Pat Cook, the Chair Person, opened the March meeting, and welcomed new members. She invited entries for the spring show on April 12 to make the show a success.

She also gave details of the trips which are planned for June 27 and July 31 with numbers now being taken.

We were very fortunate to have Glyn Jones as guest speaker and there was a great turnout for his talk. Glyn is Head Gardener at Hidcote and his talk was on Plant Hunting and Dyffyn Gardens in Wales where he is currently on secondment as Project Consultant on renovating the Arts and Crafts Garden.

Glyn gave us a potted history of how Hidcote came to be and how Lawrence Johnston started his extensive plant collection from all parts of the globe, and in particular his expedition to China in the 1920s. Glyn and his colleagues followed in Lawrence’s footsteps by visiting China, South Africa and Lesotho and he gave us a wonderful slide slow of the very rural and remote areas he visited. There were some stunning panoramic views as well as some of the plants growing in their natural environment, many of which are now grown at Hidcote and in our own gardens. We were also given an insight into the way the people live in these remote areas. The lack of hygiene was a talking point and some of the creepy crawlies they had to put up with on their trip!

After the break, Glyn talked about his involvement at Dyffyn Gardens. The National Trust now have a lease over the house and gardens and he is working on a strategy on how the gardens will be taken forward, and in particular the formal Italian Gardens and the Arboretum. The gardens have lost their sparkly since their hayday, which were shown in some photos which came to light just 5 years ago, and getting the gardens back to their best will take some doing. The house at Dyffyn is in good condition with some stunning fireplaces, ceiling paintings and stained glass, but apart from these the house is empty.

There was an opportunity for Q&A at the end and Glyn then judged the competition ‘Something unusual in your garden’.

For the second month Susan Ward won first prize, this time with her collection of archaeological pots which she found buried in her garden.

Our next meeting is on April 16 when the subject will be ‘Hanging Basket Demonstration – Top Tips for Success.’

New members and visitors are welcome.