I am often asked to give talks, lectures and practical demonstrations to gardening clubs and other social groups.

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I have a number of talks prepared on popular gardening topics detailed below. I am happy to add to this list. Please ask if there is a particular topic which you feel would be of interest to your group.  

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“Eating your garden”: A look into the new style of kitchen gardening where edible crops are chosen for their ornamental value as well as edible, and integrated into the garden rather than segregated. Including widely-known crops as well as ornamental plants which you probably didn’t know were edible, this talk explores the world of EDIMENTALS!

 

“Autumn, Season of Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness”: A light-hearted talk about the bountiful season that is autumn. On top of jobs which can be done at this time of year, we explore the beauty of autumn from rich colours and fungi to fruit and wildlife as well as taking a tour around some beautiful gardens.

 

“Lazy summer days”: A light-hearted talk for the summer months, looking at plants and flowers at their finest, crops of summer fruit and some ideas to deal with the glut, along with a tour of some beautiful summer gardens. I will also cover design ideas to incorporate benches, arbours, fire pits , hammocks and other ways to lazily enjoy your garden!

 

“Spring into life”: As spring arrives, this talk takes a close look at the world around us which is ‘waking up’ after the winter, along with plans to think about for the year ahead as we try not to rush too hastily into seed sowing!

 

“The best things in life are free”: Whether we are learning to live well despite the cost of living crisis, or learning to live less wastefully to reduce environmental cost, this talk takes a look around the country and around the world at the clever ways people are gardening. From clever recycling projects to growing your own in ingenious ways, I think that everyone will take home a project from this talk!

 

“Foliage”: As a garden designer I often emphasise how important the leaves are to a planting scheme. Flowers stay for a few days or weeks, but leaves give colour for 3 or 4 seasons. Leaf shape and texture are equally important to the overall feel of a garden space. This talk looks at the rich variety available to us in our gardens.

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"Gardening on a slope": an illustrated talk with slides looking at the fun and challenges of working in a steep garden, and plenty of well tested solutions!

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"The Holly, The Ivy and other festive plants": Ideal for a winter talk, or accompanying a Christmas dinner! A light-hearted talk covering the folklore surrounding our favourite festive plants as well as other plants looking good in the darkest months.

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"My Life in Gardening...so far!": I have studied and worked all my life in horticulture, and have travelled far and wide for pleasure and for work. This talk takes you around the world, to many corners of the UK, and on a horticultural journey through the past 50 years.

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"Gardening in the 21st Century": In a world of climate change and demand for lifestyle changes, this illustrated talk looks at gardening today from techniques such as no-dig gardening to trends such as 'grow your own', from access to plants and sundries from across the globe to worldwide awareness. This is a very up to date talk, leaving you with plenty to think about, and lots of new ideas to try.

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"The World under our Feet": As the titles suggest, this is about the most important part of gardening, the soil. Far from being dull, I cover composting, worms and no-dig gardening along with environmental issues, wildlife and fantastic results.

 

"Gardening all year round": A general talk about gardening tasks which can be undertaken in each month of the year as well as slides of plants which are looking good in gardens locally throughout the year.

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"Creating a garden at Lake Vyrnwy": An illustrated talk about my experiences: successes and failures, in the ongoing process of creating my own garden on a steeply sloping south facing site alongside the River Vyrnwy. I will also include some tales from  the Lake Vyrnwy Hotel Gardens, a little further up the hill, where I have been Head Gardener.

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"Gardening for Wildlife": From log piles and ponds to shrubs with berries and nectar-rich flowers; from soil full of worms to seedheads for finches, this illustrated talk is very much from my own experience building a wildlife garden on an acre of land adjoining the Lake Vyrnwy RSPB reserve.

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"Right plant , Right place": the most popular of my illustrated talks, offering advice on planting for all sorts of different areas in the garden, and looking at the origins of garden plants.

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         New talks for 2025 

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For 2025, my charges will be £80 plus mileage for a 45 to 60 minute illustrated evening talk plus time for questions etc. This is the same rate as for 2024.

Please ask about rates for daytime talks as this may depend on the time of year.

Petrol is charged at 50p per mile. For return journeys of over 120 miles, I may need overnight accommodation. I live at Lake Vyrnwy

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In 2026, my charges will be £100 plus mileage which is expected to be at the same rate of 50ppmile, and again overnight accommodation may be required for return journeys of over 120 miles.

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If your group might be interested, please contact me to discuss availability.