Events

Throughout the year Hardy Plant Society local and specialist groups host a variety of events. All our events are listed here: most of them are for members, but those open to everyone, member or not, are flagged "Open to the Public". They usually include lectures by well-known gardening figures.

Those for members include the Annual Lecture Day, often a residential weekend in the autumn, garden visits and study days. An event is a good way to meet members from other groups, or none, hear speakers who may not be able to come to your group and learn from experts and fellow-members.

2020

Saturday 28th March 2020 Booking opens at end of November	Dorset Group Annual Lecture Day and AGM at the Allendale Community Centre, Hanham Road, Wimborne, Dorset. BH21 1AS Speakers: Keith Wiley and Mat Reese More details to Follow
Saturday 4th April 2020 More information On-line booking	Middlesex Group Passionate About Plants 8-15am to 4-45pm (please take seats by 9-15am) Tickets £29-50 Brunel University London, Auditorium, Eastern Gateway, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, Hillingdon, UB8 3PH Speakers: Katie Rushworth, Nick Bailey, Toby Buckland, Andy McIndoe
Saturday 16th May 2020 More information	The Shade and Woodland Plants Group Annual Meeting and AGM The 6th Annual Meeting and AGM in 2020 will be a special Lecture Day with three excellent speakers. The event will will be held at the Britannia Airport Hotel, Manchester There will be the usual plant sales, raffle and Auction.
Saturday 13th June 2020 Booking form .docx	South Pennine Group National Lecture Day “The English Flower Border”, Sheffield Botanical Gardens Don Witton, Nurseryman, Lecturer and Author "The Creation and Evolution of the English Herbaceous Border" Andrew Ward, Lecturer and Owner of Norwell Gardens & Nursery "Bordering on Brilliance" Timothy Walker, Lecturer, Author and former Director of Oxford Botanical Gardens "Bordering on Insanity - Creating an all-year-round border" Plant Sales by Norwell Nurseries, Green End Farm Nursery and South Pennine Group members' plant sales Self-guided tours of Sheffield Botanical gardens £18 including light refreshments. Pre-booked packed lunches available at £7. RHS Chatsworth Flower show is on 11th-14th June so why not book a weekend away? Booking forms will be available from 1st November 2019.

2019

Saturday 30th March 2019 Open to the Public More Information On-line booking now closed	East Yorkshire Group HPS ANNUAL LECTURE DAY AND AGM Bishop Burton College, York Road, Bishop Burton, East Yorkshire HU17 8QG 0900 - 1630 Speakers Christopher Grey – Wilson ‘Poppies of the world’ Andy McIndoe ‘Shrubs : The perfect plant for every place in your garden’ Ticket Prices Ticket and buffet lunch £25 or Ticket only £18 A postal booking form has been published in the February 2019 'Newsletter' and a downloadable version is available here. On-line booking is available from the ticketsource link in the left hand column. For further information contact Lois Scott (Secretary) tel: 01482-494276 or e-mail eastyorks@hardy-plant.org.uk
Saturday 13th April 2019 Open to the public Booking Form pdf Plant Support Order Form	HPS Worcestershire Group HPS AMBASSADORS’ DAY – ‘GARDENING IN THE 21ST CENTURY’ Saturday 13th April, 2019 10-00am to 4-00pm Pershore College, Avonbank, Pershore, Worcestershire, WR10 3JP Matthew Wilson – ‘How to Garden in a Changing Climate’ Val Bourne – ‘The Living Jigsaw’ Plant sales including – Brockamin Plants, Cotswold Garden Flowers & Pershore College Pre-ordered Plant Supports Tickets £15 (Worcestershire Group Members £10) To include light refreshments throughout the day Pre-booked lunches £11 or bring your own.
Saturday 4th May 2019 More Information Open to the public Postal booking forms are no longer available. SOLD OUT Enquire about the waiting list here	West Yorkshire Group The Magic of Plants Conference Saturday 4 May 2019, 10-00am to 4-00pm The Conference Centre, Britannia Leeds Bradford Airport Hotel, Leeds Road, Bramhope, Leeds LS16 9JJ Jimi Blake – 'Hunting Brook through the Seasons' John Grimshaw – 'Paying Rent: plants that earn their keep' Rosy Hardy – 'The Plants are the Stars of the Show' John Massey – 'The Magic of the Changing Seasons – Spring into Summer'
Sunday 2nd June 2019 Open to the public Postal Booking Form	Peony Group Study Day and AGM Birtsmorton Court, Birtsmorton, nr. Malvern WR13 6JS By kind permission of Mrs Rosalie Dawes, the Peony Day will be held at Birtsmorton Court. It is difficult to imagine a more delightful location. The medieval moated manor house is set off by romantic gardens full of roses and peonies. The White Garden is very special and the topiary hedges are an impressive sight. Main speaker: Susannah Applegate on ‘James Kelway and his beautiful peonies’. 10 .00am: Registration, tea/coffee, plant sales, peony-themed raffle 10.30am: Peony Group AGM 11.00am: Susannah Applegate: ‘James Kelway and his beautiful peonies’ Lunch: bring your own packed lunch, which can be eaten at tables in the courtyard by the AGM venue. After lunch we will be able to enjoy the lovely gardens of Birtsmorton Court. Cost: Peony Group members £11.50, HPS members £13, visitors £15
Sunday 16th to Wednesday 19th June 2019 More Information	HPS Worcestershire Group GARDEN TOUR TO HAMPSHIRE Open to all HPS members who may bring a guest.

Previous Years

2018

Saturday 24th March 2018

More Information

Booking is now closed

Devon Group

HPS Annual Lecture Day and AGM
09.00 – 16.30 (please take seats by 10.30)
AGM : 13.40 – 14.40
Petroc College of Higher Education (Mid Devon Campus), Bolham Road, Tiverton EX16 6SH (map)
Guest speakers: Dr Julian Sutton of Desirable Plants and Nick Macer of Pan Global Plants
Dr Sutton’s talk is 'For us not them – fact, informed ideas and scurrilous opinion on the naming of plants'
and Nick Macer‘s talk is entitled 'Snow in Burma'
Online bookings: Please note: if you have booked online, you will need to print off your ticket(s) and the information sheet will have been emailed to you.
You can contact admin@hardy-plant.org.uk with any queries.

Saturday 14th April
2018

More information

Open to the public

Booking Form pdf
or
Word doc

Middlesex Group
Passionate About Plants

0830-1615 (Please take seats for celebrity talks by 0920)
Haydon School, Wiltshire Lane, Pinner, Middlesex, HA5 2LX (free parking on-site)

Celebrity speakers: Annie Godfrey, Frances Tophill, Adam Frost & Nick Hamilton

This will be our eighth biennial ‘Passionate About Plants’ with a full day’s enjoyment from four expert speakers talking about plants and trees in our gardens. Plants from specialist nurseries, seeds, tools and other garden requisites will be available for sale before the start of the programme of talks and during intervals throughout the day. It should be a very special day out for garden lovers.

Saturday
9th June
2018

Open to the public

Booking Form

More Information

Essex Group
Lecture Day
‘Fronds, Foliage and The Far East’
with Bob Brown, Julian Sutton and Bleddyn Wynn-Jones
at The Braintree Arts Theatre, Notley Road, Braintree, Essex CM7 1WY

Bob’s talk will be all about ferns. Julian’s talk is entitled ‘Adventures with Fancy Foliage’ and Bleddyn’s talk will be on his 2017 plant hunting trip to North Vietnam.

Saturday 9th June

More Information

Open to the public on the day

Postal
Booking Form

Peony Group Study Day and AGM

This year we are meeting at the Hillside Centre, RHS Garden, Wisley.
After the short AGM there will be a talk by Caroline Stone on ‘I had a dream…how a passion for peonies began’. The afternoon programme will include an introduction to and guided tours of the RHS Peony Trials, propagation demonstrations, and short talks.
Specialist peony nurseries will be present as well as our members’ table.
There will be no charge for the event, but please remember to bring your RHS members card to gain entry to the garden. Peony group members who are not members of the RHS can gain free access to the garden so long as we are notified of this on the booking form.
Please register using the postal booking form. We need to know who intends to come for catering (tea/coffee, biscuits only. Please bring your own lunch) and for identification labels.

Sunday
22^ndJuly 2018

Open to the public

More Information

Hampshire Group

With regret this event has had to be cancelled.
Full refunds will be issued to all who have already booked

‘East to West’ – and something in between!
with Dan Hinkley, Timothy Walker and Diane Clement

The Lantern Theatre, Mountbatten School, Whitenap Lane, Romsey, Hampshire SO51 5SY
Dan Hinkley
Dan’s talk is on ‘Making Heronswood’, which is situated near Kingston, Washington State, USA.
Timothy Walker
Timothy will be speaking on ‘The Harcourt Arboretum’ – one of Oxfordshire’s brightest botanical jewels.
Diane Clement
Diane will be speaking on ‘Chinese Lanterns and Tibetan Prayer Flags’ – this is a new lecture for 2017 showing some of the wonderful plants seen on the AGS tour of Sichuan in June 2016.

Saturday 13 October 2018

Open to the public

Worcestershire Group

Lessons from Great Gardeners - a talk by Matthew Biggs
2pm at Pershore College, Worcestershire WR10 3JP

In this lecture based on his RHS book of the same name, Matthew examines just what it takes to be a great gardener. He uses examples from around the globe and from history. He considers several examples, among them William Robinson who was inspired by nature, the art of Gertrude Jekyll and the extravagances of Madame Ganna Walska who created a grandiose ‘stage set’ in California. He considers the motivation, techniques and eccentricities that drove the great gardeners to succeed, and using evidence from their lives and gardens, reveals how you can become a great gardener too.

Matthew is a HPS Ambassador. He is best known for his appearances on BBC Radio Gardener’s Question Time. He has made numerous TV appearances and is a contributor to BBC Gardener’s World magazine. He has been a professional gardener for over 20 years. He studied at Pershore College and the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew.

Tickets £10 (Worcestershire HPS Group members free). Please send cheque to Lyn Maile, Hatfield Mount, Hatfield Lane, Norton, Worcester WR5 2PZ (sec@worcs-hardy-plant.org.uk). Collect tickets at the door or send SAE.

Saturday 27th October 2018

11am—5pm

Launch of HPS Hardy Garden Chrysanthemum Booklet
Chrysanthemum Day at Hill Close Gardens
www.hillclosegardens.com
Judy Barker holds the National Collection of Chrysanthemums hardy (dispersed) alongside Dr Andrew Ward Norwell Nursery and Hill Close Gardens (registered with Plant Heritage) and is the author of the recently published HPS booklet on this subject.
Hill Close Gardens will be launching the promotion of this booklet in conjunction with the HPS on their annual ‘Chrysanthemum Open Day’. Come and see the chrysanthemum border at Hill Close Gardens and meet the author who will be available to answer questions relating to choosing and growing plants for your garden.
Hill Close is a rare example of Victorian detached leisure gardens
Bread and Meat Close Warwick CV34 6HF
Adults £4.50 - children £1.00 - under 5’s free
Also free for HCGT members and RHS members

Event entry is free to members of Plant Heritage, the RHS and Hill Close Garden Trust members, and HPS members showing a valid membership card, otherwise garden entry charges apply.
Book Signing: Author, Judy Barker, will be available for book signing.

2017

Saturday 25th March 2017	HPS AGM & Annual Lecture Day celebrating our Diamond Jubilee Easton College 9:00 am - 4:30 pm The event not to be missed for a variety of reasons, is the AGM, Lecture Day and 60th celebrations. The Norfolk and Suffolk Group were asked to host this as the HPS was inaugurated in Norfolk in 1957 by Alan Bloom. Speakers are Matthew Biggs and Alan Gray See Norfolk and Suffolk group page for full details
Saturday 1st April 2017 Open to the public	Primrose Day Chaddesley Corbett Village Hall 9-15 am - 4-00 pm Hosted by the Western Counties Group The day will comprise of primrose themed talks by Caroline Stone and Penny Jones. There will be opportunities to buy plants from them as well as a members' plant stall. After Lunch Olive Mason has invited us to visit her gardenat Dial Park which is just a 5 minute walk away. £12-00 for HPS members and £15 for non-members
Saturday 6th May 2017 Open to the Public	‘The Magic of Plants’ with Bunny Guinness, Troy Scott-Smith, Val Bourne, Marina Christopher. Leeds Beckett University (Headingley Campus), LS16 5LF. West Yorkshire Group
Saturday 6th May 2017 Booking Information	Shade & Woodland Plants Group The 2017 Annual Meeting will be in Kent: a short AGM will be followed by a talk from Keith Wiley of Wildside Garden and Nursery. There will be plant sales, a rare plant auction and a visit to the woodland garden at The Warrens Programme
Sunday 14th May 2017 Open to the Public Booking Form	Peony Group Peony Study Day AGM, lecture Jeanine Lemmens of Graefswinning, Nieuwerkerken, Belgium. Visit to Phedar Nursery(SK6 3DS) and The Chadkirk Estate(SK6 3LB). High Lane Village Hall, Windlehurst Road, High Lane, Nr Stockport, SK6 8AB For full details please visit the Peony Group page
Saturday 17th June 2017	Hardy Geranium Group The Geranium Day will be held in Nottinghamshire on Saturday June 17th 2017. The speaker will be Dr. Andrew Ward and we shall be visiting Norwell Nurseries. Visit the Hardy Geranium Group page for more.
Saturday 30th September 2017 Booking Form	‘Hardy Plants in a Changing Environment’ A Lecture Day hosted by the East Yorkshire Group Lizzie Balmforth – ‘Planting Combinations at Mt St John’ Prof. Alastair Fitter - ‘When will it Flower? Phenology in a Changing Climate’ Dr John Grimshaw – ‘What is a Perennial?’ Matthew Wilson - ‘New gardening; How to Garden in a Changing Climate' Bishop Burton College, Bishop Burton, HU17 8QG
Saturday 14th October 2017 Open to the Public	Berkshire Group Celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of the Hardy Plant Society 10.15 TIMOTHY WALKER: BORDERING ON INSANITY - This talk looks exclusively at the herbaceous border and covers the principles and practicalities to be adopted when trying to create a border that is interesting all year round. 1.30 JULIAN SUTTON: THE BOTANICAL GARDENER - Portraits of plants for the garden, with snippets of science attached. Julian is very well known for his talks on all plant species, and is well travelled. Door open at 9.30am, St Peter's Hall, Church Road, Earley, Reading, RG6 1EY Plants and award winning preserves for sale, Refreshments and light lunch included Price of ticket £13, available via the Secretary at helen@byeslane.org.uk

Please note:
Events organised by HPS groups often include visits to the gardens of ordinary members. Visitors will obviously need to take care as there may be uneven paths, spiky plants and other everyday hazards. Members attend all HPS events at their own risk.