Talk "Aspects of Fuchsias" by Carol Gubler
Fuchsias are undoubtedly one of the most spectacular and useful plants of the British summer. Whilst hardy varieties provide years of dramatic and colourful contributions to our borders, the more delicate trailing and bush varieties bring even more beauty and spectacle to our hanging baskets and containers!
Returning to CEHS after 10 years Carol Gubler, the proprietor of Little Brook Fuchsias, is sure to “wow” us with how to get the best from the more the 400+ varieties she grows and sells! Most garden centres offer just the same 10-20 varieties at best! With luck Carol will bring some young plants to tempt us!
John Windass
Visit to Lower Bowden Manor Garden, Bowden Green, Pangbourne, RG8 8JL
The owners of the Manor have agreed to open the gardens exclusively to our members for £15.00 each to include tea and cake. Much of this fee will be donated by the owners to the National Garden Scheme charity.
Members are asked to make their own way to the gardens and car sharing is encouraged and there is plenty of parking.
The owners will personally give us a tour as well
The garden is 7 acre designers garden with stunning views and structure predominates.
There are specimen trees, pond, a rill, statues, boulder garden, orchard, stumpery, topiary and Versailles planters.
There is a limit of 30 people, so tickets will be allocated to the first 30 applicants and waiting list will be created afterwards.
Please advise if you have any dietary requirements for the cakes and alternative refreshment available if cakes not suitable.
Deadline for tickets is 30/4/2025.
Trip to BBC Gardeners World Live at the NEC Birmingham
On the day there will BBC Gardeners World presenters giving talks. Adam Frost – Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday Food and drink facilities are available on site as well as lots of garden products and plant stalls and display gardens.
AGM at PWMH
Short AGM to report on the year’s activities and financial situation and to vote in next year’s committee, followed by cheese and wine where members can socialise together.
Talk "Serre de la Madone & Hidcote" by Anna Steven
Lawrence Johnston is famed for creating his great and influential garden at Hidcote. Serre de la Madone is Lawrence Johnston’s Other Garden.
Talk “Beautiful Kashmir” by Antony Powell
Antony is a Reading based freelance horticultural consultant with many years of experience as a nurseryman & plantsman. In the latter capacity he has participated in plant hunting trips to some of the most spectacularly beautiful mountainous regions of the world. On this occasion he will be talking on one of the best of them: Kashmir!
Please join us to see how well plants & mountains go together!
Talk “The Eight Wonder of the World: Exbury Gardens and the Rothschilds” by Francesca
Based in Buckinghamshire Francesca is a garden historian with a particular interest is forgotten Victorian gardeners, nurserymen and florists. One of the panel of top class speakers, like Gillian Taylor and Ray Broughton, who donate their expenses to support the Perennial horticultural charity Francesca is currently researching the John Windass nineteenth century history of the Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution (the forerunner of Perennial) and the gardeners who subscribed to its charitable funds.
Previously she wrote a book on “The Eighth Wonder of the World: Exbury Gardens and the Rothschilds” detailing the history of this famous 200-acre woodland garden in Hampshire. This history will be her focus in her talk to us.
Please join us to learn more about the background to this incredible garden, which many of us visited last spring
Talk “Gardening in the Future” by Doug Stewart
A lighthearted, but informative review of the latest innovations and discoveries that are going to change the way we garden…
Event AGM and Christmas Social
Short AGM to report on the year’s activities and financial situation and to vote in next year’s committee, followed by cheese and wine where members can socialise together.
Talk “From Farmers Field to Fruit & Flowers” by Gillian Taylor
our second afternoon talk of the year.
Talk “Right Plant Right Place” by Chris Bird
Chris is a Lecturer in Horticulture and has always been interested in plants and their arrangement and works closely with outside organisations such as Plant Heritage, the RHS and the National Trust to promote their use. Chris has been involved in the re-labelling of plants particularly in relation to the description.
Talk “Growing Perennials and Woody Plants for Cutting” by Rachel Siegfried
Avid readers of the Membership Card will have spotted that, when it went to press, we had just received notification that our scheduled speaker had unavoidably had to cancel.
Fortunately Rachel Siegfried who runs Green and Gorgeous, a cut flower farm near Wallingford, is able to step into the breech! Last visiting us in April 2018 Rachel has since written a book on the best perennials and woody plants for producing cut flowers. Her talk on this occasion will focus on these plants.
Talk "The Trowels and Tribultations of taking on a historic garden” by Maggie Tran
All Welcome.
Non Members £2
Free Parking tea & biscuits.
Why not become a member only £8 per year
Zoom Talk via Zoom. “Delightful, De-Lovely, Deranged!”
Glasgow based freelance journalist Nancy Stevens has had a lifelong passion for plants, has visited gardens throughout the world and created a variety of gardens for her own enjoyment. In this talk she will take us on a virtual trip around the world looking at the wonderful world of plants: some useful, some that started out being useful but then became nightmares and some just beautiful! From the “Super Bloom” of the Chilean Atacama desert & the Flying Duck Orchid of Australia to the “Apple of Death” of Central America and the Red Spider Lily of Japan and all points between!
Talk "Tenerife: A Botanical Honeypot"
Talk “Tenerife: A Botanical Honeypot” by Timothy Walker
All Welcome.
Non Members £2
Free Parking tea & biscuits.
Why not become a member only £8 per year
Talk TBC
Talk by Ray Broughton Topic TBC
All Welcome.
Non Members £2
Free Parking tea & biscuits.
Why not become a member only £8 per year
COACH OUTING - Swiss Gardens
COACH OUTING - Swiss Gardens and attached Shuttleworth vintage aircraft and motor car museum in Bedfordshire
Coach Trip The Manor House, Stevington, Bedfordshire
Private garden visit in the afternoon to The Manor House, Stevington, Bedfordshire and a visit to the nearby historic market town of Olney in the morning.
Talk "Heavenly Hostas"
“Heavenly Hostas” a talk by June Colley and John Baker
All Welcome.
Non Members £2
Free Parking tea & biscuits.
Why not become a member only £8 per year
Talk "For The Love of Roses"
“For the Love of Roses” a talk by Gillian Taylor
All Welcome.
Non Members £2
Free Parking tea & biscuits.
Why not become a member only £8 per year
Afternoon Talk “Gertrude Jekyll”
“Gertrude Jeckyll” A talk by Richard Biscgrove
All Welcome.
Non Members £2
Free Parking tea & biscuits.
Why not become a member only £8 per year
"Death in the Garden"
All Welcome.
Non Members £2
Free Parking tea & biscuits.
Why not become a member only £8 per year
"Pleasures and Perils of Opening Your Garden" a talk by Angela O'Connell
All Welcome.
Non Members £2
Free Parking tea & biscuits.
Why not become a member only £8 per year