posted 6 May 2020, 12:25 by Erica Thomson
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updated 6 May 2020, 12:25
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The Shropshire HPS group have devised a gardening quiz. There are 125 questions, enough to keep us all going for a while! There is a deadline, however, of 22nd May. It is attached below, so do have a go. There is a link to follow on the quiz sheet to pay £2 via the Just Giving site - a bargain indeed. |
posted 19 Mar 2020, 11:00 by Erica Thomson
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updated 19 Mar 2020, 11:01
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The Plant Hunters’ Fair at Patchings Art Centre on Saturday 28th March is cancelled along with other fairs in March - Please check their website www.planthuntersfairs.co.uk before making a journey. Flower Power have also let us know that the Plant Fair at Holme Pierrepont Hall is also cancelled - again, please check their website www.flowerpowerfairs.co.uk/plant-fairs-2020/ before making a journey. It may be rescheduled in September. |
posted 12 Feb 2020, 13:17 by Erica Thomson
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updated 12 Feb 2020, 13:17
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We have been contacted by Brian Robinson who is organising a sale of Hellebores at Kinoulton Village Hall on Sunday 23rd February at 14.00 Hrs. until 15.00 Hrs. The plants have been bred by Brian and are in flower in a range of colours including some unusual ones/doubles.
The refreshments are in aid of Cancer Research and the Dove Cottage Hospice. A poster is attached, below. Contact 07775 821861 or 01949 81092 |
posted 18 Jan 2020, 04:54 by Erica Thomson
Please join us, Richard and Sue Bold, on the above date at 1 Highfield Road, Nuthall, Notts. NG16 1BQ when we are opening our garden to raise funds for Guide Dogs for the Blind. View our collection of 470 varieties of rare snowdrops. Where else would you be able to see so many at once!
We will have rare snowdrops and heucheras for sale and will be donating 20% of the sales to the charity. Refreshments will be available to purchase and all proceeds from the sale of these items will also go to the above charity. If you are able to join us please let us know by email richardbold@ntlworld.com or by text/telephone on 07866 696752. We look forward to welcoming you for a tour round all the snowdrops in the garden and in pots. Poster is attached below.
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posted 15 Jan 2020, 08:39 by Erica Thomson
I'm sure some of our members will shop at the Co-op and also be a Co-op Member. Heather Slater from Stonebridge City Farm has let us know that by using your Co-op card, you can support them (our chosen charity for 2019) as your local charity cause. Follow the link below to register for a card, or sign in and choose the farm as your cause. https://membership.coop.co.uk/causes/32281 Don’t forget to use your card each time you shop – as you save too. Thank you! |
posted 9 Jan 2020, 00:26 by Erika Lax
We have received an invitation from the Newtown Linford Gardening Club who are holding a celebrity evening on Tuesday March 24th at 7.30pm in the Village Hall.
Their guest on this occasion is Helen Yemm who is the gardening correspondent for the Daily Telegraph. She may not be generally well-known, but Daily Telegraph readers speak very highly of her and it should be a good evening.
They will be pleased to welcome visitors to this event and if any members would like to come, you may obtain tickets (£12 each) from them by ringing 01530 242452 or by email on 32couling@gmail.com
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posted 6 Jan 2020, 11:59 by Erica Thomson
Janet & Martin Blow of Plant Hunters’ Fairs have sent us this list of all their Plant Fairs in 2020 Phone: 01270 811443, Email: janet@planthuntersfairs.co.uk Full details of all our events are on our website: www.planthuntersfairs.co.uk  Alderford Lake
Tilstock Rd, Whitchurch, Shropshire
SY13 3JQ Sunday 8th March 2020 10am -4pm FREE ENTRY to Plant Fair Free Parking We will be holding our first fair of the 2020 season here. Entry to this popular plant fair at Alderford Lake is completely free, so pop along and visit many specialist nurseries at no charge to get your gardening season off to a great start. The plant fair boasts a brilliant line-up of nurseries. The nursery folk will be more than happy to give you the benefit of their experience of planting and caring for the plants you buy so you can get the best from them. You can choose to take the lakeside walks (50p charge). Delicious breakfasts, lunches and afternoon teas are available from the lakeside café. There is ample free parking.  Carsington Water Big Lane, Ashbourne, Derbyshire DE6 1ST Saturday 14th March 2020 10am – 4pm FREE ENTRY to Plant Fair & Country Park (charge to park) With FREE ENTRY to this plant fair the event offers the opportunity to pop along and visit many specialist nurseries to get your gardening season off to a great start. Carsington Water is a superb location rich in wildlife, scenery and activities for people of all ages. There are 8 miles of paved walks from short strolls to long serious walks. The reservoir was always conceived as a natural-looking haven for wildlife and exciting space for water-based activities co-existing in harmony. The restaurant serves a wide range of lunches and refreshments and has windows and a terrace that give panoramic views of the water and park. |  Ness Botanic Gardens
Ness, Neston, Wirral CH64 4AY Sunday 15th March 2020 10am -4pm Entry £1.00 to Plant Fair (redeemable when paying for optional entry to the garden) Free Parking The spring plant fair at Ness Botanic Gardens has a wonderful line-up of top nurseries. The mix of nurseries ensures there’s something for every type of garden; little gems to tempt the most discerning plants person and lots of help and advice for the new or less experienced gardener. |  Sugnall Walled Garden
Sugnall, Eccleshall, Stafford, ST21 6NF Saturday 21st March 2020 10am - 4pm Entry to Garden and Plant Fair only £1.00 Free Parking Featuring many highly respected specialist nurseries with a great range of perennials, shrubs, trees, herbs, rare species and old heritage varieties. The 2-acre Walled Kitchen Garden at Sugnall near Eccleshall Staffs dates from 1738 and has been restored as a working kitchen garden producing fruit and vegetables to serve in the tearoom and for homemade jams and chutneys on sale at the garden. The tearoom will be serving home-made fare including teas and cake. For those of you who have caught the "grow your own" bug the garden will be an inspiration. Entry to fair and garden is only £1.00 with free parking.  Donington Le Heath 1620’s House & Garden
Donington Le Heath, Coalville LE67 2FW Sunday 22nd March 2020 10am - 4pm SPECIAL FUND-RAISING EVENT for Donington Le Heath 1620’s House & Garden: Entry to Gardens & Plant Fair only £1.00 Free Parking Following the huge popularity of our Plant Hunters’ Fairs at the 1620’s House and Garden we are really pleased to announce that for 2020 we are adding an EXTRA DATE at this wonderful location.
At this time of year, there will be a brilliant line-up of nurseries attending who will come laden with flowering bulbs, early flowering perennials, shrubs and trees to provide instant colour and also lots of later flowering plants to get planted for colour into the summer and beyond.
Why not make a note of the date in your diary and plan to get your gardening year off to a brilliant start and as it is Mother’s Day, why not bring Mum for a planty treat!
Entry to the plant fair and garden is just £1.00 with the entrance fee going directly for the benefit of the house and garden. The Old Barn Tea Room will be open and serving refreshments. Surrounding the Manor House are period gardens and woodland planted as part of the development of the National Forest. The gardens, re-created in a 17th century style, include flower and herb gardens, an ornamental maze and an orchard. |  Patchings Art Centre
Oxton Road, Calverton, Nottinghamshire NG14 6NU Saturday 28th March 2020 10am -4pm Free Entry to Plant Fair Free parking Entry to this Plant Hunters' Fair at Patchings Art Centre is completely free and offers the opportunity to pop along and visit 20 highly respected specialist nurseries and artisans from across the country at no charge to get your gardening season off to a great start. The nursery folk will be more than happy to give you the benefit of their experience in how to plant and care for the plants you buy so you can get the best from them. Patchings Art Centre has so much to offer with galleries and working artists. Take a walk around the grounds and discover a myriad of insects and wildlife as you meander along the grass paths, gardens with woodland walk, lake area with Monet Bridge all with free entry. |  The National Memorial Arboretum
Croxall Road. Alrewas, Staffordshire DE13 7AR Sunday 29th March 2020 10am - 4pm FREE ENTRY to plant Fair & Arboretum (charge to park) We will be holding our first fair of the 2020 season here. Entry to the plant fair is free and features many highly respected specialist nurseries with a great range of perennials, shrubs, trees, rare species and old heritage varieties. Simply something for every plant lover. The National Memorial Arboretum is a special place of memorial and inspiration with so much to offer visitors: secluded gardens to explore, a nature reserve and a lovely restaurant. The arboretum and fair are free to enter. There are 150 acres of wooded parkland where visitors can both enjoy and learn about the trees and their surroundings and reflect upon their special symbolism. Many of the memorials are placed in peaceful gardens. Although still a 'young' arboretum, in excess of 50,000 trees on the site are rapidly growing into a unique living tribute. Enjoy a hearty, freshly prepared breakfast, mouth-watering lunch or rest mid-afternoon with a refreshing 'cuppa' and a slice of homemade cake in the two eateries, the Restaurant and Coffee Shop, where the food and drink served are freshly prepared. |  Battlefield 1403
Upper Battlefield, Shrewsbury SY4 3DB Saturday 4th April 2020 9.30am – 4.00pm FREE ENTRY Free Parking The plant fair offers the opportunity to pop along and visit many specialist nurseries at no charge to get the gardening season off to a great start. At the same time visit Battlefield 1403's excellent farm shop, deli and Sparrow's Café, which are a celebration of low food miles, only buying British (and that means no lemons or grapes in sight), fresh seasonal products with full traceability. The café cooks up a storm daily using local produce sourced from the estate and local producers. Battlefield 1403 is a something quite different location for Plant Hunters' Fairs and has a lot to offer our plant fair visitors! Today Battlefield 1403 is a bustling farm shop, butchery, deli, cafe and exhibition, but over 600 years ago this was the site of one the bloodiest battles fought on British soil. After visiting the plant fair and shop at Battlefield 1403, take a walk around the boundary of the 100-hectare battlefield. Battlefield Church is said to have been erected over the site of the mass burial pit dug immediately after the battle. Now looked after by The Churches Conservation Trust, it provides an opportunity for quiet reflection. The Battle of Shrewsbury exhibition explains the facts as we know them and introduces additional fun facts for children. Exhibits on display include a fully armoured "Sir Nicholas", various weaponry, a longbow archer and other medieval artefacts. |  Bramhall Hall,
Bramhall Park, off Hall Road, Bramhall, Stockport, Cheshire SK7 3NX Sunday 5th April 2020 10am -4pm £2.00 entry to plant fair in aid of special projects at the hall. There is free entry to the 70-acre parkland. Bramall Hall is one of Cheshire's most historic houses with surrounding parkland in the style of Capability Brown. There is free entry to the 70-acre parkland. Hall entry is optional at standard prices. The event offers the opportunity to visit a brilliant line-up of 20 specialist nurseries and artisans and is a special fund-raising event for special projects at the hall and has proved hugely popular, rapidly gaining a reputation as the best specialist plant fair in the area. The historic hall is also open (1pm-5pm, separate charge) to take you back to its medieval roots. |  Whittington Castle
Castle St, Whittington, Shropshire SY11 4DF Good Friday 10th April 2020 10am -4pm Free Entry to Plant Fair (£1.00 per car to park) The strikingly picturesque and romantic ruins are steeped in much history, tales of bitter border warfare, romance and legend. Whittington is a small rural community in Shropshire close to the market town of Oswestry. Whittington Castle sits in the centre of this lovely village. The existing Castle is set in about 12 acres of ground and is the remains of a Norman home. A brilliant plant fair offering a great opportunity to get out on Good Friday at the start of the country’s biggest gardening weekend. With specialist nurseries with a great range of perennials, shrubs, herbs, rare species and old heritage varieties to get your gardening season off to a great start. |  Bodenham Arboretum
Wolverley, Worcestershire, DY11 5SY Easter Saturday 11th April 2020 10am - 4pm Free Entry to Plant Fair and lakeside restaurant What a wonderful setting for a plant event! From the mile-long approach drive to the heart of this 156-acre arboretum the beauty of the setting just keeps on unfolding. With FREE ENTRY to this plant fair the event offers the opportunity to pop along and visit many specialist nurseries from across the country. The visitor centre and lakeside restaurant are housed in an award-winning environmentally sensitive building and serve a wide variety of home-cooked meals and light refreshments including meats from the farm. Why not enjoy the spring weather and take your tea on the terrace overlooking the main pool. Entry to the plant fair and access to the restaurant are completely free with free parking. Entry to the arboretum is optional and at normal prices. |  The Dorothy Clive Garden
Willoughbridge, Mkt Drayton, Shropshire, TF9 4EU Sunday 12th & Monday 13th April 2020 (Easter Sunday & Monday) 10am - 5.00pm Better Than Half Standard Price Entry to Gardens & Plant Fair £4.00 (Normal standard entry is usually £8.50) Free Parking This is a special fund-raising event for the Willoughbridge Garden Trust One of the best-loved garden events in the area wooing visitors with a winning line-up of the best nurseries around, a most charming and beautiful garden and a truly relaxing and inviting atmosphere. The 12-acre Dorothy Clive Garden features a superb woodland garden, alpine scree, gravel garden, a damp garden and spectacular flower borders. Famed for its dazzling spring display of rhododendrons and azaleas with massed drifts of bulbs. Explore the gardens, sit and relax in the many seating areas, and enjoy the tearoom's home baking on the terrace lawn, whilst enjoying the lovely views of the surrounding countryside. The Plant Hunters’ Fair boasts 22 top-class nurseries, including RHS Medal Winners and National Collection Holders offering a tremendous variety of plants coming from all corners of the country including National Collection Holders, Roseland House Clematis and Climbers from Cornwall; woodland plant specialists Edrom Nursery from Berwickshire; award-winning alpine nursery Pottertons from Lincolnshire; rare woody edibles and other hard to find trees and shrubs from Jurassic plants. Plus, many more wonderful specialist nurseries with every sort of plant. Also, don’t miss our two artisan stalls, Artisan Plant Supports with iron plant supports and Aluminium Art both with hand-made products. This is a special fund-raising event for the charitable trust that owns and maintains the garden. |  Hoghton Tower
Hoghton, Nr Preston, Lancashire PR5 0S Saturday 18th April 2020 10am -4pm Entry Plant Fair & Garden only £1.00 - in aid of Hoghton Tower Preservation Trust. Free Parking This is our only visit of the year to Lancashire. The plant fair offers the opportunity to visit some wonderful specialist nurseries to get the gardening season off to a great start with a great range of perennials, alpines, shrubs, trees, rare species and old heritage varieties. Tea rooms and the Stables Gift Shop will also be open. Hoghton Tower is set in magnificent grounds, situated 650ft above sea level and approached by a steep, straight 0.75-mile-long drive, a 16th-century Elizabethan fortified manor-house. The ancestral home of the de Hoghton family, Hoghton Tower has been a part of Lancashire’s landscape since 1565.  Middleton Hall
Middleton Hall, Middleton, Tamworth, Staffordshire B78 2AE Sunday 19th April 2020 9am - 4pm Entry to Hall, Gardens & Plant Fair only £3.00 Free parking Where better to get inspiration for your garden than at this great plant fair at this wonderful Staffordshire venue. With entrance to the gardens, grounds, hall and plant fair all for just £3.00, we’re sure you'll want to bring your friends and family to make a day of it. The event offers the opportunity to visit a brilliant line-up of 25 specialist nurseries and artisans from across the country. Middleton Hall spans seven centuries of English domestic architecture and is set in 42 acres of tranquil grounds which include a beautiful walled garden, an orchard, Middleton Lake and a nature trail. The tearooms will serve light refreshments.  Sandwell Valley Park
Sandwell Valley Country Park, Salters Lane, West Bromwich, West Midlands B71 4BG Saturday 25th April 2020 10am -4pm FREE ENTRY to plant fair and country park (P&D parking) This free to enter plant fair offers the opportunity to pop along and visit many specialist nurseries from across the country to get the gardening season off to a great start. At the same time why not enjoy a walk at this wonderful Country Park with 660 acres to walk round you can go for a quiet stroll in pleasant surroundings. To round off your trip why not enjoy a visit to Sandwell Park Farm, (there is a separate entry charge for this) a fully restored working Victorian farm with grazing meadows, a traditional farmyard, walled kitchen gardens, Grade II listed buildings, a small museum and award-winning tea rooms to provide a perfect day out. The farm is home to rare breed animals. | |  Cholmondeley Castle Gardens
Malpas, Cheshire SY14 8AH Sunday 26th April 2020 10am-5pm Better than Half-Price Entry to Gardens & Fair only £4.00 Free Parking Plants will be at the heart of the event and we have a brilliant line-up of nurseries, each with something new, different and unusual for every Plant lover. Cholmondeley Castle Gardens is said by many to be among the most romantically beautiful gardens they have seen will have a stunning display from the drifts of bulbs and flowering trees and shrubs. The Gothic revival castle - a product of the early 19th century - stands on a high rise above a lake and is surrounded by sweeping lawns and a variety of mature trees, including cedars of Lebanon, oak and chestnut. The surrounding gardens provide a lovely mix of colour and height, with intriguing walks around the lake. There is a temple water garden, rose garden, rhododendrons, azaleas, magnolias and a variety of mixed borders. Why not bring a picnic and enjoy magnificent views across the deer park mere, with its many varieties of wild birds together with an excellent view of Cholmondeley Castle. The plant fair is handily placed right next to the tearooms! | |  Weston Park
Weston-under-Lizard Nr Shifnal, Shropshire, TF11 8LE Saturday 2nd & Sunday 3rd May 2020 10am - 5pm Special Low Entry for Gardens & Plant Fair £4.00 Free Parking (please note change of day for this year as there is no Early May Bank Holiday Monday the event is on the Saturday & Sunday instead) Weston is an award-winning stately home set in 1000 acres of "Capability" Brown parkland, much of it wooded and planted with spring bulbs, bluebells, azaleas and rhododendrons. There are miles of woodland walks, lakes and the beautiful formal gardens to explore. Children can let off steam in the Woodland Adventure Playground. The wonderful Plant Hunters Fairs will once again make Weston their home with a great plant fair showcasing highly respected nurseries. Whether you are a green-fingered professional or just like to potter in the garden, there will be a wide selection of top-quality nurseries attending. There will be a great mix of expert growers, each with their own distinctive specialities.  Donington Le Heath 1620’s House & Garden
Donington Le Heath, Coalville Leicestershire LE67 2FW Saturday 9th May 2020 10am - 4pm SPECIAL FUND-RAISING EVENT for Donington Le Heath 1620’s House & Garden: Entry to Gardens & Plant Fair only £1.00 Free Parking The plant fair features highly respected specialist nurseries with a great range of perennials, alpines, shrubs, trees, rare species and old heritage varieties. Surrounding the Manor House are period gardens and woodland planted as part of the development of the National Forest. The gardens, re-created in a 17th century style, include flower and herb gardens, an ornamental maze and an orchard. The Old Barn Tea Room will be open and serving home baked cakes, light lunches and a range of hot and cold drinks. The house is open on the day and if you would like to see it there is a separate charge to enter. This rare and beautiful house is a surviving example of a family home built in the 13th century and then modernised in 1618. It has been home to many families over its 700 year history, but the Digby family, which included the Gunpowder Plotter Sir Everard Digby, lived in the house for over two hundred years. It is towards the end of the Digby ownership that the refurbished house is focused, showing how people lived in late Elizabethan and early Jacobean times. Visitors can now see the beautifully restored period rooms and talk to our volunteers about the history of the house, the families that lived here and about life in the 1620s. |  Adlington Hall
Mill Lane, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4LF Sunday 10th May 2020 10am - 4pm Half Price Entry to Gardens & Plant Fair only £3.00 Free Parking Back again for the 12th year, by popular demand, the Plant Hunters Fair will be held in the grounds of Cheshire’s fabulous historic Adlington Hall. This event has become firmly established in the gardener’s calendar as the place to go to get something different and special for your garden. The popular plant fair will be set against the backdrop of the historic hall and is surrounded by the beautiful gardens and parkland. Adlington Hall is one of the oldest and most historic Cheshire houses. The 2,000-acre Estate contains parkland landscaped in the 18th century in the style of 'Capability Brown' complete with ha-ha. The Lime Avenue dating from 1688 is one of the oldest surviving in Britain and leads to a woodland wilderness with winding paths, temples, bridges and follies in a rococo manner. A path through the laburnum Arcade leads into the formal Rose Garden, then on to the Maze created in English Yew. The Father Tiber water Garden provides a peaceful haven with its ponds, fountains and water cascade and the parterre provides a colourful addition to the east wing.  British Ironwork Centre
Whitehall Aston, Oswestry, Shropshire SY11 4JH Saturday 16th May 2020
10am - 4pm £1.00 in aid of Hope House Children’s Hospices. Free Parking Our plant fairs at The British Ironwork Centre have raised thousands of pounds for Hope House Children’s Hospices, with the £1.00 entrance fee going to this very deserving cause. Please help us raise more in 2020! Come for a great day out, find some lovely plants for your garden, get expert advice from the enthusiastic nursery folk. The British Ironworks Centre not only boasts a working smithy and a showroom featuring the biggest choice of quality British ironware for both indoors and garden use but also the Shropshire Sculpture Park featuring a safari in ironwork that has to be seen to be believed! The venue has lots to see and explore with something for all ages, plus the bonus of a great Plant Hunters' Fair to enjoy! |  Norton Priory Gardens
Tudor Road, Manor Park, Runcorn, Cheshire WA7 1SX. Sunday 17th May 2020 10am -4pm FREE ENTRY TO THE PLANT FAIR Free Parking This event will be in association with the walled garden's NGS open day (£4.00 per person if you want to enter the garden or whole Site entry for gardens and museum £7.95) Special Group booking entry (pre-booked groups of 15 or more) Garden Entry Group Rate - £3.00 per person Whole Site Entry Group Rate (includes garden and museum) - £5.00 per person FREE ENTRY to this popular plant fair showcasing highly respected specialist nurseries with a great range of perennials, shrubs, trees, rare species and old heritage varieties. This event will be in association with the walled garden's NGS open day (£4.00 per person if you want to enter the gardens or gardens and museum £7.95 there is a special group rate available). Norton Priory is the most excavated monastic site in Europe. Boasting the ruins of an Abbey, 12th century undercroft and an 18th century Walled Garden, it is located within an oasis of tranquil woodland and wildflower meadows. The new museum displays thousands of artefacts from Norton’s 900 year history including the internationally significant 14th century statue of St Christopher. The 2-acre Walled Garden was built between 1757 and 1770 for the Brooke family, the owners of Norton Priory. When the Brookes left Norton Priory, it became neglected and overgrown, until work began in 1980 by Runcorn Development Corporation to reclaim it. The garden was featured on BBC TV's "Hidden Gardens" series with Chris Beardshaw. Essentially a kitchen garden, it would have been the source of fruit, vegetables and flowers for the mansion house. Today there is an orchard, a fruit garden, a vegetable garden, various ornamental borders and the beautiful Rose Walk. Norton Priory is home of the National Collection of Tree Quince (Cydonia Oblonga). The Walled Garden is also the location of a number of Norton Priory's "hidden gems", including the Ha Ha Wall, the Ice House and the Wildflower Meadow. The plant fair is held just outside the walled garden and runs from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. with free entry to plant fair and tearoom. |  Pottertons Nursery & Garden in aid of the National Garden Scheme (NGS)
Moortown Road Nettleton, Caistor, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN7 6HX Sunday 24th May 2020 9am -5pm Entry to the plant fair and gardens is £3.00 in aid of the National Garden Scheme (NGS) Free Parking NGS opening including a great Plant Hunters’ Fair at the wonderful Pottertons Alpine Nursery and their beautiful garden. The plant fair offers the opportunity to see many specialist nurseries who don’t normally visit this part of the country. The large garden contains many planting features including alpine rockeries with pool, stream and waterfall, raised beds, troughs, tufa stone bed, crevice garden, woodland and peat beds. All extensively planted with hundreds of varieties of alpines, bulbs and woodland or shade loving plants, providing lots of colour and interest all year round but will be at their peak in late May. |  Carsington Water
Big Lane, Ashbourne, Derbyshire DE6 1ST Bank Holiday Monday 25th May
(10am – 4pm) FREE ENTRY to Plant Fair & Country Park (charge to park) It’s just the right time to pick up some summer flowering plants to give your garden a boost and the nurseries will have just the right plant for your garden with nurseries specialising in plants of all sizes for a wide range of garden situations from hot sun to cool shade. Carsington Water is a superb free-to-enter venue rich in wildlife, scenery and activities for people of all ages. There are 8 miles of paved walks from short strolls to long serious walks. The restaurant serves a wide range of lunches and refreshments and enjoys panoramic views of the water and park.  The National Memorial Arboretum
Croxall Road. Alrewas, Staffordshire, DE13 7AR Saturday 31st May 10am - 4pm FREE ENTRY to plant Fair & Arboretum (charge to park) Come for a day out, find some lovely plants for your garden, get expert advice from the enthusiastic nurserymen, and take time to experience the peace and tranquillity, the trees, the memorials, and the parkland walks. Enjoy a hearty, freshly prepared breakfast, mouth-watering lunch or rest mid-afternoon with a refreshing 'cuppa' and a slice of homemade cake in the two eateries, the Restaurant and Coffee Shop, where the food and drink served are freshly prepared. |  Hodnet Hall
Hodnet, Market Drayton, Shropshire. TF9 3NN Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th June
10am - 5pm Special Low Entry Price for Gardens and Fair £4.00 (Half Standard Price Entry) Free Parking Hodnet Hall boasts over 60 acres of breath-taking gardens with grand vistas; intimate, secluded areas, magnificent lakes, peony and rose garden, herbaceous borders, woodland garden, wildflower meadows and a walled kitchen garden. Visitors can explore the gardens, meet top nurserymen and women and enjoy light refreshments in the picturesque restaurant. What more could you want on an early summer's day?  Abbeywood Gardens
Chester Road, Delamere, Cheshire CW8 2HW Sunday 14th June 10am -4pm SPECIAL HALF PRICE ENTRY TO GARDENS AND PLANT FAIR ONLY £3.00 Free Parking Plant Hunters’ Fairs come to Abbeywood Gardens in Cheshire on Sunday 14th June for the first of two visits this year. gardens have plenty to see and enjoy with 6 acres divided into separate garden areas, each with its own distinctive character and themed planting. The long, flowering, naturalistically planted herbaceous borders of the main garden are divided by impressive yew hedges into the pool, chapel and pergola gardens each bursting with sensational colour. The exciting and vibrantly planted Christopher Lloyd inspired Exotic Garden is filled with Dahlias, Bananas, tender perennials and annuals. A fabulous prairie garden. The plant fair will have a great mix of expert growers, each with their own distinctive specialities.  Bramhall Hall
Bramhall Park, off Hall Road, Bramhall, Stockport, Cheshire SK7 3NX Sunday 28th June 2020 10am -4pm £2.00 entry to plant fair in aid of special projects at the hall. There is free entry to the 70-acre parkland. We are really pleased to announce that for 2020 we are adding an EXTRA DATE for a brilliant summer plant fair at this wonderful location. Bramall Hall is one of Cheshire's most historic houses with surrounding parkland in the style of Capability Brown. There is free entry to the 70-acre parkland. Hall entry is optional at standard prices. The event offers the opportunity to visit a brilliant line-up of specialist nurseries and artisans and is a special fund-raising event for special projects at the hall and has proved hugely popular, rapidly gaining a reputation as the best specialist plant fair in the area. The historic hall is also open (1pm-5pm, separate charge) to take you back to its medieval roots. |  Cholmondeley Castle Gardens
Malpas, Cheshire SY14 8AH Sunday 5th July 2020
10am-5pm Better than Half-Price Entry to Gardens & Fair only £4.00 Free Parking Summer Plant Hunters' Fair at the wonderful Cholmondeley Castle Gardens offering a special BETTER THAN HALF PRICE entry on the day for the gardens and plant fair of just £4.00 we know you'll be bringing your friends and family to make a day of it. Cholmondeley Castle Gardens is said by many to be among the most romantically beautiful gardens they have seen. The Castle is surrounded by sweeping lawns and a variety of mature trees. The gardens provide a lovely mix of colour and height, with intriguing walks around the lake. There is a Temple Water Garden and a recently replanted Rose Garden, with over 350 roses. A wonderful new 100m long double herbaceous border is in place with floral interest in these borders from spring through autumn, but they are at their best in summer. Great care has been taken to select plants which complement each other through both texture and colour. Several varieties of Dahlia can be found alongside Crocosmia, Salvia, Persicaria, Helenium, Echinacea, Geranium, Phlox, and the banana like leaves of Canna, in a scheme of varying shades of pinks, reds, oranges with the odd splash of mauve and white and new rose supports with climbing roses. |  Middleton Hall
Middleton Hall, Middleton, Tamworth, Staffordshire B78 2AE Sunday 19th July 2020 9am-4pm Entry to Hall, Gardens & plant Fair only £3.00 Free Parking It’s just the right time to pick up some late flowering plants to give your garden a boost and we know that the nurseries will have just the right plant to set your summer garden ablaze with colour and add a sparkle to a shady spot, plus lots of expert knowledge on hand to help you choose the best for your and unique garden. With entrance to the gardens, grounds, hall and plant fair all for just £3.00, we’re sure you'll want to bring your friends and family to have a lovely day out. Middleton Hall spans seven centuries of English domestic architecture and is set in 42 acres of tranquil grounds which include a beautiful walled garden, an orchard, Middleton Lake and a nature trail. The grounds are a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) including a nine-acre lake, noted Walled Garden and a children's play park. Adjacent to the grounds are the RSPB reserve, Middleton Lakes. Middleton Hall has a special place in the history of our understanding of plants. It was the home of Francis Willughby, the naturalist – an original Fellow of the Royal Society – and it was here that he brought his teacher and friend, the first great English naturalist, John Ray. Ray compiled his Catalogus Angliae here, one of the first attempts at a comprehensive listing of British plants. Today there are large and small walled gardens, herbaceous borders, orchard and sunken garden. There is an adjacent Craft Centre, with specialist shops and cafe. |  The National Memorial Arboretum
Croxall Road. Alrewas, Staffordshire, DE13 7AR Saturday 25th July 2020 10am - 4pm FREE ENTRY to plant Fair & Arboretum (charge to park) Come for a day out, find some lovely plants for your garden, get expert advice from the enthusiastic nurserymen, and take time to experience the peace and tranquillity, the trees, the memorials, and the parkland walks. Enjoy a hearty, freshly prepared breakfast, mouth-watering lunch or rest mid-afternoon with a refreshing 'cuppa' and a slice of homemade cake in the two eateries, the Restaurant and Coffee Shop, where the food and drink served are freshly prepared. |  British Ironwork Centre
Whitehall Aston, Oswestry, Shropshire SY11 4JH Sunday 26th July 2020 (10am-4pm) £1.00 in aid of Hope House Children’s Hospices. Free Parking Summer Plant Hunters’ Fair at the British Ironwork Centre. This is a special fund-raising event for Hope House Children’s Hospices, with the £1.00 entrance fee going to this very deserving cause. It’s just the right time to pick up some Summer flowering plants to give your garden a boost and the nurseries will have just the right plant for your garden with nurseries specialising in plants of all sizes for a wide range of garden situations from hot sun to cool shade. The British Ironworks Centre not only boasts a working smithy and a showroom featuring the biggest choice of quality British ironware for both indoors and garden use but also the Shropshire Sculpture Park featuring a safari in ironwork that has to be seen to be believed! The venue has lots to see and explore with something for all ages, plus the bonus of a great Plant Hunters Fair to enjoy! |  Donington Le Heath 1620’s House & Garden
Donington Le Heath, Coalville Leicestershire LE67 2FW Sunday 2nd August 2020 10am - 4pm SPECIAL FUND-RAISING EVENT for Donington Le Heath 1620’s House & Garden: Entry to Gardens & Plant Fair only £1.00 Free Parking The plant fair features highly respected specialist nurseries with a great range of perennials, alpines, shrubs, trees, rare species and old heritage varieties. Surrounding the Manor House are period gardens and woodland planted as part of the development of the National Forest. The gardens, re-created in a 17th century style, include flower and herb gardens, an ornamental maze and an orchard. The Old Barn Tea Room will be open and serving home baked cakes, light lunches and a range of hot and cold drinks. The house is open on the day and if you would like to see it there is a separate charge to entre. This rare and beautiful house is a surviving example of a family home built in the 13th century and then modernised in 1618. It has been home to many families over its 700 year history, but the Digby family, which included the Gunpowder Plotter Sir Everard Digby, lived in the house for over two hundred years. It is towards the end of the Digby ownership that the refurbished house is focused, showing how people lived in late Elizabethan and early Jacobean times. Visitors can now see the beautifully restored period rooms and talk to our volunteers about the history of the house, the families that lived here and about life in the 1620s. |  Southwell Minster Gardens
Southwell, Nottinghamshire NG25 0HD Sunday 9th August 2020 11am -4pm Entry: Donation to funds to conserve and restore the historic chapter house - suggested £2.00 We are back at this historic and charming venue for a brilliant plant fair with lots of lovely plants from nurseries that rarely get to Nottinghamshire. The fair is host by the Archbishop's Palace in the Education Garden and the £2.00 suggested entry fee is to raise funds to conserve and restore the historic chapter house. Southwell Minster is a gem in the heart of Nottinghamshire; it has an amazing and intriguing history to explore. The Education Garden is a fantastic place to explore and discover the history of the site through living plants. The features of the enclosed garden are inspired by medieval, Tudor, Georgian and Victorian gardens, reflecting the timeline of the Palace. As always, the plant fair will feature our top class nurseries from across the country – for most it will be a rare chance to see them in this area. |  Capesthorne Hall & Garden
Macclesfield SK11 0HD Sunday 16th August (10am -4pm) NEW EVENT FOR 2020 Half Price Entry to Gardens, chapel & Plant Fair only £3.50 For those visitors wishing to see the hall as well then, it's £3.00. We have a brand-new Plant Hunters Fair to visit for our 2020 season. As always, we have arranged a special low entry fee for the plant fair date which will be half the normal price Capesthorne Hall is a grand country home and gardens, located in the village of Siddington in Macclesfield, Cheshire. It is a distinctive Jacobean style house with its Georgian Chapel and delightful gardens and lakes all set in over 100 acres of parkland. The plant fair will take place on the courtyard in front of the Hall. Lots of lovely nurseries are already looking forward to attending this event.
We always love having a new garden to visit and become part of our Plant Hunters’ Fairs calendar and hope that you will be able to make a visit on Sunday 16th August 2020 |  Carsington Water
Big Lane, Ashbourne, Derbyshire DE6 1ST Sunday 23rd August 2020 10am – 4pm FREE ENTRY to Plant Fair & Country Park (charge to park)
It’s just the right time to pick up some summer flowering plants to give your garden a boost, and the nurseries will have just the right plant for your garden with nurseries specialising in plants of all sizes for a wide range of garden situations from hot sun to cool shade. Carsington Water is a superb free-to-enter venue rich in wildlife, scenery and activities for people of all ages. There are 8 miles of paved walks from short strolls to long serious walks. The venue has lots to see and explore, plus the bonus of a great plant fair to enjoy!
The restaurant serves a wide range of lunches and refreshments and enjoys panoramic views of the water and park. |  Abbeywood Gardens
Chester Road, Delamere, Cheshire CW8 2HW Wednesday 26th August 2020 10am -4pm Half Price Entry to Gardens & Plant Fair only £3.00 Free Parking GREAT MID-WEEK EVENT Plant Hunters’ Fairs come to Abbeywood Gardens in Cheshire just as the gardens reach their peak. The gardens have plenty to see and enjoy with 6 acres divided into separate garden areas, each with its own distinctive character and themed planting. The long flowering naturalistically planted herbaceous borders of the main garden, are divided by impressive yew hedges into the pool, chapel and pergola gardens each bursting with sensational colour. The exciting and vibrantly planted Christopher Lloyd inspired Exotic Garden is filled with Dahlias, Bananas, tender perennials and annuals is a real showstopper as well as a fabulous prairie garden. All set against a glorious backdrop of the Utkinton Hills. |  The Dorothy Clive Garden
Willoughbridge, Mkt Drayton, Shropshire, TF9 4EU Sunday 30th & Monday 31st August 2020 (Sunday & Bank Holiday Monday) 10am - 5.00pm Better Than Half Standard Price Entry to Gardens & Plant Fair £4.00 (Normal standard entry is usually £8.50) Free Parking This is a special fund-raising event for the Willoughbridge Garden Trust This is one of the best-loved garden events in the area with a winning line-up of the best nurseries around, a most charming and beautiful garden and a truly relaxing and inviting atmosphere. The 12-acre Dorothy Clive Garden features a superb woodland garden, alpine scree, gravel garden, a damp garden, with stunning and colourful late summer flower borders. Explore the gardens, sit and relax in the many seating areas, and enjoy the tearoom's home-baking on the terrace lawn, whilst enjoying the lovely views of the surrounding countryside. Great nurseries with a really great mix of plants and specialities to delight plant lovers of every level of experience. The garden offers a great special event price on these days of just £4.00 for garden & plant fair entry (Better than half the normal garden entry price). |  Bodenham Arboretum
Wolverley, Worcestershire, DY11 5SY Saturday 5th September 2020
10am - 4pm Free Entry to Plant Fair and lakeside restaurant Free Parking Plant Hunters’ Fairs will be back at Bodenham Arboretum for their late summer plant fair on Saturday 5th September. If your garden is looking a little tired after the summer, then this is a great opportunity to find some late blooming plants to cheer it up! It is also the perfect time to plant, ready for next year’s bloom. Entry to the fair and parking is completely free and there’s a great range of stalls to browse. The visitor centre and lakeside restaurant serve a wide variety of home cooked meals and light refreshments including meats from the farm. Why not take your tea on the terrace overlooking the main pool whilst drinking in the beautiful surroundings? Entry to the arboretum is optional and at normal prices. The arboretum features over 3000 species of tree and shrub from all over the world. Pathways wander through the landscape of trees, pools, meadows and farmland. You can explore the farm with its sheep, lambs, cattle and rare breed poultry. |  Ness Botanic Gardens
Ness, Neston, Wirral CH64 4AY Sunday 6th September 2020
10am -4pm Entry £1.00 to Plant Fair (redeemable when paying for optional entry to the garden) Free Parking This well-established plant fair features many highly respected specialist nurseries. The garden includes superb herbaceous borders, alpine scree and lots more as well as the National Plant Collection of Sorbus. Refreshments available. |  Weston Park
Weston-under-Lizard Nr Shifnal, Shropshire, TF11 8LE Sunday 8th September 2020 10am - 4pm
Special low entry price only £3.00 for Gardens & Plant Fair
Free parking This is a great chance to enjoy the changing season at Weston and enjoy the miles of woodland walks, lakes and the beautiful formal gardens. Children can also let off steam in the great woodland adventure playground. If your garden is looking a little tired after summer, then this is a great opportunity to find some late-blooming plants to cheer it up. Autumn is also the perfect time to plant ready for next year’s bloom. Plants will be at the heart of the event and we have a brilliant line up of nurseries from across the country with something, new, different and unusual for every plant lover. The nursery folk will be more than happy to give you the benefit of their experience in how to plant and care for the plants you buy so you can get the best from them. |   Meet our Nurseries:
We are very proud to feature some of the most highly respected nurseries in the country as well as small specialist growers. All are carefully selected and because exhibiting at our events is by invitation only, we can offer visitors a great variety of plants lovingly grown by experts. At Plant Hunters' Fairs we are keenly aware that craft-grown plants are under threat. At our specialist plant fairs, you will find hand-grown plants from nurseries that preserve heritage or rare varieties. We think a specialist plant fair should be just that - a chance to buy plants grown and sold by knowledgeable specialists. We aim to ensure that each stall is different, and each has its own unique range and personality. We aim to bring plant lovers the best selection of garden worthy plants regardless of current fashion or fad, all backed up by a passion for plants. When you visit our fairs, you will be struck by the variety of plants on sale – each stall is different - by the knowledge and enthusiasm of the nursery folk and by the quality of their plants. We know from what you tell us that garden lovers appreciate the opportunity to discover the unusual and new and but also to rediscover those old and heritage varieties from the past, lost to cultivation but for the efforts of these dedicated nurserymen and women. We give priority to RHS Medallists, National Collection Holders and small specialist growers at our events. Many of the nurseries you will meet have demonstrated the skill and dedication needed to win coveted RHS medals. Plant Hunters’ Fairs are a rare opportunity to see so many top-class nurseries outside of the big (and expensive) shows. You can discover which nurseries are attending each event on our website: www.planthuntersfairs.co.uk or contact us on 01270 811443. |
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posted 18 Nov 2019, 08:50 by Erica Thomson
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updated 18 Nov 2019, 08:51
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Trees, table decorations and time with Mrs Claus  |
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You're invited to one, or all of our fabulous, Festive Family Fun WEEKENDS, starting Saturday 30 November through till Sunday 15 December!
10-4pm You can choose your Christmas tree 
Pick some new decorations  ️
Make your own door wreath ☃️
Browse our craft stalls for quirky gifts
Buy your home-grown Poinsettia and Cyclamen Don’t miss the live reindeer on site on 7 and 8 December alongside Christmas stories with Mrs Claus.
There's also face painting, Christmas crafts for the family, chestnuts  , mulled wine  , a steam engine, fabulous coffee  , cakes, vegan foods and stalls selling everything from pottery to pickles!
To entertain you, there will also be performances from local choirs and brass bands!
So invite your friends and family and join us for a festive, fun filled day! Ho Ho Ho! ️ | |  |
Can't make the weekends?Don't worry....the shop is open every weekday and is packed with gift ideas, decorations and plants and our staff are on hand to help with advice on picking your tree. | |  |
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 | | Look who's back!Look who’s back in town! Yes our very own Christmas Rudolph is back to light up Woodthorpe Park.....and he’s looking better than ever! |
 with friends, family and garden lovers
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posted 22 Oct 2019, 23:33 by Erica Thomson
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updated 24 Oct 2019, 02:04
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STAA: Gateway to the Gardens are excited to host BBC Gardener’s Question Time at the National Justice Museum in Nottingham. The panel for this event will be Bob Flowerdew, Bunny Guinness and James Wong, chaired by Kathy Clugston. On arrival, you’ll have the chance to write down your questions for the panel.
Complimentary tea, coffee, and juice will be available in the foyer on arrival. Space is limited, and tickets will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Children will only be permitted over the age of 10, and must be accompanied by an adult. The venue is wheelchair accessible. Please get in touch with us directly to discuss accessibility requirements via info@staa-allotments.org.uk
/// Schedule /// The format for the evening will be: 17:30 Doors open, tea and coffee available in the foyer 18:15 Guests to be seated 18:25 Production announcement 18:30 Panel discussion starts 20:30 Event close
/// Tickets /// Available from but hurry as there are not many left as of 24th Oct!
Tickets are £4.50, plus a booking fee of 94p For this event, please understand that we are unable to take bookings over the phone
/// Getting there /// Car parks: Lace Market, Stoney Street, or Brook Street Tram stop: Lace Market
/// Contact /// For enquiries, please email info@staa-allotments.org.uk
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posted 4 Oct 2019, 10:37 by Erica Thomson
Unfortunately the Plant Fair at Felley Priory this Sunday has had to be cancelled due to waterlogging on site. Why not visit us at the Botanic Garden, Wollaton for our Final Plant Sale of the year instead?
We will be open from 10am to 4pm. With lots of plants that can still be planted out this month and the walled garden still full of flower, what’s not to like? |
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G A R D E N I N G Q U I Z.pdf
Helle Sale 2.docx
