Gardening – Steeple Aston

Garden Club
Steeple Aston Church Allotments Association

Steeple Aston Garden Club

Steeple Aston Garden Club has been in existence for around 25 years and is a social group of gardeners and those who simply like the rural lifestyle that our villages offer.

We meet throughout the winter months in Steeple Aston Village Hall where we welcome a range of speakers on various gardening topics, accompanied by a cup of tea or coffee and a biscuit.

During the summer months we travel locally to gardens that offer a variety of styles and are usually accompanied with a light tea or refreshments.

To be a member of the club, the annual charge is £10 per individual or £15 for a family. This also gives you discount at some local garden centres.

More recently, we have arranged a three-course meal to celebrate Christmas or put another way, the quieter time of a gardening season!

All are welcome irrespective of your gardening skill.

For more information call Richard Preston on 01869 340512 or email [email protected] or Alison Llewellyn [email protected]

Garden Club Programme 2026/27

Summer visits

Tuesday, 12th May 2pm Waterperry Gardens, Nr Wheatley Satnav postcode OX33 1LA. Entrance fee £11.50pp. A Tearoom is available for lunch and teas on site, charged separately.

Wednesday, 10th June meet in Rousham car park at 6.30pm at an inclusive charge of £15 per person to include wine, elderflower and nibbles. This is a follow up to our talk by Caroline Landless in February. We will be welcomed by Anne Starling and then free to tour the gardens at our leisure.

Wednesday, 8th July at 2.30 pm Foxington gardens in Britwell Salome, nr. Watlington Oxon OX49 5LG. £11 per person including tea and cake. The gardens which have views across to the Chilterns are impressive with seasonal flowers and a large barn for us to have tea in apparently!

Tuesday, 4th August at 2.00pm Oxford Botanic Garden.

Wednesday, 9th September from 6.00 pm visit to Chris and Ray Clarke’s garden, the Pound House, Steeple Aston from 6pm. Please bring a plate of food and some drink for yourself and to share with others.

Autumn Speakers

Wednesday, 14th October Anton Blackie, Head Gardener from Estelle Manor, a country club and hotel near Witney who will be talking about either ‘Horticulture in Hospitality’ or ‘Horticulture – Art or Science’ which he is going to confirm nearer the time. He sounds like quite a character! Website: https://estellemanor.com/

Wednesday, 4th November Sarah Turton who is a Master Medicinal Herbalist and Iridologist based in Oxford is coming to talk about ‘The Garden as Apothecary’. Apparently, she has a particular love of the plants that most gardeners already grow and enjoys giving the audience a completely new way of seeing them.

Wednesday, 9th December at 12.30 Xmas Lunch @ the Holt Hotel

2027 Meetings

January No meeting

Wednesday, 3rd February Taissa Csaky will be giving us an update on the successes of the Flourish Wellness Garden so far and plans for 2027! Further details nearer the time.

Wednesday 3rd March Tim Walker former Head Gardener, Oxford Botanical Gardens talking about ‘summer in the garden including plants for the current climate’ which is very topical given the last two hot dry summers! Joint meeting with Tackley Garden Club who will be joining us this time!

Wednesday, 7th April AGM

Summer visits

Wednesday, 12th May at 2.30pm Canterbury House gardens owned by Harriet Higgins near the church in Steeple Aston.

For reports of recent meetings and visits, please click here.

Contact
Richard Preston, Chairman
Tel: 01869 340512
Email: [email protected]
Alison Llewellyn, Secretary
Email: [email protected]

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Steeple Aston Church Allotment Association (SACAA)

We manage Steeple Aston’s longest surviving Allotment site on behalf of the Parish Council.

The setting is in the shadow of the Church tower and has lovely views towards the Rousham Folly, a wonderful place for contemplation as well as weeding.

We are fortunate to have water on site, a communal cabin for gatherings and communal orchards.

Our aims as an Association are:

To promote the interests and use of the Church Allotments.

To work with other gardening associations and develop greater bio diversity throughout the site.

The plots come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are worked by a thriving, friendly and enthusiastic green fingered community.

From time to time we organise fund raising events to help maintain and develop the site and social gatherings to enable us to come together and swap stories over our crop successes or ideas for what to do with that glut of veg.

Annual rent is £44 for a full plot, and a minimum of £22 a part plot, the rent currently includes water charges.

If you would like to grow your own fruit, vegetables and flowers with the added benefit of fresh air, home grown produce and healthy exercise please contact our Clerk.