New! Talks will be held at St Peter’s Church, Worcester WR5 3TZ.
Talks will be held at St Peter’s Church, Worcester, WR5 3TZ, on the second Saturday of the month at 2pm, but please see below for any exceptions. At St Peter’s, entrance is free to Group members and we welcome visitors there but ask them to pay £5 - please contact for tickets. We will invite regular visitors to join the Group.
| Thursday January 7 | 7pm Zoom Lecture: Ernest Wilson - Birmingham’s Plant Hunter | Simon Gulliver |
| Simon Gulliver - Plant Collections Manager, Botanical Gardens, Birmingham. Simon will talk about Ernest Wilson’s global plant hunting adventures at the turn of the 20th century. This will include the plants he introduced from China into our gardens. After completing his degree in Amenity Horticulture from Pershore College, Simon spent two years working at RHS Wisley looking after the plant collection schemes. He has been with the Birmingham Botanical Gardens for ten years and has recently completed an MSc in Historic Landscape Conservation. Simon has a particular interest in garden history, plant hunters and the floras of New Zealand and Australia. He is a committee member of Birmingham Trees for Life and is passionate about the development of urban treescapes. He is also a keen advocate for the growing of food in urban environments. Simon lectures on Biodiversity and is an Industry Adviser at Pershore (Warwickshire) College. Simon is also a garden consultant for the National Trust, responsible for advising on the development of over 30 gardens in Lancashire, Cheshire and the Midlands. | ||
| Saturday February 13 | 2pm Zoom Lecture: Grow the Best Glorious Plants Joint Zoom Lecture with HPS Herefordshire and Mid Wales Group |
Adam Pasco |
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Creating a garden with colour and interest right through the year starts with choosing the best plants. Adam will introduce a range of inspiring planting ideas and glorious plants guaranteed to succeed in flower borders, patio pots or baskets. Adam will share his wealth of practical experience on choosing and growing plants, plus his ideas for successful plant combinations. Learn Adam’s tips for collecting and sowing seed saved from your own garden plants. From climbers and clematis to shrubs, bedding, roses, hardy perennials, trees, fruits, vegetables and salad crops, Adam will introduce his favourite plants for sites in sun and shade which will deliver continuous colour throughout the seasons. Adam Pasco has been a leading gardening journalist in the UK for over 39 years, successfully launching and editing BBC Gardeners' World Magazine for 22 of these. Adam has also served as Editor of Garden News, Garden Answers and Waitrose Garden magazine. He has twice been awarded 'Editor of the Year' by the British Society of Magazine Editors, and 'Practical Journalist of the Year' by the Garden Media Guild. | ||
| Wednesday March 17 | 7pm Zoom Lecture: Paradise Lost and Restored; 400 Years Of Garden Design In Oxfordshire | Timothy Walker |
| The history of English garden design can be told in different ways, but rarely can it be told "through the lens" of one garden. The Oxford Botanic Garden was founded at the beginning of the 17th century and its bears all the hallmarks of 17th century design. Over 400 years successive Horti Praefecti (head gardeners) changed the features reflecting the art of gardening, and very occasionally the science of botany. Timothy’s presentation examines how the art of gardening has changed - or perhaps has not - in four centuries in Oxfordshire and how the Oxford Botanic Garden now reflects garden design at the beginning of the 21st century. A key motivation for garden design has been the desire to create paradise on Earth. The meaning of paradise may now be less rooted in the Biblical account of the rise and fall of man, but there is still a clear vision of what we would like the world to resemble. | ||
| Thursday March 18 | 12:30 AGM via Zoom | |
| Saturday April 10 | 2pm Zoom talk: 50 Years of Ashwood Specialities | Howard Drury |
| Saturday May 8 | 2pm Zoom talk: Gardening with Grasses | Jack Willgoss |
| Nevermind a manicured lawn, perennial grasses have so much more to offer our gardens. An introduction to the beauty and variety of this wonderful group of garden plants. Wisley-trained horticultural specialists Laura and Jack Willgoss established Wildegoose Nursery in 2011. Breathing new life into a neglected Shropshire walled garden they have designed and created a modern space in which to share their expertise and showcase their extensive range of perennials, grasses and violas. Their hard work and dedication has paid off; Wildegoose Nursery has won multiple RHS medals and is listed in Gardens Illustrated Top 100 Specialist Nurseries. | ||
| Saturday May 22 and Sunday May 23 | 11am - 5pm: Ann Sheppard and John Taylor's garden, 1 Church Cottage, Church Road, Defford, WR8 9BJ will be open for the NGS | |
| Sunday May 30 and Monday May 31 | 11am - 5pm: Ann Sheppard and John Taylor's garden, 1 Church Cottage, Church Road, Defford, WR8 9BJ will be open for the NGS | |
| Sunday June 6 | 2 - 5pm: Margaret Stone's garden, Brockamin, Old Hills, Callow End, Worcester, WR2 4TQ will be open for the NGS | |
| Saturday June 12 | 2pm Zoom talk: Clippings (Topiary and Pruning) | Darren Lerigo |
| Clippings looks at the tools, plants and techniques needed for making something architectural out of the common shrubs and hedges in your garden. Whether you want to create something formal, fun, or just let more light into your space, Darren will help you develop an eye for using green architecture in the garden. Learn how to create a framework and a backdrop to contrast with planting which will also capture carbon and provide a haven for wildlife. This is a great opportunity to have all your questions on pruning techniques, maintenance and pest / disease control answered. If you have a wayward wisteria, a challenging clematis, rampaging roses or a frisky fruit tree don’t be shy - join us for a fully interactive session with Darren! Darren is a respected specialist in pruning and topiary. He travels the country with sharp, shiny shears making interesting shapes to edges and shrubs. He writes a regular blog and his work is often featured in print and broadcast media. | ||
| Saturday July 10 | 2pm Zoom talk: Creating a Garden for Every Season | Adam Pasco |
| Would you like to look out onto a beautiful garden all year round? A garden filled with the best performing flowers, hardy perennials, bulbs, shrubs, ornamental trees and colourful seasonal plants available? Adam will share planting suggestions for long-lasting colour combinations to enjoy in different seasons. Soil, sites and situations will be discussed and suitable recommendations made enabling you to fill every corner of your garden and terrace with colour. Adam will also include practical planning and design tips to help you plant a garden that provides colour and interest throughout the year. In addition to tried and tested favourites that are guaranteed to perform year after year he will also introduce some unusual varieties, and introduce newly launched plants and flowers. From hardy perennials to climbers, roses to seasonal bulbs, grasses to succulents, and even easy plants to raise from seed, Adam’s seasonal selection is guaranteed to inspire. | ||
| Friday July 23 | 4 - 6pm afternoon tea in a member's garden. Please contact Lyn Maile () for details. | |
| Saturday August 21 | 2 - 4pm: Plant Sale at Peopleton Village Hall, WR10 2EG Annuals * Perennials * Shrubs * Vegetables * Houseplants Free admission, Refreshments available, cash and cheques accepted |
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| Saturday September 11 | 2pm talk at St Peter’s Church, Worcester, WR5 3TZ: Autumn Flowering Perennials | Rosy Hardy |
| Rosy will introduce Autumn flowering perennials, discuss where they grow and demonstrate how to use them to create beautiful planting combinations. Rosy started growing plants in 1988. Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants evolved from a back garden nursery to a walled garden at Laverstoke Park and finally to a purpose built site at Freefolk in Hampshire. The nursery is peat-free. Strong, healthy herbaceous perennials are created by growing outside all year round, not over fed or over watered. | ||
| Saturday October 9 | 2pm talk at St Peter’s Church, Worcester, WR5 3TZ: Creating Beautiful Borders | Laura Willgoss |
| Covering the principles of good border design; structure, balance, maintenance and above all the plants themselves – which to choose and inspiring ways to combine them. Wisley-trained horticultural specialist Laura Willgoss established Wildegoose Nursery in 2011 with her husband Jack. Breathing new life into a neglected Shropshire walled garden Laura and Jack designed and created a beautiful space in which to share their expertise and showcase their extensive range of perennials, grasses and violas. Their hard work and dedication has paid off; Wildegoose Nursery has won multiple RHS medals and is listed in Gardens Illustrated Top 100 Specialist Nurseries. | ||
| Saturday November 13 | 2pm talk at St Peter’s Church, Worcester, WR5 3TZ: My Life as a Garden Designer & Planting Schemes | Katherine Crouch |
| Join us for a lively afternoon with Katherine Crouch, BBC Gardener Of The Year 1999, BBC Gardener Of The Decade 2008 and RHS Chelsea Gold Medal winner 2013. As well as guiding us through her life and work, Katherine will discuss planting - how horticultural trends and climate change influence her choices and Katherine’s pick of the plants which ought to be better known. | ||
| Saturday December 11 | 2pm talk at St Peter’s Church, Worcester, WR5 3TZ: Hepaticas | Samantha Hopes |
| The genus Hepatica is very close to Samantha's heart. This talk explores the beautiful range of plants available which Samantha encountered while working with John Massey and his collection at Ashwood Nurseries and will include hints and tips on cultivation. Samantha is a former student of Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Pershore College. Samantha then moved to RHS Wisley and specialised in Rock and Alpine plants. This was followed by work at Kew Gardens, Great Dixter and then Ashwood Nurseries where Samantha worked alongside John Massey, looking after his Hepatica collection. Samantha and her husband are now creating and building their own garden; propagating and growing a range of unusual plants together at home. | ||