There are a few seats remaining on our trip to Berkshire next Thursday 7th June which we are keen to fill!

In the morning we visit the garden at Lower Bowden Manor, near Pangbourne created in the early 20th century at the same time as the house.  It had been neglected and overgrown for many years, when the current owner, who exercised her landscaping skills near Paris prior to retiring to Berkshire in 2016, took on the task of reviving the garden.  It provides extensive views of the Thames valley and the Chilterns beyond.  Mature trees, along with more recently planted specimens, provide structure, form, bark colour and leaf shape, thus creating a garden for all seasons.  There are numerous features to keep us interested including a rill, tall yew hedges, a pond, orchard amd a Folly.  

In the afternoon we will go on to the nursery Edulis.  Although, as the name implies, there is a wide selection of very unusual edible plants, there is also an extensive collection of unusual perennials and rare shade-loving plants.  Many of these have been collected by the nursery owner, Paul Barney a plant hunting companion of Nick Macer of Pan Global plants.  The nursery is tucked away in a walled garden in the Thames Valley.

Specialist Plant Nursery | Growers of Rare Plants – Edulis

The coach will leave from Taunton (at about 8.30am) and will pick up at Clevedon.  Return to Taunton should be by 6.00pm.  Full details will be provided on booking. 

The cost is £40 per person.

To book please contact Penny Berry on 01278 662 720 or email p.berry487@btinternet.com
Please address any queries about the visit to Kate Harris 01984 624 615 nunnington@aol.com

Thank you to everyone who responded to my previous request for help at the Somerset Group Summer Plant Fair at Batcombe House on 15 June. We now have a full complement of helpers on our plant stall at the Fair.

However I am still looking for one or two volunteers to help the garden owner sell tickets at the entrance – particularly when the Fair and garden open at 12.00 and the following “shift” starting at 2.00pm. It would also be good if we could provide someone to help with car parking – again, this is particularly needed at the start of the event from 11.30am to 1.30pm.

If you could help with either of these roles it would be much appreciated. Our plant fairs are very important fund raisers for the group and mean that we can continue to offer you an excellent programme for a very low membership fee. However this does mean that we rely on members coming forward to help when needed.

As a reward, you will have free entry and time to enjoy the Fair and the magnificent gardens. Please get in touch with Jane Hunt if you wish to volunteer.

I am pleased to let you know that we have a wonderful group of stallholders coming along to the Summer Plant Fair:

• Biocentric Plants
• CB Plants
• Derek’s Fuchsias
• Elworthy Cottage Plants
• Gardener’s Blacksmith
• In Clover
• Japonica Plants
• Malcolm Allison Plants
• Nature Spaces Plants (formerly Native Spaces Plants)
• Pennard Plants
• Plant Wild
• Special Plants
• Triffids

Plus our own stall of course – donations of plants on the day would be most welcome!”

Many thanks
Jane

On Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd June, Somerset HPS members Trish and Jeremy Gibson are opening their garden for the National Garden Scheme, their 10th year opening for the scheme. The garden is a one-acre plot around old stone barn buildings.

A small orchard leads to a part-walled garden with perennial meadow areas and multi-stemmed trees. Gently curving beds are flanked by a more formal oak pergola walk. The style throughout is a relaxed contemporary mix.

In the atmospheric courtyard, planting is more established and leads to an innovative sand meadow in front of the barns.

Home-made teas are in aid of Western Hospicecare and there are plants for sale. Original garden ceramics by Karen Edwards will be displayed and on sale. 

Entry £5, children free. Cashless payment available. Well behaved dogs on leads welcome. 

Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 June, 2-5.30pm
Badgworth Court Barn 
Notting Hill Way
Axbridge
BS26 2NQ

Their NGS website page is here with a map, and a google map is here.

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Sue and Katie, the garden visit organisers, would like to know how much interest there would be in putting on a coach to the Malvern Spring Show 2025. The cost would be around £40 to £45 per person, this assumes a full coach of 50 people.

If you are interested please contact Sue Jones via email suzy60jones@gmail.com by 15th May.

First of all, many thanks to everyone who supported the recent Plant Sale at West Monkton Village Hall in whatever way. I have already written to the volunteers who helped on the day, but I also wish to thank everyone who donated plants and cakes for us to sell.

We have no events in May but our coach trip to Lower Bowden Manor and Edulis Nursery, Pangbourne, Berkshire on 6 June is approaching fast. If you would like to book a place on this visit for yourself (and friends) please get in contact with Penny as soon as you can. More information about the trip and Penny’s contact details can be found on the website “Programme” page.

We also have the Group’s Summer Plant Fair at our wonderful new venue, Batcombe House near Shepton Mallet, on 15 June. The gardens should be looking stunning at the time of our Plant Fair as the roses should be at their peak.

The garden and fair are open from 12.00 to 5.00pm. All the gate proceeds are going to the NGS but you can volunteer to help and get in for free! I already have a number of members helping on the plant stall but we still need one extra person to help on our stall from 11.00am to 1.30pm with setting up and selling plants and one person from 1.30pm until 3.30pm for plant sales.

We have also been asked to help the garden owner with entrance ticket sales and the head gardener with parking. Again, these duties can be split into two hour sessions so if you can help from 11.30am to 1.30pm, 1,30pm to 3.30pm or  3.30pm to 5.30pm in either role please let me know.

The Summer Plant Fair flyer is attached so please print off and display a copy if you can.

Jane Hunt

To contact Jane, please use this contact form.

Download the plant fair flyer by clicking here.

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This is also a final call for a host for our popular plant swap event. This event takes place during the summer (usually August but could be another month) and is combined with some form of refreshment.

This has previously been a light lunch, either provided by the hosts (paid for by the attendees) or a “bring and share” lunch. However it could equally be tea and cake or a cream tea!

If you would be prepared to host the event, in whatever format you might choose and on a date to suit you, please get in touch with me as soon as possible.

It is not essential to have an immaculate garden but a few plants of interest would be a bonus.

To contact Jane, please use this contact form.

West Monkton Village Hall, 10.00am – 12.30pm

Admission £1

Somerset HPS members and professional nursery sellers are welcome to sell at our popular plant sale. The hall will be filled with tables decked with tempting plants, so come along and enjoy a morning of selling, or buying, amid like-minded gardeners.

Sale tables may be booked with Jane Hunt at £5 for one or two tables (members only).

1. We need an extra person to help with refreshments at our lecture meeting on 13th April.

2. We also need two additional people to help in the kitchen, on a rota basis with the existing volunteers, at the Plant Sale on 27th April.

Also needed for the Plant Sale are:

• Someone to collect the entry money on the door (a sitting down job!);
• An extra person to help on the Group’s plant stall;
• Cakes to sell with refreshments

If you can help with any of these important roles please let me know as soon as possible.

Many thanks 
Jane