Wolverhampton Horticultural Society
Programme for 2023/2024
The programme for talks for 2024 and 2025 has now been finalised and full details are shown below. All meetings start at 7.00pm for coffee/cakes/announcements with the scheduled talks starting at approx 7.30pm. All meetings are expected to finish before 9.00pm.
A group of gardening clubs/societies from North Staffordshire have formed the TENDER SHOOTS NETWORK whose aim is to jointly promote Zoom talks on gardening topics during the current Covid restrictions. The Society has affiliated to this network so all of their talks are available free to our members.
As Covid issues have declined it has no longer been necessary to hold Zoom meetings but as these have proved popular with some members we have organised a few meetings in this format. Unless stated, all meetings will now be face to face.
All Zoom meetings are run in conjunction with the Tender Shoots Network group. Registration details/method are shown on the Tender Shoots Network Page.
https://www.wolveshorticulturalsoc.co.uk/tender-shoots-garden-network/
| Date | Speaker | Additional information |
| 8th May 2024 | Samantha Hopes  | Roscoea – a brilliant but unusual member of the Ginger family. A wonderful garden plant and greatly underused. Samantha works at Ashwood Nurseries having studied at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Pershore College and RHS Wisley . www.hopesgardenplants.co.uk Plants will be on sale at this meeting. |
| 12th June 2024 | Jack Wilgoss | Going Higher and Higher – using tall perennials to create an immersive atmosphere in the garden. Proprietor of Wildegoose Nursery, small independent nursery and garden in Shropshire. Specialist growers of hardy perennial violas, flowering perennials and grasses as featured on Gardeners World in September 2022. wildegoosenursery.co.uk Plants will be on sale at this meeting. |
| 10th July 2024 | Summer Social | Three short talks by committee members and some group quizzes but mostly an opportunity for members to mix and socialise. An opportunity to swop plants and discuss future events for the society. Full details available to download here. |
| 14th August 2024 | Jeff Bates | Clematis and other Climbers. Master of Horticulture (RHS). Professionally involved in horticulture for over 45 years including 22 as a full time lecturer. RHS examiner and Chairman of East Midlands in Bloom and retired Britain in Bloom Judge. |
| 14th September 2024 | Annual Show | Full details are available on the Annual Show page. Penn United Reform Church |
| 9th October 2024 | Duncan Coombs | A traveller in China: Autumn colour, the tropics and gardens. Recently retired as lecturer in Decorative Horticulture at Pershore College after more than 30 years, RHS Garden Advisor and Plant Hunter. Plants will be on sale at this meeting. |
| 19h November 2024 ZOOM meeting | Dr Andrew Ward | Gardening in a Changing Climate. ZOOM meeting with Tender Shoots Garden Network Trained as a plant breeder and started Norwell Nurseries and Gardens nearly 30 years ago. Garden holds over 2500 varieties of plants and has features in many magazines including Country Living, Country Life, English Gardener, Gardens illustrated and RHS Garden, Included since 2013 in Great gardens to Visit, Holders of National Collection of Hardy Chrysanthemums and Astrantias. |
| 11th December 2024 | Christmas Social | Informal get together with games and quizzes and mince pies. |
| 8th January 2025 | Gareth Manning | “Japanese Garden Design History“. This talk was arranged via Perennial, the gardeners’ charity and Gareth will donate his fee for the evening to the charity“ Gareth is a professional horticulturist with over 30 years in the industry. His experience ranges from commercial nursery production through landscaping to professional gardening. Gareth served on the regional committee of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture for 13 years before becoming Vice President (Branches) in 2013. |
| 12th February 2025 ZOOM meeting | Katherine Crouch | “Grow the food you can’t buy“. ZOOM meeting Winner of the 1999 BBC Gardener of the Year competition, she set up Katherine Crouch Garden Design in early 2000 and has since been designing gardens all over the South West, with projects ranging from tiny to large private gardens and commercial work for local town councils and businesses. Winner of BBC Gardener of the Decade in 2008 and a Chelsea Gold for designing a display for Kings Seeds 125th anniversary. |
| 12th March 2025 | Paul Green of Green Leaves Nurseries | “Plants of the Season”. Showcasing plants that are looking good at the time of the talk (including rarities and new varieties), considering merits and vices of the plants, propagation, pruning and best use in the garden . Greens Leaves Nursery started supplying plants back in 1994 and decided to specialise in rare and unusual plants from around the world, suitable for growing in the UK. The majority of plants supplied are grown in their Gloucestershire nursery and any new varieties are always tested for hardiness given the UK’s demanding climate. Plants will be on sale at this meeting. |
| 9th April 2025 | AGM/Spring Show | |
| 14th May 2025 | Pip Smith | “Garden Design Tips & Tricks”. Pip shares some of his favourite design ideas and simple tricks of the trade to help you get the most out of your green space. Landscape Designer with over 13 years’ experience working as a professional horticulturist. Degree in horticulture from Pershore College and MA in Landscape Architecture, with distinction, from Birmingham City University. Head Gardener at several private and public gardens, most recently at the highly acclaimed Wollerton Old Hall in Shropshire. |
| 11th June 2025 | A & J Whitehead | “Bearded Iris- some history, some people, some plants”. Owners of a relaxed, natural, 3 acre garden, which has been developed since 1996 from a bare field on heavy Herefordshire clay. Open for individuals and groups for the NGS. Holders of National Collection of Siberian Iris with approximately 150 cultivars. Alun is a qualified British Iris Society judge and Jill is society secretary. |
| 9th July 2025 | Society Organised Event | |
| 13th August 2025 | Robin Pearce | “Dahlias for Garden Display”. Robin is a retired nurseryman. He continues to grow a very wide range of hardy plants, with a special interest in dahlia, hosta, hemerocallis, pulmonaria, galanthus, woodland plants, ornamental grasses and hardy ferns. Robin is the former chair of the RHS Herbaceous Plant Committee, an RHS Floral Judge, Exhibitor and Speaker. |
| 10th September 2025 | Annual Show | |
| 8th October 2025 | Jane Allison of Mayfields Plants | “A Country Walk”. We will accompany Jane on a pictorial walk which takes in the flowers of hedgerows, stream sides, canal and coastal paths, ancient churchyards, woodland, meadows and rural cottage gardens, with a little bit of literature thrown in for good measure.” Mayfields Plants and Garden Design is run by Jane Allison from her third of an acre garden in Stanthorne, Cheshire. After a long career in teaching, Jane exchanged teenagers for plants. She attended Reaseheath college in Nantwich, and gained qualifications in horticulture and garden design, thus turning a lifelong interest in plants into a second career. She specialises in cottage garden perennials, many of which are grown from seed, with some propagated from plants in her own herbaceous borders. Plants will be on sale at this meeting. |
| 12th November 2025 ZOOM meeting | Martin Fish | “Healthy, Happy Houseplants”. ZOOM meeting Keep all your indoor plants looking great with tips on care and propagation. At 21 Martin became the youngest head gardener in the country before starting his own landscaping, garden maintenance and nursery business. Martin created a series of demonstration gardens on the nursery site which were featured in magazine articles for Garden News, The Garden, Gardener’s World Magazine, Kitchen Garden, Garden Answers and also broadcasts for BBC Radio Nottingham, BBC East Midlands Today and Simply Gardening. After moving to Yorkshire to run the Harrogate Flower Show in January 2014, Martin developed his own garden alongside writing and broadcasting about gardening. Martin is also an accredited RHS judge. |
| 10th December 2025 | Christmas Social |
More Info: The Society meets on the second Wednesday of the month at Beckminster Church hall, Birches Barn Road, Wolverhampton WV3 7BJ.
Refreshments from 7.00pm, talks at 7.30pm.
Membership £20 a year, visitors £4.00 a meeting.
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