On November 18th we had our second demonstration by Jonathan Moseley an international floral designer and public speaker with over 30 years of experience.  He was a most entertaining speaker as well as a natural and fluent demonstrator.  His beautiful creations speak for themselves. See pictures of his arrangements in the

He is passionate about British flowers, and his Derbyshire garden provides a constant source of inspiration.  As a writer and broadcaster, he appears in consumer magazines both trade and professional and is a frequent guest on Alan Titchmarsh’s ‘Love your Weekend’. He has also created many of the fantastic flower decorations at many of the flower shows around the country.

Ashwood Nursery and John Massey’s Private Gardens

Ashwood Nurseries is a traditional working plant nursery situated in a rural location, where many of the plants on offer are grown on the premises. The nursery is beautifully set out in a lovely natural garden setting. There are several greenhouses, a garden shop and a gift shop in which to browse as well as the beautiful, mostly home grown, plants for sale everywhere. There are many specialist collections, including hellebore and hepatica.

The Tea Room You can relax in the charming Tea Room with its beautiful garden views and enjoy delicious food freshly prepared by our team of chefs., coffee and cake and super lunches and desserts.

‘John’s Garden’ at Ashwood Nurseries is a wonderful eight acre private garden created by nursery owner and Chelsea Gold medallist John Massey VMH. Informal borders, island beds, woodland dells and a wildlife garden are set against the beautiful backdrop of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal.

Regarded as one of the finest private gardens in the UK,  there are magnificent collections of trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials and conifers adding to the interest all year round with an abundance of rare plants as well as familiar favourites.

Its many fine features include a stunning pool and rock garden planted with choice alpines and miniature bulbs, an Anemone pavonina meadow, a rare tufa garden and a dramatic fern stumpery. The ruin garden and Christopher Lloyd border put the spotlight on some inspirational seasonal planting.

Throughout the garden, urns and patio pots are imaginatively planted.

‘Adam’s Garden’ is an area within John’s Garden dedicated to the memory of John’s former head gardener Adam Greathead who died aged 27 in 2017. This  tranquil space is home to specimen trees selected for Autumn colour, rare conifers, island beds planted for spectacular Summer colour, a delightful Mediterranean border and a a fine collection of named snowdrops.

John’s Garden has been featured on TV as well as in numerous articles in the national and gardening press, and has been described by Carol Klein as ‘the most loved and looked after garden I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting’.

There will be two guided tours of John's garden, one at 11.30 pm and one at 2.00pm which should each last about 90 minutes.

Evenley Woods Snowdrop Walk

With over 80 varieties of magnificent snowdrops planted in swathes throughout this beautiful 60-acre woodland haven, it is sure to be the perfect place to come and escape this winter. Among them are Galanthus ‘Evenley Double’, a special snowdrop which was developed and propagated on site, and other notable varieties such as ‘Hill Poe’ and ‘Lady Beatrix Stanley’. Spot them as you follow our many paths and rides, weave your way through the tall trees, and take a stroll along the bank of our peaceful stream. You might even spot the roaming guinea fowl!

The café will also be open from 10am – 4:00pm serving a selection of seasonal food, hot drinks & delicious cakes.

RHS Hyde Hall

This is our free entry to an RHS garden this year because our group is affiliated to RHS.

Nestled in the heart of rural Essex, Hyde Hall is an oasis of peace and tranquillity with an eclectic mix of traditional and modern planting styles. The garden has expanded over the years and there are now more than 365 acres of garden to explore.

Hyde Hall offers beautiful panoramic views and rolling hills and is just 30 minutes from North London. The landscape continues to evolve with exciting new features creating a garden for all seasons. Other highlights include the iconic Dry Garden with its fantastic range of drought-resistant plants, and the Hilltop Garden with its roses and herbaceous borders.

If you watch Gardeners’ World you may have seen an item about Hyde Hall in November. A new presenter, a young man called Ashley, visited to see the newly planted rope rose walk. The old wooden frames and usual rope has been replaced with cylindrical metal frames and even metal rope to make it all last much longer. It should be looking good by June when we visit!

He also visited the famous dry garden where they are experimenting with growing cacti (opuntia or prickly pear) outside all year.