What’s happening across the Hardy Plant Society in May 2026

Hello again from Brighton—and welcome to May! The gardening year is racing along, and what a wonderful month it is.

There's plenty to share. The latest edition of the Hardy Plant Journal should now be landing on your doormats—do have a read, it's a lovely issue with a stunning tulip cover. If yours hasn't arrived, it may be time to check your membership is up to date—Clare in the office will be very happy to help.

Cornucopia will also be out soon, packed with some of the Society's best writing. If you're not already a subscriber, it's well worth it for just £3.50.

Many congratulations go to HPS West Yorkshire for their Premier Gold at Harrogate—an outstanding achievement and a brilliant showcase for the Society. And if your group is exhibiting at shows, do let us know—we'd love to support you and spread the word.

It's been a pleasure visiting local groups recently, including a warm welcome from Berkshire. If you're not part of a local or special interest group yet, do take a look—you might be surprised how many are nearby. They're a fantastic way to meet fellow plant lovers, learn, share, and of course enjoy a bit of cake along the way.

If you're already thinking ahead to seed saving, guidance is now available on the website, so you can get prepared for the seed distribution scheme later in the year.

There are also some great events coming up: a plant fair in Lincolnshire on 9 May, the Shade and Woodland Group meeting in Lancashire on the 16th, and the Ranunculaceae Group gathering in Taunton on the 17th—plenty of opportunities to get out, learn more, and meet others who share your passion.

However you choose to enjoy it, make the most of May—it really is one of the most glorious months in the garden. See you in June! 🌱

With very best wishes, Steve Bustin, Chair HPS

If you prefer to read Steve's message, the transcript can be downloaded here.

Mentioned in the video

• The journal
• Cornucopia
• Local groups
• Seed distribution scheme
• HPS Lincolnshire plant fair
• Shade and Woodland AGM
• Ranunculaceae AGM
• HPS Events
• Special interest groups

For any enquiries about your membership use the form on this page. To join the HPS visit this page, to find out more.

If you haven't already please take a look at new articles from our contributors:

On a Chalk Hillside – April 2026

As this month is going to concentrate on the preparation and start of the build of the long border here on my Chalk Hillside, I shall start with some photos from a lovely arboretum visit on 14 March. For once this year it was a lovely sunny day and we hoped to see cherry blossom, and early Magnolias in flower.

Read online

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Woodland Camellia

Although not a (hardy perennial) in the true sense, nevertheless less an indicator species for Climate change and how this may affect certain other trees, shrubs, and perennials, and how we as Gardeners adapt to these changes in our choice of planting, approach, and techniques. This depends on the variation in soil, aspect, in relation to the UK location.

Read online

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Wilding Gardens. A two-day conference of ideas

The Wilding Gardens Conference brought together leading horticulturalists, ecologists, designers and researchers to explore how gardens and green spaces can better support nature, respond to climate change and enhance human wellbeing. The themes of the conference closely aligned with both my professional work and my academic background, including my MHort (RHS) dissertation on public gardens and their contribution to health and wellbeing.

Read online

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Attendance at the Wilding Gardens Conference

The conference, organised by Wilding Gardens CIC and Knepp Castle Estate, reframed gardens as critical ecological infrastructure rather than purely aesthetic spaces. The central ambition was to shift beyond "nature-friendly" gardening toward genuine rewilding approaches that prioritise ecological processes.

Read online

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We always want to hear from anyone who can write about plants and gardening. If you have something you'd like to see published, please get in touch.

Below is a listing of Local & Special Interest Group Events around the Country. Most are open to guests for a fee. For more details click the link below and check with the organisers of the specific event for more details including the venue location.

• Sat 2nd May at 14:00 Northamptonshire group: Showing and Flower Shows – Neil Timm
• Sat 2nd May at 14:30 Devon group: Propagating Passiflora, the Quick, Cheap and Easy Way – Steve & Dawn Morgan
• Sat 2nd May at 14:30 Shropshire group: Stately Gardens – Camilla Anderson
• Sun 3rd May at 10:00 Cornwall group: Plant Sale
• Wed 6th May at 19:30 South Pennine group: Postcard from Pont de Nant (Lausanne University Botanical Garden)
• Thu 7th May at 19:30 East Yorkshire group: Weeds and their control? Or their acceptance – Michael Myers
• Sat 9th May at 14:00 Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire group: International Rose Trials – Kerry Barehead
• Sat 9th May at 14:00 Worcestershire group: First Rate Perennials – Val Bourne President of the HPS
• Sun 10th May at 10:00 Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire group: Annual Plant Sale
• Mon 11th May at 19:30 Cheshire and Friends group: Garden Ponds & Water Features – Philip Aubury
• Mon 11th May at 19:30 Middlesex group: Trees for Small Gardens – Marie Shallcross
• Tue 12th May at 9:00 Somerset group: Coach trip to Brockworth Court in Gloucestershire and Morton Hall Garden in Worcestershire
• Tue 12th May at 9:00 Scottish and Northern Borders group: Benmore Gardens, Private gardens, Lochgair, Crarae Gardens, Argyl and Bute
• Tue 12th May at 19:30 Clwyd group: Ashwood Specialities – Nigel Hopes
• Tue 12th May at 19:30 Rutland group: Rare and Unusual and Pictorial Plants – Kevin Pratt
• Fri 15th May at 19:00 Hampshire group: Umbel…….ievable Umbels! A talk about cow parsleys and their relatives – Marina Christopher
• Sat 16th May at 9:00 Shade and Woodland Plants group: Shade & Woodland 12th Annual Meeting & AGM
• Sat 16th May at 10:00 North West group: Plant Sale
• Sat 16th May at 14:15 Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire group: Contain Your Enthusiasm – Andrew Mikolajski
• Sun 17th May at 9:00 Ranunculaceae group: Ranunculaceae Group ALD/AGM 'Butter Me No buttercups' – Derry Watkins
• Sun 17th May at 10:00 Staffordshire group: Annual Plant Sale in the Village Hall
• Sun 17th May at 11:15 Clwyd group: Plant Fair
• Mon 18th May at 19:30 North West group: Making the most of your Garden Space – Jane Allison
• Wed 20th May at 19:30 Cumbria group: Interactive Workshop – Louise Stoddard
• Sat 23rd May at 13:30 Berkshire group: Plant Sale
• Thu 28th May at 14:00 Herefordshire and Mid Wales group: Hares Orchard, Mortimer Eye, Leominster, Herefordshire
• Sat 30th May at 13:45 Western Counties group: Garden Resilience Part 1: Drought – Pip Smith

Help us spread the benefits of plants and gardening. Our members tell us they feel relaxation, happiness, satisfaction, calmness and love from plants and gardening. We want to see these benefits reach everyone, and at the same time improve our environment.

Since 1957 we've been promoting plants and helping our members adapt to changes in our environment. Entirely member funded, we run a network of local groups around the country and are always looking to start more.

All memberships provide many benefits including

• The option to join any of our local or special interests groups
• Three copies of The Hardy Plant (in full colour, by post)
• Immediate access to the members area of our website with access to all our news and articles
• Free plant advice through our advisory service
• Participation in the Conservation scheme
• Participation in the Seed Distribution Scheme
• The option to subscribe to Cornucopia for an additional fee

Member benefits

All members get a range of discount codes from a variety of firms, you can see all of them on this benefits page, which include brands such as:

Thank you for reading!