Friday March 15th at 7:30 pm St Boniface Church Rooms

Angela Palmerton

GARDENING WITH NATURE

Angela takes a practical look at sustainabilty in our gardens. The talk is a journey through some of her own experiences and the joy (and pain) of wildlife gardening. She will bust some myths, give some practical pointers and aim to encourage as many of us as possible to garden in a more nature friendly way.

Angela  has been a professional horticulturist for 20+ years, ran her own award-winning gardening company and now works as an independent gardens consultant specialising in creating and managing ecologically diverse gardens.  She is experienced with gardens ranging in size from large heritage estates, to small town gardens, a simple border over-haul to meadows and ponds.

Friday April 19th at 7:30 pm St Boniface Church Rooms

Timothy Walker

WHAT HAVE PLANTS EVER DONE FOR US?

Rarely does a minute go by when we are not involved in an activity that would be impossible without the help of plants. The talk looks at mankind’s dependance on plants for everything from food to film and from painkillers to paint. It also examines what we do for plants and how we can keep up with demand from an increasing global population and also what we as individuals can do to help future generations.

Timothy is a lecturer in botany at Somerville College, Oxford.  He is a former Director of Oxford Botanic Gardens and Harcourt Arboretum.  He was awarded 4 Gold Medals at Chelsea Flower Show

Friday May 17th at 7:30 pm St Boniface Church Rooms

Val Bourne

ROSES AND PEONIES – A MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN

Val has a large collection of lactiflora hybrids in her garden. They vary from 19th Century French beauties to modern American Peonies in shades of coral, vivid red and yellow. The talk will follow the history of Peony breeding, their use as a companion plant for roses and recommends varieties.

Val is an award-winning garden writer, organic gardener and lecturer and she gardens on the wind-sept Cotswolds at Spring Cottage. She gardens without chemicals and is a committed plantaholic.

Friday July 19th at 7:30 pm St Boniface Church Rooms

Andrew Humphris

SALVIAS

Andrew is very knowledgeable about Salvias and is one of the judging panel responsible for assessing the RHS hardy salvia trials due to finish in 2024.  He will share his knowledge about the trials, likely candidates for AGM awards and how the plants were assessed and managed.

He is currently Head Gardener at Parham House.

Friday September 20th at 7:30 pm St Boniface Church Rooms

Katherine Crouch

PLANTS THAT SHOULD BE BETTER KNOWN

With the rise of the large garden centres and the decline of the old fashioned nurseries, plant choice is becoming more homogenised across the country. There are many garden worthy and beautiful plants that it is difficult to get hold of for one reason or another.  Katherine has grown every one that she tells us about and her motto is ‘ Gardening should be an adventure, not a chore’.

Katherine is an award winning gardener,  has a Garden Design Business and gives talks to societies and clubs.  She won the BBC Gardener of the Year Award in 1999, the BBC Gardener of the Decade in 2008. She is also a Gold Medal winner at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Friday October 18th at 7:30 pm St Boniface Church Rooms

Gillian Taylor

‘MORE COLOUR, LESS WORK – fact or fiction’

This talk is a guide to sustainable gardening.  Sustainable in terms of labour, water and nutition whilst still keepng the beauty, colour, structure and provision of an insect friendly environment that we are always trying to aim for.

Saturday November 16th at 2 pm St Boniface Church Rooms

Annual General Meeting

followed by

Nigel Hopes

AUTUMN IN THE GARDEN

The onset of Autumn doesn’t mean that your garden is going to sleep. Nigel will look at the range of plants that you can use to continue interest in the garden right through to winter. From trees to bulbs there is something to light the fire in any size garden!

Nigel is Head Gardener for John Massey, in his private garden at Ashwood Nursery. He previously worked at the Birmingham Botanic Gardens and gained further experience at RHS Wisley and in South Africa with a scholarship from AGS and Merlin Trust.