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 often 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, learn from experts and fellow-members or purchase plants.

2022

Saturday 7th May 2022	Norfolk and Suffolk Group 'Designing with Plants' by Fergus Garrett Details TBA
Sunday 29th May 2022	Peony Group The Peony Group AGM 2022 and talk will be held at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, nr. Romsey, Hampshire, SO51 0QA (map) After the AGM the speaker will be Dr Richard Gornall, “Making Sense of Peonies: their biology and evolution” £13.00 for HPS Peony Group members, £15.00 for HPS members and £16.00 for non HPS members Further details are available on the Peony Group page. A booking form is available to download here Doors open at 10.15am, with the AGM starting at 10.45am and Dr Gornall giving his talk at 11.30am. If you have any questions email Caroline at peony@hardy-plant.org.uk or ring 01566 785706
Saturday 11th June 2022	Hardy Geranium Group Geranium Day 2022, and our AGM, will be held at Stillingfleet, just south of York. We are delighted that Vanessa Cook of Stillingfleet Lodge nurseries will be our speaker. The nursery specialises in Hardy Geraniums as well as stocking an abundance of many other beautiful plants. In the afternoon we will be visiting Stillingfleet Lodge's gardens, described by RHS Gardens as 'Worth a long journey to visit' and by Gardens Illustrated as 'One of the best cottage gardens'. The event is of course open to non-HGG members - all are welcome and we look forward to seeing you there! A booking form is available to download here
Saturday 10th September 2022	ALD/AGM 2022 hosted by HPS Somerset Group at the Tacchi-Morris Art Centre, School Road, Taunton, Somerset, TA2 8PD. Details Later

2023

Saturday 6th May 2023

West Yorkshire Group
Magic of Plants Day Conference at Pudsey Civic Hall, Leeds.
Talks by Alan Gray, Annie Guilfoyle, Julian Sutton and Peter Williams
Further details TBA

Previous Years

2021

Saturday 8th May 2021	West Yorkshire Group CANCELLED The Magic of Plants Lecture Day at Mercure Parkway Hotel, Leeds Details TBA
Saturday 15th May 2021	Norfolk and Suffolk Group Fergus Garrett on 'Designing with Plants'. CANCELLED In the light of government guidelines and uncertainties it is with regret that the committee have decided to cancel the talk by Fergus Garrett. This has been re-scheduled for Saturday 7^th May 2022 - same format as planned for May 2021. Fergus will give a Zoom lecture ‘Succession planting’ on Saturday 15^th May 2021 at 2pm. See Group Zoom Talks page for details The cost will be £4 for HPS Norfolk & Suffolk Group members and £5 for non-members. Please feel free to let family, friends and fellow gardeners know.
Saturday 26th June 2021	Hardy Geranuim Group Annual Geranium Day at Wrest Park, Silsoe, Bedfordshire in the morning, with a visit to Trevor Hards’ beautiful garden in Clophill in the afternoon.
Saturday 26th June 2021	Ranunculaceae Group AGM and meeting - Guest Speaker - Timothy Walker followed by a visit to Coton Manor Gardens and Nursery Further details TBA
Sunday 1st August 2021 Open to the public	Staffordshire Group HPS Staffordshire Group will be at the Sandon Hall Plant Show (map)
Saturday 14th August 2021 Open to the public	Staffordshire Group Plant Stall at Stafford Farmers Market (map)
Wednesday/Thursday 25th/26th August 2021 Open to the public	Staffordshire Group HPS Staffordshire Group will be at the Staffordshire County Show (map)
Saturday 11th September Open to the public	Staffordshire Group Plant Stall at Stafford Farmers Market (map)
Saturday 25th September 2021	North East Group CANCELLED National ALD/AGM, Holiday Inn, Newcastle-upon-Tyne See Virtual AGM details on Wednesday September 29th below
Wednesday 29th September 2021	7-30 pm Virtual AGM Details to follow
Saturday 11th September 2021 Open to the public	Staffordshire Group Plant Stall at Stafford Farmers Market (map)
Saturday 9th October 2021 Open to the public	Staffordshire Group Plant Stall at Stafford Farmers Market (map)
Saturday 16th October 2021	Essex CANCELLED Annual Lecture Day
Saturday 13th november Open to the public	Staffordshire Group Plant Stall at Stafford Farmers Market (map)
Saturday 11th December Open to the public	Staffordshire Group Plant Stall at Stafford Farmers Market (map)

2020

Saturday 4th April 2020 More information	Middlesex Group Passionate About Plants Cancelled 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	The Shade and Woodland Plants Group ~~Annual Meeting and AGM~~ Cancelled 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 May 30th 2020	Hardy Geranium Group Annual Geranium Day and AGM Cancelled This year we visit member Sue Clarke's garden in Wrenbury, Cheshire. Sue has a Plant Heritage National Collection of G. sylvaticum and G. renardii which should be at their best. After our morning AGM Julie Ritchie, owner of Hoo House Nursery, will give a talk on "Most successful geraniums I have seen growing and plants to go with them". Plants on sale both from Hoo House Nursery and members and at Sue's garden. We will also visit another garden close to Sue's in Wrenbury which has many lovely Clematis and Roses. Both gardens open for NGS.
Saturday 13th June 2020	South Pennine Group National Lecture Day “The English Flower Border”, Sheffield Botanical Gardens Cancelled 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.
Saturday 13th June 2020	HPS Peony Group HPS Peony Group AGM and Peony Day Cancelled The Peony Group AGM and talk will be held at Welton Village Hall, Lincolnshire, LN2 3LU. After the AGM the speaker will be Jo Bennison, of Bennison Peonies talking on ‘The Itoh hybrids and other A-list peonies’ In the afternoon we will visit Bennison Peonies, where plants can be ordered to be supplied bare root in the autumn, followed by a visit to Brightwater Garden, an 8 acre Twenty-first century garden with shrub and herbaceous planting, including peonies and roses, a small lake and arboretum. Details: £12.00 for HPS Peony Group members, £14.00 for HPS members and £15.00 for visitors.
Saturday 20th June 2020	Ranunculaceae Group Postponed until 26th June 2021 Guest Speaker - Timothy Walker followed by a visit to Coton Manor Gardens and Nursery Cost: Ranunculaceae members: £7or non-members £13.50 This year’s meeting of the Ranunculaceae Group is coming to middle England - Watford Village Hall, Northamptonshire. Following the AGM, we will have the annual lecture presented by Timothy Walker, who is putting together a new talk especially for the group which he has provisionally entitled - Irresistable Ranunculaceae. He will look at examples of how the many genera of Ranunculaceae contribute to our lives. In the afternoon, there will be a visit to Coton Manor Gardens and Nursery. The gardens are extensive and the nursery has 1000s of plants for sale, most of which are propagated at Coton. There is a cafe which offers a selection of light meals and snacks or attendees are welcome to bring a packed lunch to eat at the Hall or on the adjoining green.
Saturday 5th September 2020	Dorset Group Cancelled HPS Annual Lecture Day and AGM (Postponed from 28th March) at the Allendale Community Centre, Hanham Road, Wimborne, Dorset. BH21 1AS Speakers: Keith Wiley and Mat Reese Ticket Prices Ticket and buffet lunch £25 or Ticket only £18 We are very pleased to be able to offer you the opportunity to transfer your ticket to this new date of Saturday 5th September 2020 with the same venue, speakers and catering. If you are unable to attend on the revised date we will refund the price of your ticket(s) in full. Unfortunately the Hardy Plant Society is unable to take responsibility for any travel or accommodation costs incurred. Please reply to the Administrator Clare Powell, by Wednesday 18th March to confirm your attendance at the revised event. If you are unable to attend please send your bank account number and sort code and we will arrange a full refund of your ticket. All emails should be addressed to: clare@hardy-plant.org.uk Please try and avoid telephoning the office unless absolutely necessary

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.

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.