Saturday 18 October (10.00 for 10.45 am)

Talk – Julie Verity will speak about “Beth Chatto, Derek Jarman and dry gardening”.   

The talk is about these two very different gardeners and their gardens.   

Julie Verity studied Horticulture and Plant Physiology at University, gaining two degrees and doing post-doctoral work in New Zealand.  After a successful career in business and education, she has returned to her love of plants through painting and giving talks about gardens and gardening heroes.  Plant sale

Talk – Tom Coward will speak about “William Robinson and Gravetye Manor”

After studying at Pershore College and Kew Gardens, Tom’s first job was as assistant head gardener at a property owned by Sir Paul McCartney in Sussex, followed by a job as Fergus Garrett’s deputy at Great Dixter.  For the past eleven years he has headed the garden team at Gravetye Manor.  Once the home of Victorian ‘wild garden’ exponent William Robinson, it is now a hotel and the garden is open only to paying guests.

This event is free to members and is followed by the Members’ Only Festive Lunch. Attendance at the talk and the lunch must be booked in advance.  More details to follow in the Autumn.

Talk – Mark Porter will speak about “The Winter Garden”

“Don't 'put a garden to bed' in winter but instead create a wonderfully colourful and structured landscape”.

Mark has gardened for as long as he can remember, starting by scattering a free cereal packet of candytuft seeds all around his parents garden much to their annoyance as they came up everywhere!  Following a 30 year career in the world of IT & consulting, Mark retired to spend more time in the charitable and community world of horticulture and also focusing more attention on the garden he and his wife had created in the early 2000's.  They have opened their garden to the public under the National Garden Scheme for the past 18 years and Mark is NGS SE England Regional Chairman. He was elected a Member of Council of the RHS from 2012 to 2022 and was made an RHS Vice President in 2023. He is also Chairman of the Federation of RHS Britain in Bloom.  Plant sale.

Talk – John Fielding will speak about “Euphorbias”

A talk about euphorbias, with the main emphasis on hardy plants we can grow in our gardens

John Fielding studied horticulture in Lancashire and at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. During a career spanning over 50 years, he has been actively involved in horticulture including lecturing, writing, garden design, planting and plant breeding. John’s love of horticulture and photography has helped him capture a vast collection of images covering many aspects of plants, gardens. He was a member of the RHS Photographic Advisory Committee for many years and is on the RHS Herbaceous Plant Expert Group. He is also involved with a number of specialist horticultural societies including Mediterranean Plants and Gardens where he is a member of the Management Committee. His work has been published in books, magazines and newspapers worldwide.  Plant sale.

AGM followed by Talk – Lynne Moore will speak about “A Blessing in Disguise”

A talk about some unusual and beautiful perennials that can be grown in a shady spot. 

Lynne has gardened for as long as she can remember. Her first memories are picking snowdrops from her grandparents garden.  Always encouraged by her grandad, her knowledge and enthusiasm grew until such times that she had her own little garden at her first flat.

Lynne is a complete plantaholic who’s always on the lookout for something new, different or unusual to grow. She gave up working as a Senior Fingerprint Expert in the Metropolitan Police Forensic Directorate in February 2016 after 25 years’ service to work with the plants full time.

Moore and Moore are a Chelsea Gold Medal winning, small, independent nursery based in Billericay, Essex. They specialise in shade tolerant and woodland plants.  Plant sale.

Talk – Neil Miller will speak about  “Hever Castle and its Roses”

Neil’s interest in horticulture started at the age of five when he would help his grandfather in the garden. 

Hailing from an insurance brokerage background, he started working at Hever in 2002 after he got chatting to the head gardener while he was looking around the garden.  He worked his way up through the ranks, and became Head Gardener himself four years later.

A rose specialist, Neil’s quest to introduce scented blooms to the Rose Garden at Hever Castle is one of his many legacies that visitors enjoy in the summer.

In 2021 Neil led his team to seven gold medal wins in a row at the South & South East in Bloom Awards, as well as being personally awarded the prestigious South & South East in Bloom ‘Horticulture Achievement Award’ in 2017 and Outstanding Achievement Award in 2021.

Neil has raised a lot of money for charity over the years, and is kindly donating his fee from the talk he is giving us to The Caron Keating Foundation.  Plant and seedling sale.