11.45 Opening remarks - Join garden designer, horticulturist and presenter Peter Donegan in the Hippodrome for a day of engaging talks and discussion.
12.00 Anne Swithinbank* - Horticulturist, freelance gardening broadcaster and writer. The Greenhouse Gardener. A greenhouse quickly becomes the headquarters of a garden and even unheated extends the growing season, is a hub for propagation and shelters tender plants. Explore how to use this growing space and make it an attractive feature of the garden.
12.30 Hazel Proctor - Teacher, writer, horticulturist, designer. Join Hazel as she delves into the reasons why we need to choose our plants with caution to ensure biodiversity is rich in our gardens. Learn what plants are best suited to catering for our winged friends both insect and bird alike.
13.00 How will your garden grow? Panel discussion with Gerry Harford (Camolin Potting Shed, Hester Forde (Coosheen Plants) and Maurice Parkinson (Ballyrobert Cottage Garden). What are the issues facing gardeners today and how gardens and nurseries are responding?
13.30 Hester Forde - Gardener, lecturer, writer. Summer Charm. Hester will look at plants which are the backbone of of biodiverse summer borders and gardens such as roses, clematis, lilies, thalictrums, agapanthus, hardy geraniums, dahlias and many more. With successful combinations and successional planting she will ensure a summer long of colour that gives a wonderful display.
14.00 Oliver Schurmann - Nurseryman, garden designer. The Lifetime Garden. Based on the premise that gardens are dynamic and not static, Oliver will talk about the initial planning of a garden with the understanding of how the planting will develop over 20-30 years. This long-term approach allows the gardener to design for the future and through a complex theme of trees, shrubs and perennials, to see their garden evolve into a well-balanced and less maintenance-heavy ecosystem.
14.30 In Conversation with Ed Burnham (Burnham Landscaping Ltd) and Peter Donegan (Peter Donegan Landscaping Ltd). With significant combined show garden experience Ed and Peter will discuss the ideals involved in show gardens, and how they relate to the more ‘usual’ garden. They will contextualise the experience of both the highly polished and more hands-on consumer garden in relation to biodiversity and sustainability.
15.00 Éanna Ní Lamhna - Biologist, environmentalist, presenter, author and educator. Éanna will discuss importance of biodiversity, with a particular focus on Ireland’s wildlife. She will also offer expertise regarding what individuals can do in their own surroundings.
15.30 Michael Kelly - Writer, author, broadcaster and social entrepreneur. How Food Grows. This talk will inspire you to try growing your own food and give you the basics on how to do it successfully, focussing on practical tips from the speaker’s years of growing. Michael started to grow his own food when he realised some garlic he was buying was imported from China. What started as a garlic growing experiment became a life-time obsession with the joys and health and sustainability benefits of growing your own food. He will talk about getting started, working on your soil, key pests and will focus on some of his favourite veg to grow including beetroot, garlic (of course), tomatoes, courgettes and great salads.
* with thanks to Quilter Cheviot
