Western Counties

The Twelve Plants of Christmas – Dr Timothy Walker

Timothy needs no introduction, having enthralled and delighted us with his erudition and enthusiasm over the years. He is a lecturer in Plant Sciences at Oxford University and a Fellow of The Linnaean... read more

John Massey’s Garden Through the Year – Nigel Hopes

Additional meeting at Corse Hall or on Zoom if roads impassable. Nigel will bring plants for sale. A true garden for all seasons. John Massey has developed his private garden at Ashwood Nurseries over... read more

Something Woody This Way Comes – Dr John Grimshaw

John explores the interface of woody and herbaceous plants in the garden, suggesting good combinations that enrich the garden and encouraging the use of a much broader range of trees and shrubs amongs... read more

The Rare, The Mad and the Useful: National Collections and Plants for Winter Interest – Dr Margaret Stone & Linda Eggins

Bringing plants for sale. In 1978 the impending rarity of an increasing number of cultivated plants prompted the formation of ‘The National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens’, now... read more

Unbelievable Umbels aka the Awesome Apiaceae – Dr Andrew Ward

Bringing plants for sale. The cow parsley/carrot family is large and has many important root crop and spice members but we will concentrate on food for the soul. This talk will include, amongst others... read more

Cambridge University Botanic Garden: a unique role in addressing global challenges – Professor Beverley Glover

Cambridge University Botanic Garden celebrated its 180th anniversary on the current site this year. In this talk we will explore the Garden’s key role in the history of science, including the traini... read more

Succession Planting – Steve Edney

Bringing plants for sale. Planning a border and garden so you always have something flowering is a challenge. In this talk we will look at plant choices through the year that can work together to give... read more

Going Higher and Higher – Jack Wilgoss

Bringing plants for sale. How to use tall perennials, grasses and annuals in the modern garden to create an immersive feel.  Using the garden at Wildegoose Nursery as a case study this talk will look... read more

Colour in the Garden, (A new talk) – Troy Scott-Smith

A new talk. Colour is one of the most powerful signatures of a gardener’s style. The way we choose to use and combine both contrasting and harmonious ideas will dictate the mood of our garden.  Usi... read more

Grass Consciousness – Dr Roger LLoyd

Suddenly, grasses are everywhere in modern garden design. Whether it’s the New American Movement, New Perennial Movement, Prairie planting or more generally, Naturalistic planting, grasses usually f... read more

More than Mopheads, Where Science Meets Horticulture – Dr Julian Sutton

Science meets horticulture in the bewildering diversity of a major genus of garden shrubs and perennials (and if you think you don’t like hydrangeas, you’re probably not looking at the rig... read more

Garden Resilience Part 2: Flood – Pip Smith

Pip returns following his excellent talk on drought last year. Our climate is changing and our gardens must change with it. An increase in rainfall and its intensity is putting pressure on our gardens... read more

The 3 New; Plants, Climate, and Cultivation – Professor James Hitchmough

Climate change is just beginning to ramp up but already it is asking new questions of what we grow where, and how.  When the future is departing from what we knew in the past, this can be extremely c... read more