Previous garden visits & speakers
Visits
Over the years the club has welcomed a wide range of engaging speakers who have shared their knowledge, experience, and passion for gardening. From plant specialists to garden designers, these talks offer inspiration as well as practical ideas to take back into our own gardens.
We also organise visits to some of the country’s most beautiful gardens and historic houses. These trips provide a wonderful opportunity to explore remarkable landscapes, discover new planting ideas, and enjoy time together in inspiring surroundings. They are always relaxed, sociable days out — fun, friendly, and a highlight of the club’s calendar.
Burghley Gardens
with Joe Whitehead
We were treated to a fascinating guided tour of the gardens, led by the ever-knowledgeable Head Gardener, Joe Whitehead. Drawing on years of horticultural expertise, Joe shared captivating insights into the gardens’ history, their continual evolution, and the dedication required to maintain them throughout the changing seasons.
The gardens themselves were a joy to explore, offering colour, character and interest at every turn. Particularly memorable was the opportunity to venture beyond the usual visitor areas and discover some of the hidden corners rarely seen by the public. From beautifully designed garden spaces to impressive sculptures and carefully curated planting schemes, Joe brought the landscape to life with stories, seasonal observations and an engaging glimpse into the planning and hard work that underpin these exceptional gardens.
Kelmarsh Hall
Kelmarsh Hall is a graceful 18th-century Palladian country house in Northamptonshire, built in 1732 for the Hanbury family. Its historic gardens, designed by Nancy Lancaster, Norah Lindsay and Geoffrey Jellicoe, feature walled flower beds, a sunken garden, rose borders and a woodland lake. Now run by a charitable trust, it combines architectural elegance with conservation of heritage and biodiversity.
Joe Whitehead
April 25 2025.
Lessons Learned and Shared.
Head Gardener at Burghley House, Joe has local connections. Previously training at RHS Garden Wisley, then moving on to become Head Gardener at two large and prestigious gardens in Norfolk: Salle Park and Raveningham Hall. Then he set up as a partner in GardenWise and appeared on various BBC local radio gardening programmes and ran a series of gardening workshops at East Ruston Gardens in Norfolk. Now as head gardener at Burghley he is overseeing the major redesign project and ongoing renovation of the gardens.
...and there's more...
We’ve recently welcomed inspiring speakers sharing expertise on plants, design, wildlife, and gardens, offering insight, ideas, and lively discussion.
Adam Woolcott & Jon Smith
November 24 2024

They describe themselves as 'hands in the dirt' practical gardeners and garden designers with many years of horticultural experience. They have featured on BBC Gardeners' World and, as garden designers, on Channel 5's Great Garden Channel. They have also been gardening experts on several other media channels and appeared in many gardening magazines including 'Gardens Illustrated' and the Times weekend supplements.
Michael Perry
January 25 2025

Michael started his career at Thompson & Morgan where he introduced hundreds of brand new plants to the UK. In 2015, he was listed in the Top 20 most influential horticulturists by The Sunday Times. Appearing on ITV's The Alan Titchmarsh Show, BBC Great British Garden Revival, The One Show and Channel 4's Steph's Packed Lunch along with appearing on radio and at countless trade events and flower shows. Now he can be seen giving out horticultural tips on ITV This Morning and QVC with a high profile podcast and social media presence. He has won many awards from prestigious bodies within horticulture.
Chris Davey
February 12 2025

Chris and his wife Kate run the nursery with their two children and are both passionate about the outdoors. Chris has worked all his life outside in farming, forestry and garden work until leaping into the nursery trade by ‘accident’ in 2018. They are passionate about growing quality plants and particularly unusual varieties that aren't seen so often.
Tim Fuller
March 25 2025

Plantsman’s Preference - New, Rare and Unusual Perennials
The team at The Plantsman’s Preference have been growing and selling an extensive range of hardy geraniums, ornamental grasses and unusual perennials from their nursery in Norfolk since 1996. Luckily the majority of plants they grow are easy and reliable and do not require any special care
Peter McDermott
Oct 24 2025

Peter McDermott is the Managing Director of 'You Garden', the UK leading online garden centre that sells plants and other gardening and lifestyle products. His name may well be familiar as he is also a writer, broadcaster. With around 30 years in the horticultural industry, he spent many of those years in hands-on gardening. He grew up in a family nursery which grew over 300 varieties of fuchsia and geranium as well as various cut-flower crops. These days he enjoys travelling through Europe looking for new and innovative plants for gardeners to grow and has developed a keen eye for the new and the interesting.
Nicola Oakey
March 11 2026

Award winning, Rutland Garden Designer, Nicola inspired us with her fascinating talk ‘Gardening to Save Songbirds’. Having made her debut show garden, the SongBird Survival Garden, at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2025, her talk shared a fascinating insight into her Chelsea experience, while giving advice and inspiration on how we can all make our gardens a haven for songbirds and reduce the decline in songbird populations by creating habitat-focused, bird-friendly spaces. Nicola is a regular visitor to the Club and we look forward to watching her successes and progress in the coming years.
Graham Charles
May 13 2026

A renowned expert on Cacti and Succulents….love them or hate them, Graham made the subject of these remarkable plants fascinating and surprising! Since his early years, Graham has spent most of his life travelling around the world seeking out new and rare plants. He was passionate about his subject, which was infectious and hopefully some members will feel inclined to start a collection of their own! Graham can also be seen at Rutland Nursery where he works and advises on the cacti and succulents there.