Last year many of our members attended a talk on Snowdrops by Val Bourne at the Moorcroft Heritage Centre. This year on Friday February 7th she will be the speaker at their event A Celebration of the Winter Garden. Booking is required and you will find full details on their website.

Somewhat belatedly we have noticed that Tatton Park Gardens are free to visit on Tuesdays to Fridays until Friday February 14th; you will still have to pay for parking.

Trentham Gardens have a series of Winter Tree Walks on Wednesdays throughout February (you need to book) and in March their Spring Bulb Festival starts. Don’t forget that if you are an RHS member you can visit the Garden free (January – March) on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The Dorothy Clive Gardens are also open for winter visits (and free for RHS members) until March 1st on Thursdays – Sundays. They have several events and workshops (including one on pruning) coming up too so look on their website for details.

In addition to all that, it is Snowdrop season. Some are out in Trentham Gardens as well as our own gardens but there are special Snowdrop Walks you can book at Rode Hall until March 1st. You will also find displays of snowdrops at the Lovell Quinta Arboretum, free admission for RHS members. For snowdrops in the wild you can visit the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Reserve at Loynton Moss where they carpet the woodland at this time of year. They are also starting to flower in our local lanes and woodlands.

There are some talks from TSGCN coming up this month – free for our members to log in.

Wednesday Feb12th – Katherine Crouch – Grow the Food You Can’t Buy

Thursday Feb 20th – Catherine Horwood – Penelope Hobhouse & her great contribution to horticulture

Monday Feb 24th – Charlie Harpur – Re-wilding – the planting at Knepp Castle

Full details on the TSGCN website.