Contribute

We always welcome your contribution of plant knowledge, techniques and experiences in any format you can provide.

  • Write for your local group or special interest group (most have a newsletter)
  • Write for The Hardy Plant our main source of plant knowledge
  • Send in news about plants and horticulture  for our Newsletter
  • Send in photos of your favourite plants for our plant library
  • Make a video about your plants or garden (See guidelines below)
  • Make a podcast episode with us - get in touch to develop the idea and we will organise everything else
  • Give an online presentation with us - get in touch and we will work with you to make it happen. Commercial speakers are welcome.

Video submission guidelines

Much like Gardeners World, we would like to publish your videos, especially where you talk about specific plants.  We have our own YouTube channel, and will be running accounts on other social media platforms where we may publish your video. In all cases if you need help contact us and we'll guide you through it.

General guidelines

  • Any videos you submit, will also need to grant the HPS copyright for their use. This gives us stability in using them, and responsibility for their publication. If you can't grant this to us then we will decline your contribution
  • Any video provided may be edited by us to remove or change sequences
  • Do not include any branding, logos or commercial information
  • The HPS will add their own logo as a watermark to protect the material

Technical guidelines

A good start is to look at the BBC Gardeners World guidelines, summarised for the HPS below.

  • Film in maximum resolution of your camera or phone such as 1080 pixels or above (no less)
  • Hold the camera in landscape, not portrait
  • Avoid windy days - background noise is not welcome
  • Keep the camera still, only moving slowly - watch Gardeners World for how slowly the cameras moves, if at all
  • Rather than walk around with the camera, move to different locations and film a short sequence in each one
  • Any sequence should be at least 10 seconds long, even if pointing at a stationary object
  • Avoid pointing the camera at the sun, or having the sun shine directly into the lens if possible
  • Consider recording the film with no commentary at all, and using a voice note or second video to record your voiceover. Speaking whilst filming can be hard, whereas editing your video and then recording a voiceover as a separate file gives the HPS much more flexibility to get value from your film
  • Consider three shot sizes - wide views of a whole scene, a medium view giving context, and a close-up of a specific plant or object. Keep the subject in focus!

Editorial guidelines

  • Tell us why you made the video
  • Tell us precisely the plants you refer to with their latin names
  • Tell us what works for you, when and why, and what doesn't
  • Tell us what you love about the plants and things in the video
  • Tell us about you - avoid specifics such as surname or your precise location so as to remain private online e.g. My name is Bill and I live in Somerset.

Submitting your video or audio

  • Don't use email! Video file sizes are way too big for email
  • Consider using WeTransfer (free)
  • Save your video into a service like DropBox, OneDrive or GoogleDrive and send us a link
  • Load your video into Vimeo or YouTube and give us permission to download it
  • Or get in touch for guidance