Bexhill Horticultural Society
THE penultimate talk of the season was a fascinating journey from the west side of the USA - Washington State, to much of Canada from the Cascades to the Rocky Mountains, delivered in style by Dr Peter Brandham, a scientist working at Kew in many fields, botany, evolution and mutation to name but a few.
We saw slides of magnificent clarity and composition and could imagine ourselves among the mountains and sliding through the snow, such was the power of Dr Brandham's delivery.
The destruction of tropical rainforests occupy much of the media covering in the 21st Century, but temperate areas are equally at risk and they also desperately need saving from loggers and developers.
Temperate areas of the world are very uncommon and thus rare and most are to be found in America, Canada and New Zealand, where loggers and environmentalists clash and loggers invariably win.
We wondered at trees 300-400 ft tall, growing in rows as if planted by Capability Brown when designing the gardens for stately homes but all naturally seeded and nurtured.
Alpine communities of the Olympic Peninsula were stunningly beautiful with alpine flowers that defied harsh conditions, warming only briefly, in fact local people say they have only three seasons - July, August and Winter.
Dr Brandham showed slides of the great lakes in the Rockies, each a different colour - blue, green and turquoise - all tranquil and peaceful but cold and very deep.
We went along the Sun Highway, only open in July and August due to deep snow drifts at other times of the year. The roads were very good with very little use and those visitors brave enough to venture so high were rewarded with stunning views of the flowers and lakes.
We visited Banff, Lake Louise, Sulpher Mountain, Lake Agnes and the Twelve Apostles and much, much more.
We received some tourist advice also; use the toilets and have a coffee in the hotel on the lakeside at Louise but stay somewhere a little further away unless you happen to have won the Lottery!
The afternoon flew by and our members enjoyed this speaker very much and we will certainly invite him again.
The last talk of the season is on Saturday, March 7, when Allan Roffey will present Lullaby Of Birdland to delight before the Spring. Do come along and join us. You will be very welcome.
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Weather for Bexhill-on-Sea
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: West
