Programme

Zoom talks start at 7.30pm for all meetings unless stated otherwise. Recordings and other plants lists are restricted to just our individual members & affiliated clubs via our private password restricted Members Area.

Zoom link is the same for all meetings:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4043014750
Meeting ID: 404 301 4750
Passcode general : bonsai (this is used for most meetings)
Passcode secret : XXXXXX (this is used for members only restricted zoom meetings)

2026 zoom talks & garden visits

Click on each event to expand for more details

Download a copy of the 2026 Jan & Feb program & benefits

2025 zoom talks & garden visits

Download a copy of the winter program & benefits

Jan – 9th Thu – Sue Fisher – Gardening in a Changing Climate (Plant list available )
Jan – 10th Friday – Hilary Hutson – Flowers and Gardens of Barbados (Plant list available )
Jan – 27th Mon – Ian Young – Waves of Colour: using bulbs for year round interest
Feb – 7th Fri – Guy Deakins – Schrodinger’s Garden (NOTE 8pm start time)
Feb – 12th Wed – Katherine Crouch – Grow the Food You Can’t Buy (Plant list available )
Feb – 20th Thu – Catherine Horwood biographer of Penelope Hobhouse & her great contribution to horticulture (NOTE 7.15pm start time, slightly earlier than usual)
Feb – 24th Mon – Charlie Harpur – Re-wilding – the planting at Knepp Castle
*Mar – 20th Thu – Guy Deakins – Committing the Perfect Murder (and how to use the body in the garden) *MO
*Mar – 26th Wed – Ben Pope – Treading gently through the borders *MO
*Apr – 29th Tue – Ruth Plant – Dieramas (Angels Fishing Rods) *MO (PLANT LIST available on private members area)
Sep – 30th Tue – John McCullen – The History & Management of the Phoenix Park, Dublin (1880-1980)
Oct – 9th Thu – Renowned Entemologist Dr Ian Bedford – Garden Bugs: Cohabit, Conserve or Control?
Nov – 4th Tue – Anne Luder – Winter Wonders
Nov – 10th Mon – Birmingham Botanical Gardens, the Glasshouses and it’s restoration
Nov – 12th Wed – Martin Fish – Happy healthy houseplants
Nov – 24th Mon – Helen Knowles – How to use peat free growing compost *MO
Nov – 25th Tue – Janine Griffiths-Lee – Habitat management to benefit pollinators *MO
Dec – 11th Thu – Lucy Hartley – In Search of a Low Maintenance Border *MO
Dec – 16th Tue – Indy Rana – 21st Century Gardening
Join our email newsletter to be kept informed of events
*MO Members Only event
. If you’re not yet a member you can join here

2024 talks

Oct – 10th Thu – Olivia Kirk – Restoration of an Elizabethan farmhouse and apothecary – Click here to DOWNLOAD PLANT LIST
Oct – 23rd Wed – Kevin Reynolds – Dragonflies (Devil’s Darning Needle)
Oct – 28th Mon – Saul Walker – Woodland Gardening (Plant list available to download from private members area)
Oct – 30th Wed – Pip Smith – Totally Tulips (Plant list available to download from private members area)
Nov – Thur 7th , Fri 8th & Tue 12th – Zoom practice sessions. These are just a short opportunity to refresh yourselves on zoom, practice how to mute, unmute, use reactions, chat, subtitles, breakout rooms, blur background etc.
Nov – 13th Wed – Dr Andrew Ward – Gardening in a Changing Climate (Plant list available )
Nov – 19th Tue – Roger Lloyd – Garden 365 No Excuses (Plant list available )
*Nov – 26th Tue – Charlie Pridham – Clematis MO
*Nov – 28th Thu – Hilary Hutson – Patio Panache MO
*Dec – 5th Thu – Wayne Williams – Cyclamen. All 20 species & their cultivation(Plant list available) MO
Join our email newsletter to be kept informed of events
*MO Members Only event
. If you’re not yet a member you can join here

2023 talks

Jan 12th Thur – Doug Stewart – 10 NEW must have plants (Plant list on private members page)
Feb 23rd Thur – Indy – Modernising Garden Clubs: Chapter 1 (Project to modernise clubs, by making committee roles easier, recruiting new younger members, reducing costs, plus much more. Firstly focusing on treasury activities and introuducing a card payment service for FREE with zero charges to go cashless. This will also be useful to non gardening clubs, such as church groups, community groups etc.) PLACES will be limited so email to register your place or register on the mail list on the homepage.
Mar 20th Mon – Peter Moore (National Collection Holder) – Plant Breeding
Apr 24th Mon – Jackie Currie (National Collection Holder) – How to grow Alliums and the best varities to choose
Sep 25th Mon – Lucy Hartley – Climate Change and its effect on our Gardens
Oct 26th Thurs – Timothy Walker (former curator of Oxford Botanic Garden) – “Bordering on Insanity – creating an all-year-round border.”
Nov 8th Wed – Andrew Mikolajski – Do Your Roots Need Doing
Nov 29th Wed – George Hargreaves – Notable Botanic Gardens of the UK – MEMBERS ONLY

2022 talks

Click on the talk title when highlighted to download a plant list (if available)

Jan 12th Wed – Richard Barnes – My 50 Favourites
Jan 25th Tue Andrew and Amy Skea from Potato House – all about potatoes and varieties
Feb 9th Wed – Jeff Bates – Water Gardens and Water Features
Mar 23rd Wed – Margaret Easter – Using herbs over the centuries. Download the plant list
April 13th Wed – Richard Harvey – Cornish Seascape Gardens
Oct 17th Mon – Francesca Page-Smith – Eythrope Walled Garden
Nov 9th Wed – Nancy Stevens – “Shrubs Are Boring” Really?……Are You Quite Sure?
Dec 8th Thur – Christmas Quiz – gardening themed fun with prizes – SEE QUIZ PAGE FOR DETAILS

2021 talks

Jan 14th Thu – Darren Rudge – Gardening on a Budget “Tea Bags, Bras & Tights
Jan 20th Wed – Simon Gulliver from the National Trust – The Secret Life of Trees
Feb 3rd Wed – Jim Almond – Snowdrops & Winter Spring Bulbs
Feb 10th Wed – Ingrid Millington, Hillview Hardy Plant – Auriculas & Primulas
Feb 15th Mon – 2.30pm – Nigel Hopes, Head Gardener Ashwood Nurseries – A year in Johns Garden
Feb 17th Wed – Jo Bird –  The Story Behind David Austin Roses
Feb 22nd Mon – John Chambers Wildflowers – Establishing & maintaining a wildflower area
Mar 1st Mon – Katherine Crouch – New tricks for old gardeners
Mar 3rd  Wed – Kevin Reynolds – Love & War, How we created our garden birds
Mar 10th Wed – Marcus Chilton-Jones – The Making of RHS Bridgewater
Mar 11th Thu – Dr. Andrew Ward, Norwell Nurseries – Brilliant Borages
April 6th Tue – Howard Drury – Succulent Gardens
April 8th Thur – Sue Bosson – Millenium seed bank project
April 12th Mon – Nick Hamilton – Drought tolerant plants
Apr 13th Tue – Kathryn Robey – The Dorothy Clive Garden Seasonal Changes
Apr 27th Tue – Philip Aubury – Successful Fruit Growing
May 7th Fri – Jeff Bates – The Plant Hunters
May 11th Tue – Victoria Logue – Extending the season in your garden
May 13th Thur – Margaret George – The History of Herbs
May 19th Wed – Keith Forster – National Arboretum Alrewas
May 26th Wed – Adrian James – “Gardens of Paradise
Aug 11th Wed – Philip Aubury – Growing for Showing
Aug 17th Tue – Dr Ian Bedford – Garden Bugs: Cohabit, Control or Conserve?
Sep 1st Wed  – Peter Moore – Buddleja
Sep 8th Wed – John Baker – Heavenly Hostas
Sep 16th Thur – John & Gail West Shores Nursery – Grasses
Sep 22nd Wed – Glenn Duggan – The Fantastic Flora of Australia
Oct 13th Wed – Vic Aspland – A brighter side of winter
Oct 20th Wed – Hilary Hutson – Sheffield Botanic Gardens
Nov 11th Thur – Doug Stewart – Winter Thrillers
Dec 8th Wed – Christmas quiz – Gardening themed fun
Dec 21st Tue – Alan Edmondson – The Shade Garden

(testing an alternative format for the program)

2025 talks

July – 24th Thu – MEETUP at NGS garden ‘The Hill Cottage’ CV37 0QA , anyone is welcome 11am-2pm

The Hill Cottage Snitterfield Stratford-upon-Avon 24th July 11am-2pm
A great opportunity for TS members to meet in a central location, open to all.  Gillie has a truly beautiful garden which is also a BnB and she opens her garden for the NGS. Gillie is from the Snitterfield Garden club which is one of the original TS affiliated clubs and have supported TS from the start, so please do join us there for a meetup and chat with other Tender Shooters.  It will be £6 entry for the NGS.  Check the website below and consider a BnB visit in the future.  I’ll be bringing along a few spare plants to share out, Lily Fusion, Fig ‘Brown Turkey’ cuttings, Egyptian walking onion baby bulbs, Elephant garlic bulbs, just reply back and let me know which to bring for you.  Feel free to bring along a plant too, I can always make space for more.  www.thehillcottage.co.uk  King’s Ln, Snitterfield, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 0QA.  The post code does not go directly to the house, so either use the maps link below or the ‘What 3 Words’ code which takes you right to the front entrance.  If you’ve not used What 3 Words before, I’ve attached a draft video introduction below which I’m creating for the Garden Media Guild (of which I’m now a committee member), so that may help you.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/vRJ1T6qnEj15RV7a8    Google Maps link

///soil.enveloped.scoping       What3Words code

Aug – 2nd Sat – RHS Hyde Hall Flower Show & BBC R4 Gardeners Question Time 10-5pm

Saturday 2nd August ONLY £1 garden entry 10-5pm
A great chance to ask the BBC GQT celebrity panel some questions during two recordings whilst enjoying the Flower Show with lots of nursery stalls and live entertainment. If you would like a £1 ticket, firstly please reply to this email with your name(s), then click this link to make the £1 payment for the number of tickets required Click to pay £1 for entry ticket , or if needed you can give cash on the day.  Indy will meet you at the main entrance between 10-11am with tickets (please note my mobile number just in case 074 755 12323).  For the BBC GQT recording you’ll need to book a seat from the RHS website for £5 via this link BBC GQT Hyde Hall ticket booking   If you do ask the GQT panel a question, don’t forget to mention you’re from the Tender Shoots online zoom garden club.