| 11 January 2012 | The Gardens of Gertrude Jekyll - Graham Usher
Gertrude Jekyll is one of the most influential English garden designers, associated with over 400 gardens during her life. Her ideas of planting and colour are still a major influence on today’s gardens. This is a new talk, and Mr Usher is hoping to make it a “Part One of two” in order to do justice to Miss Jekyll’s huge body of work. |
| 08 February 2012 | Spring in the Rockies - John Buckingham
The US National Parks of Yellowstone and the Tetons are breathtaking all year, but especially in spring when flowers such as penstemons emerge. John is a well-known tour leader, photographer and excellent speaker, so we are delighted to welcome him back to talk about the magnificent landscapes and wildlife of this region. |
| 14 March 2012 | Pest Warfare - Dusty Miller Mr Miller is a popular speaker full of practical advice on gardening, especially vegetable growing. Even the best gardeners struggle with pests at some time, be they old foes like slugs or newer invaders such as rosemary beetles. Mr Miller will have many useful suggestions for fighting back! |
| 24 March 2012 | SPRING SHOW |
| 11 April 2012 | Houseplants – Purchase, Care & Attention - Ken Turner Most gardeners have houseplants of some kind, and the range available to buy can be bewildering. Mr Turner will talk about how to choose plants from the wide range available, and how to look after them for best results. |
| 9 May 2012 | Herbaceous Plants for Impact - Hilary Newman
Herbaceous plants are the key element of many garden schemes, and designers such as Christopher Lloyd at Great Dixter have pioneered their use for colour and long interest. Mr Newman will use plants and slides to show how some of these designers’ ideas can benefit our own gardens. |
| 13 June 2012 | SUMMER EVENING SHOW (Wednesday)
Last year July proved a step too far for summer flowers for our evening show, so we have returned to June in the hope that this year’s weather will cooperate! There is also a special class to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. As usual, all members will be able to judge all entries. Visitors are very welcome but are not permitted to judge. Please see pages 9-11 of your schedule for full details of show classes and how to enter. |
| 11 July 2012 | Fruit in the Garden - Brian Self
Many people grow fruit, whether in a small way such as a patio strawberry planter, a single tree or a few raspberry plants; or more extensively in a fruit cage or on allotments. Mr Self will cover the range of fruit available to gardeners and the best ways to care for plants in order to produce a bumper crop. |
| 8 August 2012 | The National Trust in the South East - Pat Mortlock
The National Trust owns and cares for many sites in Kent, Surrey and Sussex, including properties like Ightham Mote, gardens such as Emmetts and open spaces like Box Hill. Mrs Mortlock will guide us through these south-eastern sites in tonight’s illustrated talk (which has been recommended by one of our members). |
| 8 September 2012 | AUTUMN SHOW |
| 12 September 2012 | Day time trip to RHS Wisley
Last year’s weekday trip to RHS Hyde Hall was a great success, so we have decided to repeat the outing in 2012, this time to RHS Wisley in Surrey. Full details of timing and coach cost will be announced at meetings and in the Society’s newsletters. |
| 10 October 2012 | Plants for Seasonal Interest - Steven Moore
Mr Moore runs Rapkyns Nursery in Heathfield, East Sussex so is coming some distance to be with us tonight. In a practical talk (recommended by one of our members) he will use his own plant specimens to show how we can have year-round seasonal interest in our gardens. He will bring plants for sale – including his demonstration samples! |
| 14 November 2012 | Speaker followed by AGM - Speaker to be confirmed
This year we are trialling a different format to our AGM evening in an effort to attract more members. Our speaker will start the evening, and the society’s Annual General Meeting will follow the teabreak. (Speaker and topic will be confirmed in newsletters and at meetings.) |
| 12 December 2012 | Social Evening |