Events & Talks 2025

DATES

Our Talks start at 8pm; Newick Village Hall, BN8 4LF. Doors open at 7:30pm unless otherwise stated.

February 13th Membership renewal evening & TALK (doors open at 7:15pm)

Andy Sturgeon ‘Making a Modern Garden’
We are thrilled to welcome internationally renowned Landscape and Garden Designer, Andy sturgeon. He is dedicated to creating dynamic external garden design projects for private, commercial, and international clients. Based in Brighton, Andy and his team work on projects across London, the UK, Hong Kong and overseas. Regarded as one of the top 10 garden designers in the UK and winner of numerous awards including 9 Gold Medals and 3 Best in Show at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Andy blends strong design, natural materials and innovative planting to create bold, architectural and timeless gardens. Recently featured in a TV documentary, Andy designed the award winning gardens at Battersea Power Station, which were planted in Spring 2021.

February 22nd. Coffee Morning/Membership renewal. Newick Community Centre

MARCH 8th QUIZ NIGHT & SUPPER! £100 per table of 8 people.

March 29th SPRING SHOW Newick Village Hall

April 3rd TALK Ben Cross -‘British Flowers Rock!’ Ben is a 2024 Chelsea Gold Medallist: a multi- award winning 4th generation Alstroemeria grower, with his Nursery near Arundel. Ben is an avid campaigner for British Flowers and takes any opportunity he can to spread the word that British Flowers Rock! His Nursery is one of the last in the UK producing cut flowers in a full colour range all year-round and his flower crop is both organic and sustainable.The nursery has a small carbon footprint, employs local people and does apprenticeship schemes with local horticultural colleges. Ben will be bringing plenty of Alstroemerias for cash sales on the night.

May 10th PLANT SALE Newick Community Centre

May 15th. TALK Stephen Harmer. :’The Story of Plants and Plant Hunting’.
Stephen is currently Head Gardener at Tonbridge School, and has taught garden history for the RHS at Wisley, Hadlow College, Plumpton College and Greenwich University. Stephen runs online garden history classes and takes groups on garden visits in the UK and Europe. Stephen gave a wonderful Talk in 2024 all about The Arts and Crafts Gardens. We look forward to this new one! For this Talk he looks at the trials and tribulations of the courageous plant hunters who are responsible for the plants we have in our gardens today. Stephen looks at the uses of plants and also some very unusual reasons as to why they were grown. Stephen tells the story of plants from 10,000 years BC to present day. 

3rd June. RHS Wisley by coach. £20

2nd July Private afternoon visit to Colwood House in Warninglid £10 to includes tea/cake.

7th August. Private visit to Hollymount, in High Hurstwood. £15

SEPTEMBER 6TH ANNUAL SHOW

September 18th TALK Chris Brown ‘A Year in the Garden’. Chris has gardening since he was a young boy, then studied at both city college and Plumpton, before being given a scholarship to work and study at Kew for three years. He jhs worked at Gravetye Manor, been head gardener in Framfield and is taking up a new post at Newick Park in 2025.. His work has featured in §many top garden magazines as well as BBC gardeners world tv series. He’s also been working on some historic garden restoration projects on the side. His Talk will cover a broad range of subjects; from Spring bulbs, through hardy annuals, summer perennials and winter structures.

October 16th TALK Len Bernamont.:’Batemans: The Tale of a Storyteller’s Garden’ Len is Gardens and Outdoors Manager at Bateman’s, the home of Rudyard Kipling from 1902 until his death in 1936. Len’s gardening team work hard to maintain existing features as close to Kipling’s designs as possible. This work includes replacing plants with the original species, where still available, so that both the Spring and Front Garden borders now resemble Kipling’s original designs. There are many projects underway eg Pear Alley was restored in 2024 with 22 new pear trees, and the new underplanting was designed to better reflect the Art’s & Craft’s style which influenced the design of Kipling’s garden. Len’s fee will be donated to Batemans.

November 13th AGM & PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION. Newick Village Hall