Fernwood Nursery - Talks

1. Sempervivums (Houseleeks) and related plants

We hold the NCCPG National Collections® of Sempervivum, Jovibarba and Rosularia. In this talk we give an illustrated account of these beautiful, hardy, alpine succulents and their natural history, cultivation and garden uses.

2. Phormiums (New Zealand Flax)

We hold the NCCPG National Collection® of Phormium. In this talk we give an introduction to the species and cultivars of New Zealand Flax, and their cultivation and uses in the garden. We also demonstrate how Phormium leaves can be used for plaiting and weaving crafts.

3. A plant lover’s tour of New Zealand

In this talk we describe our 2007 visit to New Zealand when we toured both islands with the aim of seeing as much as possible of the scenic wonders and natural vegetation of the country. We also visited a number of famous botanic gardens of New Zealand.

4. The Beauty of Leaves

It is easy to admire plants when they are in flower but we can overlook the importance of their foliage during the rest of the year. In this talk we give many examples of the amazing range of shape, size and colour of leaves and show how they can be used to great effect in the garden.

5. Numbers, patterns and plants This talk is a non-technical guide to looking at plants from a numeric point of view. Using a wide range of photographic examples we talk about the beauty of plants, and provide a ‘gentle’ introduction to the mathematics of plant structure, growth and development.

6. Flowers - their structure, function and evolution

The colours, shapes, patterns and scents of flowers are a wonder to us all, but a basic understanding of their biological functions can add greatly to their interest. In this talk we show a wide range of different flowers to illustrate their structure, function, and evolutionary relationships.

7. Exhibiting at RHS Shows

We exhibit at all the major RHS Flower Shows including Chelsea, Hampton Court, Gardener’s World Live and Tatton Park. We have been awarded RHS Gold Medals at all of these shows. In this talk we give a ‘behind the scenes’ account of show preparation, transport, display setup, judging, selling and breakdown.

8. Gardening for wildlife

One of our aims in developing our garden at Fernwood has been to encourage, support, and study our native wildlife and wild flowers. In this talk we describe how we have done this, and give a number of suggestions for those wishing to enjoy their garden in an environmentally sensitive way.

9. Gardening with a digital camera

In recent years the introduction of relatively inexpensive digital cameras has revolutionized amateur photography in the garden. In this talk we show the results of digital photography in our own garden, and describe various other ways in which we have found a digital camera to be a useful ‘garden tool’.

10. Plants, gardens and volcanic landscapes of Tenerife

Tenerife is the largest, and the most spectacular of the Canary Islands. Its warm climate supports a wide range of endemic and introduced plants and the volcanic scenery is amazing. In this talk we describe our visit to Tenerife to explore the landscape and the plants.

11. Great British Gardens

Great Britain has a large number of wonderful gardens showing an incredible range of plants and a fascinating diversity of gardening styles. In this talk we describe a selection of gardens that are open to the public and which we have particularly enjoyed visiting.