Malverleys, a large and beautiful private garden south of Newbury, has a gardening team of five. Over the last seven years they have transformed a Tom Stuart Smith-designed garden into something completely different for the new owners. The head gardener and designer, Mat Rees, came to tell us about that process of redevelopment, which has had its challenges. The outcome is a varied and imaginative show-stopper, heavily influenced by Mat’s seven years at Great Dixter working with Christopher Lloyd. Serious and articulate, Mat spoke with clarity and enthusiasm about this project. While satisfying the sometimes conflicting wishes of the owners, he has...
Read the full article >

Jake Hobson, whose business Niwaki is based in Dorset, told us his story: as a sculpture student he went to Japan and became fascinated with tree sculpting. After two years there he came back to England and eventually made his way in topiary, pruning trees shrubs and hedges, and importing high-quality pruning tools and accessories from Japan. Engaging and articulate, he showed a succession of lovely pictures demonstrating the art of tree pruning in England and Japan. He explained the landscape value of pruning trees, from the utilitarian to the most highly decorative. This was a great start to our new season of...
Read the full article >

The Reading & District Fuchsia Society will be holding two meetings in November. The first is on Monday, 13th November and will be a talk given by our own Terry Peters assisted by Janet Checkley and will show slides of his plants. The second is on Monday, 27th November. This will be our AGM followed by our Christmas Social. Both meetings will be held at Maiden Place Community Centre, Lower Earley, Reading RG6 3HE. The evening is free to members and £1 to visitors. Only members may attend the AGM. Further information from Ann Allen. Tel. 0118 9663730. Email:...
Read the full article >

The Berkshire Group of The Hardy Plant Society will be celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of the Hardy Plant Society on Saturday, 14 October, at St Peter’s Church Hall, Church Road, Earley, Reading, RG6 1EY, from 9.30am. . In the morning, Timothy Walker – lecturer, botanist, gardener, presenter, author and after-dinner speaker, will entertain us with a talk about the principles and practicalities which need to be adopted, when creating a herbaceous border that is interesting all year round. After lunch, Julian Sutton, who started out as an academic botanist before turning into a gardener and nurseryman (he and his wife run Desirable Plants, a...
Read the full article >

Haseley Court The head gardener gave us a comprehensive account of the history of the house and garden. Part of the house is medieval and there was topiary here in the 16th century. Garden features included an impressive avenue of trees leading well outside the property precincts and some longstanding topiary at the side of the house. The main extensive garden comprised a number of rooms surrounding a wheel of finely pruned box bushes set off by Geranium ‘Rozanne’ in profusion. Extensive box and yew hedging was prominent throughout the garden. The individual planting was principally a glorious array of well-grown flowering perennials, complementing a...
Read the full article >