Our next meeting of the 2025 season is coming up on Saturday 15th of March (arrive at 10:30 for 11am).
Rob Schmidt ‘Greencombe Gardens’
Greencombe Gardens, near Porlock, is a spectacular sight in the spring. The garden extends along a hillside below tree-covered slopes, offering outstanding views over ancient fields to Porlock Bay and the sea beyond. The sheltered site provides a microclimate in which plants thrive, growing taller than they would in a more open site.
Created by the redoubtable Joan Loraine, Greencombe boasts a collection of exceptional plants, grown using organic methods that she termed “intrinsic gardening”. Highlights include the National Collection of Erythroniums, which form carpets of dainty elfin hats during April, and the rich colours of rhododendrons and azaleas.
The garden also holds National Collections of Gaultheria, Polystichum and Vaccinium. Mature pieris and camellias tower overhead, and the garden boasts a champion English Holly tree, one of the largest and oldest in the British Isles.
Rob will be talking about how his aunt, Joan Loraine, created the garden as it is today. She had very definite ideas about how Greencombe should be laid out and managed, which Rob and his partner, Kim-Norah, have continued to follow since her death in 2016. Plus, of course, there will be plenty of sumptuous photos of the garden in its full glory!
Meetings and lectures are held at West Monkton Village Hall unless otherwise specified. All meetings at West Monkton Village Hall are free to members (except for the Group Plant Sale in April), and there is a modest charge of £5 for non-members (when space is available).
The Group has a plant stall and a book stall at most of the lectures listed, and holds a Flower & Pot Plant of the Month competition.
The Hardy Plant Society Somerset Group 