Hose and District Garden Club

Janette Merilion is a well known international horticultural speaker, lecturer and historian with a successful garden design business based in central Lincolnshire. A registered speaker of the Royal Horticultural Society, Janet's list of horticultural talks ranges from seasonal flowers to garden design through the ages. Lincoln-based, Janette travels the world giving regional, national and international talks to numerous garden and horticultural societies.

Geoff Hodge is a freelance garden writer and editor, writing for and working for various national gardening magazines and websites – as well as lots more besides! Previously, hee was the Online Editor for the Royal Horticultural Society, Gardening Editor and Editor of Garden News magazine and Technical Editor of Garden Answers magazine.

He has written eight gardening books, including five for the RHS, with titles ranging from pruning and propagation to allotments and bulbs and a topic close to his heart – botanny for gardeners.

He is a regular guest on gardening programmes on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

He appears on Q&A panels at flower shows across the country, gives lots of talks and demonstrations at garden centres, garden shows and for gardening clubs and answers hundreds of gardening questions every year for various organisations.

Andrew Mikolajski is a Gardening writer with over 20 years' experience of writing, editing, lecturing and speaking, and has authored 40 gardening titles, is a contributor to gardening magazines and the RHS website.

He was a horticultural adviser on the new edition of the RHS A–Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants and more recently on a revision of the RHS Encylopedia of Plants and Flowers.

Previously, he taught garden design and RHS certificate at Warwickshire College, and garden history at the English Gardening School.

Little Ponton Hall and its gardens nestle in the curve of the River Witham as it winds its way through the rolling countryside of South Lincolnshire towards Lincoln.

The 18th century house, home to George and Bianca McCorquodale and their two daughters, is surrounded by spacious lawns dominated by a 200 year old cedar tree. In the walled vegetable garden are the Victorian greenhouses and a listed dovecote. The most recent addition is the development of a herb garden. Adjoining the garden is the tiny village church dedicated to St. Guthlac.

In the early spring, swathes of snowdrops clothe the river banks, and aconites form a golden carpet around the Church walk. This is a magical, secret garden, rarely opened to the public.

£8.00 per Garden Club member.

Please arange own transport / car share.

Some garden progress has been made over the last couple of years. Plenty to see, but still plenty to do.

Come and see a lunatic quantity of huge hostas and cannas (many got trashed in the June hailstorm).

Tea and coffee on tap, perhaps with the odd glass of Pimm's, and maybe some posh biscuits.

Free to Garden Club members.

Tropical and exotic with a hint of jungle! Exotic planting, tree fern mini-forest which can be viewed from a viewing platform in the canopy of the trees. Tree house and solar dome, stream and ponds. Greenhouses with bromeliads and cactus.

£7.00 per Garden Club member, includes refreshments.

Please arrange own transport / car share.

Helpers, plant donations, as well as entries needed.

Bring along your best produce to exhibit, donate some plants for the stall, or just come along to see what everyone else is growing and maybe go home with a few bargains.

More information ...

Stephen recently retired after 30 years of self-employment in Garden Design and creating of gardens for wildlife. He is a former Chairman of the Lincolnshire group of the Hardy Plant Society (HPS), a qualified Adult Education Tutor, worked part-time for the RSPB from 2007 to 2009 and created Greenspaces Nature in 2015

Stephen now organises talks, tours and daytrips to see birds, wildlife and flora at a variety of UK locations.

Set in the glorious Charnwood Forest, Nanpantan Hall was for many years a mystery to the people of nearby Loughborough. This was the case for Sue and husband David until 2008 when they first became involved in the restoration of its walled garden.

Over the years they have been privileged to see both the Hall and garden gradually come back to life. With photos spanning more than 100 years, Sue will share with you the highs and lows of their experiences and hopefully convey why the once mysterious place has come to play such a significant part in their lives.

Since Harry Tomlinson’s retirement in 2008 the business is now owned and run by his two sons, Corin and Paul, who are now building on 40 years of success and taking the nursery into a new era. Set in 12 acres of beautiful countryside, just one mile north of Nottingham, Greenwood Bonsai is the largest specialised Bonsai nursery in the UK and can offer unparalleled choice and knowledge on bonsai.

This talk looks at the role that many of our garden plants have in the creation of some of the world's finest drinks.

Taking inspiration from nettle beer, through to more exotic beverages such as pulque, this talk takes an amusing and sideways look at plants, gardens and favourite tipples.

After training as a professional horticulturist, Doug worked for a number of organisations, from the propagation department at Hilliers Nurseries, through to slightly more unusual roles such as lecturing in cucumber and tomato production, growing lettuces and pumpkins for Marks and Spencer and working as an interior landscaper and garden designer.

For over 20 years he has worked in horticultural education, as Head of Horticulture at one of the UK’s leading land-based colleges.