ON one of the most coldest nights of the winter so far, members and guests turned out in full force to enjoy a most entertaining evening. The speaker, Peter Pashley, demonstrated how to make a hanging basket.

Peter likes to use a slightly moist peat-based compost, preferably with added nutrients and protective ingredients.

For a 14ins basket he uses about 15 young plants, a useful tip is to place a saucer in the bottom of the basket to act as a reservoir.

Most important to a successful basket is the watering, this should be daily, either first thing in the morning or in the cool of the evening,in hot weather basket fans will water twice daily.

Peter also entertained us with a slide show with slides of Madeira and Malta, also including slides of Tenerife where there was a carnival showing the childrens' pushchairs all decked out with beautiful flowers.

A lifelong newspaper reporter and sub-editor, Peter was also gardening correspondent at the Birmingham Evening Mail.

The room was full of fun and laughter as Peter entertained us with his gardening knowledge and great sense of humour.

The next meeting is tomorrow and the speaker is Elaine Horton and the subject is Moving My Garden.

Old and new members and guests are welcome. Membership is £10 for a year and guests are charged £2.50, which includes refreshments.

For any inquiries, call the secretary on 01789 765105.