2024/25 Garden Talks

1. Rare and unusual and Pictorial plants. 

A mix of unusual strange flowering plants and a few plants people may like try to grow. All the plants grow in my garden in Stockport. Arisaema, Helwingia, Fritillaria, Stachyurus, Lysionotus, Eucomis etc. Covering bulbs, climbers, herbaceous shrubs and trees.

2. The private plants and gardens of Cheshire (I am the only speaker in UK giving this talk.)

For 30 years I was a gardener for the Footballers and the millionaires in Hale and Alderly Edge, Cheshire. This is a rare look at the gardens you can’t visit. A look behind the electric gates. Some footballer’s and racing driver’s gardens and one TV celebrity chef. A nosy look at their Gardens.

3. Winter Talk. Don’t Go To Sleep During Winter.

My new talk, new pictures and new subject. 50 Winter plants. What you can be doing in winter and where to visit to see colour. Advice, plants and preparation.

4. Woody Plants That Merit Attention.

A new talk, a look at my favourite Woody plants. Many will catch out the Botanical, harden, experience hardy gardener. (Quite a statement.)

5. Bulbs are not just for Spring.

Bulbs are for all year colour. A hundred pictures of bulbs for all year, spring summer autumn and winter. How to plant bulbs, when to plant and many unusual easy bulbs to try.

6. A plant mad garden (Plantsmans garden)

For 40 years I’ve accumulated hundreds of rare and scarce plants that we grew and sold in our rare plant nursery, (the nursery closed in 2023) here is a talk, showing a selection of these amazing and unusual plants.

7. 

50 plants from 5 inspirational gardens

Over 40 years five gardens have inspired and helped my knowledge grow over the years. Here i have picked 50 plants from those 5 gardens, some rare plants, some special people and why those garden are so special.

8. Specialist Genus Stachyurus

This was the key note talk I gave to the RHS Hardy Plant Committee. It covers the species of Stachyurus, cultivation and origin. A specialist talk but can be picked with another talk and made more general.

9. Specialist Genus Berberis

Danger, You will get inspired to grow them. There’s more to Berberis than those pathetic plants the garden centres sell. Roughly 500 species are all held in botanical gardens, Hugh flowers, evergreens and autumn colour, fruit in winter for the birds, ideal for global warming, will withstand weeks of dry weather and just at home in prolonged wet soil.