Hello and welcome to the Surrey Horticultural Federation February 2025 – Late Winter newsletter!
Please share this newsletter with your members and friends and help them stay up to date with all the events happening in Surrey and the surrounding areas.
Is Your Gardening Club, Horticultural Society, or Produce Association a Member of the Surrey Horticultural Federation?
The Surrey Horticultural Federation is an umbrella organisation that supports gardening clubs, horticultural societies, produce associations, and nature groups in Surrey and the surrounding counties. We’re a non-profit organisation, run by volunteers. New and returning clubs, societies, associations, and groups are very welcome to join the Surrey Horticultural Federation.
We publicise our members events in our regular Surrey Horticultural Federation newsletters and on the events section of the Surrey Horticultural Federation website. If your club or society is a current member of the Surrey Horticultural Federation, your members can purchase reduced-priced tickets to our events, including our Spring Talk with the Award-Winning Garden Designer, TV Presenter, and Author, Ann-Marie Powell.
Surrey Horticultural Federation membership is only £10 a year per club (if you can afford to give extra, we’re grateful for any donations). Here’s a link to the Surrey Horticultural Federation membership form.
Please Consider Opening your Garden to Raise Funds for the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice
This spring and summer, the Phyllis Tuckwell are once again looking for unique and interesting gardens in our area to open in support of local hospice care. If you’ve got a small garden, why not get together with your neighbours and friends and hold a Group Open Day or an Open Gardens Weekend with multiple gardens opening? Why not open your allotment site, school garden, and community garden? Visit the Phyllis Tuckwell’s website for more information.
If you’re interested in opening a garden to support the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice, please contact Helena Burke, Helena’s email is helena.burke@pth.org.uk.
The Award-Winning Garden Designer and TV Presenter, Ann-Marie Powell is the Speaker for the Surrey Horticultural Federation Spring Talk on Tuesday 18th March 2025 at Normandy Village Hall!
The Surrey Horticultural Federation are delighted to announce that the speaker for our Spring Talk will be award-winning garden designer, author, journalist and presenter, Ann-Marie Powell!
We hope you’ll join us on Tuesday 18th March 2025 at 7.30pm, when we’ll be welcoming the award-winning garden designer, author, and TV presenter, Ann-Marie Powell to Normandy Village Hall, Manor Fruit Farm, Glaziers Lane, Normandy, Guildford, Surrey, GU3 2DT.
Ann-Marie will be giving us her latest talk entitled, ‘A Passion for Plants‘. Ann-Marie Powell is a multi-award winning garden designer, television presenter, journalist and author, who divides her time between designing innovative gardens for private clients, companies and charities, and enthusing people about gardening through her books, television appearances and articles in national newspapers and magazines.
Tickets for Ann-Marie Powell’s talk are on sale now! If you want to attend this special event, hurry up and order your tickets, before we sell out!
Advanced Tickets (non-refundable) can be purchased by:
- BACS transfer (Note – new bank details): Surrey Horticultural Federation, Metro Bank Sort Code: 23-05-80
Account No: 55314837 Reference: Your surname - Cheque: payable to Surrey Horticultural Federation, and sent to the Treasurer:
Katharine Deaville, 8 Hookley Close, Elstead, Surrey, GU8 6JG. Tel: 01252 702630
Advance tickets will be available for collection at the door on the evening. Please send a S.A.E. to Katharine Deaville receive your tickets via post.
Tickets are £10 each for members of SHF affiliated societies when purchased in advance, and £15 each for non-members. If we do have any tickets left on the evening of the talk they will be sold for £15 on the door.
NB: We will not be serving refreshments at this event – so please bring a flask or water bottle with you if you would like a drink.
Find Stunning Surrey Gardens that Are Opening for the National Garden Scheme
Dear Garden Club organiser,
I hope you are all looking forward to visiting some of the NGS open gardens in Surrey this year. We have eight new gardens this year and all of them have much to offer to the keen gardener, plantsman or garden designer.
To facilitate the organisation of group (arranged) visits this year, the NGS have set up a separate page for prearranged visits to Surrey Gardens which I think makes it much easier to navigate the NGS website
To access this there is a simple link: https://ngs.org.uk/surrey-by-arrangement/
If you want to arrange such a visit but might not have sufficient numbers or too many members wishing to visit, it is worth emailing or phoning the garden owner to see if your group can be accommodated.
The Surrey County booklet is already being distributed and will be in your local garden centres very soon. If your group would like a supply then you can contact Janis, our booklet distributor, on Janis.raubiska@ngs.org.uk and he will arrange for the booklets to be sent to you.
I hope you will enjoy your garden visits this year,
With Best Wishes
Sarah Wilson
Publicity Lead and Assistant County Organiser for the Surrey NGS
Squire’s Garden Centres Announce the Launch of their Monthly ‘Plant Discoveries’ – a Homegrown Collection of Exceptional Plants grown in Peat-Free Growing Media Arriving in Squire’s Garden Centres in February!
Squire’s Garden Centres is delighted to announce the launch of its monthly ‘Plant Discoveries’ – a homegrown collection of exceptional plants, arriving in its garden centres this February. The range offers a curated selection of outstanding plants, all grown in peat-free growing media, celebrating the very best varieties that have been especially chosen to inspire and elevate any garden. Arriving in 15 of Squire’s Garden Centres (NB: Plant Discoveries are not available at Squire’s Chertsey or Squire’s Hare Hatch), the creation of this collection has been made possible by the expert horticulturalists at Squire’s own nursery, based in Liss, Hampshire. The carefully chosen ranges celebrate the botanical excellence of the chosen plant genus, with many varieties being recipients of the RHS Award of Garden Merit and others selected because they are such interesting varieties. The collections feature exceptional plants that combine beauty with purpose, offering structure, seasonal interest, and enduring charm to complement any garden. While keen gardeners may recognise many of the plants in the range, all chosen because they are really good performers; it is the addition of some special varieties which adds an extra touch of magic to the range. Many of these plants are true treasures and timeless favourites that may have become increasingly hard to find but are ‘must haves’ for gardeners who appreciate their true horticultural value.
Sarah Squire, Chairman of Squire’s Garden Centres, shares her enthusiasm, commenting: “We are thrilled to bring these fantastic collections to our customers. Working alongside the talented growers at our own nursery, Barnsfold Liss, has allowed us to select a really interesting range of plants for expert gardeners and new gardeners alike.
“These specimens exemplify the very best of horticulture – plants that will enrich and enhance and perfectly complement any garden. Our plant experts in our centres are eager to share these stunning collections, and it is certainly worth a visit to see what is in the collection each month as it evolves through the seasons. This collection is just the beginning, with many more exceptional varieties to come throughout this year and beyond.”
The first collection of ‘Plant Discoveries’ arrives in centres in February, with new plants arriving each month. The inaugural line-up offers a glimpse into the variety and sophistication gardeners can expect and, among others, will include:
• Sweet Box (Sarcococca) – exceptional varieties will include ‘Confusa’ and ‘Ruscifolia Dragons Gate’ – Known for its understated elegance, this evergreen plant produces sweet-scented, white flowers in late winter and early spring, thriving in partial shade and fertile soils. Sarcococca is a sophisticated choice for winter gardens. Available in centres during February.
• Japanese Quince (Chaenomeles) – celebrated varieties will include ‘Madame Butterfly’ and ‘Scarlet Storm’ and loved by bees. A gardener’s favourite for its vibrant floral display from March through May, Chaenomeles is versatile and resilient, thriving in both sunny and shady conditions and suited to a variety of fertile soils. Available in centres during February.
• Rock Rose (Cistus) – with outstanding varieties including ‘Creticus’ and ‘Snowfire’. Beloved for its evergreen foliage and summer abundance of delicate flowers, the Cistus thrives in full sun and well-drained soils, making it a show-stopping addition to sun-drenched borders. Available in centres during March.
With a rolling programme of plants grown in limited quantities for the year, Squire’s ‘Plant Discoveries’ range promises to be a source of inspiration and delight for gardening enthusiasts. The collection reflects Squire’s commitment to supporting British horticulture and sourcing locally and sustainably, highlighting the craftsmanship and care of its own growers. All the plants in Squire’s ‘Plant Discoveries’ range are grown in peat-free compost. For those seeking to enrich their gardens with plants of distinction and character, the ‘Plant Discoveries’ collection offers an unparalleled opportunity to curate a landscape of beauty and elegance.
Hardy Plant Society Southern Counties Group
Have you ever wondered what the Hardy Plant Society is and what its members do?
The Hardy Plant Society is a national charity which was set up in 1957 to promote the use of hardy perennials in your garden. Over the years it has evolved, and its mission statement now is:
“We are dedicated to promoting plant knowledge, fostering communities, enhancing well-being, championing the environment, and facilitating research and partnerships. Our members find relaxation, happiness, and joy in gardening.”
The local HPS group is called the Southern Counties Group and welcomes members from Surrey, the western edges of London and the outskirts of Sussex and Kent. We meet monthly in the winter for a Saturday meeting at the Old Barn Hall in Bookham. As well as a lecture there is a sale of members’ plants, a gardening sundries stall and a sale of greetings cards and second-hand books. Not all our lectures are about “hardy plants’ but range from garden history to horticulture and garden design. In the summer we have garden visits, some in Surrey and some further afield when we arrange transport by coach. Every other year we have a three-day coach trip visiting a variety of small domestic and more famous gardens and nurseries.
The Hardy Plant Society Southern Counties Group have a website, here’s a link.
In addition to our local group there are several national ‘special interest’ groups who hold virtual meetings and special events. Some of these are Shade and Woodland Plants, Ranunculaceae, Variegated plants and Snowdrops.
If you are interested in finding more about us, contact our membership secretary Elizabeth at Membership.HPS.SC@outlook.com or come to our next meeting in Bookham. All the meeting details are on the website.
We would love to meet you and tell you more about the HPS.
Sarah Wilson
Secretary to Southern Counties Group
Squire’s Garden Centres Announce the Return of their Community Gardening Programme ‘Love Where You Live’ offering £5,00 to support Local Projects that Promote Education, Wellbeing, and Community Connection through Horticulture
Squire’s Garden Centres is delighted to announce the return of its highly successful community gardening programme, ‘Love Where You Live’, which offers a £5,000 total fund to support vital local projects that promote education, wellbeing and community connection through horticulture.
Following the overwhelming success of last year’s programme and the fantastic feedback received from participants, ‘Love Where You Live’ returns for 2025 to make a difference to community gardening initiatives and empower local groups to make a positive difference through gardening. The initiative is designed to help community projects flourish, with financial support and expert guidance from Squire’s. Awards (individual awards of up to £500) will be provided in the form of Squire’s vouchers, redeemed for plants, tools, and other essential gardening supplies to help projects grow and thrive. Award recipients will be announced in mid-March, with projects running throughout spring and summer, culminating at the end of July 2025.
Love Where You Live Applications are Open Now!
Projects within a 10-mile radius of a Squire’s Garden Centre are invited to apply via Squire’s website with submissions to be received by 20th February 2025. To be considered, initiatives should demonstrate a clear benefit to the local community and make a notable difference between April and July and show how they will be maintained beyond the award period. Preference will be given to accessible, inclusive projects and those supporting groups with specific needs are also encouraged to apply.
Sarah Squire, Chairman of Squire’s Garden Centres, Comments: “Last year’s ‘Love Where You Live’ programme was an incredible success, and we were delighted by the positive impact the projects had on local communities. It’s inspiring to see how gardening continues to bring people together and create spaces that promote health, wellbeing and connection, making a real difference to people’s lives.
“Supporting our communities is at the heart of everything we do. We’re proud to continue empowering these fantastic local projects with our ‘Love Where You Live’ awards, which celebrate the benefits gardening brings to both individuals and communities alike.”
The ‘Love Where You Live’ programme complements Squire’s long-standing ‘Charity of the Year’ initiative, where each of Squire’s 16 centres partners with a local charity for a year, raising funds and building meaningful community relationships.
Caroline Hughes, Project Co-ordinator from Horsell Residents’ Association, comments: ”We were really delighted to be a recipient of a Squire’s ‘Love Where You Live’ award in 2024. It enabled us to set up a community gardening scheme in the small local park, previously looked after by Woking Borough Council. “Volunteer groups including local schools, Guides, Linkable charity, as well as an allotment group, with ages ranging from 5 to 75, were able to buy plants and tools to get the project started. The flower beds not only benefit and give pleasure to the volunteers but also to local residents and the many children and their carers who visit the adjacent playground. The award from Squire’s made all the difference”.
Stella Diamond, General Manager Normandy Community Therapy Garden, comments: “We were really delighted to be a recipient of an award last year. It enabled us to fund project work that provided horticultural opportunities for our clients, volunteers, and importantly, benefit the wider community.”
Squire’s Love Where You Live’ programme 2025 offers a total fund of £5,000 with individual awards available of up to £500 each – to apply, visit Squire’s Website. NB: The deadline for applications is 20th February 2025.
Surrey Wildlife Trust are Offering Free Training Courses for Community Groups!
We delighted to confirm that Surrey Wildlife Trust is offering a limited number of FREE places to Surrey based community groups on each of the courses listed below.
NB: Please note that spaces will be allocated on a first come-first served basis.
To book your place (free of charge), please email your name, your email address, your phone number, and your community group name, by emailing Sue O’Regan on adult.learning@surreywt.org.uk. NB: BOOKINGS CLOSE FRIDAY 17th FEBRUARY 2025.
Alpine Garden Society Show at Wisley on Saturday 8th February 2025
On Saturday 8th February 2025, it’s the Alpine Garden Society Show in the Garden Room at Hilltop at RHS Garden Wisley from 10am until 3.30pm. Visitors can admire displays of alpine plants. Specialist nurseries will be selling rare plants at this event, which is free to visitors of RHS Garden Wisley.
Dunsfold and Hascombe Horticultural Society Zoom Talk: Food as Medicine by Michael Holland
Dunsfold and Hascombe Horticultural Society have invited Michael Holland to give a Zoom Talk entitled Food as Medicine at 7pm on Thursday 13th February 2025. Join nature-educator and author, Michael Holland for a fascinating evening talk exploring the rich world of plants and the powerful substances they produce. From ancient medicinal practices to modern uses, discover how the flavours we enjoy—bitter, sweet, spicy, or sour—are more than just a delight to our taste buds – they offer medicinal protection for us, just as they do for plants. With stories ranging from Hippocrates’ famous words to the evolution of edible species, this talk will provide an engaging overview of how plants have shaped our diets and health throughout history. Let’s Zoom into nature’s pharmacy together!
Michael Holland, a nature educator and author, discovered his fascination for plants at the young age of eight. After completing his studies in Ecology at Lancaster and Oregon State Universities, he dedicated 25 enriching years to Chelsea Physic Garden in London, where he ascended to the role of Head of Education. Tickets for this Zoom talk are free for Dunsfold and Hascombe Horticultural Society members and £5 for non-members, to book your place, please click here. Please contact chairdhhs@gmail.com if you have any queries.
Surrey Gardens Trust Winter Lectures at Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall
Surrey Gardens Trust‘s second Winter Lecture of 2025 takes place on Saturday 15th February 2025 from 2pm until 4pm at at Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall, Woodfield Lane, Ashtead, Surrey, KT21 2BE. SGT Members: £12. Non SGT Members: £15. Ticket prices includes tea, coffee & cake afterwards. For more information and to book your place, please click here. Enquiries: eventssgt@gmail.com.
Brockham Green Horticultural Society’s Talk: The Earthworm: All You Wanted to Know but Didn’t Dare Ask! is on Monday 17th February 2025!
Brockham Green Horticultural Society‘s Talk: The Earthworm: All You Wanted to Know but Didn’t Dare Ask! is at 7.30pm on Monday 17th February 2025 at Brockham Village Hall, Brockham Lane, Brockham, Betchworth, Surrey, RH3 7JJ. Entry is £3 for members and £5 for non-members. Any questions or queries, please email bghsociety@hotmail.com.
PLEASE NOTE, CHANGE OF DATE: Mark Gregory will be giving a talk about Designing and Building a Chelsea Show Garden to New Society Gardening Club on Thursday 20th February 2025
New Society Gardening Club are hosting a very special event where award-winning garden designer, Mark Gregory will share his insights on designing and building a Chelsea Show Garden. Learn from Mark’s experiences and be inspired to create your own stunning outdoor space! Mark will be talking about how he built the Savills Plot to Plate Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. This garden pushed a lot of boundaries on the sustainability front, by removing all cements and discovering lots of new and old techniques that have long been forgotten.
This in-person event is a must-attend for anyone passionate about gardening and landscaping. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to learn from one of the best in the industry! As a designer, constructor, lecturer, mentor, judge, ambassador and managing director, Mark Gregory has been at the forefront of horticulture and landscaping for 35 years.
Mark Gregory was educated at Askham Bryan Horticultural College. He trained at RHS Wisley, is a Fellow of the Landscape Institute and a Chartered Landscape Architect. Mark has spent his life designing and creating gardens. In 2023 he was awarded the RHS Associate Of Honour, an award held for life which recognises his unique, distinguished service to the practice of horticulture during his career. In 2022, Mark was the recipient of the Pearson Memorial Medal for outstanding service to the garden industry and he also became the RHS Ambassador for Landscapers. In 2017, and again in 2022, Mark was voted the Most Influential Person in the garden and landscape industry by his peers. Mark has built more RHS show gardens and has received more medals than any other constructor.
Mark hasn’t missed a Chelsea Flower Show since he started in 1989. Even when Covid cancelled the 2020 show, Mark was awarded Garden Of The Decade for his Welcome To Yorkshire Garden which captured a slice of Wensleydale at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2018. This design celebrated Yorkshire’s stunning scenery, natural materials, traditional crafts, and artisan food production. Celebrating quintessential buttercup meadows and rich flora, this show garden was set on the edge of a woodland and featured a tumbling beck running past a stone bothy into soft pastures. Who can forget Mark’s audacious 2019 Chelsea Flower Show design, which incorporated a pair of canal lock gates, a lock keeper’s lodge with private garden and vegetable patch with a towpath running next to a perennial meadow?
For RHS Chelsea 2023, Mark created his most complex build, The Savills Garden. This garden invited us into an intimate walled sanctuary with an abundance of beautiful ornamental and edible planting. At the heart of the garden was a working kitchen and adjoining dining area where Chelsea Pensioners enjoyed meals prepared with ingredients from the potager and walled garden – a true ‘plot to plate’ experience. Mark’s genuinely sustainable and environmentally sensitive design featured reclaimed hard landscaping materials; brick, pantiles, Yorkshire flagstones, and cement-free concrete. Mark’s whole ethos was to build the garden in as sustainable manner as possible and push boundaries. The garden lives on at a residential centre in Nottinghamshire, where it is used to teach cookery skills to young people.
This event will be held at St Paul’s Church, Camberley, Surrey, GU15 2AD.
Doors open at 7pm, the meeting will start at 7.45pm. The talk will last approximately 1 hour.
Tickets for this event are:
£2 for members (booking fee applies).
£10 for non members (booking fee applies).
Please click here to visit New Society’s website and buy tickets.
Refreshments will be available to purchase £2.50 for a drink and cake (cash only).
Parking will be limited, so where possible please car share. Thank you.
Currant Growing & Pruning One Day Workshop
EcoLocal are holding a Currant Growing and Pruning One Day Workshop from 10.30am until 3pm on Saturday 22nd February 2025 at Carshalton Community Allotment, Carshalton, SM5. To book your place, please email food@ecolocal.org.uk or telephone 020 84041522.
Matt Biggs will be giving a talk on ‘Perfect Plants for Problem Places’ to Ewhurst Horticultural Society on 11th March 2025
Matt Biggs will be joining Ewhurst Horticultural Society, in Ewhurst Village Hall, the Street, Ewhurst, Cranleigh, Surrey, GU6 7PX, for a talk entitled, Perfect Plants for Problem Places. Doors open at 7.30pm, a bar is available, the talk starts at 8pm. Visitors tickets: £12.50, please purchase tickets in advance from Anne: 07980 122530, Carole: 273580, or email tickets@ewhursthortsoc.org.uk. There will be refreshments and raffle.
Shamley Green Gardening Club are hosting an evening with Andy McIndoe on Tuesday 11th March 2025
Shamley Green Gardening Club are hosting an evening with Andy McIndoe at 6.45pm for 7.30pm on Tuesday 11th March 2025 at Arbuthnot Hall, Hullbrook Lane, Shamley Green, Guildford, Surrey, GU5 0UA. Entry is free for Shamley Green Gardening Club members (but you still need to get a ticket). Non-members are very welcome: tickets are £10. Please contact Aurelle Tomkins on 01483 892114 or apply on Shamley Green Gardening Club’s website.
Ascot Horticultural Society have invited Carol Gubler to give a talk about Fuchsias on 12th March 2025
Ascot Horticultural Society have invited Carol Gubler to give a talk about Fuchsias on Wednesday 12th March 2025. This event takes place at 7.45pm at King Edward’s Hall, King Edward’s Road, Ascot, SL5 8PD. Entrance is £1 for Ascot Horticultural Society members and £3 for visitors – this includes refreshments.
Squire’s Garden Centres invite Garden Lovers to Attend their New Spring Herb Pot Masterclasses on Friday 14th March 2025 at all their Garden Centres!
Squire’s Garden Centres invite garden lovers to attend their new Spring Herb Pot Masterclasses at 10am and again at 2pm on Friday 14th March 2025 at all of Squire’s Garden Centres. Attendees will create beautiful planted displays, while learning expert tips from horticultural specialists. New for 2025 – gardeners can enjoy the Spring Herb Pot Masterclass, where they’ll design and plant a stunning herb-filled terracotta pot (available in a choice of a whitewash or graphite finish) with seasonal blooms and aromatic herbs. Attendees will learn about soil preparation, plant selection and care, with the skills to ensure their potted herbs thrive throughout the season. At the end of this Masterclass, classmates will be able to add homegrown greenery and fresh flavours to their home-cooked dishes – with their pots promised to be a flourishing addition to their gardens or backdoor areas over the coming months.
Herb lovers can attend Squire’s Spring Herb Pot Masterclass at all Squire’s Garden Centres (excluding Squire’s Chertsey & Squire’s Hare Hatch). Tickets are £25 per person, which includes a filled terracotta pot, a voucher for a free tea or coffee to enjoy in Squire’s Café Bar, and 10% off all plants on the day. Places are limited, to book your place, please click here.
Take the RHS Communities gardening survey for a chance to win gift vouchers
The RHS would like to invite you to complete a short survey about your experience growing or gardening in your community. The survey will take 15 minutes to complete. This is part of a major national research project to help the RHS learn more about community growing spaces and your input will help shape support for community gardening in future.
The RHS’ survey is being sent to community gardening groups as well as gardening, environmental and wildlife organisations around the UK, so we can better understand how people show love for where they live through gardening.
There are lots of ways people garden in their local area from groups planting bulbs in high street planters, to food banks sharing fresh allotment vegetables with others.
Let the RHS know how you garden in your community, and what would make it better! If there are any community gardening groups you work with who would like to share their experiences, please forward this email to them. If you have any questions about the survey or community gardening with the RHS, please contact us via communities@rhs.org.uk
Click Here to fill in the Survey
Why take part?
You could win: As a thank you for taking part, respondents will have a chance to enter a prize draw. Eight lucky winners will be selected at random to receive £125 in National Garden Gift vouchers to help their community garden grow. The winners will be notified directly by email by Monday 7 April 2025.
Your voice matters: Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just getting started, your experiences and thoughts are valuable. Help the RHS grow: Your feedback will help the RHS and other organisations supporting community gardening groups across the country understand how they can better support you to help make the UK a greener, brighter place. The survey closes on 31 March 2025.
Do you need certificates for your Flower Show?
The Surrey Horticultural Federation Certificates of Merit are available from our Chairman, Janet Arm. If you would like to receive Certificates of Merit, please post an A4 or Foolscap sized, stamped addressed envelope with a large second class stamp (£1.55) to Janet Arm at Redleaf Nursery, Green Lane, Tilford, Farnham, Surrey, GU10 2AP.
Spreadsheets for Show Cards
John Manches has devised a special computer spreadsheet to cope with printing show entry cards and adding up the points won for cup presentations. If any Surrey Horticultural Federation Clubs and Societies are interested in receiving John’s template, please contact John by email at: johnmanches74@gmail.com or phone 01252-702752.
Sunday Gardening Programme on BBC Radio Surrey
Don’t miss the Sunday Gardening programme on BBC Radio Surrey from 10:30am until 12 noon. Each week, the show have a segment where they promote gardening events in the local community; from talks to workshops, from fairs to meet-ups. No matter if it’s big or small, ticketed or free, the team want to hear from you and your society about what events you’ve got planned.
If you have any events to promote, then get in touch via email: Sunday.gardening@bbc.co.uk. It’s possible you could also have the opportunity to come on the programme and tell the listeners about your group and what it is you do.
Additionally, please do let your members know that if they ever have any gardening questions, they can reach out to the Sunday Gardening programme via email Sunday.gardening@bbc.co.uk or call the team from 10am on Sundays on 0800 587 1046. The Sunday Gardening programme are joined every week by a gardening expert who is ready to answer any question you may have.
Report Asian Hornet Sightings
I am sharing this early, to allow you to have time to share this information with your members, so they’re informed and prepared, ready for summer. Asian Hornets have been sighted in the UK in recent years. Why does this matter? The Asian Hornet is highly aggressive predator of our native insects; entomologists feel that the Asian Hornet poses a significant threat to honey bees and other pollinators.
Two Asian hornet nests were found in Surrey in September 2023. The nests were subsequently destroyed by experts from DEFRA. Keep up to date with Asian hornet sightings by clicking here.
If you think you’ve seen an Asian Hornet, take a photo if you can. Please take care and do not disturb an active nest. Members of the public who suspect they have found an Asian Hornet should report it to the NNSS through their online form or by emailing alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk.
A free ID sheet is available from the GB Non-Native Species Secretariat (NNSS). Click here to view detailed pictures to help you correctly identify an Asian Hornet.
Speaker Feedback
Has a speaker given a talk to your society over the past few months? Please share your confidential feedback by emailing me your thoughts, both positive and negative on the speakers you booked last year, and I will share your feedback privately (via email) with the other clubs that are members of the SHF – thank you. My email is beth@pumpkinbeth.com.
NB: Speaker feedback is private and confidential and is not to be shared with anyone other than your group’s programme secretary.
Publicising Your Club or Society’s Events
If your club or society is a fully paid up member of the Surrey Horticultural Federation, I will be delighted to add your society or club’s events to our website. Please email me, beth@pumpkinbeth.com. To successfully publicise your event, I need to know:
- What date your event takes place.
- What time your event starts.
- Where your event is held.
- What type of event you’re holding? If it’s a talk, please let me know the name of the speaker and their talk title.
- Finally, I need to know the entrance fee for non-members and visitors.
Do You Have Anything You Would Like Me to Add to the Next Surrey Horticultural Federation Newsletter?
If you are a member of the Surrey Horticultural Federation and you have something you would like me to add to the next newsletter, please contact me, Beth Otway, the Surrey Horticultural Federation’s Website & Events Secretary – my email is beth@pumpkinbeth.com.
On behalf of our Chairperson Janet Arm, Our Membership Secretary and Treasurer, Katharine Deaville, and all the Surrey Horticultural Federation Council, I’d like to send you our very best wishes for the new growing season ahead.
Kind regards
Beth
Beth Otway
Website & Events Secretary
Surrey Horticultural Federation
Upcoming Events:
| February 2025 | ||||
| Mon 3-Feb-2025 | A Working Gardener: a talk by Dennis Moore | Merstham Horticultural Society | ||
| Tue 4-Feb-2025 | Sandhurst & District Gardening Club’s meeting | Sandhurst & District Gardening Club | Julie Sheppard | 07711 056 815 |
| Tue 4-Feb-2025 | Dahlias: a talk by Claire Brown | Shamley Green Gardening Club | Mrs. A. Tomkins | 01483-892114 |
| Wed 5-Feb-2025 | New Plants for Free: a talk by Keith Hines | Brooklands Horticultural Society | Barbara Royston | |
| Wed 5-Feb-2025 | A Talk by Mark Saunders, Head Gardener at Fittleworth House | Wonersh and District Garden Club | Mrs. H. Goodridge | 01483-535108 |
| Fri 7-Feb-2025 | English Cut Flowers: a talk by Claire Brown | Woodham & New Haw Horticultural Club | Louise Clubley | 07843 962421 |
| Fri 7-Feb-2025 | Trees: what are they good for? Absolutely everything: a talk by Jonathan Newell | Lightwater Gardening Club | Ms. Lynn Bull | 01276-502497 |
| Mon 10-Feb-2025 | Fuchsias: a talk by Carol Gruber | Ripley and District Horticultural Society | Mrs. Sue Stranger | |
| Tue 11-Feb-2025 | Let’s talk gardening: a talk by Jean Griffin | Ewhurst Horticultural Society | Mrs. Anne Dyball | 07980 122530 |
| Wed 12-Feb-2025 | What makes a great gardener? a talk by Annie Guilfoyle | Grayshott Gardeners | Sue Wheeler | 07719 457821 |
| Thu 13-Feb-2025 | Plant Heritage Surrey Group AGM, Wisley Students’ Talk, Flower of the Meeting Prize, Raffle, Photographic Competition & Prize Giving | Plant Heritage, Surrey Group (NCCPG) | Wendy Bentall | 01276-858256 |
| Thu 13-Feb-2025 | Dunsfold and Hascombe Horticultural Society Zoom Talk: Food as Medicine by Michael Holland | Dunsfold & Hascombe Horticultural Society | Paul Goudie | |
| Fri 14-Feb-2025 | The History of Chocolate: a talk by Jacqueline Aviolet | Froyle Gardening Club | Madeleine Dowding | 01420-85530 |
| Sat 15-Feb-2025 | Lost Gardens of London: a talk by Todd Longstaffe-Gowan | Surrey Gardens Trust | Sheri Sticpewich | |
| Sat 15-Feb-2025 | The Changing Seasons at Munstead Wood: a talk by Annabel Watts | Hardy Plant Society Southern Counties Group | Anne Grabaskey | |
| Mon 17-Feb-2025 | The Earthworm All you wanted to know but did not dare ask! | Brockham Green Horticultural Society | Ruth Johnson | 01737 842691 |
| Tue 18-Feb-2025 | Plants for Free: a talk by Keith Hine | Esher and Molesey Garden Society | Ann Beauchamp | 02089791415 |
| Wed 19-Feb-2025 | AGM & Flower Arranging on a Budget: a talk by Janice Tattersdil | Sandhurst & District Gardening Club | Julie Sheppard | 07711 056 815 |
| Wed 19-Feb-2025 | Fuchsias Through the Seasons: a talk by Carol Gubler | Onslow Village Garden Club | Mrs Anne Bradbeer | 01483 563421 |
| Wed 19-Feb-2025 | Local Garden Societies: a talk by Grace Stanley | Wallington, Carshalton and Beddington Horticultural Society | Christine Hockham | 01243 824726 |
| Wed 19-Feb-2025 | Manos Kanellos: Orchid Growing tips & Workshop | Banstead Horticultural Society | Gail Fraser | 01737-356576 |
| Wed 19-Feb-2025 | The Magic of Houseplants: a talk by Sarah Foss | Epsom Garden Society | Catherine Flitter | 07821-277708 |
| Thu 20-Feb-2025 | Designing and Building a Chelsea Show Garden: a talk by Mark Gregory | New Society Gardening Club (Camberley) | Sarah Wesley | 07400 850876 |
| Fri 21-Feb-2025 | Chiddingfold Horticultural Society Membership Renewal & Talk | Chiddingfold Horticultural Society | Georgia Lacey | 01428 683120 |
| Sat 22-Feb-2025 | I am a Tulip: a talk by Jacqueline Aviolet | Kingswood, Walton, & Tadworth Horticultural Society | Mr. K.G.Lewis | 01737-210707 |
| Wed 26-Feb-2025 | Herbs – History, Growing & Care, Culinary & Health uses: a talk by Belinda Allen | Horsley Garden Society | Terry Lazenby | |
| March 2025 | ||||
| Mon 3-Mar-2025 | Arts and Crafts Gardens of the Southeast with Cherrill Sands | Merstham Horticultural Society | ||
| Wed 5-Mar-2025 | Dahlias for the Garden a talk by Howard Cooper | Brooklands Horticultural Society | Barbara Royston | |
| Wed 5-Mar-2025 | Containers: a talk by Ben Pope | Wonersh and District Garden Club | Mrs. H. Goodridge | 01483-535108 |
| Fri 7-Mar-2025 | Growing Forage for Bees: a talk by Margaret Lennard | Lightwater Gardening Club | Ms. Lynn Bull | 01276-502497 |
| Fri 7-Mar-2025 | Woodham & New Haw Horticultural Club AGM & Talk: Roses: their Planting & Growing by Alan Goold | Woodham & New Haw Horticultural Club | Louise Clubley | 07843 962421 |
| Fri 7-Mar-2025 | Being a Head Gardener for 25 years at the 125-acre Little Mynthurst Farm: a talk by Mark Dobell | Caterham & District Horticultural Society | Mrs. Karen Murray | |
| Tue 11-Mar-2025 | Perfect Plants for Problem Places: a talk by Matt Biggs | Ewhurst Horticultural Society | Mrs. Anne Dyball | 07980 122530 |
| Tue 11-Mar-2025 | An Evening with Andy Mcindoe | Shamley Green Gardening Club | Mrs. A. Tomkins | 01483-892114 |
| Wed 12-Mar-2025 | West Dean: managing legacy in a changing climate: a talk by Tom Brown | Grayshott Gardeners | Sue Wheeler | 07719 457821 |
| Wed 12-Mar-2025 | Fuchsias: a talk by Carol Gubler | Ascot Horticultural Society | Mrs Lindsey Payne | 07847511361 |
| Thu 13-Mar-2025 | Plant Heritage in-person & Zoom talk: A Horticulturists Home Garden: a talk by Steve Edney & Lou Dowle | Plant Heritage, Surrey Group (NCCPG) | Wendy Bentall | 01276-858256 |
| Fri 14-Mar-2025 | Propagating & Growing Dahlias: a talk and demonstration by Howard Cooper | Froyle Gardening Club | Madeleine Dowding | 01420-85530 |
| Fri 14-Mar-2025 | Pruning Fruit: a talk by Jim Arbury | Banstead Horticultural Society | Gail Fraser | 01737-356576 |
| Sat 15-Mar-2025 | AGM followed by ‘Containing the Unconventional’: a talk by Ben Pope | Hardy Plant Society Southern Counties Group | Anne Grabaskey | |
| Mon 17-Mar-2025 | Alternatives to Peat: a talk by Ray Broughton | Ripley and District Horticultural Society | Mrs. Sue Stranger | |
| Tue 18-Mar-2025 | The Surrey Horticultural Federation Spring Talk: A Passion for Plants: a talk by Award-Winning Garden Designer, Author, Journalist & Presenter, Ann-Marie Powell | Surrey Horticultural Federation | Ms. Beth Otway | |
| Wed 19-Mar-2025 | Flower Arrangements by Sune Larson-Walsh and Staging by Jill and Rupert | Wallington, Carshalton and Beddington Horticultural Society | Christine Hockham | 01243 824726 |
| Wed 19-Mar-2025 | Films & Television plants – fruit, vegetables & plants on the big & small screen: a talk by Jacqueline Aviolet | Epsom Garden Society | Catherine Flitter | 07821-277708 |
| Wed 19-Mar-2025 | The Olive Journey from Grove to Nursery: a talk by Mike Burton from Rotherhill Nurseries | Thursley Horticultural Society | Mrs. Pat Clake | 01252-706869 |
| Wed 19-Mar-2025 | Onslow Village Garden Club Spring Show | Onslow Village Garden Club | Mrs Anne Bradbeer | 01483 563421 |
| Thu 20-Mar-2025 | Shrubs: the backbone of your garden: a talk by Geoff Hawkins | Dunsfold & Hascombe Horticultural Society | Paul Goudie | |
| Thu 20-Mar-2025 | Hall Grove Walled Garden Renovation: a talk by Joanne Buckler | New Society Gardening Club (Camberley) | Sarah Wesley | 07400 850876 |
| Sat 22-Mar-2025 | Epsom Garden Society Mini Spring Show (not judged) | Epsom Garden Society | Catherine Flitter | 07821-277708 |
| Sat 22-Mar-2025 | Exploring the Oxford Herbaria: a talk by Stephen Harris | Surrey Gardens Trust | Sheri Sticpewich | |
| Sat 22-Mar-2025 | Woldingham and District Horticultural Society Spring Flowers, Art and Crafts Show | Woldingham and District Horticultural Society | Heather Stark | 0790 1944 381 |
| Sat 22-Mar-2025 | A Blessing in Disguise: a shady spot is the perfect place to grow unusual and beautiful perennials: a talk by Lynne Moore from Moore and Moore plant nursery | Kingswood, Walton, & Tadworth Horticultural Society | Mr. K.G.Lewis | 01737-210707 |
| Sat 29-Mar-2025 | Wokingham Horticultural Association’s Spring Show | Wokingham Horticultural Association | Pauline MacBrayne | 07941 352411 |
| Sat 29-Mar-2025 | Plant Heritage Propagation Day at Hever Castle | Plant Heritage, Surrey Group (NCCPG) | Wendy Bentall | 01276-858256 |
| April 2025 | ||||
| Tue 1-Apr-2025 | Shamley Green Gardening Club’s AGM & Cheese & Wine Party | Shamley Green Gardening Club | Mrs. A. Tomkins | 01483-892114 |
| Wed 2-Apr-2025 | Brooklands Horticultural Society AGM & Spring Show | Brooklands Horticultural Society | Barbara Royston | |
| Thu 3-Apr-2025 | Murder Most Florid: a talk by renowned botanist and public speaker, Mark Spencer – followed by AGM | Woldingham and District Horticultural Society | Heather Stark | 0790 1944 381 |
| Fri 4-Apr-2025 | Woking Nurserymen: a talk by David Rose | Woodham & New Haw Horticultural Club | Louise Clubley | 07843 962421 |
| Fri 4-Apr-2025 | Lightwater Gardening Club Daffodil Show | Lightwater Gardening Club | Ms. Lynn Bull | 01276-502497 |
| Sat 5-Apr-2025 | Thursley Horticultural Society Spring Show | Thursley Horticultural Society | Mrs. Pat Clake | 01252-706869 |
| Sat 5-Apr-2025 | Wonersh & District Garden Club’s Spring Show | Wonersh and District Garden Club | Mrs. H. Goodridge | 01483-535108 |
| Sat 5-Apr-2025 | Caterham & District Horticultural Society Spring Show | Caterham & District Horticultural Society | Mrs. Karen Murray | |
| Sat 5-Apr-2025 | Dunsfold & Hascombe Horticultural Society Virtual Spring Show | Dunsfold & Hascombe Horticultural Society | Paul Goudie | |
| Sat 5-Apr-2025 | Horsley Garden Society Centenary Celebration, Spring Show, Afternoon Tea, & Talk by Bob Flowerdew on ‘No Work Gardening’ | Horsley Garden Society | Terry Lazenby | |
| Mon 7-Apr-2025 | Herbs and their uses Culinary and Medicinal With Belinda Allen | Merstham Horticultural Society | ||
| Wed 9-Apr-2025 | Barnsdale After Geoff: a talk by Nick Hamilton | Grayshott Gardeners | Sue Wheeler | 07719 457821 |
| Thu 10-Apr-2025 | Plant Heritage in-person & Zoom talk: The Secret World of Moths: a talk by Peter Smith | Plant Heritage, Surrey Group (NCCPG) | Wendy Bentall | 01276-858256 |
| Sat 12-Apr-2025 | Grayshott Gardeners’ Spring Show | Grayshott Gardeners | Sue Wheeler | 07719 457821 |
| Sat 12-Apr-2025 | Banstead Horticultural Society Spring Flower Show | Banstead Horticultural Society | Gail Fraser | 01737-356576 |
| Sat 12-Apr-2025 | Ewhurst Horticultural Society Spring Show | Ewhurst Horticultural Society | Mrs. Anne Dyball | 07980 122530 |
| Sat 12-Apr-2025 | Froyle Gardening Club Spring Show | Froyle Gardening Club | Madeleine Dowding | 01420-85530 |
| Sat 12-Apr-2025 | Kingswood, Walton & Tadworth Horticultural Society Spring Show | Kingswood, Walton, & Tadworth Horticultural Society | Mr. K.G.Lewis | 01737-210707 |
| Sat 12-Apr-2025 | Euphorbias for Home and Garden: a talk by Kevin Tooher | Hardy Plant Society Southern Counties Group | Anne Grabaskey | |
| Tue 15-Apr-2025 | The Therapy Garden: a talk by Sally Wooding | Esher and Molesey Garden Society | Ann Beauchamp | 02089791415 |
| Wed 16-Apr-2025 | Herbs – History, Growing and Care: a talk by Belinda Allen | Onslow Village Garden Club | Mrs Anne Bradbeer | 01483 563421 |
| Wed 16-Apr-2025 | Trees for Small Gardens, including pots and fruit trees in pots: a talk by Maria Shalcross | Wallington, Carshalton and Beddington Horticultural Society | Christine Hockham | 01243 824726 |
| Thu 17-Apr-2025 | Aspects of Fuchsias: a talk by Carol Gubler (plants for sale) | New Society Gardening Club (Camberley) | Sarah Wesley | 07400 850876 |
| Wed 23-Apr-2025 | Epsom Garden Society Spring Display, Plant Sale & Seed Swap | Epsom Garden Society | Catherine Flitter | 07821-277708 |
| Sat 26-Apr-2025 | Ewhurst Horticultural Society Plant Sale | Ewhurst Horticultural Society | Mrs. Anne Dyball | 07980 122530 |
| Tue 29-Apr-2025 | Drought Tolerant Plants: a talk by Steve Edney & Louise Dowle (No Name Nursery) | Dunsfold & Hascombe Horticultural Society | Paul Goudie | |