Join The Club

Make new friends, get gardening tips, expand your horticultural knowledge and visit inspirational gardens, these are just some of the benefits of joining a local horticultural club. Philippa Pearson chooses five thriving Herts groups

HARDY PLANT SOCIETY HERTFORDSHIRE GROUP hertshps.com

The group meets monthly at Wheathampstead Memorial Hall from October to April for talks, events and workshops. Events are followed by tea, homemade cakes and a plant stall where members bring plants in to swap with others – a great opportunity to pick up something unusual or new for your garden. During the summer months, meetings transform into outings and the chance to look at gardens and nurseries in the county or further afield, plus there’s a seedling swap and grand plant sale. The Herts group is one of 50 regional and specialist groups of the Hardy Plant Society. The aim of the society, celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, is to cultivate interest in growing hardy herbaceous perennials.

GARDENING IN THE COMMUNITY rhs.org.uk/Communities/ Get-Involved/Volunteer

If you fancy volunteering your gardening skills (no matter what level) for a community project or want to find a gardening club or society near you, the Royal Horticultural Society website has lots of information on opportunities available. Research by the society has shown that one of the best ways to make new friends, share a common interest and expand your horizons is by joining a local gardening group. A poll of 550 clubs affiliated to the RHS found that 68 per cent of members joined to make new friends, 73 per cent to share gardening information and 70 per cent to widen their horticultural knowledge.

HERTFORDSHIRE & BEDFORDSHIRE PLANT HERITAGE nccpg.com