Visitors and guests are welcome to attend meetings which are usually held on the second Thursday of the month at 7.30 prompt at Christ Church Centre, Christchurch Way, Stone ST15 8ZB
Admission £2.00 including refreshments.
2024 Programme of Monthly Meetings
We have arranged a full programme of meetings for 2024 and look forward to being able to meet each other again this year. Tea and coffee will be provided at the beginning of meetings, from 6.45pm, and will be in disposable cups.
We will also continue to support the Tender Shoots Garden Club Network (TSGCN). A full list of the talks will appear on their website as they are booked and upcoming talks will be advertised here a few weeks beforehand – along with the ability to download any plant lists. All paid-up members of Stone Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society Garden Club are entitled to log-in to these talks and to meet up with other members in the designated ‘break-out room’.
January
January 11th Sally Gregson – Hydrangeas. This is a Zoom meeting with TSGCN and all paid-up members of our Garden Club are welcome to log-in.
Sally Gregson ran Mill Cottage Plants nursery for over thirty years, having trained professionally at Hadlow College, Kent, and exhibited at the major flower shows, including Hampton Court Palace. Mill Cottage Plants specialised in Hydrangea and sold the more unusual, and more interesting, species and cultivars of hydrangea and their shade-loving companions. With her husband, Peter, she opens the garden by appointment under the NGS Yellow Book scheme. She has written several gardening books and continues to lecture throughout the UK and abroad, as well as writing for national gardening magazines.
February
February 8th AGM at 7pm followed at 7.30 by Jeff Bates – The Royal Gardens, Windsor
Jeff’s career in horticulture began in 1970 as an apprentice gardener in the Royal Gardens at Windsor Castle. After training at the Berkshire College of Agriculture and Askham Bryan College in Yorkshire, he worked in landscape design and construction, finally becoming a senior lecturer in Horticulture in Derbyshire. For the past twenty years, he has been a judge for East Midlands in Bloom.
March
March 14 Philip Aubury Keeping them in Shape – pruning tips. This talk will include practical demonstrations.
Philip Aubrey began his career as a student at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and then studied at Pershore College of Horticulture for the National Certificate in Horticulture. A former director of Birmingham’s Botanical Gardens, Phillip was the one who helped reshape them into one of the city’s most precious oases. Philip now focuses on lecturing and his other favourite hobby – his own garden.
April
April 11 Duncan Coombs Ponds, Marginals and Bog Gardens
Duncan Coombs is an enthusiastic speaker, a qualified botanist and horticulturist, passionate plantsman and plant hunter. Following time spent in biological research and development, he has spent many years lecturing in decorative horticulture. Much of his professional development involved visiting and liaising with gardeners and their gardens, as well as nursery owners and their nurseries, during which he amassed extensive plant knowledge. Now in retirement he gardens, gives talks to garden clubs and other organizations, leads garden tours, writes books and travels widely plant hunting.
May
May 9 Alison Wakeman Awareness of Bees and their importance in the environment
Having been a beekeeper for a couple of years, Alison realised there was a lack of education in primary schools why bees are so important. So she created Alison’s Bee Class in 2014.
June
June 13 Pip Smith The drought resilient garden
July
July 11 Ruth Plant Dierama, the harebells of Africa
August
No Meeting
September
September 12 Simon Gulliver Gardens of a Golden Afternoon
October
October 10th Andrew Ward The Late Show – Autumn’s Floral Finale
November
November 14 Sarah Haisley The Sweet Peas (Lathyrus odorata)
December
December 12 Margaret Thompson A Medieval Christmas
2025 Programme of Monthly Meetings
January
January 9 via Zoom
February
February 13 AGM 7.00pm
TSGCN Talks
These are available free to paid-up members of this club – please look on the TSGCN website for information on how to join in. Some talks may be available afterwards on the private members page if you missed them first time round.
2024
January 11 Thursday – Sally Gregson Hydrangeas (Mill Cottage Plants, Somerset)
Sally Gregson ran Mill Cottage Plants nursery for over thirty years, having trained professionally at Hadlow College, Kent, and exhibited at the major flower shows, including Hampton Court Palace. Mill Cottage Plants specialised in Hydrangea and sold the more unusual, and more interesting, species and cultivars of hydrangea and their shade-loving companions. With her husband, Peter, she opens the garden by appointment under the NGS Yellow Book scheme. She has written several gardening books and continues to lecture throughout the UK and abroad, as well as writing for national gardening magazines.
February 2nd Friday – Alec White – Primrose Hall Peonies (NB. 8pm start time)
February 14th Wednesday – Dr Ian Bedford – Companion Planting for a Balanced Garden
More talks TBC, further details are on the tendershoots.uk website.
Stone Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society 