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Forthcoming events
28 September to 3 October
Gardens of Ischia, Capri, Sorrento and the Amalfi coast
A six-day (five-night) visit to southern Italy, staying in Sorrento, in late September. We will visit the Botanic Garden of Naples, guided by Dr Rosa Muoio; see superb historic gardens on the Amalfi coast; spend a day each on the islands of Capri and Ischia; and we have been invited to two private gardens. Waiting list only at present.
May 2011
Gardens in Catalonia
Six days in Catalonia to see coastal botanic gardens, inland private gardens and wild flowers in the hills. The hotel we choose and the programme details will to some extent depend on how many people wish to attend.
Please tell me if you are interested in one or more of these events and I will send you further details and prices. If you do not receive an acknowledgement to your email within two days it means that it has not reached me so please write to my postal address. All my contact details are in the left-hand column on this page.
Past activities
June 2010 - Highgrove House gardens, Gloucestershire
Many new members joined our branch visit to two Gloucestershire properties – the garden of Highgrove, the country home of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, and the nearby Arts and Crafts house and garden of Rodarton Manor where we strolled peacefully through the extensive yet detailed garden, guided by its devoted owner Simon Biddulph.
July 2009 - Gardens in and near Oxford
Visits to private gardens, college gardens and the Oxford Botanic Gardens made this long weekend a great success. Juliet Blackburn and Jill Stallworthy organised this marvellous long weekend.
The long border at Pettifers, near Oxford
The Ladies Garden, Broughton Castle
Veronicastrum virginicum around Mercury, Worcester College
Photos by Deborah Mann
June 2009 - Gardens in East Sussex
Members of the Hardy Plant Society and the MGS enjoyed visits to two Sussex gardens with many unusual plants, an area where cyclamen are grown by the hundred thousand, and many lilies grown from seed were in flower.
April 2009 - France’s Côte d’Azur
The group stayed in Menton and each day enjoyed guided tours by owners and head gardeners of large and small private gardens, as well as visits to historic and botanic gardens, and a change of pace with walks by the sea and inland led by a local botanist. See article by Hugh Bennison in TMG 58 and there are photos of the gardens which you can reach by following the links from the September 2007 trip below.
September 2008 - RHS Wisley
Tour of garden, library and glasshouse.
May 2008 - A Visit to Epirus, Northern Greece
Six days in the Pindos mountains of Epirus, northern Greece. More photos can be seen here.
Plakidha bridge near Kipi
Looking down into Vikos Gorge
Lilium candidum Meteora
Meteora
Geranium subcaulescens with Muscari neglectum
Dactylorhiza sambucina and violas
Allium meteoricum Meteora
Ramonda serbica
Campanula ramosissima
Neotia nidus-avis
Ophrys sepioides
Photographs by Jorun Tharaldsen, Davina Michaelides and Colin Cross
Chelsea Flower Show - May 2008
The UK Branch’s participation at the Chelsea Flower Show on the stand of the UK Climate Impacts Programme in the Continuous Learning Zone resulted in a very creditable Bronze Medal.
The stand ready for the judges
April 2008 - National Botanic Garden of Wales and a private garden
Visit to the new hot glasshouse at the NBGWT and to an inspiring private garden in Pembrokeshire.
September 2007 - Visit based in Menton
Three days at coastal gardens between Ventimiglia in Italy and St Jean cap Ferrat in France, plus two days inland. A more detailed account is in TMG 52.
Photos can be seen by clicking here. These are the property of Alisdair Aird and may not be reproduced without his permission. More pictures can be seen here.
2007 - Mediterranean Festival at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
We made two visits to Kew’s Mediterranean Festival and to the nursery and compost areas behind the scenes during the summer.
April 2007 - Visit to Sicily
A Phoenician island, a Marsala wine trader’s villa and garden, botanical and private gardens, a Greek temple, museums and wild flower hillsides all combined to produce a memorable visit to Sicily for 25 members.
  
 
Biella and Lake Maggiore - May 2006
The branch visited the area in the foothills of the Alps from 12 to 17 May. To see more photos of our visit to Biella click here. 
Piacenza Park
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The private garden of the Piacenzas
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April 2006 - Gardens in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall
Branch members enjoyed a whirlwind visit to eight spectacular gardens in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.
Erythroniums at Greencombe.
Clianthus puniceus.
Dancing maenads mirror twisting vines
at the Eden Project.
Erysium mutabile.
Photographs by Dick Martin
September 2005 visits
Members spent a weekend with guided tours of the Cambridge University Botanic Garden and of the most beautiful parts of the gardens of Trinity College on the first day and visits to RHS Hyde Hall and the Beth Chatto Gardens near Colchester the next.
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