Talks Programme 2025/26

All talks commence at 7-30 pm at the Uppingham Methodist Church
Doors open at 7-00pm for 7-30pm start
Admission £3-00 Rutland HPS members, £5-00 visitors

If you are willing and able to display a notice of our next talk
Please download a copy from the Home page
Thank-you!

2025 September to December

Tuesday, 9th September
Ben Preston
‘Cliff Bank Nursery -
A New Chapter’

Ben and his partner Laura took over the derelict nursery and site in 2022, this is the story so far. Ben will be bringing a selection of plants but please look at website before he comes as he will be able to bring orders.

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, 14th October
Colin Moat

‘Every dog has his Day’

A talk on garden worthy perennials that in my view deserve to be better known and used more often. It may be because they have fallen out of fashion, hard to get hold of, or, fairly new to the market. Colin and his wife Cindy have closed their nursery Pineview Plants and are concentrating on clearing their own garden and breeding plants.

Colin will bring plants for sale

Tuesday, 11th November
Camilla Anderson.
“Gardens of the Arts and Craft Movement and Edwardian Gardens with a focus on the gardens of Harold Peto”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday 9th December

Sharron and Paul Cutler

Paul and Sharron Cutler both members of the HPS will give a talk titled
“Meeting magical flower meadows of the eastern edge of the French Alps”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2026 February to May

Tuesday 10th February, 2026
Neil Timm ‘The World of Ferns’
This wide ranging talk by Neil of the Fern Nursery in the Lincolnshire Wolds, will cover all aspects of ferns, their history, economic uses, associated folklore, where to see them and of course all about growing them in the garden. Neil is passionate about ferns, believing them to be the most interesting of all plants.
He will bring plants for sale.

Tuesday 10th March, 2026
Tim Fuller ‘New, rare and unusual perennials’
Tim takes a look at some of the newer plant introductions and their place in the garden. We will see new versions of cottage garden favourites as well as the rare and lesser known obscure species, giving ideas of planting combos.
Tim is the owner of Plantsman’s Preference Nursery near Diss and he will bring plants for sale. see his website plantpref.co.uk to order any plants in advance.

Tuesday 14th April, 2026
Michael Myers ‘Fairview throughout the year’
Michael is a Lecturer in Horticulture and Countryside at Craven College in North Yorkshire. He is a self-confessed plantaholic , his interest in snowdrops, hepaticas, hellebores, hardy orchids, dwarf bulbs and alpines. Really just everything that grows in his garden. He will take us through the plants he loves to grow in his own garden ‘Fairview’ in Summerbridge.
He will bring plants for sale.

Tuesday 12th May, 2026
Kevin Pratt ‘Rare and unusual and pictorial plants’
A garden speaker and lecturer for many years, garden designer and gardener, he serves on RHS Trials committee and until recently ran a nursery with his wife from home.  His talk will be a mix of unusual and a few plants people may like to grow. All the plants he grows in his garden in Stockport. fritillaries, Stachyurus, Lysionotus, Eucomis etc covering bulbs, climbers herbaceous, shrubs and trees.
He will bring plants for sale.

PREVIOUS TALKS

2025 January to April

Tuesday, 14th January, 2025

Paul and Sharron Cutler gave a talk on “Hanging up the Hosepipe” - creating a dry garden. Paul and Sharron both retired gardeners gave us an illustrated talk showing how they changed the labour and water intensive herbaceous borders into a low maintenance dry gravel garden.

Tuesday, 11th February, 2025

Harriet Rycroft gave a talk on “Winter interest and Spring joy”.

Harriet a retired professional gardener, a keen plantswoman and writer and an expert on container gardening.

Harriet showed us a very wide range of planting schemes from when she worked at Wichford

Pottery and the stunning displays she creates in her own garden.

Tuesday 11th March 2025

Annie Godfrey of Daisy Roots Nursery gave a very informative talk entitled “Good in Bed”. A look

at those plants that have a particularly long season of interest in the garden and really earn their keep. She was very generous with her knowledge of growing the plants and giving lots of useful

information.

Tuesday 8th April 2025

Samantha Hope gave us a fascinating talk on “Hellebores” going into detail of where the

breading of Hellebores” all started at Ashwood Nurseries and bring us up-to date with the new

and up and coming plants that are coming forward. She also gave us very useful hints and tips on their cultivation. Samantha worked alongside John Massey on his Hepatica collection and is a

passionate gardener and plantswoman.