2010 Autumn Weekend

Autumn Weekend 2010

Southern Counties Group – Autumn Weekend
10th - 12th September 2010

Members of the Southern Counties Group are delighted to be hosting this event and look forward to welcoming Society members from far and wide.

Date

Friday 10th - Sunday 12th September 2010.

Location

Wotton House, Guildford Road, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6HS, situated on the A25 between Dorking and Guildford, about 20 minutes travel from Junction 9 of the M25, and 4 miles from Dorking railway station. The setting is the picturesque Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Accommodation

Wotton House was once the home of the Evelyn family and the grounds were laid out in the 17th century by George Evelyn and his brother John, the botanist and diarist. The house and 20 acres of garden have been renovated: the house is now used as a conference centre and the garden opens for the NGS. All bedrooms can sleep two, but the number of twin rooms is limited. There is no restriction on the number of rooms that can be booked for single occupancy. There are some bedrooms on the ground floor and there are lifts to all the floors. All rooms are ensuite and include TV, wi-fi access, safe, trouser press, iron, hairdryer, tea/coffee-making facility and newspaper delivered to your door, on request. Guests have the use of the gym, sauna and indoor swimming pool, and the outdoor tennis courts. For more information and pictures, see www.principal-hayley.com/venues-and-hotels/wotton-house.

Cost

The cost of the weekend is £227 per person sharing a room and £262 for single occupancy. This includes dinner, bed and breakfast on Friday and Saturday, entrance to the gardens, coach travel and packed lunches on Saturday and Sunday, and two lectures. We hope that enough participants will be members of the RHS for their guest tickets to cover entry to Wisley for those who aren’t.

Sunday night

There is the opportunity to stay over on Sunday night. The cost of this will be £115 per room for two people sharing and £95 per room for single occupancy.

Lectures

Both of our lecturers will probably be familiar to you from their appearance on Gardeners’ World.

On Friday evening David Jewell, until recently Floral Superintendent at Wisley and now Head of Collections at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, will present a lecture on ‘Perennials at Wisley - Past, Present and Future’. This will act as a useful introduction to all there is to see at Wisley, and help you decide what to concentrate on during our visit there.

On Saturday evening Colin Crosbie, Garden Manager at Wisley, whose passion is woodland plants, will talk to us about ‘Shady Characters’.

Registration

This will take place on Friday afternoon, from 2.00 to 5.30 pm. From 4.00 pm to 6.00 pm there will be nurseries in attendance on site. A storage room for plants will be provided over the weekend.

Garden visits

After breakfast on Saturday and Sunday members will travel in coaches to visit gardens. These will include the RHS garden at Wisley where our visit will coincide with the annual Wisley Flower Show, when many nurseries attend with displays and sales of plants, sundries and garden-related ornaments.

Other gardens will include:

Three and a half acres of beautifully landscaped garden, surrounding a 1901 Arts and Crafts house, where great attention has been paid to every exquisite detail. Highlights include an 85-metre cascading rill, a specially commissioned sculpture, and a green-oak loggia, before we even consider the planting.
the half-acre partly walled garden of a 16th century cottage, including unusual herbaceous plants, rose and clematis walks and a decorative organic kitchen garden.
a half-acre plantsman’s garden in the town centre, on dry sand, featuring a range of drought-tolerant plants. Terraced, with a striking outlook on to a church, it is planted for year-round interest of foliage and form.
a third of an acre garden, including a shady fernery, and a large water garden with two fountains.
a garden of just under a quarter acre, stepped up a slope, in which colour theming is used to stunning effect and planting is still vibrant in September.
a garden full of colour, on a slope that covers a third of an acre but feels much larger. The owner, a passionate plantaholic, was a finalist in the BBC Gardener of the Year 2009 competition.

There will be plants for sale at several of the gardens.

Travel

Travel details and a map will be sent to all successful applicants. A list of gardens open on the Friday and the Monday will also be available, as well as a list of local B&B accommodation for those planning to extend their visit.

How to apply

The application form may be used for a maximum of two people. Please print clearly, preferably in black ink. All applicants must be paid-up members of the national Hardy Plant Society. Applications must be accompanied by a cheque for the full amount, made out to HPS Southern Counties Group No. 2 Account, and must enclose an A5 (229mm x 162mm) stamped, self-addressed envelope. Please give your HPS membership number which is the 6-digit number (beginning with 8) which you will find after your name on all post from the HPS.

Click on the icon below to download a booking form or a printable version of this information sheet:

Booking form

Information sheet

All bookings will be held until the end of March. At that point, if the weekend is oversubscribed, a ballot will be held. We will then let you know if you have a place. If not, we will return your cheque and give you a place on the waiting list.

Refund policy

Once you have been allocated a place we can refund your payment only if another member takes up the place.

Queries

If you have any queries, please get in touch with Sandra Hartley on 01372 727715 or sandrahartley@waitrose.com.