We are delighted to announce that Jackie Meldum has kindly agreed to become the new Chair of Lambeth Horitcultural Society. She was unanimously elected at our committee meeting 2 June.
Jackie is a longstanding member and supporter of LHS and was for many years a local councillor for the Knight’s Hill ward, where the Hut is sited.
Jackie says,
“I am delighted to be joining the LHS committee. The Society is a unique Lambeth institution with absolutely tons of expertise. The wealth of knowledge and friendly advice that gardeners can tap into is huge. From balconies, pots and patios to allotments, the LHS will know someone who can give you a steer.”
A keen gardener
Jackie has been a keen gardener since childhood. “My father grew up in Scotland and he was a very keen gardener. We grew a lot of our own veg and fruit and my mother was a dedicated jam maker. Of course, in those days, there was no such thing as a garden centre. Neighbours swapped plants and cuttings, and many plants were grown from seed. I’m delighted that this way of gardening is making a comeback, although it probably never went away. But it’s now fashionable!”
Jackie has a small, shady garden and has also for many years shared an allotment. Favourites to grow are dahlias – she’s a frequent prize winner at the Late Summer Show – and tomoatoes.
“I remember my grandfather had a greenhouse where he grew superb tomatoes, so perhaps that’s where my love of them comes from. The flavour of homegrown tomatoes is incomparible to what you buy in the supermakert. I prefer to try to grow the more ‘interesting’ varieties in lots of different colours.
“I also grow wheat. To me, it’s a beautiful, strong image of food. I have tried to make corn dollies, following a YouTube video but I didn’t get very far!”
And botanist
Jackie also spent three years studying botany. “I loved botany as a teenager. I was inspired by the Oxford Book of Food Plants. I remember a picture of a brazil nut – I was enthralled by its design. It reminded me of a chocolate orange. I’ve spent holidays working at the Plant Breeding Institute. I’ve volunteerd in nature reserves and attended courses run by the National Vegetable Research Station. So I’ve been interested in plants for a long time.
“I’ve been on botany holidays to exotic places too, including Cape Town, where I was blown away by the unique flora, the swathes of colour in the wilderness, the fact that there are plants that need smokey water to sprout – so they regenerate after forest fires.
Chitting seeds
“I’ve learned by experimenting what seeds to chit before planting. I’ll put moistened pumpkin seeds in a plastic tub with absorbant paper and wait to see which ones sprout – so I don’t sow any that won’t come up.
“People need gardens”
“People need gardens and gardening is fasionable at the moment but many people in Lambeth don’t have a garden. Perhaps they have a balcony at best. Community gardens and spaces are so important and there are some brilliant initiatives all around the city.
“The LHS has done an amazing job of inspiring and supporting generations of gardeners over the years, and introducing more people to the sheer joy of plants. I hope that in due course we will be able to build a team of volunteers so that we can work with more communities, sharing knowledge and building biodiversity and stewards of our green spaces.
“Gardening is not always as easy as it looks on TV makeover shows. You need dedication and patience when things don’t go to plan. There is unrivalled expertise at LHS – just come and ask!
If you have any ideas or thoughts for the LHS, contact Jackie here.