast your Visitors' Choice vote for your favourite exhibit!

Whether you're entering or just coming to admire — we'd love to see you there. Good luck to all our exhibitors! 🌻

📋 Full schedule at www.w-h-a.org.uk/shows

02/09/2026

🌿🍂 Hello September! 🍂🌿

As we transition into autumn, September is a wonderfully productive month for gardeners. The harvest is in full swing and it is time to start preparing our plots for the cooler months ahead.

This month, lift and store maincrop potatoes, onions and squash, plant spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils, tulips and alliums, and sow green manures on empty beds to protect and enrich the soil over winter. Collect and compost fallen leaves, and take hardwood cuttings of shrubs and roses to propagate new plants for free.

Check out the Royal Horticultural Society's guide on what to do in your garden this September:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/in-month/september-jobs

We'd love to hear what you're planning for your garden this month! Share your tips and projects in the comments below. 🌱🌿

Happy gardening! 🌿🌱

22/08/2026

🏆 Three weeks to the show — here's your final countdown guide!

The WHA Autumn Show is on Saturday 12th September and with just three weeks to go, it's time to shift into show-prep mode. Here's what to focus on for each plant group:

🌸 Dahlias & Chrysanthemums
✅ Continue disbudding and feeding — this is not the time to stop!
✅ Protect developing blooms from rain and wind with a temporary cover if possible
✅ Cut dahlias the morning of the show; cut chrysanthemums the evening before and condition in cool, dark water overnight

🌹 Roses
✅ Stop all feeding now
✅ Continue disbudding side buds on large-flowered varieties
✅ Cut stems when blooms are 1/4 to 1/3 open — early morning or late evening is best

🌸 Fuchsias & Pelargoniums
✅ Remove any open pelargonium florets now — you want fresh, full bloom heads on show day
✅ Meticulously remove any yellowing leaves or damaged growth
✅ Protect from heavy rain in the final week

🥕 Vegetables
✅ Onions: ease soil away from bulbs to expose them to sun and encourage good skin set
✅ Leeks: ensure blanching collars are fully extended
✅ Potatoes: lift carefully a few days before the show; don't wash — gently brush and dry in a cool, dark place
✅ Runner beans: pick every 2–3 days to keep pods coming; select your best on the morning of the show
✅ Tomatoes: allow fruits to ripen fully on the vine; pick at peak on show morning

🍎 Fruit
✅ Apples, pears, and plums: don't pick too early — fruit should be at its natural peak
✅ Berries: pick fresh on the morning of the show

Staging reminder: Staging is 8.30 am – 11.00 am on 12th September. The show opens to the public at 2.00 pm and prize giving is at 3.45 pm. Download the full schedule at www.w-h-a.org.uk/shows

13/08/2026

🌻 Reminder: Join us at the RHS Wisley Flower Show! 🌻

Don't forget to secure your spot for our late summer trip to the RHS Wisley Flower Show! The booking deadline is just around the corner on Friday, 21st August, for our outing on Saturday, 5th September. The coach is booked and the trip is going ahead, so make sure to get your forms in soon.

This show is an absolute must for plant lovers, set around the beautiful Wisley lake and featuring specialist nurseries, trade stands, and the spectacular National Dahlia Society Show. You will also have time to stroll by the river, explore the alpine glasshouses, and enjoy the gardens in full colour.

Tickets start from £25.00 for WHA Members who are also RHS Members (+1 Guest). Please visit https://www.w-h-a.org.uk/outings for the full price list, booking forms, and payment details. Simply email your completed forms to [email protected] to join us for a fantastic day out!

Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/990884550268950/

01/08/2026

🌿🌻 Hello August! 🌻🌿

August is a wonderful month to enjoy the fruits of our labour while preparing for the season ahead. The garden is at its most productive and colourful, so make the most of every sunny day!

This month, continue harvesting tomatoes, cucumbers, sweetcorn and squash as they ripen, collect seeds from your favourite flowers to save for next year, and give the lawn a feed if it is looking tired. Prune rambling roses once they have finished flowering, and order spring bulbs now for the best selection before stocks sell out.

Check out the Royal Horticultural Society's guide on what to do in your garden this August:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/in-month/august-jobs

We'd love to hear what you're planning for your garden this month! Share your tips and projects in the comments below. 🌱🌿

Happy gardening! 🌿🌱

28/07/2026

Here's a tasty idea for a less-common vegetable to grow!

Don't forget to sow Florence Fennel seeds - these delicious vegetables are expensive to buy in the shops but they're easy to grow from seed sown direct outside now. This post is full of ideas - here's a link: https://www.pumpkinbeth.com/2018/06/fabulous-florence-fennel/

05/07/2026

🌿 July checklist for Autumn Show growers — 10 weeks to go!

With the show just 10 weeks away on 12th September, July is the month where show-winning plants are made or lost. Here's what every grower should be doing right now:

🌸 Dahlias
✅ Disbud side buds and secondary stems — leave only your chosen show blooms
✅ Feed weekly with a high-potash liquid feed
✅ Stake and tie in all stems securely
✅ Water consistently — dahlias hate drying out

🌸 Chrysanthemums
✅ Switch from nitrogen to high-potash feed this month
✅ Continue disbudding — for cut stems, leave only the main bud; for sprays, remove the central bud
✅ Tie in stems and check stakes after any wind

🌹 Roses
✅ Continue deadheading to encourage a final flush of blooms
✅ Begin disbudding side buds on large-flowered varieties
✅ Stop feeding by mid-August

🥕 Vegetables
✅ Water runner and French beans daily in dry weather — this prevents stringiness
✅ Feed tomatoes every 10–14 days with a high-potassium feed
✅ Begin reducing watering for onions to encourage skin set
✅ Earth up leeks and extend blanching collars for a longer white shank

🪴 Pot plants
✅ Fuchsias: remove all flower buds now for a fresh flush in September
✅ Pelargoniums: continue high-potash feeding; remove imperfect leaves

The show is closer than you think — keep going! 💪

📋 Full schedule at www.w-h-a.org.uk/shows

01/07/2026

🌿🌻 Hello July! 🌻🌿

July is the height of summer, and our gardens and allotments are in full swing! It is a glorious month to enjoy the abundance of colour, fragrance and fresh produce that all our hard work has produced.

This month, harvest courgettes, beans and salad crops regularly to keep the plants productive, water containers daily in hot weather, and deadhead dahlias, roses and sweet peas to prolong the display. Sow spring cabbages and Japanese onions for next year, and take semi-ripe cuttings of shrubs such as lavender and rosemary.

Check out the Royal Horticultural Society's guide on what to do in your garden this July:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/in-month/july-jobs

We'd love to hear what's growing well for you this month! Share your harvests and blooms in the comments below. 🌻🍅

Happy gardening! 🌿🌱

30/06/2026

I feel like we could all have done with seeing this last week - but with more hot weather coming, it's still useful!

Heatwave hitting your allotment?

The next few days could make the difference between thriving crops and disappointing harvests.

Top priorities:
💧 Water deeply, not little and often
🌱 Mulch to keep moisture in the soil
🏺 Don't forget containers — they'll dry out first
🥬 Harvest regularly to reduce plant stress
🌤️ Shade young and vulnerable crops

Want to future-proof your plot? Visit our website for advice on drought-resistant crops and water-saving techniques.
https://thenas.org.uk/Resilience-%20Allotments

How are your plots coping in the heat? Let us know below 👇

29/06/2026

A delightfully fragrant use for your dehydrator (or do it the old fashion way!)

If you're enjoying an abundance of lovely leafy growth on your mint and herb plants harvest leaves to dry and provide your meals and drinks with delicious flavour over the autumn and winter months. I wrote this post about drying mint in my dehydrator - here's a link: https://www.pumpkinbeth.com/2022/11/trying-mints-kitchen-dehydrator/