Special Events
These are some of the "Special Events"
that we have enjoyed with our club.
At our March meeting on the 8th, we had one of our "Special Ticket Events". Adam Frost, was our guest speaker.
Adam is an RHS Ambassador for Education and Community Gardens, and an award winning garden designer and Gardener's World presenter.
His talk was entitled "Adam's 7 Gold Medal-Winning Chelsea Gardens.
From a lifetime in the garden, Adam’s talks are always full of amusing stories, as well as advice and inspiration.
March Meeting with Adam Frost
Pollyanna Pickering on the 14th of September 2017
We welcomed guest speaker Pollyanna Pickering, a renowned wildlife artist, author and popular speaker. The image below is of her latest book, and she entertained us with a talk entitled "The Company of Wolves". The following passage was extracted from her website: -
The very name Transylvania conjures up images of mythical wolf-infested
land of forests and gothic castles, the surreal backdrop to a spooky horror
movie. In reality it is one of the last remaining strongholds of the highly
endangered European wolf, an area rich in ancient folk lore, with medieval
villages straight out of the pages of a fairy tale.
Join Pollyanna as she searches for wild wolves, bears and lynx in the
Carpathian Mountains. Pollyanna was also able to spend time sketching
two semi-tame wolves, rescued from a fur farm as young cubs, and hand
reared by charity workers.
This amusing account of her travels will open your eyes to the beauty of a
little known area of Europe - and bring an understanding of the inspiration
behind Pollyanna's remarkable paintings.
Polyanna is a well known speaker and gave us a particularly entertaining and
witty description of her travels in Transylvania.
Chris Beardshaw at September 2016 Meeting
Chris took us from Samaria and Ancient Egypt, via Versailles and Taj Mahal to Dyrham Park and Hidcote in explaining the development of the quitesential "English Garden"
As well as having a light and humorous approach, Chris shows a fantastic knowledge on a wide range of topics. We all had a great evenings entertainment.
Trip to the N.E.C. for the Gardeners' World Live Exhibition.
We had a club outing to visit the “Gardeners World Live” exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham on Sunday June 14th.
Carl Wilde
At our "Special Event" meeting on the 17th of November 2015 we were royally entertained by celebrity TV florist Carl Wilde, on a well received return visit. He demonstrated tremendous artistic skill in the creation of several magnificent arrangements, aimed primarily at the Christmas period. While creating the displays, he kept the audience
in stiches with his familiar, camp, conversational style.
Trip to Sheffield Botanical Gardens and Don Whitton's Allotment.
On the 15th June 2014 our Annual outing took us to Sheffield. We visited the Botanical Gardens in the morning and the allotment and home garden of Don Whitton, at Harthill, in the afternoon, to see his National Collection of hardy Euphorbias.
Sheffield Botanical Gardens have recently undergone a restoration with the help of a £5 million Heritage Lottery Fund Award. The intermittant drizzle on the day was not enough to dampen the spirits, and the quality and diversity of the gardens, gave much to examine and enjoy.
Outing to Barnsdale Garden, Rutland
On the 30th June 2013 our Annual outing took us to Barnsdale, the gardens of the late Geoff Hamilton. Now maintained and developed, in the spirit of Geoff, by his family. This was a great day out.
Chris Beardshaw at the September Meeting
Thursday, 12 September 2013 - We were delightfully entertained by our guest speaker, the popular TV gardening personality Chris Beardshaw.
Chris also autographed copies of his new book
"100 plants that almost changed the World"
David Domoney
"The Living Garden "
Our September Meeting on the 12th, was a "Special Ticket" event, featuring the celebrity gardener and renowned speaker David Domoney.
David shared his passion for the garden and the many creatures that reside within it. From insects to amphibians, mammals to micro-organisms, our gardens are teeming with life.
In a talk crammed with information as well as humour and wit, David shared with us five of his favourite life forms to be found there. Hedgehogs, birds, bees, ladybirds and microbes featured in his presentation.
To round off the talk he gave a very enjoyable series of tip and tricks, featuring heavily on cost free items, many with a humorous aspect.
