Programme of Events
| All lectures are 1:45pm unless otherwise shown. Anyone is welcome. Meeting fees apply. They are preceded by an introduction and discussion session at 11am as described in "What We Do" on the home page. |
Meetings are at Corse and Staunton Village Hall, Gloucester Road, Corse, Gloucestershire, GL19 3RQ. Click here for Corse Village Hall website |
| Click here to see an archive listing of previous lectures and other events | |
Saturday, 27th September 2025: A History of Garden Plants in Twelve ShrubsPresenter: Dr Julian SuttonHow garden plants reached us, told through twelve shrubs. Very diverse, not an exhausting, exhaustive bio-piece on the turn-of-the-last-century 'plant hunters', though they inevitably get a mention. Julian Sutton has been a lifelong plantsman and until recently ran Desirable Plants nursery in Devon with his wife Sarah. He will be bringing plants to sell. |
Saturday, 25th October 2025: Preparing for Spring and Best Ever BordersPresenter: Tamsin WesthorpeTamsin will share insights in her inimitable style into maintaining a thriving plantsman's oasis, including stories and history behind Stockton Bury's diverse plant collections. Having edited a national gardening magazine for many years Tamsin is now curator and gardener at Stockton Bury Gardens in Herefordshire. |
Saturday, 29th November 2025: Gardens are mostly about sex, death and deliciousness...(Celebrity Lecture - ticketed event)Presenter: James Alexander-SinclairJames Alexander-Sinclair FSGD is one of the foremost garden designers in the United Kingdom. He has designed gardens from Cornwall to the Western Isles and from London to Moscow. He served ten years as a member of the Council of the Royal Horticultural Society. He is an RHS Vice-President, RHS Ambassador and was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal for outstanding contribution to horticulture in 2022. Passionate about Horatio's Garden. Expect fireworks! |
Saturday, 31st January 2026: Bourne to be a GalanthophilePresenter: Val BourneA fascinating talk with stories behind various galanthus, some delightful anecdotes and plenty of information about growing galanthus. Not to be missed! Val Bourne is an award-winning garden writer, organic gardener and lecturer and she gardens on the wind-swept Cotswolds at Spring Cottage - high above Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire. Her third of an acre garden is managed without using chemicals - something Val has always believed in. She also happens to be Vice President of The Hardy Plant Society and a member of our Western Counties Group. |
Saturday, 28th February 2026: Pruning Garden Trees- Inspiring ConfidencePresenter: Nick DunnWe are delighted that Nick will entertain and instruct us on how to prune trees (including fruit trees) demonstrating using live material, filmed up close so that those not sitting on the front row can see the fine detail in all its glory. For the last 50 years, Nick Dunn has been a cornerstone of British horticulture, establishing Frank P Matthews' reputation for exceptional British trees across the UK and beyond. His passion for trees and growing is second to none and his leadership extends far beyond the nursery grounds. He has been a key figure in national horticultural societies, including the RHS, HDC and NSA, supporting the gardening and top fruit sector and protecting plant health across the UK. Nick holds the RHS Victoria Medal of Honour, awarded to British horticulturists deserving of special honour for horticultural excellence and personal endeavour. |
Saturday, 28th March 2026: My Fascination with AlpinesPresenter: Gail DevriesGail became fascinated with alpines when she joined the Alpine Garden Society in 1989 whilst living in Kent. She will talk us through her experiences of growing alpines in her own gardens, at the AGS demonstration garden near Pershore, and more recently as a volunteer rejuvenating the alpine beds at Arley Arboretum. She will share with us why we should grow alpines and encourage us all to give them a go! |