Ann is an active and committed HPS member, serving as national publicity postholder and Chair of Derbyshire Group. Ann is a former senior academic, responsible for teaching, learning and assessment. She has led and worked on many projects, has experience of organisational change, managing staff, chairing boards, developing policy and writing documents. Ann is crazy about hardy perennials with particular interests in white plants and she still enjoys learning from her mistakes.

Ann says, “Becoming a Trustee will enable me to be more involved with the strategic aims of the society and help shape and influence the future direction of the HPS.”

David has worked in estate gardening in south east England for nearly 20 years, rising to the level of head gardener, though he is currently self-employed, serving gardens in and around Rye, East Sussex. David trained as a classical ballet dancer and worked touring Europe before returning to the UK for roles in retail, then finally – a panto season! He also worked as a postman for 9 years before making the move to horticulture. David has been a member of the HPS since 2011 and says, “I would very much like to become more involved as a Trustee and play a supporting role in the Hardy Plant Society.”

Graham is a past Chair of the Lincolnshire Group and with his wife Heather are currently members of the Nottinghamshire Group and the Shade and Woodland Group. Both are active participants in the team which puts together the HPS display at Malvern Show, after helping with the Worcestershire Group’s earlier stand and also helping build the revolving stand at RHS Chelsea 2017. In 2019 they designed and built the HPS stand at RHS Chatsworth.

Heather is a member of the Nottinghamshire Group and a past member of the Lincolnshire Group where she has acted as Publicity Officer and Conservation Coordinator. She believes that the HPS has a lot to offer gardeners and deserves to be more widely known. With her husband Graham their garden has several mature trees creating many shady areas.

James worked as a solicitor in London, specialising in commercial litigation before the gardening bug struck. He now juggles the demands of two very different environments; a damp, shady urban garden in Yorkshire and a vertiginous four acre hillside garden in Spain. He has learned the hard way that plant choice is key; his obsessions include, epimediums and ferns.

A member of HPS since 2016, James was lured by the Seed Distribution Scheme and stayed for the in depth knowledge and passion for plants. As a new member of the West Yorkshire Group, James is looking forward to swapping tales of gardening on cold, wet, northern clay.

James says, “When the call went out for volunteers, I was only too happy respond. I’m excited to have the opportunity to promote the society’s aims, spread the word and meet as many fellow members as possible.”

James academic achievements include a BSc Hons degree in Horticulture and an MA in Landscape Architecture. James impressive career to date has included projects at Kew, Jerusalem, Sheffield, Gibraltar Botanic Gardens and RHS Wisley; he has been responsible for the care and cultivation of many collections and for compiling and maintaining plant databases.

James has experience of judging for the RHS Award of Garden Merit for Epimedium and he created a new National Plant Collection of Astilbe (Arends) cultivars.

James says, “I am excited to be able to assist the HPS in gaining new members, supporting the horticultural research and hopefully reaching new audiences. I hope that my experience in the horticultural industry can help achieve this and carry on all the great work that the HPS does for the future.”

Jan worked as a GP; she later moved to palliative medicine as a senior doctor in a charity funded hospice.

Jan’s experience with HPS covers many years, initially as a national member, then through groups and committee roles. In 2016 she became a Trustee and Postholder coordinating the Conservation Scheme. She was elected national chair in 2018 and held the post for the three year term. She is now a member of Western Counties, Worcestershire and many of the Special Interest Groups; she is still involved with the Conservation Scheme as a local coordinator and is currently Chair of the Pulmonaria Group.

Jan says ” I want to see the society continue to grow and be a focus for people who are keen to develop their knowledge of plants and share their passion with others”.

Martin is a director of music at a school in Birmingham; a teacher and author, having written about education in the national press, he recently published his first book and already has plans for a second. He also writes on gardening for Hortus. Martin is a trustee of a primary academy and has experience of governance, compliance and strategy. He gardens with his wife, Louise; their garden opens annually for the NGS.

Martin says, ” There is more writing from me to come. I’m a mustard keen gardener and am happy to share my limited time with HPS.”

Delighted to be invited to join the HPS board as a trustee and look forward to hopefully being able to make a contribution to the future development of the society. As an observer at the last two board meetings, I have been able to witness firsthand the energy and enthusiasm of the Trustees and the Postholders to the task of ensuring the growth of the Society. HPS has a vital role to play in ensuring the place that gardens and plants play in today’s society.

Saul is Head Gardener at Stonelands House, Dawlish. He is a National Trust & Kew trained horticulturist, a former shows manager at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, a BBC Gardeners World Live Plant Expert and a member of the RHS Tender Ornamental Plant Committee

Tom retired in 2011 after 13 years as Chief Executive of the Royal Association for Deaf People. He worked in senior management in the voluntary sector and has experience in finance, administration, human relations and fundraising. For a few years, he was treasurer of the Charity Finance Directors Group. After giving up sailing and with the help of a WRAGS gardener (Work & Retrain As a Gardener Scheme) Tom has been working on his medium sized town garden which opened for the National Garden Scheme  for the first time last year.

Tom Says, “Gardening can be lonely, and I believe organisations like the HPS do an important job bringing gardeners together and spreading good practice. This is why I took on the role of Chair of the Essex Group last year, a role which I believe, will enrich my contribution as a Trustee.”