In January, award winning garden designer and plantsman, Paul Hervey-Brookes, spoke to us about ‘Space, Illusions and other Mysteries.’ Paul showed slides of different gardens and encouraged us to think about what each design told us about the owner. In addition he explained the importance of visually ‘signposting’ the routes in your garden that you want visitors to use. We saw examples on how the eye can be deceived into thinking that a space is much larger than it actually is, but were warned that trickery needs to be done carefully to manage disappointment. Audience participation was key to Paul’s talk and made for a lively and enjoyable afternoon.

Our next meeting is on Saturday, February 10 at Crowle Parish Hall, WR7 4AZ, starting at 2pm. James Hitchmough will speak about ‘Perennials in the Urban Landscape’. James is an expert in the ecology, design and management of herbaceous vegetation and his methods have been used to create perennial meadows worldwide, including at the London 2012 Olympic Park. Visitors are very welcome at £3 and there will be a raffle and refreshments afterwards. For more information about our activities this year visit: www.worcs-hardy-plant.org.uk.

JAYNE SAVAGE