Lecture Series

The garden at Great Dixter has its origins in the arts and crafts style, featuring topiary, a long border, an orchard and a wild flower meadow. The planting is profuse, yet structured, and has featured many bold experiments of form, colour and combinations. Fergus Garrett, who worked closely with Christopher Lloyd up until his death in 2006, is still Head Gardener and is continuing to introduce new ideas into the planting schemes.

Tuesday 12th October 2010

Karl Sabbagh

Karl Sabbagh is a writer and documentary maker living in Newbold on Stour, Warwickshire. In the 1990s, he came across the story of an investigation into an anonymous botanist suspected of fraud by his colleagues but never unmasked. By following clues and digging in archives he unravelled the story of how Professor John Heslop Harrison fooled the botanical community for many years during the 1940s by “discovering” rare plants which he had himself planted in unlikely places, most notably in the Isle of Rum, to which he had exclusive botanical access. In this talk, Karl Sabbagh describes his findings, as set out in his book A Rum Affair published in 1999, and updates the story with new evidence discovered two years ago in the archives of the Natural History Museum.

Val Bourne is an award-winning garden writer, photographer and lecturer and she gardens on the wind-swept Cotswolds at Spring Cottage - high above Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire.

Val has been gardening naturally for thirty years or more and wrote about her previous Oxfordshire garden in her award-winning book “The Natural Gardener” published by Frances Lincoln in 2004. It explains how a plant-packed garden functions successfully without chemical intervention and the purpose behind the book was to encourage others to become green gardeners too.

Her latest book, “The Winter Garden’, published in October 2006 by Cassell Illustrated, describes how to make your garden shine in winter.

Val writes regularly for The Daily Telegraph, Saga, The Oxford Times and Grow It and contributes to many magazines including The Garden. She is also a member of the RHS Floral Trials Committee.

Thursday 14th October 2010 - SOLD OUT

Gwyn Perry - Head Gardener at Armscote Manor

A day of discussion and demonstration set in the gardens of Armscote Manor. It will cover topics such as tools, tying materials and techniques as well as some tips gained during a long career in gardening. Those attending will be able to submit a question in writing beforehand which we will endeavour to cover during the day. Please bring your secateurs. The day will run from 10am to 4pm with refreshments on arrival and a light lunch will be provided. Places are strictly limited and carry a cost of £25.00.

Friday 15th October 2010

Bob Brown

Bob has a life-long obsession with hardy perennials, widened and much honed since he has been a nurseryman. He is known for having opinions (many very critical) about all the 11-12 thousand plants he’s grown or tried to grow. He is a member of the Herbaceous and Trials Committees of the RHS and writes for various periodicals. He likes digging, walking, bridge and red wine. He’s fat, fair and sadly no longer forty.

Monday 10th October 2011

Todd Longstaffe-Gowan - Gardens Advisor to The Historic Royal Palaces

Todd Longstaffe-Gowan is a gardener, historian, and Gardens Advisor to The Historic Royal Palaces. He is presently re-presenting the gardens at Kensington Palace to mark the Diamond Jubilee of HM The Queen (2012). He is the author The London Town Garden, 1700-1840 (2001) and The Gardens and Parks at Hampton Court Palace (2005). He is presently researching the history of the London Square (c.1600 to the present), which will be published by Yale University Press in 2012.

Todd was awarded a Visiting Senior Research Fellowship at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. for the period 1 September to 31 October 2010. The fellowship will give me time to complete my book on the history of the London Squares which I am writing for Yale University Press. This is the reason he is unable to lecture for us this year but will give a lecture in the second week of October 2011.

All monies raised are donated to Shipston Home Nursing and all our speakers are kind enough to donate their time to support the charity.