Most of these talks are held at Crowle Parish Hall, Church Road, WR7 4AZ, on the second Saturday of the month at 2pm, but please see below for exceptions. At Crowle, entrance is free to Group members and we welcome visitors there but ask them to pay £3. We will invite regular visitors to join the Group.
Refunds – As a general rule for outside trips no refunds will be given later than two weeks before the event. Individual organisers of outings may differ from this policy and it is important to check the information given at the time of booking.
The public address system at Crowle Parish Hall does have a hearing loop, so please speak to a member of the Committee if you wish to take advantage of this facility.
| Jan 12 | Talk: Plants for the Connoisseur | Simon Gulliver |
| Simon will talk about his favourite plants that are a little different, interesting, unusual and /or challenging; how to grow them and enjoy them.
Simon is now a garden consultant for the National Trust, responsible for advising on the development of over 30 gardens in Lancashire, Cheshire and the Midlands. With a degree in Amenity Horticulture from Pershore College, Simon worked at RHS Wisley for two years looking after the plant collection schemes. He spent 10 years at the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham, eventually becoming Plant Collections Manager there. Simon has recently completed an MSc in Historic Landscape Conservation and has a particular interest in garden history, plant hunters, horticultural training, trees and the floras of New Zealand and Australia. |
||
| Feb 9 | Talk: My Garden, A Plantsman’s Garden | Kevin Pratt |
| Kevin’s talk is about the rare plants he has been growing for over thirty years. He has grown over 10,000 different plants. He will look at the successes, the failures and his obsession for collecting obscure plants.
Kevin runs Village Plants in Stockport where he has many unusual plants. He is qualified in botany, soil science and horticulture. He has over 30 years' gardening experience and holds three RHS gold medals awarded in the RHS floral marquee. He will bring some unusual plants to sell. | ||
| March 9 | AGM at 1.30pm followed by Talk: How to get the Best from Heuchera, Heucherella and Tiarella. |
Vicky Fox | Vicky and Richard Fox own Plantagogo which specialises in heucheras, heuchellas and tiarella. They have won many golds at RHS shows including Chelsea, Tatton, Harrogate and lots more.
Vicky will talk in detail about heucheras including how to grow them successfully, pests, planting tips and new varieties. Members will be able to order special plants in advance to be delivered on the day. There will also be plants for sale on the day. |
| April 13 Pershore College |
10am - 4pm: HPS Ambassadors’ Day, “Gardening in the 21st Century” Plant sales from 10am |
|
| 11am talk: The Living Jigsaw | Val Bourne | |
| 2pm talk: Gardening in a Changing Climate | Matthew Wilson | |
| Worcestershire members £10, non members £15, lunch £11 or bring your own | ||
| May 18 | Talk: Unnatural Gardening | Peter Williams |
| Wednesday May 22 | 6.30pm: Evening Garden Party, in the garden of Ann Sheppard. More details in the May announcements | |
| Thursday June 6 | 11am: Members’ Coffee Morning, at the home of Claire Constantine, Vicars Hill, Leigh WR6 5LA | |
| June 8 | 2 until 4pm: Grand Plant Sale, Peopleton Village Hall | |
| June 16 - 19 | Hampshire Garden Tour. Open to all HPS members who may bring a friend or relative. | |
| Tuesday July 2 | 4pm: Members’ Afternoon Tea, at the home of Babs Jewell | |
| July 13 | Social from 12.30pm, bring a plate of food to share and a plant to swap. Plant sale table as usual. Followed at 2pm by talk: Auden Farm, from Concept to Chaos |
Alun and Jill Whitehead |
| Alun and Jill are holders of one of the National Collections of Siberian Iris with over 160 cultivars. Their garden, Aulden Farm, has developed in a natural style with abundant wildlife, and the Beardless Iris suits this style with its Herefordshire clay. Alun is a qualified Iris judge and has served on the Joint Iris Committee with the RHS. They also open for the National Garden Schemes and are Western Counties Group members. They will give a humorous look at Aulden farm garden with all its trials and tribulations. | ||
| Saturday July 20 | 11am - 3pm, Charity Open Garden at 1 Albert Road, Pittville, Cheltenham GL52 2QY, an exceptional example of a town garden in the heart of Regency Cheltenham with some unusual and rare plants. Tea and home made cake. Supporting CCP Cheltenham and St Nicolas Church fund for the community |
|
| Sunday July 21 | 11am - 4pm, Rare plant fair at Highnam Court, Nr. Gloucester | |
| Sunday July 21 | 2.30pm - 4.30pm, Members are invited to a Summer Garden Party at The Tynings, Church Lane, Stoulton WR7 4RE. Entrance £8, proceeds are in aid of the fabric of St Edmund’s Church. | |
| Sep 14 | Talk: Hydrangeas | Sally Gregson |
| Sally is the owner of the nursery ‘Mill Cottage Plants’, specializing in plants for shade and damp. She is an author and a lecturer and lectures often at West Dean College, Chichester. Once ‘too popular’ in the fifties hydrangeas experienced a fall from fashion. But now they are undergoing a renaissance. This talk covers the different species, their growing conditions, and care and propagation, and will show you some of the varieties that are coming in now from Japan via the French National Collection holder, Shamrock Gardens, and enthusiast Maurice Foster. As a nursery (Mill Cottage Plants) has exhibited them at the Hampton Court Flower Show in 2005, and hope to bring some for sale to our members. | ||
| Sunday Sep 22 | 2 - 5pm, Charity Open Garden Brockamin, Old Hills, Callow End, Worcestershire WR2 4TQ | |
| Wednesday Sep 25 | Oxfordshire Garden Visit | |
| Oct 12 | Talk: Death in the Garden - Poisonous Plants | Michael Brown |
| Michael is a qualified gardener with a particular interest in medieval gardens and plants. He has an MA in Garden History and has been a full time college lecturer in horticulture. Because of government cutbacks he became self employed and transformed himself into the Historic Gardener. He gave this talk every day at the Tatton Park RHS flower show in 2018. Poisonous plants and their use though out history. Myths, Magic, Passion and Murder, be warned many of the plants shown are worth growing in the garden. | ||
| Herefordshire and Mid Wales Group Talk: Self Sowing Plants; Allowing Nature To Help Design Your Garden Weobley Village Hall - Visitors welcome at £6 | ||
| Nov 9 | Talk: Exotic Gardening | Paul Spracklin |
| Paul Spracklin is a garden designer with a passion for the exciting effects that can be achieved using sub-tropical style plants. Whether you fancy growing a tropical rainforest in Richmond or a desert in Dedham, Paul’s illustrated talk will give an insight into how you can grow and keep exotic plants including cacti and succulents in your garden. | ||
| Dec 14 | Social from 12.30pm Christmas lunch at 1pm. Please bring a plate of food to share. Followed at 2pm by talk: Winter Into Spring |
Julie Ritchie |
| Julie runs Hoo House Nursery in Tewkesbury with her husband Robin and is a fellow HPS member. She is well known to the group for her knowledge and enthusiasm about a wide variety of plants. Her talk will look at plants that give interest in the Winter months through until early Spring. | ||