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 £1.50 including refreshments.

2022 Programme of Monthly Meetings

We have arranged a full programme of meetings for 2022 and look forward to being able to meet each other again. At the moment we are asking that members continue to wear masks in the Christ Church Centre; the room will also be well-ventilated (i.e. the windows and doors will be open, so please wrap up!) and hand-sanitiser will be available. Tea and coffee will be provided at the beginning of meetings and will be in disposable cups.

We will also continue to support the Tender Shoots Garden Club Network (TSGCN). A full list of their 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 or other information – see below.

January

No Meetings – TSGCN Talks available – see below.

February

Feb 10th – Stone C and D Garden Club AGM (members only) followed by a talk from Indy, who founded TSGCN, on using Zoom and the various talks that are available.

March

March 10th – Steve Hickman (Hoyland Plant Centre) – Agapanthus.

Hoyland Plants is a small family run business in South Yorkshire just 2 mins off M1 at Junction 36 which specialises in Agapanthus,Tulbaghia, Clivia and Dierama, Steve and his wife Elaine Hickman have been running Hoyland Plant Centre for the past 35 years; over the years the business has grown and their children Colin and Heather have joined the team. They have attended all of the large flower shows for many years and have consecutively won Gold Medals at every show for many years. The highlights being selected as a RHS Master Grower in 2017 and receiving the coveted double Gold medals in the great pavilion at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019 displaying Agapanthus, Nerines and Clivia

April

April 14th – Graham Hardman – Japanese Gardens

Graham Hardman is Honorary Vice-President of the Japanese Garden Society and in 2015 was awarded the ‘Order of the Rising Sun with Gold rays and Rosette’ for services in furthering awareness of Japanese culture in the UK through Japanese gardens. After a career in the computer industry Graham was a freelance Garden Designer for fifteen years with a special interest in Japanese Gardens. He won the BBC Gardeners World Student Design Competition on 1999 and a gold and two silver medals for show gardens at the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show. With the Japanese Garden Society he has designed and managed construction or restoration of several Japanese gardens in public places including (locally) Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Walkden Gardens in Manchester. He has visited Japan many times leading garden tours for members of the Japanese Garden Society and is a regular speaker on Japanese Gardens both around the UK and internationally.

May

12 May – Diana Clement – A Garden For All Seasons

Diane is a member of the Alpine Garden Society as well as several other Alpine, Rock Garden and specialist genus societies. She was director of the Seed Exchange for the Alpine Garden Society for many years and has been growing and showing alpine plants for many years as well being an AGS judge. She specialises in growing hepaticas, cyclamen and woodland plants as well as other small hardy plants in her shady Wolverhampton garden. She aims to have something in flower every day of the year.

June

9th June – Mike King – Sarracenias

In a blog interview Mike King was asked to summarise Shropshire Sarracenias:-  (the) “name came out of the need for a business name on the self assessment form for tax returns! I am an avid Sarracenia collector and was captivated by the need to collect named location Sarracenia due to population demise in the wild and the call to do something about it. That was way back in 1999. I now have around 4,000 collection plants and also have a hybridisation programme. I distribute the plants all around the world of the original clones”.

July

14th July – Jane Allison (Mayfield Plants) – Banquet for Bees and Butterflies.

“Mayfields Plants and Garden Design is run by Jane Allison from her third of an acre garden in Stanthorne, Cheshire. After a long career in teaching, Jane exchanged teenagers for plants. She attended Reaseheath college in Nantwich, and gained qualifications in horticulture and garden design, thus turning a lifelong interest in plants into a second career. She specialises in cottage garden perennials, many of which are grown from seed, and propagated from plants in her own herbaceous borders. The nursery is not generally open to the public, but appointments can be made, when plant purchases,a cup of tea and free planting advice will be on hand.” You will be able to find her at the plant fairs at Hodnet Hall on June 11-12, Cholmondley Castle on July 13th, and at the Dorothy Clive Garden on August 28-29th.

August

No meeting

September

8 Sept –

October

13th Oct – Dr Richard Gulliver – The Botanist Gin

November

10th Nov – Byron Machin – The Red Data List

December

8th December 2.30pm start – Margaret Leslie – Christmas Flower Arrangements

TSGCN Talks

These are available free to members of this club – please contact Helen if you want to know how to join in or look on the TSGCN website.

Jan 12th Wed 3pm – Richard Barnes ‘50 Favourites’ – 50 different plants looking at what makes them a favourite of his.

Jan 25^th Tue 7.30pm – Andrew and Amy Skea from Potato House – all about potatoes and varieties

Feb 9th Wed 3pm – Jeff Bates – Water Gardens and Water Features

Mar 23rd Wed – Margaret Easter – Using herbs over the centuries

April 13th Wed – Richard Harvey – Cornish Seascape gardens

Sep TBC – Peter Moore – ‘Plant Breeding’

Sep TBC – Chris Blackburn – Sonic Pest Repellers

Oct TBC – Eythrope Gardens

Nov 9th Wed – Nancy Stevens – “Shrubs Are Boring”  Really?……Are You Quite Sure?