Irene Slegt, DBG committee member and journalist, has written a piece about gardening for us which will appear in the next DBA newsletter. In her column she mentions the Leopard slug – her secret ally – which preys on its herbivorous cousins. A slug that will do our killing for us! We had to share …

Berry christmas…
I couldn’t resist sharing this lovely picture of a Robin surrounded by ivy berries. I’m fascinated by the bumper crop of berries this year – Rowan, Hawthorn and holly bushes laden with fat juicy christmas jewels. Nature is providing in abundance. We now know that there is much that we, as gardeners can do to …

Flowers, fruit, veg, dogs… and next up birds!
We were blessed with fabulous weather for the this year’s Flower and Produce show. All the worry about buying in too many ice-lollies was for nothing. We sold them all along with enough cake to feed several armies. If you came along we hope you enjoyed yourselves and if you missed it there are some …
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Summer round-up
Dear Gardeners – it’s our picnic at St. Mary’s Secret Garden next Tuesday and the weather forecast is good so we hope to see lots of you there. It’s a month earlier than usual so we can enjoy longer daylight hours in the glorious garden. Please bring a dish to share, there will be wine …
June Walkabout
Our much loved June walkabout felt more like winter last night. It was very inspiring despite the damp and the cold. Its always wonderful to get a glimpse into real gardens. Cec came up with a great tour which included quintessential front and back de Beauvoir gardens - each one an oasis of green in …
Middle Temple Garden
Last Wednesday we braved the showers to visit the gardens at Middle Temple. Kate Jenrick, the head gardener, gave us a very interesting tour and described how she maintains the gardens and chooses her plants. For those of you who couldn’t make it here are some pictures kindly taken by Stephen King. Plant Sale A …

May events and date changes
Dear Gardeners, there have been a few date changes recently (and a mistake in the DBA newsletter) – so this is post to keep your diary up-to-date. Wednesday 8th May 2019 Visit to Middle Temple Garden off Fleet Street, London EC4 9BT This is open to members of De Beauvoir and Islington Gardeners only. You …
London In Bloom 2018 – prize winning gardens by our members
Gillian Daniell writes: ‘It’s exactly a year ago now since we entered our three gardens for the LONDON IN BLOOM competition and went on to win THE GOLD MEDAL 2018. The competition was initiated by London in Bloom and Britain in Bloom in order to encourage people who are lucky enough to have a front …
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De Beauvoir – a new gardening year
If you missed our March meeting it was a corker! It was so well attended that we almost ran out of space. The appeal of a poster about otters in Haggerston obviously worked magic, even when the speaker had to share the floor with our AGM. This is my resume of the event with a …
Open Garden in Spain
On my recent visit to Spain, I visited Cortijo Opazo which is part of the Open Garden programme in the Alpujarras - a lovely unspoiled area in southern Spain where we've been going for over 20 years. It is purported to have the cleanest air in Europe and fantastic walking. A British couple bought the …