Tree planting by the Society may have happened over many years but the earliest record we have marked ‘Plant a Tree Year’ in 1973.  Our Chairman at the time, Jeanette Hartley, planted a Northern Red Oak tree (Quercus rubra) at Wexham Springs, where our annual shows were held for many years. It was chosen for its striking bark and colourful autumn foliage and we picture it with Jeanette and members of the then committee and again 45 years later with Jon Homan.

A feature of the 107th Show on 29th July 2000 was to present the Teikyo School with a tree, an Acer Maple with red, green and white flecked leaves named ‘Shin deshojo’. The tree was planted overlooking the sports field by Sir Nigel Mobbs KStJ, JP, HM Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire’, to show our appreciation for the help and accommodation given by the Teikyo Foundation UK for shows and lectures.

As a tribute to Olive Bailey 1902 – 2001, a Prunus subhirtella autumnalis rosea, was planted in November 2001 at Wexham Church. Olive, a past Life Member, together with her daughter Wendy, used to organise the Floral Art Classes.

The Society’s 125th Anniversary was commemorated on 5th May 2009, with the planting of a Wollemia nobilis in the Stoke Poges Memorial Gardens by the then President and Chairman, Jon Homan and Roger Beauchamp. This tree species was, until the late 1990’s,only known from fossil records dating it back 90 million years and thought to be extinct some two million years ago. It was discovered in 1994 by David Noble, a ranger in the Wollemi National Park, New South Wales and identified by the Sydney Botanic Gardens and assigned to the Araucariaceae, an ancient family of coniferous trees including the Kauri and Monkey Puzzle tree. Named after David Noble with the Wollemia meaning’ look around you, keep your eyes open and watch out’ .

By an extraordinary co-incidence, at exactly the same time as the planting took place in the Memorial Gardens in 2009, Her Majesty The Queen and HRH Prince Philip were also planting a Wollemia nobilis at the Royal Botanic Gardens in celebration of the 250th anniversary of Kew Gardens.  A reply from Her Majesty the Queen in response to a letter from Jon Homan acknowledging this event, is reproduced in the History booklet.

More recently in July 2017 the society planted a Paulownia tomentosa (also known as the Foxglove Tree, the emperor or empress tree and the princess tree) on Bells Hill Green, Stoke Poges, in memory of Jim Ireland CBE, a former President Emeritus. The tree is showing some good growth and we hope it will provide much pleasure to all in due course , when it flowers in early spring.

 

The tree flowered for the first time in May 2021, it is now almost 5 mtrs tall and survived a pretty harsh winter and late frosts in April.

The Queen’s Green Canopy was an initiative that began in May 2021 in the United Kingdom in honour of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. To increase and protect the native tree cover, people were urged to create this ‘special gift’ for the Queen, to mark her 70 years on the throne. The Society decided to celebrate her momentous reign by planting three Prunus amanogawa , a flowering cherry chosen for its beautiful blossom and shape. These can be seen on Bells Hill Green, Stoke Poges, George Green playing field Wexham, and at the entrance to Fulmer on the north side of the village.

The planting of the three Prunus amanogawa along with members of the respective Parish Councils

St David’s Day 2023 was marked in the Memorial Gardens with the planting of three disease resistant elms by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, The Countess Howe, accompanied by Andrew Smith OBE DL. The trees are part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative to increase and protect the native tree cover. One was donated by Stoke Poges, Wexham and Fulmer Horticultural Society. Chair, Maureen Barton, said “We are very excited to see the return of our native elm and delighted to be supporting the QGC initiative.”

Another tree was donated by The Mobbs Memorial Trust. Sandra Mobbs, Chairman of the Trust, said “My great grandfather founded the gardens in 1937, it is particularly pleasing that the family connection and support continues.” The third tree was donated by “Friends of the Gardens”, a group of volunteer supporters.

Franzi Cheeseman, Head Gardener, added how delighted everyone was to welcome the Lord-Lieutenant to celebrate QGC and plant for the future. “The poet Thomas Gray, who is buried in the churchyard next door, mentioned elms in his “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard”.

After many years of not being able to raise elms to maturity, we are lucky to now have a cultivar that has shown good resistance to Dutch Elms Disease. These new trees make a special feature in the developing area of the gardens.” The Countess Howe also unveiled a plaque to mark the creation of a Tree Trail which can be followed through the gardens. She paid tribute to the gardeners and staff for all their good work.