Anthea Sokell

 

I got into propagating when we moved from the North of England to Surrey in 1975. We had taken on an old neglected house and a large, even more neglected garden. Money needed to be spent on the house and there wasn’t a lot over for the garden so it was seeds and cuttings from the start.  I probably inherited a love of plants from my father who also showed me how to take pipings (cuttings) from pinks when I was quite young.

 

Inevitably, when sowing seeds, there will be too many seeds or perhaps none at all or all your cuttings actually strike and then what. My little nursery began to grow and it was the early 1980s that I discovered I could sell surplus plants at Bookham Country Market (Bookham WI Market as it was then.)

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What do I grow? I try everything: trees, shrubs, hardy perennials, tender perennials, succulents, annuals. I never get over the thrill of seeing the first green leaves rising from the top of a pot of compost or seeing the first white root emanating from the base of a pot as I realise that the cutting is rooting.

 

I particularly love a challenge. Once I tried an unusual seed from a catalogue. The plant was called Zigadenus elegans. It was easy to germinate but shortly after planting out, I discovered it was a noxious weed of the American prairies and almost impossible to eradicate. I hastily removed the offending plants and burnt them.

 

I am a qualified garden designer, and practised in the area over about 20 years. I have been a long time member of the Hardy Plant Society and am very knowledgeable about  plants and their place in the garden. I grow some unusual plants, which would never turn up in a garden centre.  

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Angela Baker

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I provide plants and help on the plant stall in the market. I have been doing this for many years after being asked if I would like to help.

 

I was then a practising garden designer, and growing plants for the market was quite a good way to learn about them myself. When I decided to retire from designing, I continued to help and advise anyone in the market with the planning of their gardens.

 

The advice on growing any plant we sell is an important part of the service we provide. When I say ‘we’, I am referring to Anthea, who is also on the plant stall and was also a garden designer!

 

We were both there at the start of Bookham Open Gardens and have opened our own gardens several times. My garden is small and I have a problem storing all the plants I grow in pots for the market.

 

I really enjoy meeting the customers and talking about their plants and gardens.

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Sue Rowles

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I sell a few plants grown in my garden. Lita, the Market Manager, places us round and about on different stalls nowadays, so I have been on a variety of stalls.

 

I used to sell my cards and the occasional painting.  In my latter years, I might have one more stab at exhibiting and trying to sell a few more paintings. I might try a few prints or giclées, as well as cards.

 

I did sell a few paintings at Denbies with a LAC exhibition in Spring 2021. I am going on an Abstract workshop in October at West Dean Art college in an attempt to get myself back in gear again.